Taiari Times of Thames

  Laying the new drains during the holidays. Dear Parents and Caregivers, We are now at the start of the third week of the new term and so I am hurriedly trying to get this term two newsletter out before the term is over. Property issues and development During the holidays we had a major piece of infrastructural work carried out which you may not even notice. Some of you may have been aware that we have been dealing with the Ministry of Education over an extensive drainage problem. This was remedied in the holidays, much to our relief. The problem had developed about two to three years ago and was steadily deteriorating due to old pipes and ground movement. It took the contractors the two full weeks of the holidays to remedy the issue.   This year we are likely to be having work being done at school for most of the holidays. If things go according to plan, (emphasis on the if), we are looking to replace more of our roofing and put in a COLA (covered outdoor learning ...

Waters of Taiari (February 3, 2021) Things you want to know about the year and term one (maybe …) Dear whānau/parents and caregivers, In this newsletter I want to outline our key intentions for learning and the school. As a staff we have already been back to school for at least a fortnight and are excited by the year. Our theme for the year is the ‘Waters of Taiari’, after our name. This means that we are planning excursions throughout the year for the whole school connected to this theme. One of the studies in term one may involve a seashore study. Over the next two weeks our children will be reviewing our school rules and setting up classroom treaties. This is very important as we set the tone of the school for the year. At the moment the weather is hot! … so please keep sending your children to school with togs and sunhats. All classes have been scheduled for daily swimming. We have swimming sports calendared for Friday the 5 th of March We have a major whakatau coming up o...

  Things you need to know ... Dear whānau/parents and caregivers,   Welcome back to school for 2021. This year promises a lot but we will be keeping an eye on the rear-view mirror to make sure everything goes as smoothly as it should.   Covid preparedness We would be very happy if we never heard the word Covid ever again but we are still making sure that we have things in place. While we wait for the vaccine (which should be here by the middle of the year) we want to keep going with the following: ·         Keep washing hands ·         Bring a drink bottle school every day ·         Stay home if you are sick We would also like parents who come on to the school site to scan our Covid QR codes when they pick up or drop off children. Attending school One of the things that was impacted last year with Covid was attendance. Lower attendance negatively af...

 Hello Everyone, We are looking forward to a busy and fun term in the garden. Our plants are growing really well in the warm weather and the rain here and there has definitely helped. Our potatoes have all sprouted well, we have some beautiful looking cabbages on the way and the children are already enjoying the Broad beans straight from the plants. The nasturtiums are definitely making the most of it out there! On Thursday Ali and Rod from Coromandel Pure Honey in Pauanui ( https://www.coropurehoney.co.nz/ ) will be here at school talking to rooms 6-9 about bees. We are hoping to establish a beehive at school soon so this will be a great learning opportunity for the children. This term we are also working on setting up our Electric Garden. A group of students from room 6 are learning all about how to use it and set it up in the correct location. They will then share their knowledge with others so that we can all use it and look after it. The device will provide us with readings ab...

  What’s happening in term four of 2020? There is no doubt that the year 2020 will stay seared in our memories for the rest of our lives. Before we get too far into it, I think it’s worth reflecting a little on term three. Some of the things mentioned may or may not have escaped your attention.   Did you know that …   ·    Our two senior classes managed to go on camp to Waitawheta last term. The children had a great time, the weather held and we managed to run it despite Covid-19. ·     Our senior E-Pro eight team came second in our area. Last year the same team won.This was an outstanding effort. ·   Lilly Donaldson came second in her category of the Thames speech competition. Well done to Lilly. ·      Last term, we had our second round of reports delivered to parents and whanau, and we managed to hold parent-teacher conferences. This was no mean feat given the year we have had. ·    ...

A survey to improve our school During this week the school is going to email out a survey called the 'Parent and Community Survey' (PACS). The PACS is a tool that will help us measure elements of 'school climate' i.e. how our school relationships are working. The background of this survey can be found at:  How do parents and whānau perceive your school? A simple survey tool to find out! PACS overview This survey has been designed with academic rigour to measure school climate. It is a tool that is being used in Australian schools (2020) and is freely available for educational purposes. The compulsory questions are all multi-choice. There are no right or wrong answers. Your responses will reflect your experiences and judgment. We will be using the survey in Google forms. How long will it take? The survey will take somewhere from fifteen to twenty-five minutes, and may take a bit longer if you fill in the optional questions. There are six sections (a total of 29 compulsor...