THE LAST WEEK OF 2022...

Welcome to the end of 2022! 

This term seems to have flown by in a bit of a blur for us here in Matawara, but it has been hugely exciting and rewarding! We have achieved some outstanding things this term with our Year 8 Camp Wellington, Y8 Leadership Project wrap up, Y7's completing the Year 8 Year Book to an outstanding quality, Valedictorian Speeches, Matawara's part in the 2022 School Production, and of course our Year 8 Dinner and Dance which is soon to happen! 

Our Year 7 and 8 students are offered many opportunities in our Team and we are immensely proud of them all! 

This week we will begin to prepare for one final event, the Final Assembly and Year 8 Graduation. This is a time for celebration and reflection as we farewell the Year 8's from the school for the final time. We are assuming all Year 8 families will attend this special event, and seats are reserved for you at the front of the audience. (This means we have NOT contacted Year 8 prize winners via email).

Our final assembly is at 10:30am on FRIDAY 16th December. This will conclude at around 12:00pm, with school finishing for 2022 at 12:15pm. 

One of the long standing traditions at Clarkville is for the Year 8's to write messages of farewell and/or sign each others school shirts. For those who wish, this will happen before 9am on Friday. 

We do ask that each student has a clean formal school uniform t-shirt to wear during the final assembly (NOT Camp Wellington t-shirts). 

SCHOOL SERVICE ASSEMBLY - 

The Clarkville School Service Assembly is held as a normal assembly, in the usual time of 9:10am on THURSDAY 15th DECEMBER. During this time we have our usual Choose to be More certificates, in addition to recognising students who have served the school in some way during the year. Please feel free to join us if you are able. 

VALUES TOPS - 

If your child still has a values top from school, can these please be returned to Paula in Tūhura by Monday 12 December.

YEAR 8 DINNER AND DANCE - 

We have had a large team of dedicated parents working hard behind the scenes to ensure this evening will go ahead perfectly for your child. This evening is always a lovely time to connect with others and spend time with your own child as a celebration of the end of a milestone, here at Clarkville. 

Part of this evening is the Year 8 Dance, and also a 'waltz' with your child. Your child will approach you to dance with them, and we ask that you please support them in this - as it really is a lovely special time! 

A MASSIVE thank you to the parents who really have worked tirelessly after hours, to ensure this evening runs smoothly - you guys are AWESOME!!

MATAWARA SECRET SANTA - 
It is getting close to that time... our infamous 'Secret Santa.' Matawara runs this fun event on the last day of school, and it is always a LOUD, RAUCOUS time! Each student needs to purchase a unisex gift of $5 value, so they can participate in our 'steal the best gift' event! 

We are happy to have children start to bring these as shopping occurs. 

Please return all sports uniforms to Holly in Tūhura, by the 12th of December. Failure to return uniform by this time will result in a replacement fee. Please note - this excludes touch tops and touch runs into Term 1 2023. 

Finally, from all of us in Matawara, we wish you and your family the most restful, wonderful holiday break over Christmas, and we thank you for your ongoing support over 2022.

It has been a fabulous year with many memories made, and we know that our Year 8's heading to their first year of High School are extremely well set up to have a fabulous 2023.

To those families who are leaving Clarkville with their Year 8's, thank you! Many of you have had a long relationship with Clarkville, and we have highly valued your input to your child's education in the many and varied ways you have done this - your children are so lucky to have such supportive families!

We will see many of you back here in on our Connect Day in 2023! 

Enjoy the final week of making lunches! 

Kristie, Linda, Jenny, Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 9 - THE LAST WEEK!

* MONDAY - Year 8 Leavers Dinner - MPF 6:00pm

* TUESDAY - Transition 1 (2023 classes - 11:30am)

* WEDNESDAY - Transition 2 (2023 classes - 9:15am)

* WEDNESDAY - Wet'n'Wild at Lunchtime

* THURSDAY - Whole School Service Assembly 9:15am in MPF 

* FRIDAY - School Prize Giving and Year 8 Graduation Assembly 10:30am

School finishes at 12:15pm and the bus will leave at this time. 

WELCOME TO WEEK 8!

 

It is SHOWTIME! 

PRODUCTION WEEK IS HERE! The practice and hard work is paying off, and we have our production on the cusp of being PERFECT! We have a WHOLE SCHOOL dress rehearsal at school on Wednesday, and we would like all costumes in personalised bags at school on TUESDAY please. 

On Thursday we run a dress rehearsal at the hall for community preschools and children will come home in their base layer (black tops and bottoms) for their costumes after school on THURSDAY. Please send them back in the evening in this base layer as we are trying to minimise the amount of changing clothes. (NOTE - fishermen will leave their costumes at the hall, and change on arrival).

