I would also like to thank our whānau for ensuring that your child has a mask to wear each day. Our staff and students are adapting well to learning this way especially as the masks must be worn inside and are able to be taken off when outside.

This year we welcome some new staff members to our Titahi Bay Intermediate Whānau. In Room 3 we welcome Miss Allicia Veenhof and Mr Jared King in Room 7. In our office, we also welcome Sara Mill who many of you know well. We have had a change in leadership with Mrs Taliaina Itamura leaving at the end of 2021. We welcome Mrs Jessica Fourie into the role of Acting Assistant Principal for the 2022 year.

As Covid 19 continues to spread through the community, including a case in our local community, I appreciate the contact from parents/caregivers who have informed us that their child and whānau have been tested for Covid 19. They have communicated their results to us and fortunately those students who have been tested have returned negative results.

Therefore our school is still open and safe for your children to continue their learning.

This is also a friendly reminder that if your child or whānau display flu like symptoms, please get tested immediately. Following the test, please stay at home until you receive negative test results for all of the whānau.

Symptoms to look for:

• A new or worsening cough
• A fever
• Sneezing and runny nose
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste

For more information, you can go to: https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/about-covid-19/covid-19-symptoms/

Our procedures at school:

• Surfaces are cleaned regularly throughout the day
• Room ventilation practices are happening
• both students and staff are wearing masks
• good hand hygiene practices are being followed as well as sanitising

Please contact the school office if you have any questions.

Room 1 - Miss Stephanie Gardiner

Room 2 - Mrs Cherie Walsh

Room 3 - Miss Allicia Veenhof

Room 4 - Mrs Emma O'Reilly

Room 5 - Mrs Emily Farrer

Room 6 - Miss Olivia Gorman

Room 7 - Mr Jared King

Assistant Principal - Ms Amy Cole

Acting Assistant Principal - Mrs Jessica Fourie

Principal - Mrs Dairne Kaimoana

Languages - Mr Lucho Arca

Technology - Mrs Sarah Schofield

Music - Mrs Heather Rhodes-Robinson

Teacher Aide - Mr Sammie Roomataaroa

Teacher Aide - Ms Rachelle Christy

Teacher Aide - Mr Marcus Hewitt

Office Administrator - Miss Natasha Clark

Office Administrator - Mrs Sara Mill

Office Administrator - Miss Debra Lobban

Property - Miss Raewyn Andrell

Property - Mr Phillipe Roomataaroa

Siva Tutor - Miss Chaedyn Ngaroi

Our Titahi Bay Intermediate School Vision is the foundation for all that we do at our school.

FIND THE WAY - KNOW THE WAY - LEAD THE WAY - reflects the journey that our students are taking as they enter the 'middle years' finding their way (holistically), they then know their way over the two years and then continue leading the way into their future journey.

Our school values of TE ARA also means pathway, which weaves through our school vision of the learning journey our students are on.

TE ARA is the PB4LSW (Positive Behaviour for Learning School Wide) acronym for our school values.

TIKANGA - actively participating in developing a positive school culture where we do the right thing for ourselves and others, which also contributes to the well-being of our community.

EMPATHY - to have the ability and skill to identify, sense and respond appropriately to the needs of others.

AKO - to understand that there is mana and wealth in having knowledge and that we can share knowledge and learning from each other.

RANGATIRATANGA - to make a positive difference through role modelling and encouraging others.

AMBITION - to understand that success is possible, what it might look like for ourselves and others and how to achieve it.

Our School Emblem is a symbol of our school values and strategic goals. Our heron was originally chosen to reflect the abundance of Blue Heron that occupied the school grounds. Our school heron has changed shape over the years from a standing heron to a heron in flight. As we re-designed our school branding the blue heron has now returned to its original standing position with various parts of its makeup reflecting our strategic goals.

Wings of our Heron: Symbolism is the Poutama which is representing the steps and growth of knowledge for all associated with our school - student, teachers, support staff, whānau and community.

Body of our Heron: Symbolism is the whare representing our connection with whānau, the coming together to nurture, share and support the journey for all.

Head of our Heron: Symbolism is the koru, representing new growth, the unfolding of knowledge/growth, nurturing of all (well-being) and connectedness.

All of the above explains who we are at Titahi Bay Intermediate and what we (collectively) represent - Whānau working together for the future of our students, whānau and community.

BLUE CARDS

Our Blue Card system enables students to be recognised for their positive behaviour and shows our TE ARA values. Students are given a Blue Card with the value that has been displayed. If your child receives one they will bring it home for you to see and sign. Students then return it to school and place it in the TE ARA blue bin which is located in our school office. When we have assemblies (adapted due to Covid-19) 5 students are drawn from the blue bin and will receive a small reward. The final name to be drawn will receive a lunch/iceblock voucher.

HOUSE GROUPS

All students will be assigned a house group. Our house groups are Kowhai, Rimu, Totara and Rata. All students can receive house points awarded by all staff in our school. At the end of each term, the winning house group will receive a small treat as well as having their House Flag flown on our flag pole.

We will be attending Camp Kaitoke. The cost per student is $220.00 but our Board of Trustees will be subsidising this by $120.00. The cost to parents will be $100.00.

We encourage you to start making payments throughout the term. If possible, we will try and hold a few fundraising events to help cover the costs of the buses to transport our students to and from camp.

Our school account number is ASB - 12-3223-0154502-00 please put the reference as your child's name and camp.

Cell Phones

Students can bring their cell phones to school, but on arrival at school, students need to hand them in at the school office where they will be put into their named bag and it will be stored away in the safe for the day. Students can collect their phones at the end of the school day. This is to ensure that our students are kept safe without images being taken and shared unknowingly. We thank you for your support with this.

Absences/Lateness

If your child is absent or late for school, then please let the school office know. You can ring our school number and leave your child's name and reason for absence on the absent line or email the office directly.

If your child is late to school, they will need to come into the office to sign in and get a late pass to hand to their Home Room teacher. Any lateness is recorded and monitored.

As students are in homerooms they will stay together for all of their curriculum areas. This means, for now, Maths Focus Groups will not go ahead as this involves students changing classrooms and interacting with a range of students from multiple classes. Maths will be taught in homerooms like they are for English.

For now, our Boys English class will not run as again this means students from various classes coming together in one room and then going back to their homeroom. This is very unfortunate but it is a way of ensuring that we can monitor who is in which class, at what time of the day and who they have interacted with.

With our music performance groups, Mrs Rhodes-Robinson will have a sign in roll for students if they attend any of these groups on a Friday.

I would like to thank you for your understanding of these changes we have had to make to ensure that we can keep our staff and students safe during this Covid-19 pandemic.

We are still learning to navigator and manage these media platforms ourselves so I thank you for your patience.

• Schoolwide testing - Week 4

Due to Covid-19, there may be changes as large events will not be able to take place, but we will keep you informed of them as we go.