Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero. Today we are recognising a number of staff who are retiring, and collectively have 127 years teaching service. What an achievement and we celebrate your amazing careers! Aroha mai, aroha atu Love towards us, love going out from us. Jane  Tūhonohono  Please remember to book all your PLD through Tūhonohono. If you run into any problems booking courses please contact Kaz. Remember, you do not need to log in to Tūhonohono with a user name or password, you only need to click on the Log in With Whanau Manaaki Details button, see highlight below. Remember there is a video and set of instructions showing you how to access Tūhonohono in the Teachers Toolbox, in Storypark. If you are having problems accessing Tūhonohono, after viewing the video, please contact Jan. 
Relieving Coordinators As you will know Nicki Cook has finished with us now. Vicky Leahy has done a great job filling in this week. From next week Dhanaye Maule will be the Coordinator for both those areas - from Shannon to Seatoun and up to Masterton. With StaffSync being implemented and the changes that this will bring, we are going to trial this with Dhanaye. We will keep in touch with her and you and make sure it's working. Dhanaye's number is 027 735 4383. She will have Nicki's phone for a while during the transition but it would be great if you can try to use Dhanaye's number. As we said at the StaffSync training, we will still have Relieving Coordinators. While kindergartens are able to organise your own relievers through StaffSync, you are still able and welcome to ask the Coordinators to organise it for you. Remember to tell them who you are, what hours you need and, if you can, who they are relieving for. It's important you have enough information through all this so if you have any questions at all please email Karen Skett or phone her on 021 857826.
Te Reo Māori Online PLD Opportunity For Kaiako - He Pātaka Reo For Those Who Have Expressed An Interest Kaz has updated this PLD into Tūhonohono and has enrolled all staff who have expressed an interest in completing this online learning. You may have received an email confirming you have been enrolled, you may also notice the date of the course is showing as 31/12/2021. Please note this is just an arbitrary date that was chosen to fill a compulsory field :-) If you check your dashboard in Tūhonohono you will see that you are enrolled on the course. Next week you will receive an email with details from the provider. For those staff that expressed an interest on 26 March or later, your information will be sent to the provider on the 6 April, uploaded into Tūhonohono to be seen on your dashboard and you will receive an email from the provider approximately 2 weeks after that. If you do NOT see this on your dashboard, and you sent an expression of interest prior to the 26th March then please contact Kaz. If you still want to be part of this course, then please use the Forms link here to register - do NOT try to enrol directly in Tūhonohono because your name will not be passed on to the course provider.
Te Reo Māori Online PLD Opportunity For Kaiako - He Pātaka Reo As we have previously mentioned we are pleased to announce that we have been given the wonderful opportunity to work in partnership with Te Rito Maioha, Early Childhood New Zealand to be able to offer an online Te Reo Māori course (He Pātaka Reo) for kaiako in 2021. He Pātaka Reo | Te Reo Pantry is an online professional learning and development course made up of three stages consisting of 6 akoranga in each. Each stage covers topics you can use both in your kindergarten and in daily conversations. They are designed to encourage and support you to build confidence in speaking te reo Māori, and will be a perfect PLD opportunity to support your progress in the Te Tiriti o Waitangi Partnership Standard for the Teaching Profession elaboration ‘’practise and develop the use of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori’’. Stage 1 starts with the basics including the Māori alphabet and correct pronunciation, how to greet someone and introduce yourself in a traditional way, and how to praise someone in te reo Māori. Stage 2 introduces more activity-based language to use with outdoor play, physical activity, shapes, painting and more. Stage 3 continues to grow kaiako use of te reo Māori with puzzles, reading, locating objects, and different words and phrases used in outdoor activities, animals and buildings. Each akoranga will take approximately 45 minutes. Kaiako can access and review any time throughout the year. We still have a number of spaces available - but these are limited so please get in quick! If you are interested in this online learning please complete this form here. And if you have any questions just contact Karen Craig. Once your interest has been accepted, you will be enrolled into the online course and will then receive an email to your WM account with your individual sign in information and information on how to access He Pātaka Reo. Exciting times! Ko taku reo taku ohooho, ko taku reo taku mapihi mauria My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul Sharon, Kaz and the Senior Teacher Team Minimising Choking Risks The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health have produced a pamphlet you can download to give your families about minimising the risk of choking. Here’s a link to the pamphlet.
