Newsletter Week 6 Term 4
Maidstone Intermediate - Te Kura ō Hinepōhatu
25 November 2022
A Word from our Principal
Kia ora e te whānau
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa
As we are skyrocketing towards the end of the year, the “TO DO” lists are just getting longer and longer! And that does not even include the very necessary Christmas shopping. I am sure you must feel the same pressure at home.
Yesterday I had a bit of a quiet moment when I thought about this “end of the year” madness. And it dawned on me how we can sometimes have the wrong attitude. Instead of enjoying the last few days with our Year 8 ākonga (students), we are focusing on their challenging behaviour and wishing for the last 15 days to fly at the speed of light. And that is exactly the purpose of the amazing events happening now. On Friday, I attended the Te Ora Atamira - Intermediate Schools Kapa Haka celebration at Raroa Intermediate. I am sure all who were there will agree with me that it was a special moment when our ākonga went on stage as the last kura (school) to perform. The tautoko from the other kura, lasting almost 5 minutes at the end of our performance, was a once-in-a lifetime experience, making us so proud to be part of the Maidstone whānau. We are looking forward to next year when we are hosting the celebration.
Another recent highlight was the Wainuiomata Exchange. And it was not just the sporting achievements that made us proud of our tamariki (children); it was the spontaneous
camaraderie and whanaungatanga between us and Wainuiomata Intermediate that stood out.
In celebrating the great things happening at our kura, I do not want to downplay the challenges we (and every other kura in the country) are facing with regards to ākonga behaviour in general. Yesterday we had two incidents, one at the kura and one during a WRISSA sports event where individual ākonga’s silly behaviour could have resulted in serious incidents. For the Year 8 ākonga (with only 4 weeks to go) it is traditionally a time of pushing the boundaries. My message to the kaiako (teachers) is a no-nonsense policy. I would appreciate your help with this. Please talk to your tamariki about “thinking before doing”. Year 8 ākonga know that we currently have the traditional three-strike procedure in place. At the third strike they are at risk of losing privileges to attend special events like the Pool Party and the Year 8 Social.
Year 8 Social
The social takes place on Wednesday 14 December. Tickets will be on sale from now on. The information about the social can be found in this newsletter. We have a few ākonga for whose whanau it is a financial burden. Please let us know if you are able to sponsor another ākonga for this very special event. The last day to pay for a ticket is Friday 9 December 2022.
Prize-giving
The prizegiving is on Tuesday 13 December at 12:00 at Lane Park Church. This year we start a new tradition where nominees (ākonga getting awards) are to send an invite to their parents to attend the event.
School leaders
As we are moving to separate Year 7 and 8 classes, it has also been time to look at our ākonga leadership model at Maidstone. In 2023 we will add the following leadership opportunity to our current structure: School Leaders - SL. They will be 10 ākonga from across the kura who have been voted in by their peers and the kaiako (teachers). The timeline for the selection of the School Leaders for 2023 is:
Friday 25/11
Principal informs Year 7 ākonga about the process
Monday 28/11 - Thursday 1/12
Nomination forms available
Ākonga can nominate themselves or somebody, or kaiako can nominate an ākonga
Friday 2/12
Nominees to do:
- A one minute video promoting themselves as a leader (Staff to support them)
- Write a blurb (Staff to support them)
Monday 5/12 - Friday 9/12
Videos are shown and blurbs on Hall windows for rest of school to look at
Friday 9/12
Voting takes place
Tuesday 13/12
School Leaders announced during prizegiving
Year 8 uniform
Last year we started with the fundraising project where we ask all our Year 8 ākonga to donate their clean school uniform to the kura. On the last day of school (15 December) all Year 8 ākonga can come to school in mufti. We ask that they bring their clean uniform in a recycled bag to the Hall. The uniforms will then be sold at a very reasonable price to our new Year 7 ākonga.
Can I also ask for volunteers who can help me with our Second Hand Uniform shop. That means the following:
- Helping us on either the 15th or 16th of December 2022 to sort out the uniform
- Helping with the sales on Monday 9 January 2023 (10:00 - 1:00)
- Helping with the sales on Monday 16 January 2023 (3:00 - 7:00)
Please email me if you can help on some or all of the above dates: wikus.swanepoel@maidstone.school.nz
A lovely weekend to you all.
