Heron Herald Term 4, Week 2, 2023

7 months ago

Kia ora koutou,

I trust that you have settled into Term 4 and are enjoying the extra sun we are experiencing. Time seems to fly past at this time of year, and with an action-packed school calendar, we can see the term disappearing quickly. Over the term break, shade sails were put back up to provide shady spaces for children to sit and play. To support a sun-smart culture we require children to wear a school hat at break times and when outside for PE in the summer terms. Please support your child by ensuring they have a school hat to wear. It’s also a great time to check that all school uniform is clearly named. The school pool is being prepared for opening, which we expect to happen over the next week or two. Look out for messages coming soon regarding hiring pool keys for the summer – it’s going to be a hot one!

Parking and Traffic Safety
Last week, Tauranga City Council sent its LPR Car (Licence Plate Recognition Car) around the streets surrounding the school during pick-up time. The first time this car visited our area (in Term 2) 17 parking fines were sent out. This time, the car only sent out six parking fines! This is great data…so thanks for making sure you are parking legally when picking up children. The LPR Car will do the rounds again over the next few weeks. Our bigger community goal is to reduce the number of cars around the school during this time and increase the use of walking and biking. Our Wednesday Challenge is a wonderful way of growing this habit with your children.

CBA DRAW WINNERS

Every couple of weeks I get the opportunity to hang out at the Matua Cafe with a small group of amazing Matua kids. This week Isla, Rydar and Jay joined me after winning the CBA draw at our last assembly. If you didn’t know, CBA stands for ‘Caught Being Awesome’! Children at Matua School can get stamps on their CBA card when they’re Caught Being Awesome – which could be for various reasons. We particularly love it when students show the characteristics of the Matua Learner and show themselves to be engaged in the learning process – worth celebrating! Once children fill their card, they can put it in the draw, which is made at the next assembly. One student is drawn from each team. The prize is a trip with me to the Matua Cafe, where kids get to choose either a hot chocolate or real-fruit ice cream. It’s always a lovely time to chat about things we love at school and ideas for making improvements. One thing is for sure, I always come away impressed with the lovely children we have at Matua School.

REFRESHED SCHOOL UNIFORM

Late last term, we updated you on the ‘refreshed’ school uniform released through Term 4 and into the start of 2024. Items will arrive in-store at NZ Uniforms over the next couple of months. While we will have a long transition time where the old uniform items will still be acceptable to wear, we expect that from the start of 2024, all items worn will be approved Matua uniform items. Over time, greater numbers of children have been arriving at school in variations of the uniform, particularly with shorts, skorts, track pants and hats. As you plan for next year, please support your child by ensuring that new items purchased come from NZ Uniforms.

The school uniform list includes:

Refreshed Items

Polo shirt with School logo
Summer – Bucket hat (with School logo) Terms 1 and 4
Navy shorts, skort, or trousers with School logo (the new skort includes sewn in ‘bike shorts’)
Polar fleece with School logo
Plain white or navy ankle socks (no logo)

New Items

Sports Tee with School logo
School rain jacket with School logo – fleece-lined optional jacket

Uniform Timeline
The Board of Trustees have approved an extended timeline for families to move from the existing uniform to the new set. Existing uniform items will be acceptable for 3 years. This means that any existing Matua School uniform your whānau already has can continue to be used until 2027.

We are excited about the introduction of the new Sports T-Shirt. This top can be worn daily if children enjoy wearing this kind of fabric. All children will need at least one polo top to wear, which will be required for school trips and formal events.

Ngā mihi nui

Marcus Norrish
Principal

TUI TALKS – EPISODE3

The theme of our Tui Talks Episode 3 is:

Keeping Te Reo Alive, and welcomes our special guests, Mr Hantler and Mrs Reid.

Please follow the link below to listen, and subscribe to our Tui Talks SPOTIFY channel for future episodes.

SENSORY SPACE

We are looking to create a Sensory Space at Matua school. This space will be designed to provide a calming and engaging environment where students can explore their senses, manage their emotions, and enhance their focus.