Wanganui East Kindergarten Farewells Anne Minifie The team at Wanganui East Kindergarten is saying goodbye to their Head Teacher who has been part of the kindergarten community for more than 46 years. A shared lunch was held yesterday for past and present families to celebrate Anne’s retirement. Anne started her teaching career at Whanganui’s Harriette Vine Kindergarten in 1975, before moving to Hinemoa Kindergarten in Taupō. In 1986 she moved to Wanganui East Kindergarten where she has been head teacher since 1987. Here’s a tribute from her colleagues at Wanganui East: “The kindergarten has blossomed and become a wonderful space for children’s learning under her guidance. Anne is a dedicated, caring enthusiastic and passionate teacher and advocate for children, their families and our community. Throughout her time Anne has taught two and sometimes, three generations of families. When kindergarten children return as parents or grandparents, that is a wonderful way to show what a fantastic teacher she is. During her career Anne has worked alongside many colleagues and nurtured and mentored new teachers. Her knowledge, understanding and expertise will be missed. Anne is thankful for all the wonderful relationships she has had with children and families and the many wonderful experiences she has had during her career. Anne is looking forward to enjoying time with her family, especially her grandies, relaxing, doing more gardening, and catching up with friends.” 
York Street Kindergarten Identity Steps Down Pat Jepsen originally wanted to be a motor mechanic, but when she inquired in the 1970s she found females were not welcome. Instead, she became a kindergarten teacher, and stayed teaching for 45 years. Although she’s retiring from Masterton’s York Street Kindergarten, Pat’s teaching career is not over, she’ll carry on as a relieving teacher around the Wairarapa. After training at the kindergarten college in Kelburn, Pat started her career at Feilding Centennial Kindergarten. Most of her career, though, has been in the Wairarapa, where she has taught at South End, Greytown, Masterton West and Una Williams kindergartens, as well as a stint as an itinerant teacher before many years at York Street. Pat says she’ll miss the camaraderie of the teaching team, the laughter and teasing, and the support from her kindergarten and the wider association. She says it’s that support that makes her want to come to work each day – the feeling that everyone is in this together. When she began teaching the model was very much teacher in charge - cutting out shapes for children to stick things on, whereas now children lead their own learning, decide their own activities and share their views. Another big change has been the age of children – and Pat says better ratios are needed to cater for the needs of two year olds. Once she’s no longer working full time Pat wants to write a book about her experiences in kindergarten. 
Highlights in Sybille’s Long Service Sybille is looking forward to visiting family in Perth, London and Germany after retiring from Aramoho Kindergarten in a career that has spanned 36 years. She says after working all her life, it will take a while to slow down and relax. Sybille trained in Germany with a Bachelor’s degree, but it took a while for the Department of Education here to accept it, so she spent time relieving in Naenae for the Lower Hutt Association, before gaining a permanent job at Pencarrow Kindergarten in Wainuiomata. Sybille is proud of the improvements to the physical environment at Aramoho Kindergarten. Grants and fundraising for the kindergarten made it possible to for improvements which included a verandah, taking bars off windows and making the kindergarten more pleasant. Sybille has seen lots of changes in her time, and she encourages teachers to embrace change even though it can be daunting. Improvements to ratios was another significant improvement for children and teachers alike. Sybille says joining Whānau Manaaki has been good for the Whanganui Kindergartens. Having the support of the Senor Teaching Team, and the improvements to ratios are two of the greatest improvements she has seen over her career. Sybille will remain a strong advocate for children, while looking forward to travelling, renovating, and continuing an Air BnB business. 
Nikki Cook's Farewell Last week we said farewell to Nikki, Reliever Coordinator, at a function at The Supply Room. It was a great event attended by many of her colleagues.  
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