Kia ora e te whānau, and welcome back to Term 4! It has been wonderful seeing all the smiling faces settling into our school term - both those who were returning but also some new faces into our classes.
On Monday morning this week, we had our official welcome for the students and their families who joined us late last term or at the start of this term in our mihi whakatau.
Important Upcoming Dates
- Thursday 23rd October - Strike Day (see below for more information)
- Monday 27th October - Labour Day public holiday
- Tuesday 4th November - School Photo Day
- Thursday 20th November 10am - Parent Helper Morning Tea
- Tuesday 2nd December 5pm-7pm - Christmas Picnic and Prizegiving
- Thursday 4th December - Year 6 Celebration Day
- Friday 12th December - End of Year Reports Published
- Tuesday 16th December 12pm - Final Assembly
- Tuesday 16th December 12.40pm - School Ends for the year
School Closed: Thursday 23rd October - NZEI Strike Day
The NZEI (Teacher's Union) has informed us about the impact of its national, full day strike on Thursday 23rd October. The union has advised our Board that its member teachers at our school will be taking full strike action on this day.
Not all our staff are union members, but the Board carefully and robustly considered the options for this day at their meeting on Monday night. The school will officially be closed for instruction on Thursday 23rd October. Accordingly it's important that you make alternative arrangements for the care of your child/children on that day.
The Board fully supports the teachers' union aims of increasing learning support availability in schools and acknowledges that like many other industries, teachers wages are not keeping pace with increased living costs. They also recognise however, that families may not be able to take time out from their work to care for children on the day. If you are unable to make alternative arrangements for care on Thursday 23rd October, please contact the Principal, Steve Mouldey (stevem@nukumea.school.nz) via email so he can arrange for non-union staff members to supervise your children at school that day.
Kickstart Breakfast
KickStart Breakfast is a free programme where we receive Sanitarium Weet-Bix and Anchor milk for our students to have access to at school. This has just started this week and many students have already enjoyed the chance for some kai, a chat and to connect with peers in the morning.
The programme is a community partnership involving Fonterra, Sanitarium, and the Ministry of Social Development, which has been running in Aotearoa since 2009 and currently includes nearly 1,500 participating schools. Our Breakfast Club runs Monday - Friday from 8:30 - 8:50 in the hall. Please indicate on this form if your child may like to participate so we can ensure we have enough supplies for everyone.
A special thanks to Sarah Dodge, Sanaz Motemasek, Mia and Summer for coordinating the breakfasts this week. There are more chances for parent and student support as the programme continues, if you are interested in helping out please contact Sarah Burnett.
We hope you all have a great week and enjoy the sunshine that is coming!