But to make this Sensory Space a reality, we need your help!

We are reaching out to our wonderful Matua community to request donations of items that would enrich our Sensory Space. If you have any of the following items in gently-used or new condition and are willing to contribute, we would be incredibly grateful:

• Soft cushions and bean bags
• Weighted (or cosy) blankets / toys
• Comfortable couch
• Textured rug
• Hanging swing
• Fidget toys and stress balls
• Bubble tubes or sensory lighting
• Balls of wool to create sensory artwork
• Lego

Your support will play a vital role in creating an environment where all our students can thrive and learn. If you have any of these items to donate or, please contact Teresa at ht.mcclean@gmail.com or 021 544 507.

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SCHOOL DONATIONS

Thank you to families that have paid the School Donation for 2023. Your support in this area would be appreciated if you haven’t done so yet. Payment can be made via Kindo.

The Ministry of Education uses an ‘equity index’ to fund schools. A school’s equity index number impacts several funding streams, with some schools receiving more income than others depending on the socioeconomic factors identified within their community. Schools above an identified index can also opt into a government scheme where $150 per child is paid in exchange for not seeking donations from parents. Matua School is NOT eligible for this scheme and cannot access the $80,000 other schools of a similar size receive. As a result, the Matua School Board ask parents to contribute $130 per year for each child to ensure that our tamariki have equitable access to resources, activities and learning opportunities.

Your contribution supports :

Learning support staff
Garden to Table staffing and resources
School pool maintenance
Library books and resources
Support for school trips
Inter-school sporting events
Replacement of digital devices
Learning through play resources

Did you know?
Your donation can be claimed as a Tax Credit. Receive one-third back from the IRD at the end of the financial year!

MAHURI CERTIFICATE WINNERS

Congratulations to our Māhuri’s superstar certificate recipients who have had an excellent start to term 4!

RAKAU TEAM

Our Rakau students have been busy practicing for their athletics day. This will be taking place on Tuesday 7th November (week 5), postponement day is the 9th.

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ROOM 22 – RUGBY WORLD CUP

We had a super fun Rugby World Cup Fever fitness session yesterday in Room 22. So many laughs !

Here are some cool photos of our line out attempts.

LIBRARY

Scholastic Books

The last day for Scholastic Orders is Wednesday 25 October. This will be our last issue for the year. A big thank you to our school community for supporting our involvement with Scholastics. Scholastic dollars earned are used to buy library books and literacy resources for our classrooms.

Reading Opportunities

Our Matua Reading Club will begin Week 3. This club is for our independent readers and will meet at lunchtimes on Mondays through to Thursdays in Room 1. Children are encouraged to come along with the latest book they are reading, and to enjoy a quiet and chilled time to immerse themselves in another chapter or two. For our younger students there is picnic reading at lunchtimes (Monday to Thursday) under the trees close to the junior classrooms. Our school librarians will be involved in this storytime and welcome any story lovers to join in with their picnic reading.

NEW ENROLMENTS

If your child is due to start school before the end of the year or at the beginning of next year, we ask that you please go onto the Matua School website and complete the ‘Intention to Enrol’ form.

We are forward planning for teaching spaces and teachers, and need to know who is starting with us as soon as possible.

Link for the ‘Intention to Enrol’ form here

PTA

The PTA are holding a night market on 30th November on the school grounds. If you are interested in helping out at a pta stall, please contact Amy and Hayley at pta@matua.school.nz.

WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE

Don’t forget to take part in the Wednesday Challenge. Challenge your family to avoid single-family car use on a Wednesday and make use of other modes of transport, such as carpooling, bus, walking, cycling, skating and scootering.

Do it for your health, the planet, your wallet and your community. We’re having fun and giving away prizes. Go to www.wednesdaychallenge.co.nz

SCHOOL BOARD PARENT – MID TERM ELECTION

SCHOOL HOURS

A friendly reminder that school is not open until 8.30am. If you require childcare before these hours, please contact SKIDS either by email – matua@skids.co.nz, phone – 027 586 0408, or book online – www.skids.co.nz/Matua.