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Newsletter - Term 2 Week 4
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Principal's Notices
Hello and welcome, nau mai haere mai! Week 4 already šµš«.
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You may have seen the recent announcement from Minister Erica Stanford regarding a one-off $2500 fuel subsidy for schools. Following a recent Board meeting, we discussed the best way to utilise these funds. Because we are fortunate to have an incredible team and a very low reliance on outside relievers, the Board has decided to allocate a portion of this payment directly to our staff to acknowledge their commitment and that, they could work in town if they wanted to (but who WOULD want to, Wairau Valley School rocks)!
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This decision also ties into our broader school culture of looking out for one another. We believe in doing our bit for the environment and our community, and our staff are leading by example; you might even spot Mr A and Mrs Kumar carpooling on their way out to the valley! It is a small but important part of our social responsibility - showing that when we all play our part and support each other, the whole community benefits.
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A huge thank you to everyone who has been using the Hero app to self-report absences. It is great to see so many families remembering to do this; it saves Lisa a lot of time and ensures we know exactly where our tamariki are.
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When you log an absence, we do ask that you be as specific as possible with the reason. Rather than just stating "sick," please let us know the symptoms for example, "sore throat and upset tummy" or "headache and vomiting." Providing this level of detail is a Ministry of Education requirement, as it allows us to track health trends across the school in case we needed to act. I'm sure you'd like to be informed if 15/34 children were away with a spew bug! Just like carpooling, this is another way we all play our part in a responsible, healthy school community.
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Continuing the theme of us all playing our part, a reminder of our Inclusive School Culture policy. Being an inclusive community is acknowledging that every child has a different story. While it’s natural to view things through the lens of our own lives and families, we shouldn't assume that our personal experiences are the standard for everyone else. Often, what looks like a simple "behaviour" or a different way of doing things is actually a child or family navigating a situation we know nothing about. By being aware of our own privilege and leading with empathy, we protect the dignity of every student. We ask that our community remains patient and non-judgemental toward someone else's cherished taonga - their child. Choosing to be supportive rather than critical helps us protect the mana of every student and ensures Wairau Valley remains a fair and welcoming place for all.
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We are proud of our awesome community and inclusive culture, but "inclusive" doesn’t mean "informal" when it comes to the safety of our students. To keep our school a secure environment, we have a clear expectation that all visitors must check in at the office first. Even if you’re just dropping off a forgotten lunch (we can deliver that!) or believe the office might be unattended for a moment, please do not go directly to the classrooms. This is a vital safety measure. If a stranger or even a familiar face approached a classroom to see your child without your, or the school’s knowledge, you would expect us to intervene immediately. By following the sign-in process, you help us ensure that every adult on-site is accounted for and that our teachers can maintain a focused, uninterrupted learning environment for your children. This also allows us to keep accurate attendance records if you are taking your child for an appointment.
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Believe it or not, your tamariki model these inclusive, community-minded values every day. They are so kind and caring when they see others struggling and need help. I was particularly proud during our hui today watching them support each other while reading their shark sentences. We also had a record turnout of parents - so awesome to see that our community are strong. Sidenote: you'll be pleased to know we now have a solution for notifying parents of children getting certificates as promised in last fortnights newsletter. Lisa will contact you the day before (Tuesday morning) and let you know if your child is getting an award. Celebration assemblies are every even week Wednesday at 2:15 PM and are always in the school calendar available through our website or Hero. Everyone is welcome!
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Upcoming/Important Dates
- SCHOOL CLOSED - Maths TOD Day - Friday 29 May
- SCHOOL CLOSED - King's Birthday - Monday 1June
- Small & Rural Schools Cross Country - Friday 26 June
- Mid-Year Reports sent via Hero - Friday 26 June
- School Big Day Out! - Tuesday 30 June (TBC)
- School Interviews - Tuesday 30th/Wednesday 1st July (TBC)
- Last Day of Term 2 - Friday 3 July
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I highly recommend you sign up/subscribe to our school community calendar. Click the link here to access it. The calendar is also visible on our school website.
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We have some cool friends!
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Below are a number of friends, whÄnau and providers that have spent some time at Wairau Valley School over the past two weeks. We are so lucky to have such supportive people in our Marlborough community.
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Keeping Zen with Mikey Dean
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A huge thank you | ngÄ mihi nui to Mikey Dean who has been giving our tamariki | children some direction in meditation. This complements our Zones of Regulation programme superbly and is another vehicle for the students to learn how to regulate themselves and calm themselves down when things are getting a bit exciting, spicy or worrying.