Children need to be back at Ohoka School Hall by 5:45pm, on Thursday the 8th December. Doors will open for parents at 6pm. 

In case you missed the alert, here is the information regarding costumes for our team. Thank you for supporting your child to get ready for this! 

DON'T FORGET - if you are able to help out with transporting chairs to Ohoka and assisting with the set up of the hall on Wednesday night, please let us know! This information came out yesterday on HERO. 

YEAR 8 YEAR BOOKS - 
These are looking FABULOUS! Thank you to the parents who have ordered and paid for their booklets, they will be given out at the final Graduation Assembly of 2022. If you have not paid, please ensure this is done promptly. 

SWIMMING - 

Swimming is a key part of our Physical Education programme at this time of year. We are VERY fortunate to have access to our own covered, heated school pool, and as a school we utilise it as often as possible. 

Children are expected to swim, unless a medical reason is given to us either in email or note. 

Thank you for your support with this. 

MATAWARA SECRET SANTA - 

It is getting close to that time... our infamous 'Secret Santa.' Matawara runs this fun event on the last day of school, and it is always a LOUD, RAUCOUS time! Each student needs to purchase a unisex gift of $5 value, so they can participate in our 'steal the best gift' event! 

We are happy to have children start to bring these as shopping occurs. 

KAIAPOI HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE DAY - 

Those who are attending Kaiapoi High School in 2023 will have their experience day on Tuesday 6th December. A bus will come to school to transport these students to the high school and leaves Clarkville at 8:50am. This bus will return them back to us at the end of the day. Jo Hall, our Learning Support Coordinator will be chaperoning them. 

Please return all sports uniforms to Holly in Tūhura, by the 12th of December. Failure to return uniform by this time will result in a replacement fee. Please note - this excludes touch tops and touch runs into Term 1 2023. 

Have a great week everyone!

Kristie, Linda, Jenny, Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 8 - 

PRODUCTION Practice ALL Week and THE PRODUCTION NIGHT!

* MONDAY - All Year 8 students will deliver their Valedictorian Speeches to Matawara Teachers and students. 

* TUESDAY - KHS Experience day for children attending in 2023. 

* THURSDAY - PRODUCTION NIGHT - Ohoka Sports Hall at 6:30pm - students to be at Ohoka by 6pm please. 

WEEK 9 - THE LAST WEEK!

* MONDAY - Year 8 Leavers Dinner - MPF 6:00pm

* TUESDAY - Transition 1 (2023 classes - 11:30am)

* WEDNESDAY - Transition 2 (2023 classes - 9:15am)

* WEDNESDAY - Wet'n'Wild at Lunchtime

* THURSDAY - Whole School Service Assembly 9:15am in MPF 

* FRIDAY - School Prize Giving and Year 8 Graduation Assembly 10:30am

School finishes at 12:15pm and the bus will leave at this time. 

WELCOME TO WEEK 7!

Wow what a week! We have had a huge week putting our production scene together, swimming and lastly, our amazing fort day today! This was a wonderful way to celebrate NEARLY being at the end of the term! The photos on HERO through the morning will show just how much we enjoy this simple but effective reward! 

Our production is rapidly approaching and tickets for this event will go on sale on MONDAY 28th NOVEMBER. 

MATAWARA SECRET SANTA - 

It is getting close to that time... our infamous 'Secret Santa.' Matawara runs this fun event on the last day of school, and it is always a LOUD, RAUCOUS time! Each student needs to purchase a unisex gift of $5 value, so they can participate in our 'steal the best gift' event! 

We are happy to have children start to bring these as shopping occurs. 

YEAR 8 VALEDICTORIAN SPEECHES - 

All Year 8's have access to the 'workspace' that outlines expectations, resources and ideas for their 2022 Valedictorian Speeches. All Year 8's are expected to spend time writing their Valedictorian speeches outside of the school time given. It would be really helpful if you could have a chat to your child about the special memories you all have of the time your child has spent at Clarkville. 

We are writing our speeches under the headings of ... 

            * Stories of our people

            * Stories of our place 

            * Stories of our traditions 

That means students are NOT going through the usual "In Year 1 we did... in Year 2 we did..." All children need to pick 2-3 memories under the headings above, and elaborate on them.

The Year 8's will all present their speeches to our Team on MONDAY 5th DECEMBER. From here, both Linda and I will select speeches to be presented at the Year 8 Dinner and additional speeches for the final assembly at the end of the year. 

We do not necessarily pick the most polished speech, it is more the speech that tells a story, and is entertaining, so work will need to be done at home before each of the end of year ceremonies. 

