Term 1 Issue 2 PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Mookori ano kia rere a mihi kia koutou katoa BOARD MEETING Welcome to all new students, staff and whaanau. Every year some teachers move on as do our senior students, but every Wednesday 31 March year we gain new and fresh faces amongst students and staff. I would like to welcome all of our new students, and 6.30pm the new teachers we were lucky enough to employ, who have introduced themselves later in this newsletter. ENROLMENT ZONE Covid-19 COMMUNITY We are all hoping that 2021 will be a year of progress – the bright new decade that we looked forward to last year, rather CONSULTATION than the disruption, anxiety and tension we all experienced in Maria Maniapoto from the 2020. However, COVID-19 is still around and we have to Ministry of Education will be available remain vigilant and mindful of it. We have been tested twice already this term, with two Level 3 Lockdowns for Auckland to answer questions. that impacted on us as border schools. However, our Auckland based teachers now all have passes and we coped with as little disruption as possible. We all hope that there are no further Lockdowns, but know that if this happens, we Reporting are prepared. We are returning to Engagement Reporting on student Parent and Community events progress through KAMAR and a follow up with a Report A number of new initiatives are underway this year. We tried evening when whaanau can discuss the specifics of the a new way of ‘Meeting the Teachers’ by holding a students’ progress with each teacher. Watch out for the Community Engagement evening and bringing in a guest interview booking emails soon. The end of term Catch Up speaker. There was a great turn out of people who enjoyed Day is designed to try to promote responsible attitudes to our student performances, the Team NZ sailing victory on study and task completion in our students. A big part of our our biggest screen, and an inspiring talk from David Letele strategic goal is teaching students to self-manage and (aka the Brown Buttabean). encouraging an approach to learning with academic rigour. CONT’ OVER PAGE Kaupapa whakatauki: KEY DATES FOR YOUR DIARY " Amohia ake te ora o te Iwi" The wellbeing of the peo- ple is paramount. (said by Kiingi Tuheitia) Wed 31 March Mon 3 May Board Meeting TERM 2 STARTS Learning whakatauki: Fri 2 Apr Tue 11 May " Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, noona te ngaahere. Good Friday Writers Festival—Year 8 Ko te manu e kai ana i te matauranga, noona te Ao" The bird who feasts on the miro berry, theirs is the Mon 5 Apr Wed 12 May forest. The bird who feasts on knowledge, theirs is the Easter Monday Careers Evening Event world. Tue 6 Apr Fri 14 May Easter Tuesday Cross Country Parent Teacher Interviews Wed 14 Apr Wed 19 May Wednesday 14 April Report Evening Teacher Only Day 3.30 — 6.30pm Fri 16 Apr Thu 27 May Appointments will be available online from 9th April TERM 1 ENDS Hearing and Vision Testing PO Box 24, Te Kauwhata 3741 [email protected] @tekauwhatacollege 07 826 3715, Text (incl absences): 027 960 1750 www.tkcoll.school.nz Kahui Ako. PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE CONT’ The North Waikato collective of schools (which includes most Student Leadership of our main contributing schools, Te Kauwhata Primary, Our Year 13 students began the year with a Leadership Kimihia, Ohinewai, Mercer, and Waikaretu) is called Te Kaahui camp which challenged them in many ways. Natural leaders Ako Too Taatou Haerenga. They are all working together with emerged from this camp and the Head Students and other the College and the local Early Childhood Education Centres, Leaders were selected using the evidence gained from this to try to build seamless pathways for students through their experience. A similar process was used with the student learning levels. leaders of all the other year levels; this group now forms the Enrolment zone Student Council. A series of challenging activities, group- based tasks as well as interviews, ensures that we get the Consultation with schools affected by the establishment of an best student leaders for these roles. enrolment zone has taken place. We are discussing this at the next Board meeting, which is on Wednesday 31st March. If you Lunches have concerns or queries, please make a written submission We have been chosen as one of the schools to receive the to the Board. The Ministry of Education is making itself Free Healthy Lunches provided by the government. The aim available to discuss these, or to meet with interested parties at of this programme is not only to feed children, but to teach this Board meeting. If you wish to attend in person to meet them about healthy nutrition. We have an external provider with the MOE person, please let the school know on: who will manage this, so unfortunately our much-loved [email protected]. canteen will close. A letter about this is included further on in Ngaa mihi nui this newsletter. Deborah Hohneck Free School Lunches Catch-Up Day The government has created an initiative to Te Kauwhata College is introducing a new whole school initiative that is provide free school lunches to lower decile aimed at lifting the academic performance of our students and teaching them schools around New Zealand. Te Kauwhata the importance of setting goals and completing tasks. This initiative is a Catch College has been selected as one of these -up Day. Catch-up Day will be held on the last day of Terms 1, 2 and 3. schools. The idea behind Catch-up Day will be to encourage students to complete all Last week, the school signed up with a tasks that are set during the term. If all tasks are finished, then students from company called Libelle to provide free lunches Years 9 – 13 will be allowed to have the last day of term off. Catch-up day for to all students in this school (this company will Year 7 & 8’s will work slightly differently. also provide lunches to Te Kauwhata Primary All Year 7 & 8 students will attend school on Catch-up day. However, the School). The free lunch initiative will start in the programme for this cohort will change on the day. The Year 7 & 8 teachers first week of Term 2. will plan a fun activities-based day for the students who have completed all of their work during the term. Students who have not completed work will be in Following the healthy food guidelines, Libelle class completing tasks. The Year 7 & 8 Homeroom teachers will contact you will provide lunches that cater for the dietary if your child is required to be in class on the day finishing incomplete work. needs of young people. They will also cater for Teachers will set very clear expectations that all work must be completed students who have special dietary throughout the term. Teachers will also communicate with home if this requirements. A form will be sent home for expectation is not met. If your child is not up to date with their schoolwork, families to indicate specific dietary needs very then communication with home will take place this term between the 31st soon. March and the 7th April. If you receive a phone call, email or letter from your child’s teacher, it will mean that they are expected to come to school on the In order to distribute the lunches and get them last day of term to complete their work during school time. An Engagement to our students so they are fueled for the day, Report will also be sent home prior to Catch-up Day and you will also have an we are going to shorten Period 2 by five opportunity to discuss your child’s progress at the Report Evening which will th minutes. Year 7 & 8 students will collect their be held on Wednesday 14 April. lunches from the Papakainga area and they There will be no bells rung on Catch-up day. Students who are expected to will be expected to eat their lunch in the Junior come in will set up times to work with their teachers. They can work at their playground area. Years 9 – 13 will collect their own pace and move to the next subject (if applicable) to complete tasks. If lunches from the canteen. There will be a line work is finished earlier than the end of the school day, students in Years 9 - set up for the Year 9 & 10’s and then one for 13 can arrange to go home. However, they must sign out before doing so. the Year 11 -13’s. Empty containers and food Catch-up day will also be a chance for our senior students to take part in scraps will need to be returned to the canteen workshops. These workshops will give senior students the opportunity to area, where pig bins and recycling containers spend a block of time working on tasks. These workshops will be of particular will be set up. value for senior students who take practical subjects. The canteen will no longer operate. If we want We hope that families/whanau will support this initiative and work with us to encourage the students at Te Kauwhata College to achieve their goals, lift this free lunch initiative to succeed, we need to their academic performance and complete tasks that are set throughout the teach our students the importance of healthy term.