Ngā mihi
Wikus Swanepoel
Principal/Tumuaki
Whakataukī
Kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke
Fight like a shark, don’t give in like an octopus
This whakatauki encourages us to not give up.
Important Dates
28 Nov - Ignite Sport - SRC Deputies
28 Nov - Immunisation catch-ups
29 Nov - Basketball Prizegiving 3:15 - 4:30
30 Nov - Akatarawa River Cook Up
30 Nov - WRISSA Maori Games Festival
6 Dec - William Pike Tramp
5 Dec - BOT Meeting
7 Dec - Pool Party 7 - 9pm
12 Dec - Pick up books for Sum-R-Reading
12 Dec - Year 6 Open Afternoon
13 Dec - Prizegiving @ Lane Park - 12 - 2pm
14 Dec - Year 8 Social
15 Dec - Last day term 4 - school closes at 12 noon
2023 Term Dates
Term 1 = 1 Feb to 6 April
Term 2 = 24 April to 30 June
Term 3 = 17 July to 22 September
Term 4 = 9 October to 20 December
SUM-R-READING
Many of our Year 7 students will bring home a letter for our
Sum-R-Reading Programme.
We hope you will support them in taking part in this opportunity to take books home from the Maidstone School Library to read over the school holidays.
Those who take part in Sum-R-Reading will find that they are ready to enjoy their learning from the beginning of the school year.
Please send the permission slip back to the school library as soon as possible so that your student can pick up their books on Monday 12 December.
Pool Party
Wainui Exchange
On Tuesday 15 November, Wainuiomata Intermediate came over the hill with a view for supremacy in a sports exchange with Maidstone. After a beautiful welcome facilitated by Matua Patrick, teams went off to the courts, astro, and newly-mown fields (thanks JD) to compete against one another in football, netball, basketball, volleyball, touch, and ki-o-rahi.
The competition was played out over four rounds with a break for some delicious kai; including contributions from students, and a ripper sausage sizzle prepared and cooked by Miss Watson and Mrs Robinson (thank you so much). Staff, volunteers, coaches and parents all contributed to a fantastic day, with Wainuiomata Intermediate taking home the trophy by a margin of one point. Here's hoping this is just the beginning of an ongoing exchange with the victors!
Te angitu o nga akonga (Student success)
Congratulations to the following ākonga:
Boys Softball team 1st place in the WRISSA competition
Girls Softball team 2nd place in the WRISSA competition
MAD Adrenalin Forest Trip
Breathe in. Breathe out.
That’s all I need to do. I close my eyes and try to tune out all the noise and movement around me. It’s not helping; I can still feel and hear everything. The wind swirls around the upper branches of the tall pine trees, making them sway slightly. It doesn’t help my nerves and the churning pit that has become my stomach. My legs tense up as the wooden platform below me creaks, and the tree trunk it’s built around tilts - ever so slightly to the left. I know I have to keep going; I can’t stop now. Perseverance and courage, that’s what Mrs Moka said. I have to keep trying. Even though I am afraid, I open my eyes, stare straight ahead, and try to ignore the yawning twenty metre drop below me. “Can you all be quiet and listen up?” The instructor taking our group called out, still holding up a harness. I pitied him. Trying to brief a group of thirty, sporty, extremely hyped up kids in a big forest can be really hard. Especially when you have a small voice. The chatter died down and the instructor continued, showing us how to put on a harness and use the smart carabiners. Once we knew how to work everything, he let us go on the courses. Everyone scattered, trying to get in line first. I followed, slightly less confident, and questioning why I was here…
On Monday 21 November, the MAD Group went on a trip to Adrenalin Forest, in Porirua. It was a cloudy day, with passing showers of rain. Adrenalin Forest has six levels; the higher the number, the longer, harder and higher off the ground the course was. The course requires strength, problem solving, communication and perseverance, which we all displayed. All in all, it was a fun trip, and we really enjoyed doing the challenge.
By Izzy, Room 7
Te Ora Atamira
Our Kapa Haka represented admirably at Te Ora Atamira, Wellington Intermediate Schools Kapa Haka Festival held at Raroa Intermediate on 11 November. Performing last, they triggered an all-schools haka tautoko and it sounded phenomenal! All the participating schools doing their different haka all at once. What a highlight! We also accepted the mauri to host the 2023 Te Ora Atamira festival at Hinepōhatu.