KAIAPOI HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE DAY - 

Those who are attending Kaiapoi High School in 2023 will have their experience day on Tuesday 6th December. A bus will come to school to transport these students to the high school and leaves Clarkville at 8:50am. This bus will return them back to us at the end of the day. Jo Hall, our Learning Support Coordinator will be chaperoning them. 

YEAR 8 LEAVERS YEARBOOK
The Year 8 leavers Yearbook has been a project for the Year 7 students and they have done a great job adding photos and creating professional page layouts.
The Yearbooks will be an A5 booklet, printed professionally with card and semi-gloss paper.  This will be a great memento for our Year 8 students. 

The cost for the Yearbooks is $14 and this can be paid online (account 12-3240-0099920-00 with Yearbook and your surname as the reference) or via EFTPOS in the school office. (No cash please).

We will be placing orders on Friday morning, (2 December), so payment will need to be made by 3PM on Thursday 1st December. 

All Year 8 parents - please fill out this Google order form HERE so we know how many to order.

Have a great week everyone!

Kristie, Linda, Jenny, Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 7 - 

PRODUCTION Practice ALL Week!! 

* MONDAY - Production Tickets go on sale! 

* WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY - Kaiapoi High will have school uniforms in the Matawara GREEN ROOM for families to come in and try on, either before school or after school. 

* FRIDAY - LAST Tech Session - ALL DAY - Bus leaves at 9:15am SHARP!

WEEK 8 - 

PRODUCTION Practice ALL Week and THE PRODUCTION NIGHT!

* MONDAY - All Year 8 students will deliver their Valedictorian Speeches to Matawara Teachers and students. 

* TUESDAY - KHS Experience day for children attending in 2023. 

* THURSDAY - PRODUCTION NIGHT - Ohoka Sports Hall at 6:30pm.

WEEK 9 - THE LAST WEEK!

* MONDAY - Year 8 Leavers Dinner - MPF 6:00pm

* TUESDAY - Transition 1 (2023 classes - 11:30am)

* WEDNESDAY - Transition 2 (2023 classes - 9:15am)

* WEDNESDAY - Wet'n'Wild at Lunchtime

* THURSDAY - Whole School Service Assembly 9:15am in MPF 

* FRIDAY - School Prize Giving and Year 8 Graduation Assembly 10:30am

School finishes at 12:15pm and the bus will leave at this time. 

WELCOME TO WEEK 6!

Welcome to a new week - the 4th last of the year! 

We are right in the middle of our production rehearsals  and learning how to put our piece of the production together. We will be letting you know the costumes that your child will need in the next week or so, so please keep an eye out for the alert that lets you know this. 

SWIMMING - 

This week our school pool will 'open for business!' From here on in, children are to bring togs to school each day, and we would appreciate a note, or email if your child is unable to swim for some reason. We will swim most days and if the weather gets particularly hot, some lunchtimes. 

 

FORT DAY!

As we draw closer to the end of the term, we are keen to reward our team for once again the magnificent term they have had, so we are planning yet another, infamous Matawara Fort Day! As per the beginning of the year, this is a day set aside for our team to bring things to school that they can construct (inside) forts from, usually with all the home comforts like pillows, doonas, teddies etc! They will work within these forts for the day, in small groups. The day we have set aside for this is FRIDAY 25th NOVEMBER. Thank you so much for supporting your child with this - we know it is slightly annoying to prepare for, but our Team do LOVE it, and look forward to it every time! 

 

YEAR 8 VALEDICTORIAN SPEECHES - 

All Year 8's have access to the 'workspace' that outlines expectations, resources and ideas for their 2022 Valedictorian Speeches. All Year 8's are expected to spend time writing their Valedictorian speeches outside of the school time given. It would be really helpful if you could have a chat to your child about the special memories you all have of the time your child has spent at Clarkville. 

We are writing our speeches under the headings of ... 

            * Stories of our people

            * Stories of our place 

            * Stories of our traditions 

That means students are NOT going through the usual "In Year 1 we did... in Year 2 we did..." All children need to pick 2-3 memories under the headings above, and elaborate on them.

The Year 8's will all present their speeches to our Team on MONDAY 5th DECEMBER. From here, both Linda and I will select speeches to be presented at the Year 8 Dinner and additional speeches for the final assembly at the end of the year. 

We do not necessarily pick the most polished speech, it is more the speech that tells a story, and is entertaining, so work will need to be done at home before each of the end of year ceremonies. 

KAIAPOI HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE DAY - 

Those who are attending Kaiapoi High School in 2023 will have their experience day on Tuesday 6th December. A bus will come to school to transport these students to the high school, and will return them back to us at the end of the day. Jo Hall, our Learning Support Coordinator will be chaperoning them. 

