Newsletter No. 2 Week 3 Term 2
Tokoroa Intermediate School 19 May 2022
Keeping Safe – Social Media
A school is a place where teachers and especially students should feel safe - physically, emotionally and mentally. However, social media is making this a more difficult task every day. Both Mrs Beale (DP/SENCO) and I are having a lot of our time taken up with the fallout of what is happening because of social media.
Most of this would end if only parents/caregivers were more involved in their child’s social media. I am sure that you would be shocked at some of the things that our students are up to. Highly inappropriate photos, videos, messages, social media usage, etc. It seems to be getting worse every year.
Often when parents are called and informed of what is going on, they are very upset. We as a school do not have the tools to keep your children safe on social media – You Do. A quick look on any app stores for Family Link and you will find a variety of apps to keep you and your family safe.
A reminder that most social media have an age restriction of at least 13 years of age. As parents it is our responsibility to keep our children safe and we can’t do this if we are not aware of what they are up to, especially on social media. Some may think this is an invasion of ‘My child’s privacy,” but this needs to be kept in the context of safety. Being the police the top of the hill is far better than being the ambulance picking up the pieces at the bottom.
A teacher’s lane is the lane of education which is becoming more and more difficult as we continue to navigate the many obstacles placed in our way through the growing problems of social media, such as, depression, negative body image, unrealistic expectations to name a few.
We are also having problems with students with excessive online gaming. Excessive gaming has been linked to anxiety, depression, obesity, sleeping disorders and stress. Students often arrive late and do not have the necessary mental capacity to learn or engage meaningfully with any required learning task.
Parents can help by making sure that you, the parent, provide social and emotional support, help build coping skills, and monitor their activities, especially online.
And finally, do not let your tamariki/moko take their phones into their rooms, shut their doors, and disappear for hours. Nothing good ever happens on the internet behind closed doors. The online world is by far the most dangerous place your tamariki/moko go to every day. We can’t assume that they will intuitively know how to navigate the dangers of the online world on their own.
Ron Creigh-Smith (Associate Principal)
EPro8 Challenge Week
This week is EPro8 Challenge Week, a week-long engineering programme where up to 128 students have an opportunity to be exposed to engineering. The fifth day culminates in a fun EPO8 competitive two-hour-long school event that we run ourselves that features live scoring, certificates and trophies. The top three teams from this event qualify to represent our school at the Waikato inter-school events.
It is an exciting opportunity for our students to participate and we are very grateful for some of our local businesses sponsoring this event. Thank you to the following sponsors making this possible and successful:
- Waratah NZ Ltd
- Holsters Engineering
- 3MI Engineering Ltd
- Tokoroa Engineering
- Loonacock Ltd
- Dave Wilson (Board of Trustees Parent Representative)
Here is what our students had to say:
On Monday the 16th of May, Tika students participated in the EPRO-8 challenge of building a crane out of aluminium rods and coloured plastic joiners, but before we started building our masterpieces, we had to learn some skills. To start off, we made four long rods for the base, and then we added some support so the structure was strong. Now that we knew the skills required to create our cranes, we started building. First we had to make a giant rectangle out of the rods we prepared earlier, it was such a challenge because it had to be stable so when it got pushed it didn’t bend. When we finished, we added support to the base at the bottom so that it was sturdy. Next we had to make the top, but here's the thing, the crane had to be able to pick up an empty bag. It took sooooooooooooo long to find a way to make the top work…… but finally we did it! We had created a crane that could pick up an empty bag. Then sadly, we had to dismantle it before going home. It was such a fun experience and we can't wait to do it again on Friday the 20th of May 2022.
Written By Kylie Robinson and Leah Luatua
School Photos
Pink Shirt Day 2022
Tokoroa Intermediate School is joining the movement on Pink Shirt Day (Friday 20 May 2022), and encouraging our staff and students to Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying!
Bullying in Aotearoa is a real problem. We have the third-highest rate of school bullying out of 36 OECD countries and one in 10 workers feels discriminated against or bullied at work. Those bullied are far more likely to experience mental health issues.
Pink Shirt Day works to reduce bullying by celebrating diversity in all its forms and supporting schools, workplaces and communities to be safe, supportive, welcoming and inclusive for everyone. To celebrate this important kaupapa we’ll be fundraising to support Pink Shirt Day on Friday, 20th May by asking everyone to wear pink and bring in a donation.
You can learn more about Pink Shirt Day here: www.pinkshirtday.org.nz
Period Products in Schools
We are delighted to share that Tokoroa Intermediate are participating in the Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata, the period products in schools’ initiative.
Research shows that 77 per cent of students would rather fail a subject than have their peers know they have their period and approximately one in 12 reported having missed school due to lack of access to period products. This highlights the stigma surrounding periods which we hope to change.
