Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero. You will notice a change to the Kōrero this week. We have been listening to your feedback and will now put information in the main body of the Kōrero that is relevant to all staff and kindergartens. In the left hand panel you will see information that is relevant just to your area. This is where we will put facebook items, events, items for sale or give away, appointments and resignations and anything else you want to promote in your area. If you have any information specific to your kindergarten area please email it through to korero@wmkindergartens.org.nz. He hono tangata kore a motu, kāpā he taura, waka a motu Connections between people cannot be severed, whereas those of a canoe rope can. Jane 
Professional Growth Cycle We are in the process of establishing a focus group to develop our Professional Growth Cycle (PGC). The PGC replaces our appraisal system removing teacher performance appraisal as an accountability instrument and offers us an opportunity to think about how to support quality teaching in a way that centrally positions high trust in the profession. The Teaching Council were keen to remove unproductive compliance activities, reduce workload for teachers and enable a focus on professional growth, whilst still meeting the legal obligation that every teacher meets the Standards l Nga Pāerewa. Ultimately, this is a more holistic approach, focusing on how teachers use and meet the Code Ngā Tikanga Matatika & Standards l Ngā Paerewa in their everyday practice, as well as supporting professional learning and collaboration.
Te Manawa Update The Senior Teacher team will take part in their second two day hui this Monday and Tuesday. The kōrero will focus on the key themes that were identified at our Strategic Internal Evaluation of Te Manawa including learning outcomes and planning for a community of learners.
Leave Balances on Payslips/iPayroll Kiosk We will be turning on the function that will show your leave balances on your payslip and on your iPayroll Kiosk. Some important things to be aware of: - Part-year Kindergartens and Annualised Support Staff – you are not able to take your Annual Leave or PD Leave at any other time during the year, other than term breaks. You don’t need to worry about your balances for these;
- Sick Leave – this is an annual entitlement, given as days, so your balance is the number of days you have available until your next sick leave anniversary;
- Annual Leave (for full-year staff) – You ‘earn’ leave as you work, so your balance is as at the current pay period (or up until the next payday);
- PD Leave (for full-year staff) – This is an annual entitlement, shown as hours, so the balance is the number of hours you have available until your PD Leave anniversary. This type of leave can’t be carried over from year to year, so any un-used leave will disappear on your anniversary date, but you will then receive a new annual entitlement.
- Anniversary dates for each type of leave can differ from each other, depending on a variety of things.
If you have any questions about your leave you can contact the payroll team at payroll@wmkindergartens.org.nz or give us a call.
Election Banners By now you will have removed your election banners from your kindergarten fences. Can you please return these banners to the Porirua office 😃 You can give these to your Senior Teacher to return when they next visit if that suits better. We will store these until the next election and then re-distribute. Thanks! 
Keeping Rolls Full At Our Kindergartens We have been talking with some of you about keeping your kindergarten rolls full. We have heard lots of ideas about promoting your kindergarten to your communities. Below are some ideas/tips to help with this: - Some parents may be unaware that our kindergartens are closed for a shorter period than schools are during the Christmas break. This may mean they are reluctant to start their child so close to the end of the year. It is a good idea to make sure your community is aware of your opening hours and weeks.
- For kindergartens trying to attract new families, remember word of mouth is the best advertisement. Use your existing families and encourage them to tell their friends about our services. Remind them that, unlike many other services, we take children from two (even younger in some services) and offer 20 hours free to everyone, not just three and four-year-olds.
- Remember to use your Facebook page to tell your community that you have vacancies.
- Remember to use your local school newsletter, and to make sure you have pamphlets at the office at your nearby schools.
If you need support in filling your rolls, contact Chanelle at the Whānau Manaaki office.
Cabinet Ministers Announced Earlier this week, Chris Hipkins was reappointed to cabinet as Minister of Education, and Whānau Manaaki took the opportunity to congratulate him through our collective organisation, Kindergartens Aotearoa. It is good for the early childhood sector in New Zealand to have a minister with a good understanding of our sector, and for us to have continuity as we work to implement the strategic plan for early learning, He Taonga te tamaiti. Kelvin Davis has been appointed to Associate Minister of Education (Māori Education) and Aupito William Sio has been appointed Association Minister of Education (Pacfic peoples). Jan Tinetti has also been appointed as an Associate Minister of Education. Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens will be contacting relevant ministers and seeking meetings where possible to discuss how we can work together in education and in other areas relating to child and family well-being. Previous Kōrero Editions If you are wanting to access previous editions of the Kōrero you can find them at www.wmkindergartens.org.nz/archive or you can click here. It is a good idea to save this link as an icon on your desktop.
Thank you for taking the time to read Kōrero. Don't forget to check out some of the stories listed down the side menu. Just click between the stories of use the Kōrero bar to come back to this page. | 
