Matapu School Newsletter
Term 4, Week 8, 9th December 2022
Calendar - Please note some new dates added & further information for events will be sent home closer to the date if required.
- Friday 9th December - School Disco, 6pm
- Tuesday 13th December - SPA Water Day
- Thursday 15th December - Last Day of Term 4
- Thursday 26th & Friday 27th January - Office open, 9am - noon
- Tuesday 31st January - First day of Term 1 2023
Principal's Weekly Update
RAISE Goal: to celebrate everything that I have achieved this year
Te reo phrase of the week: mahia kia pēnei (do it like this)
Kia ora,
Today we farewelled Kelly Rawcliffe, Mark Blance, Amie Heatherton, and Erin Martinez at our last assembly of the year. I would like to thank them for the hard work and the dedication that they’ve given to Matapu School and wish them all the very best for the future. We also welcomed Michelle Lee and Robbie Bird who are both excited about starting next year in their respective classrooms. Please note that all appointments we make comply with our Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) policy.
Student Reports
Your child/ren received their Term 4 written reports today. Please ensure that you take the time to read them and celebrate your child’s success. We are incredibly proud of how much progress our students have made this year, as well as the school values that they continue to display.
As we approach the last days of the school year, I would like to thank all of our families for the commitment and support they have shown us. In another Covid affected year, I have hugely appreciated how everyone has rolled with all of the different requirements that we’ve had to meet to ensure that we keep our students and staff safe.
Reminders
Please remember that the school office will be open between 9 am - 12 pm on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th January 2023 for all of your admin needs
If you intend to purchase a pool key, please complete the forms and pay the $70 before Thursday 15th December
It is at this time of the year we often have families head away on holiday early, please just let Emma at the office know if your child/ren will be finishing school before Thursday 15th December
Have a wonderful time over the summer holidays and a fantastic Christmas with your friends and whanau. Kia pai to hararei (have a wonderful holiday).
See you in 2023.
Matapu History Fact
The ‘Matamag’ - School principal Mr Charles Baunton first introduced the ‘Matamag’ in 1963 as a way of keeping the school and district in touch. At one stage it had a distribution of 150 copies.
Ngå mihi nui
James Willson
Board of Trustee's End of Year Update
It's been another solid year for Matapu School. From a BOT perspective, 2022
has seen a positive continuation of the vision and direction that we have
pushed the school in over the last few years.
It's been amazing to see our Aumangea Taima/Makerspace area come to
fruition to fit in with the objectives and values of our Matapu curriculum. This
area is a fantastic asset to our school as we continue to put a real focus on the
practical and problem solving skills of our children, letting them use their own
initiative to solve everyday challenges and problems can only be a good thing
in this modern world.
The Makerspace area consisting of the deck, shed and sun shade as well as the
new playground equipment are all a direct result of the extra fundraising
received from our Rear a Bull scheme. This is a really awesome initiative that is
so well supported by our school parents and community. To everyone who
donates to this thank you so much. A thanks also to Brent Espin and Nathan
Joyce for their work in regards to making this happen.
Our golf day this year was another amazing fundraising event and with the help
of Te Ngutu golf club the school managed to raise a massive $12,000. This was
a fantastic social occasion, thanks to everyone who supported this. We will be
holding this event again on the 3rd March so make sure you get those golf clubs
dusted off and get in behind it.
Thank you to our SPA committee, you all do an amazing job and it's great to be
working alongside you for the good of the school.
As we look forward from a property perspective our next focus is on our junior
end of the school. Our next round of ministry 5YA funding is destined towards
this and kicks off next year with the planning of the upgrade and refurbishment of
the three junior classrooms. This will update the junior block to match the rest of
the school in terms of modern, fresh teaching spaces for staff and students.
We are currently in the process of upgrading our Millennium Room which we
hope to have completed by Term 2 next year. This upgrade consists of creating
another modern teaching space by installing a stacker door onto the deck and
a refresh of the autex and paintwork, as well as with the generous support of
the TET a new weather proof Archgola to cover the deck.
This upgrade is to fit in with our continued focus of new entrant level growth
within our school. Since being zoned a couple of years back we believe the
best and most sustainable growth was at new entrant level to fit in with our
values and goals. Our growth in this area means we want to give the best start
possible to our new learners and this area will allow more options in terms of
teaching smaller groups at various times.
I would like to thank our BOT, Hillary, Brent, Nathan, Gemma, Nikaela and
Adrian. You all do an amazing job behind the scenes and it’s a pleasure to
lead such a great team.
James, what another fantastic year you have had, we are incredibly lucky to
have a principal of your capability with such passion and dedication towards
your role. Your vision and implementation of Matapu School, its values and
direction contribute immensely towards how we achieve what we can. It’s
fantastic working alongside you and watching the way you lead your team.
To our staff you are all amazing and a thank you on behalf of everybody. Such a
great bunch you all are, your work is outstanding and we certainly value what
you do.
