Newsletter 13th April 2022

“Embrace your inner lunatic. Fun times guaranteed”

Derek Landy

Kia ora koutou

The end of the term is well upon us and I think it is fair to say that a break is needed and deserved by all. Last week I warbled on about the need to have some downtime and this is ever so important for everybody. Life is ever evolving and sometimes we feel like we are on the treadmill...always in a flux. It doesn't have to be like that though as one of the lessons I learned from the very first lockdown, which feels as if it was a million years ago, was that some things are more important than others. For me that was about taking time to spend real quality moments with my whānau. As a busy person I thought that I had done that in the past but realised that while I was spending time with my tamariki my mind wasn't always with them. Changing that was a real eye-opener for me as I then understood that we all gained more from those moments, the laughter was more evident and often, and we all relaxed more. A win-win for all.

Today you will have noticed a change to our newsletter format and this has been done in recognition of the fact that so many of us are now using our phones as our preferred device. The previous format wasn't the best for those devices! The newsletter, and its content, will continue to morph over time which is a great thing. One of the features of this new format is that it has a translation function! Awesome news! That means that if your whānau prefer to use a home language then that is now catered for. A word of warning though that English doesn't always translate as well as we would like! But wait, there's more! Our Te Reo Maori words don't translate either because the function can only deal with one language at a time. This is not an issue though as so many of us now use the Te Reo terms as of course. For those who are still coming to terms with these words we will add a glossary into the first newsletter back next term. There is always a solution!

So, have an awesome holiday and enjoy the company of those around you...friends, family, whānau. Stay safe and well, remember to keep in touch with Greg or myself in regards to new Covid cases with your tamariki as we still have an obligation to report these and, more importantly, a need to ensure that if our community needs assistance then we can be there.

Kia pai to rā.

Marty Hantz

Term one has certainly presented some unique challenges. The way that these have been navigated by the school leadership, staff, the akonga and whānau has demonstrated that the values contained in our Whakawhanaungatanga are embedded in the school community.

Ehara taku toa I te toa takitahi Engari, and he toa takitini.

Last week in the prattle I wrote about the need to take time out and relax over the holidays. Everyone relaxes in different ways - some more active than others! What can you do over the break that will make a difference? Here are some ideas that might be useful.

• Visit the Faraday Centre!
• Join the library.
• Skate or cycle along Marine Parade.
• Read a book.
• Make a picnic and sit on the beach with your kai, enjoying the weather while it lasts.
• Teach your tamariki to skim stones at the river or at Pandora Pond.
• Take a walk through one of our local bush walks. Lots of them!
• Read one more book.
• Have a Duvet Day, snuggle down with the popcorn and watch some classic kids movies....let them select them though!
• Get your tamariki to create a Treasure Hunt for the whānau.
• Go thrift shopping!
• Teach your kids how to make a cake or biscuits.
• Go to the SPCA and donate a can of food...while you are there see if you are allowed to pat the kittens and puppies.
• Kick a ball around down at the park.
• Read another book!
• Do a good deed for a neighbour...I bet there will be plenty of leaves to help pick up.
• Make a leaf pile and bury yourself in it!
• Make a hat!

Can't be a holiday without a challenge from the principal! So, what is it to be? Recently one of our school dad's gave me a box of animal hats for the tamariki. So I thought that it would be a great idea to offer these as prizes and what better way to do that than to challenge the tamariki to create a hat of their own design. There will be two hats as prizes for each year group. So, over the holidays get creative and 'build' that hat and send a photo of yourself in that hat to Mr Hantz at martyh@taraprim.school.nz.

I will choose the two most creative from each year group! Get on to it!

Last week we delved into the world of how the brain works as we learn, and with particular references to the way we learn online. All a bit different and always handy to know! We suggested that it was important that we remember that when we learn online we are best to do so in short sharp bursts, rather than long and lengthy periods of time. Why? Because the brain needs time to rest, recover and those breaks are great for re-energising as we tend to exercise, eat and drink in those times. So very important!

What else? We need to break that information into 'chunks' as there is just so much information available to us online. This is sometimes known as 'infobesity'...I kid you not! To prevent us suffering from 'infobesity' it becomes way more manageable if we break it into smaller bite-sized versions. We all have a holding capacity in our brain's memory centre, the hippocampus, however this generally tends to only hold 2 or 4 chunks at a time. This is our working memory. By delivering that information in chunks it is far more likely that it finds its way into our long-term memory. The use of graphic organisers helps too. So, in short, don't let your tamariki spend too much time online when learning and if they do, try to help them to see what they are doing as 'chunks'.

A really big koa (thank you) to all who have helped us to make our grounds safer by reminding the tamariki not to scooter or cycle inside the school grounds. We enjoy having our younger siblings hanging out at school and we need them to feel safe and not be concerned about being run-over! Very much appreciated whānau!

I would like to take this moment to say thanks to the staff for their efforts this term. Many schools, including ourselves, have been hit hard by Covid-19 and yet throughout this the staff have been so relaxed and focused on what is important. This has continued to create an environment that seems safe and supportive. We can see that the tamariki are tired and this is to be expected with the length of the term, the illnesses, and the changing weather patterns. The truth is that we are all a wee bit tired and that includes our staff. To keep on doing what they do educationally, and keep on caring in the way that they do has been inspiring.

We are fortunate to have that calibre of staff and I thank them all. As we would with our tamariki, we wish them a very relaxing break and quality time with whanau!

A reminder that Taradale Primary will be closed this coming Thursday (14th April) as we have a Teachers Only Day. It is also the end of Term 1. As per the norm, Afcare will be available for that day. Happy holidays/Easter break – Stay safe and well. We look forward to seeing you all again in term 2 which commences on Monday 2nd May 2022.

• Teacher Only Day -Thursday 14th - April
• Term 2 Begins - Monday 2nd - May - 9am
• Camp 6B - Monday 9th - May
  
• Camp 6M - Wednesday 11th - May
• Camp 6H - Monday 16th -May
  
• Navigating the Journey Evening - Tuesday 31st May
• Queens Birthday - Monday 6th June
• Matariki Public Holiday - Friday 24th June
• End of Term 2 - Friday 8th July 3pm

This year as a school we have been learning a Te Reo Phrase of the week. Whakatata mai. Come close to me. Kia tere. Hurry up. Click on this link to hear some children say the phrase.