Week 9, T2 2022
1/7/22 - He Pānui Wiki Iwa, Whānga Tuarua
Kia ora e te whānau
We have enjoyed a lovely settled week weather wise. This has meant lots of outdoor break time - just what everyone needed. Staff have been busy adding the finishing touches to student mid-year reports - these are coming home next Wednesday the 6th of July. 3-Way Conferences will be taking place in Week 3 of next term - booking details will be coming out next week.
Well done to Cooper Brady & Levi Kokx who represented Gladstone School at the Wairarapa Speech Competition last Tuesday evening. Both boys presented their speeches really well and we were proud of their efforts.
We had an awesome day of Matariki activities on Monday. The sausages were kindly donated by Kintyre Meats - home of Cabernet Foods. Thanks to Nanny Frances, Ra Smith, Trish Edwards, Lauren Herrick & Emily Morris for spending the day helping out and a massive thanks to Bron Wood for bringing along that awesome fire pit. And of course a massive shout out to Nikola Berryman for picking up the sausages from Greytown on Monday morning - you're a star.
Matariki Article by Lucy & Lily in Ōnoke Syndicate
Matariki was an important event this year because It was a new public holiday in New Zealand. Matariki is the 9 stars in the sky that you normally see when it's dark and usually appears near the east. Matariki is the celebration of the Maori new year.
On Monday we did Matariki activities. We split into our four whanau groups and went round to do different activities.
For the first activity we did art. There were 2 different things to make, the first one was a Matariki ornament. You had to colour in 3 pictures of some of the Matariki stars. Then you glue them all together and it makes an ornament, then you tie on some string and you have your ornament. The other art activity is drawing on a paper feather, then we connected them together and made a coat.
Our next activity was cooking sausages and fried bread. The fried bread tasted terrific. All we had to add was flour, sugar and a bit of water. Roll them up in balls, put them in some boiling oil and wait till it’s golden brown. It tasted even better with golden syrup. For the sausages, we put them on a stick and had them hanging over the fire. After they were cooked we had them with bread. They were delicious! In our spare time, we crafted some Matariki paper lanterns.
Our favourite activity was by far the games. The first game we played was poi toa and there were about 2-4 people with a poi trying to hit them with it. The people who were in would call out a colour in Maori . The people who are in would call a colour in Maori and you have to run to the other side without getting hit. We also played one other game called Ki-o-rahi, it is quite complicated to play and explain but it was by far my favourite.
Our last activity was Weaving and Matariki Bingo. The Matariki bingo was like bingo but with Matariki stars and when you got bingo you got lollies. We also learnt what the matariki stars mean. We moved around and did weaving and making boats with flax. We also were cutting shapes in the flax.
To finish off the day we did a competition with the year 8 whanau group leaders. It was the first to light the highest fire. In the end the placings were 1st - Te Wharau, 2nd - Maungaraki, 3rd - Longbush and 4th - Te Whiti. It was such a fun day getting to do activities and learning about Matariki.
Lucy & Lily
Netball Tournament
Thanks to Miss Peterson & parents who took 3 netball teams to the 'Have a Go' sports tournament held at Kuranui College on Wednesday. By all accounts everyone had fun and enjoyed having a go at netball.
Values Focus This Week
Assembly
Well done to Levi Kokx & Cooper Brady who are our stars of the week this week. A big thanks also to the following students who received syndicate awards: Joel Douglas; Brodie McGuinness; Alex Wither; Noah Douglas; Frankie Murnane; Zoe Cates; Jade Francis; Hendrix Charters; Jay Kawana-Reid; Elsie Patrick; Archie Stevenson; Charlie Herrick; Harper Ashby, Cooper Daives & Saxen Alexander.
It was very exciting to see so many of our students being recognised by their teachers for displaying excellent 'Ako' traits during the week. Remember 'Ako' is both teaching and learning from others, and can happen at any age. Our Matariki activities were a good opportunity and example of students learning new things and teaching others at the same time.
Nga manaakitanga,
Belinda
Newsletter Proudly Sponsored by Kayla Watson
Mayor's Mid Winter Swim
A fantastic effort by the wider community to raise over $5,000 during the Mid-Winter Swim Campaign - raising money for the Carterton Indoor Pool Project. It was a lovely afternoon for the swim and was well supported by lots of keen swimmers. Thanks to Debbie Hunt for these great photos - check out more on her Facebook page.
Bee Project
Thanks so much to Melanie Wenger, who is taking the lead with our bee project. She has secured a donation of one bee hive/nuc for the school from 'First Honey'. This is awesome and is really going to help 'stretch' our $1,000 grant from the Earthwise Action Fund. Please let us know if there are any other local 'Bee/Honey' businesses who could help with our project.
Helpful Health Information
Last week Nanogirl published a set of experiments regarding window openings, CO2 levels and air cleaners which are available on YouTube. Nanogirl puts COVID-19 classroom ventilation theories to the test – YouTube
Free flu jabs for tamariki aged 3 to 12: Children aged 3 to 12 years old can get a free flu vaccination from their GP, healthcare provider or at most pharmacies from this Friday 1 July. Free flu jabs for tamariki – Ministry of Health
Getting reinfected with COVID-19 - Last updated: 30 June 2022
The latest evidence shows that getting reinfected with COVID-19 can occur within a short period of time. Reinfection will become more likely as new variants spread among the community
The MoH have updated their advice on getting infected again with COVID-19 after a previous COVID-19 infection and when people should take a rapid antigen test (RAT).
