7th February 2024

Kia ora koutou,

Welcome back for another school year! We trust you have managed to have some nice family and holiday time over the Summer. It has been great to see everyone again and hear about some of the exciting holiday adventures. Two short weeks definitely helps get those school routines back up and running.

I would like to welcome our four new staff members that have joined the team this year; Taylor Rigter (Teacher LC4), Ashlee Hansen (Teacher LC5), Paul Spicer (Teacher LC6) and Zarna Leask (part time Learning Assistant LC4). With our Meet and Greet sessions coming up next week (Monday - Wednesday), you will be able to meet your children's new teachers. Please log on and book a session via the School Interviews site. See further details about these sessions below.

This coming Saturday, we are doing our Firewood Working Bee. If you want a trailer load of wood, you are more than welcome to bring your trailer down on Saturday and we can fill it for you ($100.00 for single axle trailer). The team are also doing deliveries within the local area, $200.00 for 2m3. If you are able to lend a hand on Saturday (any time from 8:00 am until around midday), we would love some help. We need help with splitting, loading, shifting the wood, loading trailers and some raking. Please email me if you are able to help, or would like a trailer load of wood. julietd@tekowhai.school.nz.

We are really impressed to see so many hats on heads so far this term. With the high temperatures still forecast, please keep encouraging your children to bring their hats and put sunblock on before coming to school. We have top-up sunblock for them at school.

We look forward to seeing you next week at the Meet and Greet sessions, please feel free to pop in at the beginning or end of the day outside of these times as well.

Juliet Dickinson
Principal

www.schoolinterviews.co.nz enter the event code 8ncpx

Background:

As we find our Meet and Greet sessions so valuable, we are again organising 15 minute individual meetings with our families (including students if possible) next week. The aim of these is to ensure we know as much as we can about your child/ren right from the beginning of the year. Even if your child is with one or more of the same teachers, it is important for us to connect with all of our families to ensure that we have the most up to date information about your children.

What does the discussion look like?

The purpose of this is for you to introduce class teachers and discuss your child's interests, strengths, any challenges as well as anything else you would like to share or tell us heading into 2024 (see some questions you will be asked are below).

To secure your meeting time, please book via the School Interviews site above. Please note that interviews start from 1:15 pm on Tuesday 13th February for LC3-LC6. School is still open on this day and we will have alternative programmes in place for your children for the last block.

We will be asking you a series of questions about your child:

Tell us about your child. (e.g what excites/engages them both at home and school. What are their passions?).
How does your child like to share their learning with you?
What learning does your child find enjoyable? What do they find challenging?
Does your child have any worries or concerns about the year? If so, what are some ways we can reduce this?
In our continued focus on Zones of Regulation this year, is there anything you would like to share with us about how your child deals with their emotions?
What are yours and your child‘s aspirations for this year?
Is there anything else you want to tell us about your child? (e.g. friendships / social / emotional, learning difficulties, medical, living arrangements or anything else that could help the teachers support your child).
Tell us a bit about yourself (optional). (e.g. availability, hours, jobs, own passions or interests).

What you need to do now:

1. Book your meeting time via the School Interviews site.

www.schoolinterviews.co.nz enter the event code 8ncpx

You may have checked you kindo account seen that known 2024 School costs have been loaded to your account. To explain them, read on:

At the November 2023 Board of Trustees meeting the School Donation and Activity Fee were approved. They remain the same as in 2023.

School Donations 2024

Schools are no longer evaluated on a decile rating, it is now an Equity Index. Te Kowhai School does not get additional funding from the Government that other schools with a different Equity Index do, hence the School Donation being attributed to your kindo account. This is a donation, which you are not compelled to pay but the collection of it makes a significant contribution to the School resources and educational support of all students. At the end of the tax year, you can obtain a partial tax credit in your tax return. You are welcome to pay this cost at any time throughout the year.

One child at school $135
Two children at school $240
Three and more children at school $280

Activity Fee 2024

This is charged per child and covers in-school shows (ie Life Education, African Drummers, Math Show etc) and also goes towards the many and various digital subscriptions that make a difference to what the school offers our students. It is a compulsory cost that is required to be cleared within the year it is billed. Please clear this by the end of Term 3 at the latest.

$60

Year 7/8 Technology Fee 2024

Our Year 7/8 students travel by bus to Hamilton Junior High School each Monday to experience forms of Technology that Te Kowhai School cannot offer, which have a 'take home' component. The cost is unchanged this year and need to be cleared by the end of Term 3 at the latest.

$100

Camps, Sports Camp, Day Trips, Academic Events and the like

Te Kowhai School seeks to offer great opportunities for our students with Education Outside The Classroom (EOTC). We work hard to identify affordable yet quality experiences and price these to Parents/Caregivers at a 'breakeven' amount. We do not want to make a profit and cannot make a loss with each of these events. When a cost is established it will be billed to your account and it must be cleared before the event occurs, unless agreed otherwise in advance with Lee Slomp or Juliet Dickinson.

Friday Lunches

Friday lunches are both ordered and paid via kindo. It is an option that you load your account with a credit balance so that you have funds available for this.

Two Households paying child/ren's costs

Please email Lee Slomp, Office Manager, lee@tekowhai.school.nz if you have payment agreements in place between two Parents/Caregivers. In kindo, what one payee has set up is private from any other, for the same child/ren.

Elective Sports participation

If your child joins a sports team (Rugby, Football, netball etc) that currently sits outside of the school parent/caregiver billing system. The Convener of the Code will communicate payment cost details.

Kindo

Kindo is the service provider that facilitates all payments on behalf of the school.

For access:

If you have not activated your account yet, click the link to activate kindo account for the first time
If you have utilised kindo previously, click this link to enter your kindo account

If you ever have any questions please approach Lee Slomp, Office Manager, lee@tekowhai.school.nz as we want to ensure Parents and Caregivers are familiar with meeting their financial obligations with Te Kowhai School and all children are included in school activities.