SCHOOL CLOSED FRIDAY 24 JUNE - Matariki public holiday

 mahiChanges in Staffing Coming Up

As most of you will be aware, Larissa Odger will shortly be taking maternity leave and is very excited about the imminent arrival late July, of Blair and her baby daughter. Manuka children have already had an opportunity to get to know their new teachers - Mrs Gibb and Mrs Larkin who will cover Miss Odgers leave in a job share role. Over the three terms - the remainder of 2022 and Term 1 2023 - Larissa is away on leave Annabel Gibb will be the classroom teacher for Mondays and Tuesday and Jo Larkin will teach the remainder of the week. Both have put together a small introduction to themselves here and are looking forward to being part of our Winch Team.

Another change is that I have been awarded a sabbatical leave in term 3. This means that I am able to pursue some professional development in an inquiry concerning the growing needs for speech interventions required for children in schools and early childhood centres in our Kahui Ako and our teachers' greater understanding of these needs through using new structured literacy strategies. 

I am grateful to the Board for supporting me in this term out of the office and my sometimes demanding management and leadership role. After 40 years in teaching with only 3 years out while I had my children, and 13 years in principal positions it will be a great opportunity to have a bit of time to refresh. I may even get the chance to do a little traveling around our lovely country.

While I’m on my sabbatical I leave the leadership and management of our school in the very capable hands of Jacquie Coombs our DP. She will be acting principal for the third term. I think it will be good professional development for her to see what the role entails. Then in term 4 we will both resume our normal roles. I know you will support her over this time. 

While Mrs Coombs is out of class Pohutukawa children will continue to have Julz Donaldon as their teacher and she will be joined in term 3 for 3 days a week by a Keeley Jurica. Find out a little bit about Keeley below in her introduction.

Also we welcome Kath Dawson to the Winch Team for the remainder of this year. She is helping out a few hours each week with the gardening jobs around the school grounds.

If you would like to know any more about these changes please contact me over the next few weeks.

Book Presentations

We were delighted to invite Gretchen Gould and Anna Coleman from Property Brokers in Geraldine to come into school on Friday to present 4 books they donated to the school. Their aim is to support local businesses and the community and we were grateful to be included in this. The books were awarded to 2 children from Ako Iti - Couper Page and William Catley - and 2 children from Ako Nui - Greta Bowan and Charlee Schrider. These children were chosen by their teachers for their stand out efforts to learn and play demonstrating our school values. Thank you to the Property Brokers team and Ka pai to these Winch Wise children.

Amazing Race

You will by now have received your notice about our alternative to a whole school cross country coming up tomorrow. We decided to do something a bit different this year and are excited about this fun event. This will - weather permitting - take place over in the Show Grounds. If we need to postpone we will try again on the following Monday. If necessary any changes will be posted on our school Facebook page in the morning. We hope some of you can come along and support your child as they run around the course with its obstacles. If you’re feeling like a bit of exercise you are welcome to join in! Please remember that the children will be wearing mufti for this event.

Working Bee

We would really appreciate it if you have some time either before the Amazing Race in the morning or after from about 3pm through to 5pm, if you can come into school and help Mr Scott with the autumn/winter clear up of the school grounds. If you bring along some gardening tools too this will be useful. If you stay after school we will fire up the BBQ and have a sausage sizzle at 5pm. Again this will of course be weather permitting. Mr Scott has a list of jobs lined up and he will coordinate this mahi.

Library Renovations

Yeeha -we are so pleased that after almost two and a half years of planning and going back and forth with tenders and the Ministry, an upgrade is starting this week on our oldest school building, presently housing our library. While these building changes, which could take 2 to 3 months, are happening, the staff and children will not have access to this building. However, the children will still be able to take out library books as Mrs Woodley has moved the books through to our spare classroom (the classroom nearest the admin block).

Please note that the lost property box usually housed near the library will now be over by our spare classroom next to the office.

PTA Pie Orders

Thanks to all the Mums on the PTA who helped organize the Pie fundraiser. It was looking like a cardboard box city in our spare classroom on Friday. After only a couple of hours or so the helpers had all the orders ready for collection. A job well done and should raise some useful money for the school.

Kia ora rawa atu - Many Thanks

Tre

INTRODUCING OUR NEW TEAM MEMBERS:

Kia Ora, my name is Keeley and I will be working alongside the wonderful tamariki and kaiako in Pohutukawa next term. Originally from Brisbane, I relocated to South Canterbury fifteen years ago with my partner Carlin, and subsequently obtained my Bachelor of Teaching in Early Childhood Education. I have two children, Lachie 16, and Mikayla 15, who attended Winchester Rural School. I have been teaching in a local preschool for seven years and I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with tamariki in the early stages of their formal learning. I look forward to meeting and getting to know everyone in the Winchester Rural School community.

Kia ora koutou,

I’m Annabel Gibb, one of the new faces you will see around Winchester Rural School next term. I am so excited to be presented this opportunity to teach in the Manuka classroom alongside Jo.

Here’s a wee bit about myself - Pleasant Point is where I call home, my husband Latham and I built our first home together in Pleasant Point a few years ago. We have a 19 month old son Albie, Syd the dog and a pet rabbit named Bobby. We enjoy boating, camping, spending time as a family and adventuring with friends. I come from a large extended family, nine of them being teachers with my little sister at teachers college currently as well.

I have been teaching for 7 years now and have taught a range of different year levels. I was fortunate enough to work for the RTLB service for a year, where I went into many schools in the South Canterbury area implementing literacy support with target students, one of these schools being Winchester Rural - where I knew I would love to be back working one day and here I am.

I am really looking forward to working with the lovely children and their whānau, as well as the friendly and supportive staff here at Winchester Rural School

Kia ora Winchester School Community,

My name is Jo, and I will be part of the teaching team in Manuka. I am excited, and look forward to getting to know the children, school and wider community. Outside of school I enjoy getting out and about, spending time with family and friends and gardening. I live with my husband, two teenagers and two cats. I hope everyone has a restful holiday period and I will meet you all in term 3. 

If you have any concerns or complaints please click on the link below for the correct procedure to follow:

https://hail.to/winchester-rural-school/article/h5FFK78