Kia ora koutou, it has been another action packed fortnight here at Nukumea. The pace always picks up as the end of year approaches, so please take note of all the upcoming important dates in this newsletter.
I told our students recently how impressed I was with their focus and effort in class and they looked at me like I was joking. They were having so much fun learning that they didn't realise how quiet and focused they had all been! Here's the proof of how awesome they have all been in class over the last week:
2024 End of Year Reports
Our report page will be available for viewing from 3pm on Friday 13th December, with a curriculum highlight, updated progress chart and general comment added. You can access this information by clicking in to the 'Nukumea Report 2024' page. If you want to know more about the terminology used in the progress charts, click 'About This Page' and it will bring up our Hero parent presentation. We will not be printing reports however you are able to print your own copy if you wish by clicking the print icon at the top of the page. Access to learning content on Hero will be turned off from Monday 2nd December to allow teachers to populate the report page.
A reminder that students who have NOT had 10 weeks at school (this affects our new entrant students and any student who joined us in Term 4) will not be receiving an achievement report. This is because they haven't been at school long enough to meet the achievement benchmarks. All new entrant students who have not completed 10 weeks at school will have a meeting with Caroline Smeed, where she will comment on our transition to school goals. Whānau teachers of other students who joined us in Term 4 will be in touch to update you around how your child has settled at Nukumea.
Sustainability Challenge
Congratulations to our two teams of Year 5 and 6 students who competed at the Sustainability Challenge at Wenderholm last Friday. If the distance running, navigating with maps and mental challenges weren't hard enough, the weather then added a whole extra dimension with constant rain. The teams kept their spirits up, completed a large number of challenges, and did it all with smiles on their faces!
A very big thank you to Ansua Coetser and Kayleigh Williamson for running in the rain with teams and trying to keep the phone app working in such wet conditions!
Important Upcoming Dates
2025 Start of Year Dates
- Wednesday 29th January - Office opens
- Friday 31st January - Open Day (more information will come out about this, but is essentially a day for families to meet with your teacher about the upcoming year)
- Monday 3rd February - First full school day
- Thursday 6th February - Waitangi Day public holiday
2025 Classroom Structure
As our school grows, we are always looking for ways to ensure we are meeting the needs of all our students. Our small numbers in the beginning meant we needed to have several year levels together in one class. Next year, we are able to move to a structure where we will only have two year levels in a class. This allows the teachers to further target learning by having a narrower year level group to focus on. We anticipate that this structure will continue through 2025, but if we experience significant roll growth then further changes may be necessary. The class structure for 2025 will be;
- Inanga (year 0-1) Mrs Caroline Smeed
- Kōkopu (year 2-3) Mrs Kate Thompson and Miss Samantha Mottram
Our year 0 - 3 students will be based downstairs in the same spaces as 2024
- Korimako (year 4-5) Mrs Clare Fielding
- Kererū (year 5-6) Miss Lisa Everett
Our year 4 - 6 students will be based upstairs, with Korimako moving to the far end of Kauri block.
You should all have received a Hero post with the above explanation and also informing you of which class your child is in next year.
Best Start Visit
On Monday morning, the Turangawaewae leaders - Judah, Zyk, Jane, Lachie and Lili - visited Best Start, which is our local ECE. They spoke to the children in Kauri room about what school is like. They talked about the classrooms, playground, library and how welcoming the teachers and students are at Nukumea. They then played with the children inside and outside, which they thoroughly enjoyed. We can't wait to go back, and hopefully soon the children from Best Start will come down to visit us!
Have a great week everyone and enjoy the sunshine!