Attachment of all schools involved.
Tips for Whānau - Ākonga in the Cyber World
GAMING CONTROLS
Gaming is everywhere. It’s no longer confined to consoles and computers – with billions of people playing games on mobiles worldwide. We’ve included a brief overview of the restrictions available to parents and you can read more here.
PlayStation 4: There are several parental controls including age filtering and restricting communication options.
XBox One: You can set age limits for content and add filtering to web searches. You can also set additional controls through XBox Live accounts.
Nintendo Switch: Nintendo allows you to set age limits, time limits, and restrict communication options.
Fortnite: There are a range of parental controls for younger players, including restricting communication options and language filters, and weekly playtime reports. Read Netsafe’s advice now.
Minecraft: To play Minecraft users need an XBox live account in order to access multiplayer worlds.
Roblox: Users can design their own games and play games created by other people so it’s useful for parents to restrict content.
Aquabots Competition
Multiple teams from the Maths and Science Academy created Aquabots (a small underwater robot).Then on Wednesday 16 November, five teams went to Masterton to compete in the Aquabots competition. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a day the other schools could make it, so it was just Maidstone. The teams cycled around five activities such as collecting hoops off the pool floor, and an underwater obstacle course to score points. One team slashed down the competition and claimed first place; they called themselves ‘The Thieves’. The ‘Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies’ (our team) got second, and ‘Vroom Vroom Unicorns’ placed third. Overall it was a fun day and we finished it off with ice blocks and a play on the playground.
By Willow L, Hannah E and Mackenzie D-P.
WRISSA Touch
A perfect day for touch! 25 degrees! No wind at Hutt Park! We were fortunate to have Mitch Browne and his partner Kat coach the kids four times before leading into the tournament (due to the hectic past weeks!). Amie Jane also managed the team. The tamariki won their pool play and quarter. They lost their semi against Wainui (who won overall) and we will also take their coach in 2023! We lost our 3rd v 4th playoff in overtime - a drop off 3 v 3 and first to score. A long hot day - plenty of tired bodies! 4 out of 16!
Tino pai to mahi koutou!
EPRO8 Competition
EPRO8 was a really good experience. We got into teams of four and had to build certain things with certain modifications for points. Most points wins! The top two teams in the school go through to the interschools. In the interschools we had to build harder objects. There were also electronics. Maidstone came seventh and eleventh. The top four teams from that went through to the Wellington EPRO8 Competition. There were only 50 points between seventh and fourth, so it was really close. For all the Year 7s reading this, I recommend that you try EPRO8. It is really fun and you become a lot closer with your friends.
By Connor McG
Tararua Beach Trip
On Monday 14 November, Tararua went to Freyberg Beach for the day. We walked all the way to the train station and only just made it on time. The 40 minutes on the train flew by and in no time at all, we arrived in Wellington! Everyone got off the train and lined up in our class lines. We all got a map of Wellington with a scavenger hunt to do on the walk. Room 12 started the 40 minute walk to Freyberg Beach followed by Room 13, and finally Room 14 got to start walking. Our fun day at the beach was only just starting!
We arrived at Freyberg, whoo hoo! We all settled down, and got changed. The water was freezing but the sun was shining. We all got in the freezing cold water and started swimming. After a little bit we were allowed to jump off the wharf (after an adult jumped in to see that it was safe and deep enough). Mr Fowler took a group of us out to the platform to jump off which was really fun.
Sadly, our trip to the beach was coming to an end so we all had pack up our gear and get into our class lines. We walked back to the station, and soon enough we were back in Upper Hutt. Our trip into Wellington was amazing and we couldn’t have done it without our amazing teachers Mr Fowler, Miss Grierson and Mrs Frost. We also want to thank the parents who came along because we wouldn't have been able to go without them.
By Katelin and Stephanie, Rm 14
Community Notices
Contact Us
Email: admin@maidstone.school.nz
Website: https://maidstone.school.nz/
Location: Redwood St, Elderslea, Upper Hutt 5018, New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 528 3094
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Maidstone-Intermediate-1418586208443842