FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S LAPTOP
Kia ora koutou,
Over the last month, nominations have been open for those interested in taking on a role on the School Board of Trustees. We can be thankful for the high-quality trustees we have on the Board, and for those who have served in the past. There are two vacancies in the upcoming year, and I can confirm that we had two nominations for those roles. Therefore, we don’t need to vote and both candidates are duly elected. We welcome Dr. Melissa Derby and Mr. Sheldon Nesdale. Both Melissa and Sheldon bring a wealth of knowledge and passion for the Matua School community and we look forward to their contribution to the ongoing success of the school.
As we continue to enjoy the final term for 2020 we are also preparing for the year ahead. We will have two new teachers joining the Matua team in 2021. I’m pleased to introduce Mrs. Hannah Thompson and Miss Whitney Coers. Hannah will be teaching Year 3/4 in the Middles and comes to us from Tauranga Primary. Hannah moved home to the Bay at the beginning of 2020 after spending many years working in Auckland. Whitney will be teaching Year 5/6 in the Seniors and comes to us from Katikati Primary. She is a passionate surf lifesaver and all-around sportsperson. Both Whitney and Hannah are excited about joining the Matua Team and we look forward to welcoming them here in the new year.
Along with these appointments, we have also established our teaching teams for 2021. For information on our 2021 Teaching Teams, click THIS LINK. Planning for student placements in these classes is well underway as we work towards this being shared with you when we send home reports at the end of Term 4. This term we will be sending home ‘End of Year Reports’ and confirmation of 2021 classes by email. We are planning on this happening on Friday 11th December.
Nga mihi,
Marcus Norrish
Principal
Introducing Miss Whitey Coers
Introducing Mrs Hannah Thompson
Newly elected Board of Trustees
Introducing Dr Melissa Derby
Kia ora! I’m a new member of the Matua community, having relocated to Tauranga in January of this year from Christchurch. Tauranga is a familiar place, though – my Dad grew up here, and we have a large extended family in Tauranga with connections to Huria marae. My son, Awa, is currently in Year 1. I have worked in the education sector for 12 years, previously holding teaching and research roles at the University of Canterbury and AUT University. I have a Ph.D. in Education, and currently, I work as a lecturer at the University of Waikato’s Tauranga campus. In this role, I teach child development and educational theory papers, mostly to teacher trainees. My research focuses on optimal strategies, environments, and techniques regarding early literacy development in preschool and young primary school children. As a member of the Matua Board of Trustees, I hope that my knowledge, skills, and experience will enable me to support Matua School to continue to be the best school it can be for our children. Like you, I want to see our children flourishing during their time at Matua, with each child leaving the school engaged in the world around them, well-prepared and ready to thrive in the next phase of their education, and with a thirst for knowledge that encourages a life of learning. I’m looking forward to meeting more members of the school community and contributing to Matua School.
Introducing Mr. Sheldon Nesdale
Thank you for voting me back onto the Board of Trustees for Matua School for another 3-year term. My wife Shantelle, and I, and our 3 young boys, Connor (11), Logan (9), and Nathan (6), love living here in Matua. We are lucky enough to live right next to the school, besides the staff car park. Our youngest will still be at Matua school in 2025 so we have long term plans to stay right here.
I’m passionate about building safe family communities and the education of our young people to broaden their minds and create opportunities for their future. I care about you and your family, the neighborhood and communities we share, and the future of our wonderful area.
Thanks again.
Sheldon
School Hangi
Friday 13th November
Middle Team Athletics
Wednesday 18th November
PTA Night Markets
Thursday 19th November
Dental van at school
16th till 27th November
PTA Celebration
Tuesday 1st December, 7:00pm – Staffroom
Senior School Picnic at Sapphire Springs
Friday 4th December
Middle Team day at Sapphire Springs
Wednesday 9th December
Leavers Assembly
Tuesday 15th December – 11:15am
LAST DAY OF TERM 4
Wednesday 16th December
(12:30pm finish)
YEAR 6 VISIT TO OTUMOETAI INTERMEDIATE
Our Year 6 students had an orientation visit to Otumoetai Intermediate. The students were able to spend time in some of the tech options rooms. They enjoyed music challenges, coding and robotics, drama, art and hard tech. Lots of excitement about options for next year!
LIBRARY
Books are a uniquely portable magic – Stephen King
Second hand book Sale
Children used their silver coins to not just purchase a preloved book but to also vote for their choice of new books for the library. Not surprisingly, the most popular vote went to Andy Griffiths’ recently released 130 Storey Treehouse, followed by non-fiction books on guinea pigs! The Pages and Co Series by Anna James was also a crowd pleaser followed by the new addition to the Little Yellow Digger books. These books will be available in the library term 1 2021!!