All the best to our school leavers, you are well equipped to push forward onto
your next level of schooling, work hard and don’t forget where you have come
from. Have a great Xmas everyone and catch you back for 2023.
Kurt Parry
BOT Chairperson
School Notices
Values Awards
Room 2 - Manaia - keep on reaching for the stars! Thanks for always showing the Matapu RAISE Values.
Room 3 - Briana for the fantastic effort and enthusiasm you put into each day!
Room 4 - Indy for joining in, giving everything your best effort and doing it with a smile.
Room 5 - Ayla for being a kind and caring member of Room 5.
Room 6 - Mia for putting in a super effort to create Santa; following a plan. You just kept trying!
Sports Uniforms
Any students who have uniforms yet to be returned will have an invoice sent home.
Whakatauki
May peace be widespread, may the sea glisten like greenstone, and may the shimmer of light guide you on your way.
This whakatauki is used to wish someone well in an upcoming endeavour or journey.
Room 1
This week we celebrated our Year 8 Leavers at a dinner on Wednesday Night. It was such a great way to acknowledge all the hard work and effort these students have put into their time at Matapu School. Thank you to all the parents who came along and helped to make the night such a success.
It has been an absolute pleasure to teach in Room One this year, they are an amazing bunch and it has been so rewarding to see them go from strength to strength as the year progressed. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best for the holiday season ahead.
Room 2
WOW! It is hard to believe that we have raced to almost the end of the term! Room 2 continues having fun while we learn. We have 'The Great Christmas Challenge' happening in our class; it has been so entertaining! In teams, children have had to make up dances to carols, create natural Christmas Trees and make a safe parachute for Santa. All of these experiences teach children to work in a team, communicate clearly and accept a democratic decision.
Our classroom is looking even more festive, with beautiful Christmas trees adorning our hanging spaces. As the year races to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Matapu School Community for being so supportive and kind; the value you all place on your child's education is fabulous. Have a beautiful Christmas, make some great holiday memories and take those moments that allow for spontaneity. Nga mihi nui, Deb.
Room 3
From Room 3 and Anna Hauparoa.
Room 4
This week we have been doing Christmas related maths, we wrote letters to Santa and made bell decorations for our tree. Our maps are almost finished, we added our two rivers, the Waingongoro and Mangatoki this week. We also talked about directions and added a compass.
Only a few days to go, so have a safe and happy holiday everyone! Thank you for your support this year.
Room 5
We have had lots of fun completing Christmas activities this week. Room 5 has done everything from painting to colouring, and we have made some awesome crafts. It has also been a time to hang out with some of our Year 8 students as they look to finish their last weeks at Matapu. They have enjoyed dancing, helping with artwork and class games with our older students. We will certainly miss them around the school next year!
A big congratulations goes to Rhea who received the Best Achiever at RDA this week! What a great achievement and awesome way to end the year!
Finally, I would like to say what an amazing year it has been to teach in Room 5. From production to cross country and everything in between, our students have achieved so much this year and I am proud of their hard work and effort. A big thanks to all the TA's and teachers who have worked in Room 5 this year, your support has been greatly appreciated. I wish everyone a great Christmas and summer holiday and look forward to seeing everyone back in 2023!
Room 6
We have had a great week being artists and creators! We used our ‘How to Draw a Santa’ instructions to help us create our own lovely Santas so we could make special cards for special people. We discovered that we could change Santa to an elf easily so some of us experimented with that too. Then we moved onto designing christmas trees- the sky is the limit!
Lots of learning involved in all this activity: following steps and instructions, using our fine motor skills to add details and colour carefully, thinking about presentation and how to make our work look even better and persevering to get the tasks done.
If you are lucky enough to get one of these creations, treasure it for all the love and effort that went into making it!
Community Notices
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Print Ready - Amanda Sherman, CMK Hawera, Shurr & Ireland Accountants, Mark Joblin Concept & Construction Ltd, Sanfords Rural Carriers, Taranaki By-Products, McDonald Real Estate, Eltham Vet Services, ANZCO, Power Farming, Corrigan Electrical, Matapu Bulk Transport, CRV Ambreed, FMG, Mack Transport, Blastways, Nevada, Ballance, Todd Energy, & BCCL (Burgess Crowley Civil Limited) Carrfields Livestock, Rosemount Charolais - Dairy Bull Specialists, PGG Wrightson Livestock, Jack Gray Ltd, Bruce Parry Livestock, Kelsen's Glass & Glazing, Tommo's Tyres Ltd, Chris Perrett Electrical Solutions, Holdem Contracting Ltd, STE (South Taranaki Electrical), Kaponga Four Square, MG Taranaki, JP Refrigeration, Melza’s Customs, Monkeytoe, SepticWorks Limited, FMG, Phillip Joblin Kitchen & Furniture.
PLEASE SUPPORT THOSE THAT SUPPORT US
Matapu School
Email: admin@matapu.school.nz
Website: matapu.school.nz
Location: 495 Hastings Road, Matapu, New Zealand
Phone: (06) 272 6764