2022 - Term 1 - Week 3

Week 2 has gone already ! Wow the term is already flying by and once again we are adapting to a new norm within Te Maunga and as a Kura. A MASSIVE congratulations (for lack of a better word at this time) to all our students for putting up with wearing a mask while being in the classroom and even some break times with all this rain we have had. We are finding it challenging as teachers so can only imagine how our young adults are finding it. We really wanted to say a HUGE thank you and well done to them. 

If you do have an extra mask at home could you please put one in their school bags as they are becoming a bit like that missing sock that the washing machine is eating and it would be handy to have a spare on hand. We would also encourage students to bring a drink bottle to keep with them during the day during class.

St John Programme- Te Maunga is lucky enough to have the lovely Paula Hart from St John coming in each week to work with our students over this term through their new Whātuia te Waiora Weaving Wellbeing programme. This is a positive mental health programme which aims to enhance wellbeing for Year 7 & 8 students. Whātuia te Waiora Weaving Wellbeing gives students the opportunity to weave positivity into their daily lives through a range of activities in a variety of areas. These areas include identifying and using their authentic character strengths, boosting positive emotions, developing and nurturing positive relationships and connections, building practical resilience skills (including mindfulness) and developing self-efficacy through empowering beliefs. This positive wellbeing programme consists of 10 lessons over a school term. It is underpinned by the positive psychology concept that a state of wellbeing is not simply the absence of the negative, but the presence of the positive. We strongly believe this will be highly beneficial for our Te Maunga students and after an awesome first session with the Year 7s on Monday - we can’t wait for the rest of the sessions!

Technology- Tec begins next Monday for our Year 8s and Year 7s the following Monday. They travel by bus to Kaiapoi Borough school leaving just after 9 and returning before 3. If your child has tech and they are running late for school please call the office as they may need to be dropped at the technology center. Masks are required on the bus and the drivers are very strict. They will be reporting any students who take them off or are not following their covid procedures. Lucy will attend with the students on Monday to make sure they settle in for their first trip. Please make sure you have paid $67 for technology fees or arranged a payment plan with the office so students can bring their incredible creations home and eat their delicious feasts.

Education Perfect- $36 Education Perfect (EP) is an incredible learning tool that was introduced in Te Maunga in 2021, and will be used to support our students' learning in 2022. EP’s ambition is to provide a fun and engaging interactive learning experience that fosters curiosity, builds confidence and adapts to the needs of all students. Students can even lead their own learning following their personal interests at home if they wish.We will be using EP in class and at home for a range of in class learning activities. EP was also an essential online learning tool for all students in class, online, and independent learning. We would ask this is paid for ASAP so we can get the most of the programme and have all students up and running on this incredible learning tool. We have an excellent deal from EP this year with the cost being $36 for the whole year ! If we are put in a situation where we had to self isolate or couldn't be learning on site this online programme will be invaluable in supporting students learning. We can not stress enough how well EP assists our learning program. Please make payment to the school account. - ASB 12 3616 0031570 00

BYOD- We are very lucky with the amount of technology we have available for students at Woodend however with growing numbers and amazing learning resources constantly being provided if your child does have an IPAD, tablet or laptop it would be hugely beneficial and appreciated if this could come to school. Mike Crawford has developed a robust BYOD system so all students are safe on personal devices. Please email him if you have any questions around this as he is happy to answer any questions. We do not allow cell phones to be used at all during the school day so can not be used to support learning.

Te Pou Swimming Sports - We have had to cancel our annual Te Pou swimming sports this year and are only able to take a handful of students who wish to compete or qualify for Canterbury Swimming Sports. Notices have gone home to those students who expressed interest. However if you have not received one and wish for your student to be part of this please email l.french@woodend.school to discuss.

Basketball- You will have all received a HAIL today regarding basketball this information is only for those who wish to play. If your child has expressed an interest to play you will get a paper notice home tonight so please make sure you read and have it back to school ASAP as they have left us with a very tight deadline to have players registered.

Te Maunga Jackets - These are available to purchase from Mainland Uniforms but ordering is done through the school office. We have some sample sizes available for students to try on before you order. They are available for $80 and sizes come from small- 16 and adult sizes $90.

Trips- We have penciled in some activities and adventures we would like to go on this year but with an ever changing environment we think it is best that we wait and see how the next few weeks play out before we send out information. We would hate to get the students' hopes up and have to cancel. Any opportunities that can be had within ministry guidelines will be planned, booked and gone ahead with.

Road Patrol - We have had an awesome start to the term on road patrol. A massive thank you to our incredible road patrol team, we truly appreciate their time, dedication, and positive attitudes keeping our school community safe crossing our roads. It is going to be a great term!

Student Leaders T-shirts-We have been waiting on the arrival of vinyl to create the shirts this year and it has finally arrived! Student leaders have been super patient and are receiving their shirts today! A massive thank you to Kirsty Parker for her creative skills in getting these made!

Wharemanu Leaders- Thank you to all the students who have sent in their applications and parents for supporting these. These positions will be decided over the next couple of weeks. We have been so overwhelmed with applications this year and will not be able to offer every student a position, but we thank you all for applying and stepping forward. We are intending to have more opportunities for leadership throughout the year.

We have never really had a lot of parents popping in to Te Maunga and that's made even harder not being able to have parents in classrooms, guess once they get into year 7 and 8 students think that's uncool? But please make sure if you have any questions, concerns, notice, or just a hello to email your child's classroom pakeke.

Lucy French - l.french@woodend.school.nz

Allie Coyle- a.coyle@woodend.school.nz

Hannah Lumsden- h.lumsden@woodend.school.nz

Kirsty Parker- k.parker@woodend.school.nz