Pouhere
Kia ora koutou e te whanau o Te Kāpehu Whetū,
A reminder that Kura starts back this coming Monday 14th. ALL current ākonga to be at Maumahara by 9am in uniform.
We will welcome 2 new staff and 5 new ākonga this term. The Powhiri starts at 9.30am. Once the powhiri is complete, we will bus Paenuku back down to Tarewa. The new staff starting are:
– Matua Neville Tohu who will be working with Matua Moses as Pou Awhina providing sports programmes and mentoring to our ākonga, particularly our Tai tama tāne.
– Matua Nathan Warner, an experienced Pou Ako starting as a Pou Awhina, will be based down at Paenuku supporting staff with day to day delivery of our programme.
The first week of term is all about prep for Kapahaka regionals on Saturday 18th October.
– Paenuku will practice their bracket right through the week and then will stay over Friday night. They will be up at 5am, prepped and leaving for Kaikohe at 6am. They are first on at 8.30am.
– Paetata to arrive at Kura by 5am Saturday morning, prep and leave for Kaikohe at 8.30am and on stage at 11.30am. They have been practicing right through the second week of holidays.
Whaea Kerrian will send permission slips today and more information to whanau during the week. Please return these so we can confirm our numbers and of course
JOIN US IN KAIKOHE NEXT SATURDAY FOR THE 2x PERFOMANCES.
Ngā mihi
Whaea Rae
Paetawhiti/Paerangi
During the holidays we ran a Work Ready Programme – 13 ākonga put their hand up to take part The idea behind the programme was:
– To give ākonga a taste of work
– The legal requirements they need to be aware of to work
– The obligations to an employer
We will share some of the stories over the next few weeks:
Attendance
PLEASE NOTE:
Along with disallowing cell phones and IT devices from being used in Kura (unless part of a lesson and allowed for learning by Pouako) another Government policy being measured is Student Attendance. See below:
The Government has set a target of 70% regular attendance for every student each term for 2024
Attendance is linked to both student wellbeing and to attainment. Ministry of Education insights studies show that attending Kura regularly is, on average, associated with more positive wellbeing outcomes. Attendance is also linked to student attainment, especially in secondary students.
Although we have a good attendance rate across the Kura, it can be better. Our attendance across both sites is usually around mid-high 70s.
We understand that there are valid and important reasons for ākonga to be out of school at times and this is ok but please let the tari know when and why your child is absent.
Tari Year 7-13 ring Whaea Jackie: (09) 955 9996
Tari Year 1-6 ring Whaea Sam: (09) 438 8033
Automated text notification of absence
We have reinitiated our automated text message system for absences starting next week. If your child is marked with an unknown absence in the morning on an automatic text message will be sent to the primary caregiver(s) to notify them.
Thank you very much to all whanau who have responded to these texts either by replying or contacting the office. This has made a significant difference to the number of unjustified absences we have.
Policies
Te Kāpehu Whetū has worked with SchoolDocs to create a website for our policies and procedures.
The school works on a subscription basis with SchoolDocs to maintain, update, and review our policies. SchoolDocs provides us with a comprehensive core set of policies, which have been well-researched and align with the National Education and Learning Priorities. The policies and procedures are tailored to our school, and the school supplies specific information such as our charter, and procedures for behavior management, reporting to parents, etc.
SchoolDocs updates, modifies, or creates policies in response to changes in legislation or Ministry guidelines, significant events, reviews/requests from schools, and regular reviewing from the SchoolDocs team. Our school board has the opportunity to view changes/additions and comment on them before they are implemented.
We invite you to visit the site at School Docs
Kaupapa
We believe passionately in our culture, our people, our ākonga, and we know that through hard work, commitment, and focused support they will achieve within the Kura and beyond. We do this hereby acknowledging the 28 Māori Battalion and the price paid for citizenship, so that ‘we’ can “Navigate Māori Futures”.
To do this we commit to success in all its forms:
Kia Māori – Be Māori – Be
An education that validates Māori knowledge and ways of learning.
Kia Mātau – Be Knowledgeable – Know
Encouraging innovation, inquiry, the development of specialised knowledge and skills.
Kia Tū Rangatira Ai – Be Rangatira – Do
Development of strong character and personal excellence, living with mana.
Nā
Raewyn Tipene
POUHERE
Important Dates
See Calendar for Key Events