Matapu School Newsletter
Term 1, Week 3, 18th February 2022
Calendar - Please note some new dates added & further information for events will be sent home closer to the date if required.
- Wednesday 23rd February - School Athletics Day
- Tuesday 8th March - School Swimming Sports
- Wednesday 9th & Thursday 10th March - Whanau Goal Setting Conferences
- Friday 11th March - Teachers Only Day, school closed
- Monday 14th March - Taranaki Anniversary, school closed
- Friday 25th March - Junior School Try-athlon
- Thursday 14th April - Last Day of Term 1
Principal's Weekly Update
RAISE Goal: to greet friends, staff, and parents on arrival
Te reo phrase of the week: kia mutu koe? (are you finished)
Kia ora,
As you can see in the photo below, all of our playground equipment has been reinstalled following a detailed refurbishment by Blair Luscombe from Blastways and Phillip Pretty from Hollard Engineering. Phillip created a new bracket for our slide, while Blair sandblasted and repainted all of the equipment. Both Blair and Phillip donated their work and time, which is hugely appreciated. It is so nice knowing that our playground is in great shape and will continue to be used by active students for many years to come.
Covid Update
As we see the national Omicron Covid-19 cases continue to rise it is timely to share some vital information, which should put us in good stead going forward. Please see a list below of how we plan to respond to a confirmed Covid-19 case at our school.
Communication is key, if a case is confirmed at our school, we will use the School App to let our community know and provide you with a variety of options
Close contacts of the case will be contacted directly by either the senior leadership team or our office administrator
Our main aim will be to keep the school open, however this may look a bit different than normal depending on the staff that we have available
For example if a class teacher has to self-isolate, we may require that specific class to learn from home for a period of time
If we have multiple staff members needing to self isolate then we may partially open the school to onsite learning, for example the junior classes may attend Mon, Wed, and Fri, while the senior classes may attend Tues and Thurs
In the event that a number of staff are forced to self-isolate and we cannot safely open the school for onsite learning, the school may be closed and distance learning (learning from home) will begin
Every school’s situation is different and I know that being a rural school, Matapu School may have a number of families who might choose to keep their children at home due to the requirements that they also have to meet in their workplaces. This is completely understandable, please just let us know if this is what you plan to do.
As always, your support is very much appreciated and we will endeavour to cause as little disruption as possible to your child’s learning.
Kia pai to wiki (have a wonderful weekend).
Ngå mihi nui
James Willson
Values Awards
Room 1 - Bobbie for putting 100% effort into all that she does while still taking the time to help and support others.
Room 2 - Aden for being an amazing role model and showing integrity.
Room 3 - Anika for consistently supporting her peers in class and in the playground.
Room 4 - Mosese for managing your time well to complete your class work!
Room 5 - Hudson for always showing integrity and making good choices.
Room 6 - Stanley for showing kindness and care to your friends in Room 6 and helping others out.
Whakatauki
Tuwhitia te hopo!
Feel the fear and do it anyway!
Room 1
This week we got stuck into our school garden. The weeds sure did have a great time growing over the summer break!
Last year our Enviro Group planted potato and kumara tipu for us. This week we harvested our potatoes and hunted out a recipe to make using them. For homework next week the kids will need to cook up their recipe and share a photo of the finished masterpiece with the class.
The Kumara are still going strong, we can’t wait to dig them up in a few weeks.
Room 2
We are quickly moving into established routines, expectations and mahi in Room 2. The hot weather has allowed us to take our mahi and work outside in the shade - maskless! We are super grateful to Miss Rawcliffe for the lovely quilted rugs she has made that we can share! We are also grateful to be able to swim in a beautiful school pool; many schools these days do not have swimming pools - especially heated ones - so we are making the most of the opportunities!
For Maths we are remembering and reinforcing place value. It is also a goal for our class to really master instant recall of times tables - in fact - there is a competition going on in Room 2 to be the grand champion! I would really appreciate it if parents would also challenge their children and practice times tables!
Room 3
This week we have been getting outside to practise our shot put, discus and high jump. Room 3 is working hard to upskill in these areas ready for athletics day. Back in class we have been writing a recount of our experience during these activities.
Room 4
It has been another busy week in Room 4! Our class is using the Lego We Do kits every Thursday with Mrs Heatherton. It's great to see everyone having a go and lots of persevering with the challenges. We are enjoying swimming and learning some new athletic skills with high jump, discus and shot put. Our writing focus is about using exciting words for sprinting.
Room 5
We have been loving our practise time with the high jump this week. The kids are always excited to go outside and practise so they are ready for athletics day next week. It is awesome to see everyone trying their best and giving it a go. We have also been learning how to throw a shot put and discus.
Room 6
We are settling even better into the routines in Room 6 as the weeks begin to pass. It is so great to see independence growing as nearly everyone walks from the gate on their own, and arrives in the corridor with a cheerful greeting for the teacher. Real ‘bucket- filling’ behaviour!
Confidence in swimming is growing well too. Our main focus is on water safety so we have talked about keeping safe at home, on the farm, at a river and at the beach. The children are beginning to understand the importance of learning to float and we hope to challenge and surprise ourselves by aiming to stay comfortably afloat for 1 whole minute!
Today we had a go at our activities for athletics next week…it was a new experience to jump the high jump but everybody improved so much and confidence was high at the end!
Enrolment Notice (out of zone)
Enrolment at Matapu School is governed by an enrolment scheme, details of which are available from our school office.
The board has determined that we have two out of zone places available at year 3 for Term 1. The deadline for out-of-zone applications is 3 pm 25th February.
The board has determined that there are likely to be up to eight places available for out-of-zone students in Term 2 this year. The exact number of places will depend on the number of applications received from students who live within the school’s home zone. The deadline for out-of-zone applications is 3 pm 1st April.
Applications can be made by visiting the school office and applying in writing.
We encourage all families (both in-zone and out-of-zone) who intend on enrolling their children at Matapu School in 2022 or 2023 to please let us know by either contacting the school office on (06) 272 6764 or emailing admin@matapu.school.nz.
If the number of out of zone applications exceeds the number of places available, students will be selected by ballot. If a ballot for out-of-zone places is required, it will be held on Monday 28th February for Term 1 applications and Tuesday 5th April for Term 2 applications. Parents will be informed of the outcome of the ballot within three school days of the ballot being held.
Kurt Parry, Board of Trustees Presiding Member
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Print Ready - Amanda Sherman, CMK Hawera, Shurr & Ireland Acocuntants, 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.
PLEASE SUPPORT THOSE THAT SUPPORT US
