Newsletter 4th 2022

Kia ora whanau

What an amazing week we have had weather-wise and how great it is to be totally parochial and be able to say how lucky we are to live in Te Matau a Maui (Hawkes Bay) because of that! We are also fortunate that we have so many local facilities and attractions that make our place a special place to be, and with the weather we have it makes it much easier to get out there and do 'stuff'. It is also great to have our tamariki out and about outside at our break times too...lots of games going on and plenty of 'bullrush'. That opportunity to let off steam and run around is so very important!

One of the things that we feel has recently enhanced some of our teaching and learning has been the ways that kura have been responsive to lockdowns and isolations, using technology to help bridge that gap. You have to love the potential that this provides alongside the way that it can also open up the world for them. Due to that, the rate of speed with which we can access information and the ways that we can present this has certainly changed ever so rapidly. While it is not the answer to any learning issues we do know that the use of technology has so many benefits.

In thinking about the above though, there is an issue or two that raises its head occasionally and that is on-line bullying. The downside of having tech-savvy tamariki is that they can also be exposed to social platforms and group chat situations which can be harmful if not monitored. We do receive the occasional 'mayday' help cry from parents in regard to this and on the majority of occasions the issues have stemmed from online behaviour at home. These problems do affect their peer relationships at school and so can become problematic for everyone. However, as I pointed out above, the problems are too often linked to platforms or sites that the tamariki cannot access through school. There are some very simple solutions to this! Firstly, as parents we are responsible for our tamariki's online behaviour. We are the ones that should be checking what they are doing and when and, to be frank, most of the social platforms have suggested age restrictions...for a very good reason!

Think about where your child is accessing the platforms and when they are online. This should be done in a space where you can oversee what is going on. As parents we should also be reminding our tamariki about the importance of what we do online - a reminder or two that we always leave a footprint that is very traceable!

While we will do our best to solve some of those online problems, they can be prevented from occurring before they start with some proactive parenting.

Ngā mihi

Marty Hantz

The Board and Senior Leadership Team are currently working with the Education Review Office (ERO).

The process differs from previous years. It takes a more collaborative approach and means that ERO will have ongoing involvement with schools rather than a one off visit every few years.

Our meeting with ERO last week was extremely positive. School goals have been set that align with the TPS Whakawhanaungatanga and measurements put in place to assess how those goals are being met. The report is currently in draft form and will be shared with you in due course.

• Pizza and Cake Day - Friday 12th August
  
• Spooner Shield - Friday 2nd September
• Spooner Shield Postponement - Friday 9th September
• TPS Cross Country - Monday 29th August
• Wig Wednesday - Wednesday 7th September
• School Photos - Thursday 8th September
• TPS School Fete - Sunday 18th September
• End of Term 3 - Friday 30th September

We are very likely to be seeking a new Kaiawhina to join our awesome team, could that be you? We would like to reach out to our community first as this position may well suit someone who would like to work in school hours. If you are patient, calm, have a sense of humour, are discreet and professional, love kids and want to make a difference then please contact Marty to have a chat.

Taradale Primary School

School Board Elections

Parent Election Notice

Nominations are open for the election of six parent representatives to the school board.

All eligible voters will receive a nomination form. Use this form to nominate yourself or

someone in your community. You will also receive a nomination cover letter calling for

nominations.

Information on who is not eligible to be a board member is provided with the nomination form.

If you need more nomination forms, contact the school office.

Nominations close at noon on Wednesday, 17th August 2022. You may provide a signed

candidate statement and photograph with your nomination.

The electoral roll is held at the school and can be viewed during normal school hours.

As nominations are received, there will be a list of candidates’ names kept at the school up

until election day, which you can view.

Voting closes at 4pm on Wednesday, 21st September 2022.

Sandy Godwin

Returning Officer

The Board of Trustees Triennial Elections will be held in September this year, where six parent representatives on the Board are elected.

Nominations for the parent roles will be sent home in an envelope this week.

We need your help

The Book Fair is our big annual School Library Fundraising Event. TPS families get to purchase books at bargain prices with every purchase made earning our School Library rewards. We want our library shelves overflowing with new resources for our tamariki to enjoy!

The amount of money you spend in sales also determines if we qualify for a BOGO Book Fair later this year, where families of TPS are rewarded with the fabulous deal of buy one book and get one free just in time for Christmas.

We can’t run this Book Fair without your help. It’s parents and caregivers giving up their precious time that enables us to offer this exciting school event. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Please complete the online form by going to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and enter the code 3gem9

We will be in touch as soon as we have finalised the volunteer timetable.

Please note: We ask that the children of our Book Fair helpers are not in the library while the helpers are working, as they can be quite distracting. If the weather is fine, children could play outside, otherwise they are welcome in Room 14.

Thanks in advance! If you have any queries, please ph/txt Stacey on 0273700353 or email Hikeaholic@hotmail.com

Growing through Grief Hawkes Bay is offering to run their Seasons for Growth program at our kura. Please read the details below and get in touch with Marty principal@taraprim.school.nz or Kaiako Rae raeleneh@taraprim.school.nz if you are interested in your child participating.

Last Friday some Year 5 and 6 students were given the opportunity to learn more about our local history. They visited Ōtātara Pā and the Tutaekurī river. Here are 3 videos that they made to share some of the knowledge that they learnt. They hope you enjoy learning about our local history as much as they did!

The Pizza & Cookie School fundraiser is back!

Parents- Get all set to order via lunchonline.co.nz the Pizzas of choice (choose how many slices you want) combined with a yummy treat- the Hershey’s chocolate chip cookie slice or the artisan gingerbread kid by Molly Woppy. All orders must be in by Wednesday 18th May, 8Am.

As always, your participation is greatly appreciated and essential so that, we in return can support Taradale Primary school become a better place for children to learn and thrive.

This year, our funds have helped cover so far for the Librarian fees as well as Lexia & Mathletics online memberships.

Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to do so.

So thank you!

Taradale Primary School PTA

To the left you will find the table showing our current cases and what has happened overall.

At this week's Board of Trustees meeting we passed a policy that requires all Year 4 to 6 learners to wear a mask in class and for when they are in proximity to others. This will be strictly enforced as of Monday next week, and encouraged this week. The exclusions to this will be those learners who already have a mask exemption. The BoT has not taken this step lightly. This was undertaken to keep our tamariki and kaiako safe. Teacher sick days have increased by 50% across Aotearoa this year and many schools have had to compromise the learning by combining classes, sending classes home or closing schools. We are determined not to let that happen to us and determined to not let a second wave of Covid affect us. Please work with us to ensure the safety of all.