YEAR 8 PARENTS - THIS IS NOW A FINAL and URGENT REQUEST!

Please remember to email us a jpeg of a smaller version of your GORGEOUS Year 8 darling! Thank you to those who have done this already - they are looking ADORABLE! We have 3 to go! 

Have a great week everyone, 

Kristie, Linda, Jenny, Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 6 - 

PRODUCTION Practice ALL Week!! 

* WEDNESDAY - Ag Club Calf and Lamb judging after school - 3:15pm.  

* THURSDAY - Assembly in MPF 9:15am. 

WEEK 7 - 

PRODUCTION Practice ALL Week!! 

* WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY - Kaiapoi High will have school uniforms in the Matawara GREEN ROOM for families to come in and try on, either before school or after school. 

* FRIDAY - Tech - ALL DAY - Bus leaves at 9:15am SHARP!

DATES TO DIARY - Coming up FAST!

Tuesday 6th December - Kaiapoi High Experience Day (for Year 8 students going to Kaiapoi High)

Thursday 8th December - Clarkville School Production (more information to come soon!)

Thursday 15th December - Community Assembly 9:10am (Certificates for roles carried out throughout the year)

Friday 16th December - Final Prize Giving and Year 8 Graduation (10:30am) 

WELCOME TO WEEK 5!

Welcome to Week 5!

This week has been a busy week for both the Year 8's and Year 7's this week.

The Year 8s have had an amazing time in Wellington. Parliament was a real hit as the group were able to see the government in action during a parliament session. It's always lovely to finish with the On TV session with lots of hilarious moments. I think we will have a very tired crew today! We would like to acknowledge the incredible support we have had from parent volunteers.

The Year 7s have been the true leaders of the school this week. The movie, Rudy, has helped the children explore the behaviours of a leader and how this links to our Student Leadership Challenge. 

Perseverance was on top with the creation of 54 Grass Head Plant Kits for the Whakarewa children, as a "Year 8 project in Three Days' activity. We've heard about some fabulous ideas that the children already have for projects next year. Exciting! It's also been great to see the skills developed this year in the Year 7 leadership project put to work in the Year 8 yearbook. 

YEAR 8 PARENTS... DON'T FORGET...!

Please remember to email us a jpeg of a smaller version of your GORGEOUS Year 8 darling! Thank you to those who have done this already - they are looking ADORABLE! We have about 6 to go! 

Have a great week everyone, 

Kristie, Linda, Jenny, Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 5 - 

* TUESDAY - Fish and Chip Lunch (Order via KINDO) 

* FRIDAY - Tech - ALL DAY - Bus leaves at 9:15am SHARP!

WEEK 6 - 

PRODUCTION Practice ALL Week!! 

DATES TO DIARY - Coming up FAST!

Tuesday 6th December - Kaiapoi High Experience Day (for Year 8 students going to Kaiapoi High)

Thursday 8th December - Clarkville School Production (more information to come soon!)

Thursday 15th December - Community Assembly 9:10am (Certificates for roles carried out throughout the year)

Friday 16th December - Final Prize Giving and Year 8 Graduation (10:30am) 

WELCOME TO WEEK 4!

 

Welcome to Week 4 and it is Year 8 Camp Week! 

Wow, it is hard to believe that we are at the week of Camp Wellington! On Monday, Kristie and the Year 8's will be up at the crack of dawn, to catch our 6:40am flight to Wellington! We will be sending updates to the Year 8 parents via the messenger group that has been set up, and we look forward to being back at school in Week 5. 

This leaves the Year 7's in charge! Woohoo! This is the "Leadership Intensive" week for them, where they will take a deep dive into the following aspects of Matawara's programme - 

• Look closely at the 5 areas of the Student Leadership Challenge and how we apply each of these categories to Leadership and being a Year 8 at Clarkville School for 2023.
• The Year 8 Leadership Project - how to complete this successfully, and the skills needed to maintain the focus and intention in a project for the whole year. Each Year 7 will complete 'a project in three days' where they plan and execute a project centred around making a plant kit for each of the students in Whakarewa. 
• Developing the "Year 8 Leavers Year Book" which is gifted to each Year 8 at their Graduation Ceremony.
• Leading Whakarewa through their Camp Day! 
• The Year 7's will run the sound cupboard and present for Assembly on Thursday, as training for the end of year ceremonies too! 

The Year 7's submitted their completed projects for 2022 today, so we are looking forward to reading these, as the skills developed here are what we require to design, create and present the Leavers Year Book. 

