8th May 2024 Newsletter

Welcome back to Term 2

Kia ora koutou,

We have had a great start to Term 2. Our learners have come back rearing to go. We are looking forward to the numerous opportunities we have coming up this term, including Pink Shirt Day, School Disco, Tough Guy and Gal, Matariki celebrations and more.

As you may be aware, Juliet is away during Term 2 on a Ministry of Education sabbatical. Things will very much be 'business as usual' as Justine Flynn and myself (along with our wider leadership team) are covering Juliet while she is away.

It has been great to see so many parents/caregivers attending their child's learning conferences this week. We know that when home and school work together, your child really reaps the benefits.
If you were unable to make these appointments please get in touch with your child's teacher. We do aim to have 100% attendance for these conferences.

It is that time of the year where we see winter sports kick off. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our Sports Convenors for the work they have done with putting the teams together and allocating Coaches and Managers to each team. I would also like to thank all of our parents who have put their hand up to coach and manage this season, without you our winter sports teams wouldn't be able to go ahead.

Education has certainly been in the news of late. The government has recently announced a raft of reforms and targets, along with a proposed re-write of the New Zealand Curriculum.
One of the government’s initial targets is for at least 80% of students to attend school ‘regularly,’ (defined as over 90% of the time). How are we tracking towards these goals? In term one 77% of our students achieved this target.
National data for schools of our type and location indicates that our attendance is at the higher end, illustrating the scale of the challenge to achieve this target. We are committed to working with you to ensure that your child is attending school every day that they are well.

Another government target is for at least 80% of year 8 students to be achieving curriculum expectations. We carefully monitor our students’ achievement and progress and look forward to reporting your child’s progress to you later this term.
Much of the detail regarding proposed curriculum reform is yet to be released. We are confident that we are very well placed with our ongoing professional development in areas such as teaching literacy using a structured approach, within a scope and sequence.

Have a great week

Nikki

Fun and Games - Supporting kids in sport

Physical activity is great for humans young and old, we know this. So watching our kids happily ride their bikes, go surfing or kick a ball around is one of the pleasures of parenting. The aim of any sporting endeavour is, after all, fitness, enjoyment, relaxation and well-being. It’s when the stakes get raised and trophies and medals are up for grabs that things can get a bit tense. While some kids thrive in a competitive environment, there is a very real risk that the benefits of sport – all the feel-good, well-being stuff – can get lost the moment we enter a competition. Which is a tension some adults are still navigating, so how do we help our kids here?

Do what you love…
....simply because you love it! Encouraging our kids to participate in their chosen sporting endeavours primarily for the love of the game/activity is a great place to start. It’s also a good idea to encourage them to try a few different activities, as it’s only natural they will enjoy some sports more than others. Plus, many skills and disciplines are transferable so what a child learns in one sport can help them in others.

Experts say it’s important to take the pressure off our kids and ourselves. This is because kids need three essential ingredients to excel at, and stick with, any given sport or activity: enjoyment, ownership and intrinsic motivation. All of these come from within, not from parental pushing or prodding.

But set some boundaries too
Family life is full on, and the best people to organise the calendar and budget are the grown-ups. So, while we just suggested parents allow their kids to take the lead in pursuit of a passion, the level of involvement and the extent of commitment ideally needs a parent’s oversight. Realistically, there are not enough hours in the day or dollars in the bank account for limitless team memberships and endless hours of training, especially for the super sporty kids who want to have a go at it all. And that’s okay. We can help our kids make thoughtful choices so the whole family’s commitments are manageable. Many families allow each child just one or two activities per term, so there is spare time in the week for bush walks, beach runs, backyard cricket or simply sitting on the couch watching the Olympics on telly.

Speaking of boundaries, sometimes lessons in follow-through and grit require us to hold the line in another way – for example, when your child wants to quit after the first two games, it’s okay to push them to finish the season and then maybe try something new next time.

Click the link to see the extension of this helpful article from The Parenting Place

Is your child in years 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8?

Do they like to get muddy?

This may be the challenge they have been looking for. The Junior Tough Guy and Gal Challenge is open to all students in Year 3-8.

I have saved 100 spots for Te Kowhai students on Thursday 20th June at the Ngaruawahia Christian Youth Camp. Be sure to get in quick as these spots will go quickly.

Below are the details you need to go online and enter your child/ren.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in contact with me nikki@tekowhai.school.nz

How to enter

It is VERY IMPORTANT that you select the CORRECT ENTRY, DATE & VENUE for your child
You must select THE TEACHER WILL PICK UP THE RACE NUMBER when they come to the Bib Collection question
Please write the School Name in FULL (i.e. Te Kowhai School not TK)
Here is the Online Registration Link: https://2024juniortggc.events.mygameday.app/
As long as all of these things are done, they will be able to link all the entrants together and have everything ready for the teacher on the day to pick up from event registration.

Withdrawal and Refund Policy
ALL withdrawals MUST be notified to info@eventpromotions.co.nz by 9:00am, seven days prior to the event date. These withdrawals will receive their entry fee refund, minus a $10.00 administrative/booking fee per competitor.
Any withdrawals notified to info@eventpromotions.co.nz after 9:00am, seven days prior to the event date will not be entitled to a refund, no exceptions.
In the case of a natural disaster, or other uncontrollable factors, “Act of God” conditions causing the cancellation of the event, entry fees will not be refunded.

Transfer Policy
All person-to-person transfers between the same entry type (event distance) MUST be made at least seven days prior to the event, no exceptions. After this date they must be made at the event day registrations and MUST be made between the same entry type (event distance).
Transferring to a different entry type (event distance) can be done 14 days prior to the event. After this, they must be done at the event day registration.
You cannot transfer an entry to another event, or following year under any circumstances.
If you need to make a transfer, please contact info@eventpromotions.co.nz.