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Tennis with the wonderful Reilly
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Reilly from Inspire Tennis spent two Mondays coming out to Wairau Valley School, taking each class for an hour of tennis coaching. We are very lucky to have the awesome courts we have, and I hope that Reilly has ...inspired some Wairau Valley kids to pick up a racquet.
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Reilly has floated the idea if there are children who show an interest and would like to get private lessons, there is scope for him to travel out. Anyone interested can contact Reilly at his email here.
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Our first hard-working emergency services worker, Kathryn
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Kathryn has been teaching First Aid in Schools since I have been around Marlborough. She has a real way with the tamariki in getting the key messages through. She's also a secret gardener who kindly supplies schools with seedlings for their gardens! Our kids learnt what to do in a medical emergency, how to put someone in the side-stable position (hopefully they came home and tried it on you - if not challenge your child to put you into the side-stable position! Thank you to Ollie for his wonderful modelling.), and what to look out for when keeping people safe around the home, farm and campsite. More info is here.
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Our other hard-working emergency service friend, Constable Charlotte
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Constable Charlotte visited the Fishtail Room yesterday to talk to the students about cyber bullying and keeping ourselves safe online when using devices such as iPads, computers, gaming consoles, and phones. She reminded us about the importance of staying safe while using the internet, whether we are playing games, chatting online, or using apps.
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Constable Charlotte explained that many social media apps have a minimum age requirement of 13 years old. These include Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, Messenger, and Instagram. Students were also reminded to be careful when using games such as Roblox and Minecraft, where online chatting with others can occur.
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If children are using games such as Roblox, accounts should be set up by parents or caregivers and the child’s real age should be entered so the correct safety settings and restrictions are applied. Parents and caregivers should also be aware that they can be held responsible for allowing children to access apps, games, or content that are age restricted.
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WhÄnau, this stuff is really important, and Charlotte expressed in my office both the seriousness of this message and the absolute mess Police are asked to clean up as a result of children having unvetted access to social media and the internet before we can even trust them (...by law anyway) to stay home by themselves. I too have personally seen the harm this causes in previous roles I (Mr A) have had.
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For more information, adult-facing content for cyber safety can be found here.
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Constable Charlotte also spent time with students discussing road safety, which culminated in the tamariki | kids practicing on Morse Street. We learnt about walking safely around cars, how to cross the road safely and that adults provide the best line of defence and should be the ones closest to the road!
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Road safety content can be found here.
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John Burnett and his ANZAC stories
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The Fishtail Room were lucky to welcome Mrs Herbert’s dad, John, to speak to us about our ANZAC and Gallipoli Inquiry learning. John shared stories and knowledge about the Gallipoli campaign, including the conditions soldiers faced, the importance of remembrance, and what it was like visiting Gallipoli during the 100th year commemoration. Students were fascinated by the pieces of shrapnel and barbed wire John gathered while at Gallipoli, as well as the medals belonging to his father and grandfather. His knowledge helped the students make meaningful connections to the people and history behind our learning.
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Congratulations, superstars!
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This fortnight, our wonderful superstars are:
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Erinn Denniston: I love how you show your love of learning through your writing. Keep striving high and you will get further than you think! Please also remember us when you’re a famous author.
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Johnny Nicholls and Cullen Christian: Mrs Kumar and Reilly from Inspire Tennis were so impressed with your teamwork and cooperation while playing tennis. You absolutely rocked our school expectations, lads! Keep it up.
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Kyan Hoogeveen: You are really stepping up and showing us all what an excellent leader you can be, especially during our PALs sessions. Keep being you, let your personality shine through and be the role model we want all Wairau Valley tamariki to aspire to! Ka rawe.
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Well done to the Wairau Valley boys representing at the Rugby tournament a couple of weekends ago, playing for U9 Renwick Green. Player of the Day - Johnny Nicholls; Most Improved - Declan Wolland and Tackler of the Day - Archie McCabe.
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Aria and Cadence Dean have been busy practicing for and competing in the first of the Marlborough Dressage Winter Series.
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Cadence has stepped up to Level 0 (which is off the lead), and Aria is competing in both Level 1 and Level 2. The second for both girls was pretty awesome, as Aria was the youngest in her class and Cadence was the second youngest in her class.
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Fantastic job representing your whÄnau and our kura | school with pride!
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Gracie, Player of the Day for her Renwick team last weekend.
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Beau, who also picked up Player of the Day in U10's last weekend.
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ICYMI - Board Update
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A casual vacancy has occurred on the school board for an elected parent representative. The board has decided to fill the vacancy by selection. If 10% or more of eligible voters on the school roll ask the board, within 28 days of Monday's notice being published, to hold a by-election to fill the vacancy, then a by-election will be held.
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