KAIAPOI BOROUGH TECH CENTER - 
The Kaiapoi Tech Centre ran their open evening this week. A big "Thank You" to Bec Ansley, who attended and managed to snap some images of the projects from our team that were on display! They are absolutely outstanding!

YEAR 8 PARENTS... DON'T FORGET...!

Please remember to email us a jpeg of a smaller version of your GORGEOUS Year 8 darling! Thank you to those who have done this already - they are looking ADORABLE! We have about 6 to go! 

Have a great week everyone, 

Kristie, Linda, Jenny, Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 4 - Year 8's and Kristie are in WELLY ALL WEEK! 

~ YEAR 7 LEADERSHIP INTENSIVE WEEK to prepare for 2023! ~ 

* THURSDAY - Assembly in MPF 9:15am. 

* FRIDAY - Show Day Holiday

WEEK 5 - 

* TUESDAY - Fish and Chip Lunch (Order via KINDO) 

* FRIDAY - Tech - ALL DAY - Bus leaves at 9:15am SHARP!

DATES TO DIARY - Coming up FAST!

Thursday 8th December - Clarkville School Production (more information to come soon!)

Thursday 15th December - Community Assembly 9:10am (Certificates for roles carried out throughout the year)

Friday 16th December - Final Prize Giving and Year 8 Graduation (10:30am) 

WELCOME TO WEEK 3!

Welcome to Week 3! 

What a fabulous community day our School Athletics day was! Thank you to those who attended and supported the school with this, it was stunning weather and a lovely day had by all! 

This week we Matawara have been delving into our Serial Story "When you reach me" and continued our Fractions learning. Year 8's are on the 'Countdown to Camp' and have been rehearsing the movie they will produce at Capital E - we can't wait to see that! 

REMEMBER - 
If you are one of our Camp Parent Helpers who is coming to Wellington with us, there is a meeting in the Staffroom on WEDNESDAY at 4:15pm. It is essential you attend as there is plenty of health and safety that needs to be discussed. Please also BRING YOUR CELL PHONES so we can assist you with downloading 'Goose Chase' - which is the app you will use in Wellington for our Amazing Race! 

KAIAPOI BOROUGH TECH CENTER - 

Remember...  there is an open evening coming up, where you can go and chat to all of the Tech Teachers and learn more about the programme they offer. On display will be the Year 8 Expo designs that our Year 8's have been working on this year. 

                                                 

                                   

YEAR 8 PARENTS... DON'T FORGET...!

Please remember to email us a jpeg of a smaller version of your GORGEOUS Year 8 darling! Thank you to those who have done this already - they are looking ADORABLE! 

Also, Year 8 Parents, please read the HERO post that outlines important dates for your child, in this busy term! 

Have a great week everyone, 

Kristie, Linda, Jenny, Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 3 - 

* TUESDAY - Pegasus Zone Athletics Day (for those who are selected from our Athletics Day) 

* WEDNESDAY - Parent Meeting for those parents who are coming to Camp Wellington - 4:15pm in the Staffroom. 

* FRIDAY - Tech - ALL DAY - Bus leaves at 9:15am SHARP!

WEEK 4 - Year 8's and Kristie are in WELLY ALL WEEK! 

~ YEAR 7 LEADERSHIP LEARNING WEEK to prepare for 2023! ~ 

* THURSDAY - Assembly in MPF 9:15am. 

* FRIDAY - Show Day Holiday

WELCOME TO WEEK 2!

 

 Well that is Week 1 done and dusted! We have had a productive week with Science Investigations, Athletics practises, Maths, Literacy and other things!  Below are photos of our team working on their investigations looking into how the temperature of a hot drink is changed when a layer of marshmallow is added. This has real world connections to insulation in houses and thermos flasks, and children had to conduct the investigation, record and graph the results and interpret these using scientific language and concepts. You will see these investigations come through Hero soon. 

ATHLETICS DAY - 
This is on WEDNESDAY and the timetable for events is HERE - it will be great to see the community out and about on this day! 

Please note - ALL students must have a broad brimmed sunhat on during the day, and sunscreen is recommended also. Matawara students may come in sports gear to school, as the whole day is dedicated to Athletics. T-shirts (NOT tank tops), and comfortable running shoes/shorts are recommended. 

YEAR 8 PARENTS... DON'T FORGET...!

Please remember to email us a jpeg of a smaller version of your GORGEOUS Year 8 darling! Thank you to those who have done this already - they are looking ADORABLE! 

Also, Year 8 Parents, please read the HERO post that outlines important dates for your child, in this busy term! 

Have a great week everyone, 

Kristie, Linda, Jenny, Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 2 - 

* MONDAY - Labour Day Holiday

* WEDNESDAY - School Athletics (all day, refer to notice already sent out)

* THURSDAY - Assembly in MPF 9:15am. 