All Library Books to be returned Week 6
All books need to be returned by the end of next week in preparation for our annual stocktake. Please encourage your child to discuss any unresolved and missing books with me, and we can search the library shelves together. Books may have been returned directly to library shelves, or may be in class libraries by mistake, in tote trays or hiding behind other books! Families are asked to pay the $10.00 donation to replace lost books.
Stocktake Week 8
Looking for helpers for our annual Stocktake. It’s a simple yet time consuming job which involves taking all books off the shelves and scanning the books individually using our Library System. This identifies what books we hold (amongst other things like withdrawn and missing/unresolved books).
The physical stocktake runs during Week 8
Can anyone help during the following time slots? Any help will be gratefully received!
Monday 30 November 9am – 12pm (2 helpers needed) and 1pm – 3pm (2 helpers needed)
Tuesday 1 December 9am – 12pm (2 helpers needed) and 1pm – 3pm (2 helpers needed)
Wednesday 2 December 9am – 12pm (2 helpers needed) and 1pm – 3pm (2 helpers needed)
Thursday 3 December 9am – 12pm (2 helpers needed)
Please phone Matua School 07 576 9027 or email Tracey Donovan-Grammer on library@matua.school.nz Thank you!!
LUNCH ORDERS
ezLunch orders are made online through your myKindo account. You can order lunch by simply going to www.mykindo.co.nz
Order anytime before cut-off or schedule in advance. Lunch will be delivered to school at lunchtime on a Friday. You have the option of Pita Pit or Subway.
Click here to view the menu.
Help? Visit support.mykindo.co.nz or tel. 09-869 5200 Mon-Fri 8 am to 4 pm.
Find out more ezlunch.co.nz or mykindo.co.nz
TERM DATES 2020 / 2021
Term 4 – Monday 12th October – Wednesday 16th December
Term 1, 2021 – First Day: Tuesday 2nd February 2021 – Friday 16th April
Waitangi Day – Monday 8th February
Easter – Friday 2nd April – Tuesday 6th April inclusive
Term 2 – Monday 3rd May – Friday 9th July
Queen’s Birthday – 7th June
Term 3 – Monday 26th July – Friday 1st October
Term 4 – Monday 18th October
SCHOOL POOL
The Matua school pool will be open: Monday 9 November 2020.
For your key, there are 3 steps to follow:
- Go ahead and register on the pool webpage first: https://www.matua.school.nz/
pool/ - Then go to Kindo to make your payment for $100 ($75 for the season + $25 refundable key deposit): https://shop.tgcl.co.nz/shop/
index.html - Then come in to the school office and pick up your key any time during school hours
You’ll also hear from the pool committee from time to time, via the Matua School Pool Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/
groups/MatuaSchoolPool/) and the Matua school newsletter. Kind regards,
Matua School Pool Committee:
- Sheldon Nesdale (board of trustees member)
- Pam Heaton (parent)
- Steve Hannah (school caretaker)
- Marcus Norrish (school principal)
PARENTING SUPPORT
There is no doubt that parenting can be a challenge at times. If you would like to grow as a parent or get support as you navigate a challenging time there are a number of ways to do this. One local opportunity is Natural Parenting by Emily Legg. For more information check out this website: http://naturalparentcoach.co.nz/
PTA
JUMP JAM
On Friday 30th October, three teams from Matua School competed in the annual Jump Jam competition. This was the first time Matua has entered the competition. The teams had been working all year on their routines. It was a fantastic opportunity for these students to get a chance to perform on stage. For some, it was their first time. The Junior boys team made up of six Year 1/2 boys, performed a boot camp style routine to “Captain Jack.” They received a ‘Spirit of Jump Jam award’ which is a rare certificate handed out to select teams who truly exemplify the positive attributes of Jump Jam. The Junior and Middle school girls team performed a routine to “Can’t stop the feeling.” They placed third in their division. The Senior girls team performed a routine to “Shake it off.” They placed second in their division. The Jump Jam teams should be very proud of their achievements and the dedication they all showed to learning and performing their routines.
OUR SCHOOL APP
Our School App
We have a new school app to keep you up to date with events and notifications. Click on the button below to check it out.
SETTING UP KINDO
Setting up with Kindo
Kindo is our new prefered payment and permission system. To help you learn how it works, we’ve added their new help sheet and video. We hope it helps.
KINDO VIDEO HELP
COMMUNITY NOTICES