If a person develops new symptoms consistent with COVID-19, and it’s 29 days or more since a previous infection, it’s possible they have a reinfection with COVID-19 and they should test using a RAT. This reflects a change from earlier advice which was that people would not need to re-test if they had tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 90 days.
It is unclear how common it is to be reinfected with COVID-19. We are constantly monitoring international and national data and updating our reinfection guidance as new evidence becomes available. Anyone reinfected with COVID-19 will have access to the same advice, help and support as they would receive for a new COVID-19 infection.
Advice for people who have had COVID-19 before and get new symptoms:
If COVID-19 symptoms return and it is 28 days or less since your last COVID-19 infection:
- there is no need to take a rapid antigen test (RAT)
- you should stay home and recover until 24 hours after you no longer have symptoms.
Some people recovering from COVID-19 may have symptoms that come and go for some time afterwards or they may be caused by other infections like the common cold, flu or a chest infection.
29 days or more since your last infection: If you develop new COVID-19 symptoms and it is 29 days or more since your last COVID-19 infection:
- it is possible that you have COVID-19 again and you should take a RAT.
- if you test positive, this will be considered a reinfection and you should follow the standard COVID-19 isolation guidelines.
Self-isolation requirements if you have COVID-19
Your household contacts will also need to isolate, unless they have either:
- had COVID-19 in the last 90 days and are recovered
- been a household contact in the last 10 days.
Isolation requirements for household contacts.
If your result is negative, your symptoms could be another infection, such as the flu or another virus. If your symptoms continue you should repeat a RAT 48 hours later. If this is still negative, then stay at home until at least 24 hours after your symptoms resolve.
Reinfection with COVID-19 – what we know so far
Reinfection refers to the detection of a second or subsequent COVID-19 infection, regardless of the variant involved. You are more likely to become reinfected as your immune response from the vaccine, or your previous COVID-19 infection, decreases over time.
It is still unclear how common reinfections are but they’re likely to become more common as new variants and subvariants spread across New Zealand.
For most people illness caused by reinfection is likely to be no more severe than a previous infection, but they can experience different symptoms.
Changing from 90 days to 29 days or more
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries chose to advise not to test within a 90-day period of an initial infection, when reinfection was thought to be unlikely and difficult to diagnose with PCR.
Evidence now shows that reinfection can occur within 90 days, particularly with new variants.
In recognition of this evidence our advice is now to test from day 29, if you experience new COVID-19 symptoms following a previous infection.
Within 29 days of a previous infection it is very difficult to diagnose reinfection because symptoms, viral levels and test positivity can continue to vary for some weeks following an infection with COVID-19.
Evidence on reinfections is evolving rapidly. We will continue to monitor emerging information on reinfection and update this advice as new evidence becomes available.
COVID-19 infection and immunity
Thanks Lucy - Great Cup Cakes
A big thanks to Lucy Orsborn who has gone into business making cupcakes. She made these cool Christmas-Themed cupcakes for our staff mid winter Christmas function. See Lucy if you'd like to order some for your next special event or birthday.
COVID-19 Case Number Update
We have 0 student COVID cases that we are aware of. We have had up to 20 students away each day this week with the flu. Please continue to keep your children home until they are completely better if they are suffering from either of these things.
NZ Uniforms - New Stock Now In
Uniform items can be ordered online or in store. A reminder that students can still wear their 'old We Shine' garments. We also have a selection of 'old' polos for sale here at school at a reduced rate $20. Please complete the order form if you wish to purchase these 'old' items. Please also note that these are new, not second hand items.
BoT Elections 2022 - Parent Election Notification
Nominations are open for the election of 3 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 3 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 7 September 2022.
Signed Amy Strang
Returning Officer
Term 2 - Things Coming Up
Week 10
- Tuesday 5th July: Regional Cross Country - Letters have gone home.
- Wednesday 6th July: Kourarau Dam Trip.
- Wednesday 6th July: Year 7&8 Carterton School's Activities Day - Letters went home this week.
- Wednesday 6th July: Mid Year Reports home.
- Thursday 7th July: Mid Year Principal's Outing.
- Friday 8th July: Year 7&8 Design Technology.
- Friday 8th of July: School term finishes @ 3pm.
Yummy Sticker Time Again
It's that time of year again when we start collecting 'Yummy Stickers'. Please send any collections you have at home into school. Every sheet helps us get sports equipment for the kids to use.
School Docs - School Policy & Procedures
This term parents are asked to review our 'Visitors' policy. Search 'Visitors' or go to current review, read the policy and make any comments by clicking on the red icon - top right of the screen.
Please find a direct link to our Whānau Calendar below. It can also be accessed via the app and the school website.
Contact Us
Email: office@gladstone1.school.nz
Website: http://www.gladstone1.school.nz
Location: 1471 Te Whiti Road, Gladstone, New Zealand
Phone: +64 6 372 7601