* FRIDAY - Year 8 Final Reflection of Project DUE - 9am. 

WEEK 3 - 

* TUESDAY - Pegasus Zone Athletics Day (for those who are selected from our Athletics Day) 

* WEDNESDAY - Parent Meeting for those parents who are coming to Camp Wellington - 4:15pm in the Staffroom. 

* FRIDAY - Tech - ALL DAY - Bus leaves at 9:15am SHARP!

WELCOME BACK TO WEEK 1!

Welcome BACK! Term 4 is up and running, and with it comes the much needed improvements in weather!

There are many things going on this term, and we will keep you up to date with all of it through this blog primarily, so please ensure you read it each week. There is a weekly breakdown of things happening in our team at the bottom of this blog post, so you can diary events etc. This will change as more events are added to our calendar. 

This week we will be getting back into learning, with practices for our annual Athletics Day, SRL time, Year 8 Camp preparations and more! 

SUN HATS - 

This term is a 'Sun hats' term, so please ensure these are at school ready to go each day.  It is a good time to check it is named also, as you will be amazed how many end up in lost property, because this has not been done! There will be some grace given for this, however after that students are restricted to sitting in the shade sail area if they are not wearing a sun hat. 

SCHOOL ATHLETICS - 

The school athletics is rapidly approaching in Week 2, and we will begin training for this in Week 1. Please ensure your child comes to school with the appropriate footwear. It would be a great idea to pop a spare deodorant in your child's school bag as the weather is starting to warm up too! 

YEAR 8 LEADERSHIP BADGES and MEDALS - 

Our Year 8 Leadership Projects are drawing to a close with the last portion of the project due on FRIDAY 28th October. ALL Year 8's are required to write this final reflection, irrespective of how they have done on the project.  

There are 2 possible Year 8 Awards that every Year 8 had open for them to attain, and both of these have been discussed at length in our Year 8 Leadership time, so your child SHOULD know exactly what each one means. 

* The Leadership Badge - is recognition of achievement in the Project, in addition to leadership qualities in and around our school, and in and around the community. 

* The Leadership Medal - is for excellence in the project (85% and above), and will be awarded at our final prize giving at the end of the year. There are certificates for those who have achieved various other levels of achievement in the project too - see below. 

Here on our WEBSITE you will find a break down of the LEADERSHIP BADGE and what children who reach the threshold need to do to be awarded this badge. 

It is important to note - 

* Both Linda and Kristie will NOT be writing references for each of the Year 8's. We are happy to do this if we were their mentor, and in exceptional circumstances. 

* ANY Year 8 who is requiring a reference from a Teacher at school, needs to act sooner rather than later and they must be able to describe to the teacher the EXACT situation where they showed excellent leadership skills, and why it fits the Leadership Challenge. If this can not be done, Teachers have discretion to say no. 

* The deadline for all evidence (as described on the website) is Friday 18th November - as the badges will be awarded at the Week 6 assembly. 

YEAR 8 PARENTS... DON'T FORGET...!

Please remember to email us a jpeg of a smaller version of your GORGEOUS Year 8 darling! Thank you to those who have done this already - they are looking ADORABLE! 

Also, Year 8 Parents, please read the HERO post that outlines important dates for your child, in this busy term! 

Have a great week everyone, 

Kristie, Linda, Jenny, Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 1 - ATHLETICS ROTATIONS ALL WEEK (Afternoons)

* THURSDAY - Huxster Bike Race

* THURSDAY - Informal Assembly to meet Kris Barrow - 9:15am in MPF. 

* FRIDAY - Tech - ALL DAY - Bus leaves at 9:15am SHARP!

WEEK 2 - 

* MONDAY - Labour Day Holiday

* WEDNESDAY - School Athletics (all day, refer to notice already sent out)

* THURSDAY - Assembly in MPF 9:15am. 

* FRIDAY - Year 8 Final Reflection of Project DUE - 9am. 

WELCOME TO WEEK 10!

WOW the last week of Term 3! What an amazing term we have had in Matawara with a heap of learning done through our Leadership Projects, our school Cultural Narrative interpretations and much more. 

Well done to our Kapa haka group who did an amazing job representing our school at the North Canterbury Festival on Thursday! They have practised hard, and all participants were 'Choosing to be MORE!' 

This week we have a LOT happening with Skiing, Top Team Games afternoon, and our Inquiry Celebration afternoon - we hope to see you at some stage!

KAIAPOI HIGH INTERVIEWS - 
Parents of students attending Kaiapoi High School in 2023, please remember the time you have booked to speak to the high school staff, on Friday. These meetings (with your child attending also) will take part in our school library. 

