“Ko Maihiihi, Ko Au - Ko Au, Ko Maihiihi
Maihiihi is Me - I am Maihiihi”
A very warm welcome to our Maihiihi School Community. We are feeling energised and excited to be coming back to school! We warmly welcome our new students and families and look forward to reconnecting and getting to know you all over the coming months. Nau mai, haere mai.
Here’s what you need to know…
From the Principal’s desk …
He mihi maioha …
A big welcome to Mr Herlihy who takes over as the Room 4 teacher for Years 7 & 8 and Tiana Toa who has taken over as our new cleaner. We’re glad to have you join our staff whānau. At the end of Week 3 we will farewell Mrs Ferguson as she heads off to prepare for the arrival of baby #3. We wish you all the best on the birth of your coming baby.
All the teachers have been busy preparing their learning programmes and classrooms for 2023. We were lucky to have Sarah Williams from Sports Waikato come in and run some Professional Development around implementing the Health & PE Curriculum through building confidence and aquatic skills in the water using movement. We’ve also had Anaru Morgan running sessions to support our local curriculum development and identity through the implementation of the new Aotearoa NZ Histories Curriculum.
School Stationery…
Our school stationery lists are available online through the OfficeMax My School website and were also given to your child at the end of last year so please get onto ordering this if you haven’t already done so. Thank you to those parents who have.
Mathletics is up and running …
We have made the choice to introduce students to the Mathletics / Maths Seeds online learning programme. This will replace IXL and we feel will be a better fit for our students. The content aligns closely with the NZ Curriculum and can also add a competitive element if they want to verse other students with NZ or Australia in a quiz. Your child will be given their username and password and will start using this from now on.
The School Donations scheme …
With the recent School Decile Rating system being replaced with the Equity Index, our school was offered the opportunity to opt into the school donations scheme. After some discussion the Maihiihi School Board of Trustees have opted into this initiative for 2023. This means we can claim $154 per student enrolled. We will not be asking parents for a donation this year, except for overnight camps which will be held later this year. More info about the scheme can be found here: https://www.education.govt.nz/school/funding-and-financials/fees-charges-and-donations/
MASSIVE thank you …
To the Edwards, Gray & Newson Families for the work done to our Swimming Pool and Sandpit areas and Matua Ron for his handy-man skills around the school during the last few weeks. We are lucky to have a great community to keep our school looking fabulous. On that note, the painters are almost finished and our school is looking fresh and modern as we head into 2023.
Swimming Season …
The NZ Curriculum states that all students will have opportunities to learn basic aquatic skills, so they will be swimming 4-5 times per week. Please ensure they bring their togs and towels everyday and that all items of clothing are named.
Keys are available to our community for after-hours use. Please give Julz a call in the office for more information.
A special thank you to Alice Edwards and the parent helpers who have volunteered to monitor and maintain our school pool this season.
We are a Sun Smart School…
Term 1 is a hat term. Don’t forget to remind your child to slip, slop, slap as we head outdoors for lots of learning and fun.
Buses …
Will be running as usual. Parents need to ensure that their children are ready at least 5 minutes prior to catch the bus in a safe place.
The Paewhenua run is the first bus to leave school at 2.45pm. The Ngahape run leaves 2nd at 3.25pm. These times are to align with the college bus in the afternoons. If a child is being collected from school or traveling on the other bus on a particular day, notification must be made via a phone call to the school bus line or a note must be sent to school by the parent explaining the change.
Behaviour on the bus is a shared responsibility between the bus company, parents and the school. The school reserves the right to withhold permission to travel on the bus with instances of poor behaviour.
If you pick your child up from school, please ensure they are signed out and let the teacher know.
School Bell Times…
School starts at 9am and finishes at 3pm. Please ensure your child is at school with enough time to settle in the mornings.
- 1st learning block is 9am-11am
- Morning Tea is 11-11.30am
- 2nd learning block is 11.30am-12.30pm
- Lunch time is 12.30-1.30pm
- 3rd learning block is 1.30-3pm
Kai & Kōrero evening…
We would love to invite you to school on Thursday 16th February for a BBQ, Meet & Greet the Teacher and an Information Sharing session. We have invited Emma Nahna as a guest speaker to share information about the Structured Literacy programme we are running. This will be followed by a quick Q & A and then some general information about things happening at school. The BBQ will start at 5pm and then move into a classroom space for the presentation at 6pm. Please come and support this.
School Logo redesign…
It is time to revisit our current school logo so that it visually reflects who we are here at Maihiihi School. Your children will be bringing home more information about this and we encourage you to give your input in this process. More information will follow soon.
2023 Staffing contact details
Principal: Mrs Vanessa Koroa 027-245-8017 | Room 3:Mrs Katie Robinson (Deputy Principal /Yr 5-6) krobinson@maihiihi.school.nz Room 3 Class Dojo |
Room 1: Mrs Roz Crotty (Yr 0-2) rcrotty@maihiihi.school.nz Room 1 Class Dojo | Room 2: Mrs Kayleigh Albert (Yr 3-4) kalbert@maihiihi.school.nz Room 2 Class Dojo |
Room 4: Mr Liam Herlihy (Yr 7-8) lherlihy@maihiihi.school.nz Room 4 Class Dojo | Office & Executive Officer: Mrs Juliette Riddell 07-873-2887 office@maihiihi.school.nz |
Teacher Aide: Mrs Deb Druce | Teacher Aide: Mrs Jacqui Fitzgerald |
Cleaner: Ms Tiana Toa | Presiding Member: Mr Luke Edwards |
School Bus Line: 07-873-2885 | Skool Loop App to report absences |
Upcoming dates to note:
(please note there may be postponement dates and additions to these events so keep an eye on our school newsletters and Facebook/ Skool Loop posts).
Week 2 - Monday 6th February - Waitangi Day
Week 2 - Friday 10th February - Class Swimming Lessons with Wendy
Week 3 - Thursday 16th February - Kai & Kōrero evening. Guest speaker Emma Nahna - Structured Literacy, Meet the Teacher and School Information sharing 5pm - 7:30pm
Week 4 - BOT Meeting (exact date and time to be confirmed)
Week 5 - GRIP Kahui Ako Student Leaders Trip - Tuesday 28th February
Week 5 - Wednesday 1st March - Small Schools Swimming - 8 Yrs+ Oto Pools
Week 5 - Friday 3rd March - Junior Swim Display 5-7 year olds (Y1-3)
Week 5 - Saturday 4th March - Agri-Kids (Mrs Robinson is organising so more info to come)
Week 6 - Wednesday 8th March - COPS Swimming - Oto Pools (Y4-Y8)
Week 6 - Friday 10th March - Whole School trip re Te Awamutu Museum
Week 8 - Term 1 Assessment Feedback reports to go home
Week 8 - Friday 24th March - School Triathlon
Week 9 - Wednesday 29th March - Parent, Teacher, Student 3-way conference 1-7pm
Week 9 - Scholastic Book Fair all week
Week 9 - Friday 31st March - Book Day Dress up
Week 10 - Thursday 6th April - Last day of School (Friday is Good Friday)
ALSO MAKE SURE YOU KEEP AN EYE OUT ON OUR SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE FOR REGULAR UPDATES.