Kia ora koutou e ngā mātua, e ngā whānau, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Konichiwa!

Welcome to Issue 8 newsletter.

Isn’t it great the days are getting longer, the lambs are frolicking in the paddocks, daffodils, daphne and all the spring bulbs are out… Spring is here! Certainly lovely after what seems to be a long winter!  Before we know it daylight saving will be here on the 30 September just in time for the school holidays!

Gosh it’s hard to believe we are over halfway through term 3!  A lot has been happening since the last newsletter, which you would’ve seen on our facebook page. On Wednesday for the first time we had our ukulele group performing at the Strum, Strike, Blow performance at Horncastle Arena. We are very proud of our players!

Of special mention is our fantastic school band who performed at St Margaret’s College on the 21 August, competing against other school bands from across Christchurch. It was a privilege to listen to their professional and polished performance - you will be proud of them. We especially congratulate Isla for receiving an award for outstanding 'Killer Guitarist'.

Many thanks to Dave (guitar tutor) and Steve (drum tutor) for their time and commitment. A special thanks also to the many parents who have supported their child and this great musical opportunity.

We received a request for the contact details of our music teachers to be included in the newsletter. This will be a permanent entry for ease of contacting in the future!

Staffing

We welcome Eran James who is teaching in the Totara team whilst Kathryn Moake is on leave for the remainder of this term.

We also welcome Lisa McFarlane in the Kōwhai Community as is the additional teachers until the end of the year due to the growth in our New Entrant year group.

At times, we continue to have difficulty engaging daily guest teachers when one of our staff are away for various reasons. This is not uncommon across the education sector. Where possible we endeavour to employ the same guest teachers for consistency and continuity for all concerned.

Student - Led Conferences Evaluation

As part of our school self review process, we are seeking feedback from our learners and community on the recent Student-led Conferences. This is to inform our practices for future reporting to parents. We have decided to do this informally by asking you a few questions when you pick or drop off your children at school. Whilst we appreciate not everyone comes to school a brief survey has been created here for you to contribute to. The survey closes on the 7 September (next Friday). Thank you for your contributions.

On line bullying site

I have included this link to a great site to support you and your child/ren regarding on-line bullying On line bullying for young people - Netsafe

Teacher and Principal Negotiations update

After months of negotiations with the Ministry of Education, and more talks since the strike on August 15, we still have no new offer.

Our union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, continues to negotiate in good faith, but the Government says it will take time to fix the issues.

However, time is the one thing we don’t have. Around the country we’re seeing:

- 40% reduction in teacher trainees

- Zero applicants for some teaching jobs

- More children entering school

- More children with additional learning and behavioural needs

- Teachers are burning out and leaving the profession, often within a few years of graduating

The staff at our school want your children to have the very best education we can provide. We’re standing firm in that commitment and believe the time is now to ensure that schools can offer every child the education and support they need, and that we have a sustainable teaching profession into the future.

Our children can't wait. We won't wait.

We appreciate your support. Please talk to your child’s teacher if you have any questions, and consider signing this petition to the Minister of Education in support of teachers.

https://campaigns.nzei.org.nz/time/petition-teachers-and-principals/

Congratulations

We warmly congratulate Chloe Cull who has been successful in winning a permanent position at the new school in Lincoln - Arariri Springs (yes she will be working with Trine!) What a wonderful opportunity to be a foundation teacher of a brand new school! Chloe’s last day will be the 9 November. We thank Chloe for her valuable contributions she has made in the short time she has been with us. We wish her all the best. We are currently looking to fill Chloe’s position before the end of this term.