CALENDAR ART - 

We have been working on our Calendar Art for 2022 this term, and they are looking fabulous! Your child will post their art to Hero next week so you can see it, prior to purchasing. Please note - with the high level of absence over the last few weeks, there will be some children who will not complete their Art. 

YEAR 8 LEADERSHIP PROJECTS - 
The second to last stage of each Leadership Project is due at 9am MONDAY 26th September. These will be marked prior to the holidays, and students who achieve the benchmark scores can feel free to submit their Leadership evidence to be in the running for their Year 8 Leadership Badge. The criteria that we set at the beginning of the year is below.

These badges will be awarded in Term 4 at our Week 6 assembly, and students who are submitting evidence for this, can do so up until the end of WEEK 5. 

TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER - 

The Tech Centre's September newsletter is out! Find it HERE and catch up with what is new, what is coming up, and more at the Tech Centre. Note also, there is an Open Evening coming up, where you can go and chat to all of the Tech Teachers and learn more about the programme they offer. 

As the Term draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to both Jenny Collinson and Sue Caddie for the huge amount of work they have done over the term. They have both stepped up in Matawara and their HUGE amount of experience in teaching, has allowed for a completely seamless term, where the learning been enormous, and the expectations have remained the same. My time as a DP draws to a close now, and with Kris Barrow starting on the first day of next term, Linda will be back in our team on Monday 17th October also. 

We home you enjoy some time with your children over the holidays, and we will see you back here for the final term of 2022! Term 4 is always a mammoth time in Matawara, and we don't stop until the last minute of the last day!  

Have a great week!

Kristie, Jenny, Sue and Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 10 -  A REALLY busy week... 

* MONDAY - Public Holiday! 

* TUESDAY - SCHOOL SKI DAY! (School as usual for those not skiing)

* WEDNESDAY - Top Team Sports Afternoon (Run by Sport Canterbury) 

* THURSDAY - School photos! Come spick and span :)

* THURSDAY - Camp Wellington Pizza Fundraiser! (Lois Monteba and Mel Mehlhopt are doing this one - please be set up in the Library by 8:30am )

* THURSDAY - Whole School community celebration (afternoon). NOTE: there will be no assembly on this day, as the Inquiry celebration will be an opportunity for all of us to come together. 

* FRIDAY - Kaiapoi High School Conferences with parents and students in Library (you will have already booked your time for this)

* FRIDAY - Sausage Sizzle - Order through Kindo

* FRIDAY - END OF TERM 3!

**TERM 4**

WEEK 1 - ATHLETICS ROTATIONS ALL WEEK (Afternoons)

* THURSDAY - Huxster Bike Race

* FRIDAY - Tech - ALL DAY - Bus leaves at 9:15am SHARP!

WELCOME TO WEEK 9!

 

We are at the second to last week of a busy, almost 'normal' term! 

This week we have been flat out with our Inquiry learning, and you will see the result of some of this in HERO coming out! Our whole team have been learning about Poetry, and how to use metaphorical language and imagery to present ideas. One of the tasks was to take our Cultural Narrative and "bring it to life" through the poem. The poems we wrote as a class were absolutely AMAZING, and we were so proud of our Team!

We also had the STRIKE! performance group come to play! It was OUTSTANDING, as you can see from the pictures! 

PLEASE NOTE - our community Inquiry Sharing afternoon, has been shifted due to the Public Holiday on Monday 26th September. This will now be held onTHURSDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER in the afternoon at 1:30pm. 

MATAWARA RIVER TRIP - 

This is going ahead on MONDAY. We have enough parent helpers now, but please ensure you complete the PERMISSION slip BEFORE Monday, which is ESSENTIAL to your child coming on this trip. 

NOTE - all children are expected to be in SCHOOL UNIFORM - but dress warmly.

KAIAPOI HIGH SCHOOL ENTRANCE TESTING - 

Just a reminder that this will happen on WEDNESDAY in our MPF. Children who have enrolled to attend Kaiapoi High School, will be participating in this and it will begin at 9am sharp, as there are 2.5 hours of tests to be done. Please ensure your child is on time on this day, as lateness will likely result in needing to attend the catch up day at Kaiapoi High, in Week 10. 

REMINDER - If you have enrolled your child at KHS, but have since accepted a position in another school, please ensure you advise KHS out of courtesy to them, so they can keep all of their records up to date. 

YEAR 8 LEADERSHIP PROJECTS - 

The Year 8's will STILL hand in the next stage of their projects on MONDAY 26th SEPTEMBER at 9am. Because this is online, it will be able to be completed on this day, regardless of the public holiday. 