Through the initiative we will also help to:
· Reduce barriers to access education
· Reduce financial strain on families to provide products
· Improve attendance
· Increase participation in sporting and cultural activities
The Ministry of Education is providing period products (pads and tampons) to students to allow them to manage their monthly cycle. We will have product available for students to pick up and take home, as well as having a dispenser unit in our school sickbay.
For more information on the initiative, please visit: Ministry of Education - Ikura initiative.
Teacher Only Days
Achievement Awards
Congratulations to the following students who have received achievement awards this term for improvement and effort in various areas of school life:
The Whare Manaaki
Room 2: Mitchyll Follows, Kaiyan Poihipi, John Weaver, Logan Pyke
Room 12: Jordyn Wilson, Chase Matangi, Lillyan Barlow, Akaya Martin
Te Whare Pono
Room 9: Austin Taylor, Luke Ngatai
Room 10: Tanea Griffin, Alex Zhou, Payton Waea-Allan, Maria Ryder
Room 11: Keeson Ade-Winitana, Rihare Marsden-Dykstra, Tetumaru Tereu, Steven Baker
Te Whare Tika
Room 5: Aiden Lints, Samantha Swan, Storm Winikerei, Joan Lemon
Room 7: Hayleigh Butler, Rylee Groen
Room 8: Lily Daniels, Blake Taylor, Mercedez Martin, Isla Wilson
Te Whare Honore
Room 17: Erica Bruce-Smith, Tyrone Bishop, Emma-Lee Rota, Ethan Inglis
Room 19: Sadie Durham, Calais Wairaki
Trustee Elections
Trustees on a school board of trustees work together to make sure every child/ tamariki reaches their highest possible standard in educational achievement.
While the nomination process does not start until July, you might like to think about what you or someone you might know, could bring to the board. If you would like to know more about what is involved being a trustee, please arrange a time to talk to our principal on 07 886 7687, email office@tokoroa.school.nz or email our board chair: presidingmember@tokoroa.school.nz
School Calendar Events
- Trustee Meeting - Thursday, 19th May
- Pink Shirt Day - Friday, 20th May
- School Photos - Tuesday, 24th May
- Year 7 & Year 8 Vaccination Catch ups - Wednesday, 25th May
- Rooms 2 & 12 Swimming pm - Thursday, 26th May
- Waikato Intermediate Visual Arts - Thursday, 2nd June
- QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY - Monday, 6th June
- Teacher Only Day - Tuesday, 7th June
- Room 9 EOTC Waiouru - Wednesday, 8th June
- Rooms 2 & 12 Swimming pm - Thursday, 9th June
- Waikato Intermediate Futsal - Tuesday, 14th June
- Room 10 EOTC Waiouru - Thursday, 16th June
- Rooms 2 & 12 Swimming pm - Thursday, 16th June
- School Social - Thursday, 16th June
- Mufti Day (Westpac Chopper Appeal) - Friday, 17th June
- Waikato Intermediate 15's Rugby - Tuesday, 21st June
- Trustee Meeting - Thursday, 23rd June
- MATARIKI - Friday, 24th June
- Room 5 EOTC Waiouru - Monday, 27th June
- Waikato Intermediate Basketball - Tuesday, 28th June
- Room 11 EOTC Waiouru - Wednesday, 29th June
- School Cross Country - Tuesday, 5th July
- Report Evening - Wednesday, 6th July
- Report Evening - Thursday, 7th July
- Term 2 ends - Friday, 8th July
Contact Us
Email: office@tokoroa.school.nz
Website: http://www.tokoroa.school.nz/
Location: Billah Street, Tokoroa, New Zealand
Phone: 07 8867687
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTIS
EPro8 Challenge Week
On Monday the 16th of May, Tika students participated in the EPRO-8 challenge of building a crane out of aluminium rods and coloured plastic joiners, but before we started building our masterpieces, we had to learn some skills. To start off, we made four long rods for the base, and then we added some support so the structure was strong. Now that we knew the skills required to create our cranes, we started building. First we had to make a giant rectangle out of the rods we prepared earlier, it was such a challenge because it had to be stable so when it got pushed it didn’t bend. When we finished, we added support to the base at the bottom so that it was sturdy. Next we had to make the top, but here's the thing, the crane had to be able to pick up an empty bag. It took sooooooooooooo long to find a way to make the top work…… but finally we did it! We had created a crane that could pick up an empty bag. Then sadly, we had to dismantle it before going home. It was such a fun experience and we can't wait to do it again on Friday the 20th of May 2022.
Written By Kylie Robinson and Leah Luatua
- Waratah NZ Ltd
- Tokoroa Engineering
- Dave Wilson (Board of Trustees Parent Representative)
- Loonacock Ltd
- Holsters Engineering
- 3MI Engineering