Have a great week!

Kristie, Jenny, Sue and Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 9 - 

* MONDAY - Matawara River Trip - 9:15am - 10:45am

* WEDNESDAY - Kaiapoi High School Entrance Testing - in our MPF at 9am

* THURSDAY - North Canterbury Kapahaka perfomance (Ohoka School in the morning) 

* FRIDAY - Tech - ALL DAY - Bus leaves at 9:15am SHARP!

WEEK 10 -  A REALLY busy week... 

* MONDAY - Public Holiday! 

* TUESDAY - SCHOOL SKI DAY! (School as usual for those not skiing)

* WEDNESDAY - Top Team Sports Afternoon (Run by Sport Canterbury) 

* THURSDAY - School photos! Come spick and span :)

* THURSDAY - Camp Wellington Pizza Fundraiser! (Russinda Hunkin and Mel Mehlhopt are doing this one - please be set up in the Library by 8:30am )

* THURSDAY - Whole School community celebration (afternoon). NOTE: there will be no assembly on this day, as the Inquiry celebration will be an opportunity for all of us to come together. 

* FRIDAY - Kaiapoi High School Conferences with parents and students in Library (you will have already booked your time for this)

* FRIDAY - Sausage Sizzle - Order through Kindo

* FRIDAY - END OF TERM 3!

WELCOME TO WEEK 8!

This week we have continued with our Sexuality lessons, with the Year 8's participating in the Mana Ake 'Transition to High School' sessions. This has been a fun time, with the Mana Ake Facilitator commenting each time on how lovely our Year 8's are - which is always LOVELY to hear! We have our final session with Bernice next Tuesday. 

Year 8's Mana Ake Session... 

We have been busy developing our personal responses to our school's Cultural Narrative. Our focus has shifted from Art, to Literacy in this, with poetry taking centre stage! 

Week 8 is DISCO week! On Friday (16 September), everyone can dress up in their glad rags and come dressed as their favourite character from a Fairytale and boogie the night away! Remember the disco runs from 6pm and we like all children picked up by 8pm. 

TE WIKI O TE REO -

Week 8 is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori  or Māori Language Week. We have games planned for Wednesday morning. Students will be in buddy groups and rotate around four activities that have been planned in each team space. You are welcome to come and watch, participate and hopefully pick up some new activities to play at home.

The games will run from 9:15 to 10:50 with morning tea will being from 10:50 to 11:10.

KAIAPOI HIGH SCHOOL ENTRANCE TESTING - 

Just a reminder that this will happen on WEDNESDAY 21st SEPTEMBER in our MPF. Children who have enrolled to attend Kaiapoi High School, will be participating in this and it will begin at 9am sharp, as there are 2.5 hours of tests to be done. Please ensure your child is on time on this day, as lateness will likely result in needing to attend the catch up day at Kaiapoi High, in Week 10. 

REMINDER - If you have enrolled your child at KHS, but have since accepted a position in another school, please ensure you advise KHS out of courtesy to them, so they can keep all of their records up to date. 

COMING UP - 

We have a busy 3 weeks coming up in Matawara! We are attempting to organise a trip to see the river that our Team space 'Wairaki' is named after, in relation to our Cultural Narrative. Should this trip be able to happen it will be on MONDAY 19th SEPTEMBER and it will be transport by bus. We will keep you posted about this as we will require some parents who are happy to join us on this trip. It will be a short visit and is likely going to be from 9am. 

The Year 8's will hand in the next stage of their projects on MONDAY 26th SEPTEMBER at 9am. 

We also have our Inquiry Celebration afternoon, Ski Trip and Sport Canterbury's Top Team competition, we hope to see you at one of these fantastic events! 

Have a great week!

Kristie, Jenny, Sue and Helen. 

WHATS COMING UP?

WEEK 8 - "Te wiki o te reo Māori - Māori Language Week"

* TUESDAY -  Cookie and Milo Day - $1.00 each - Lunchtime @ 12:30pm (BYO CUP)

* TUESDAY - Strike Performance Group presenting to the school

* TUESDAY - Mana Ake working with Year 8's (Transitioning to High School Workshops) 

* THURSDAY - Assembly in MPF 9:10am. 

* FRIDAY - School Disco "Fairytale Theme" 6-8pm. 

* FRIDAY - PTA Subway Lunch (Order through Kindo)

WEEK 9 - 

* WEDNESDAY - Kaiapoi High School Entrance Testing - in our MPF at 9am

* THURSDAY - North Canterbury Kapahaka perfomance (Ohoka School in the morning) 

* FRIDAY - Tech - ALL DAY - Bus leaves at 9:15am SHARP!