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Welcome to our latest update of information and stories you may be interested in...
In this edition we celebrate the success of three of our recently graduated colleagues, the Census can still be completed and there are some new forms you need to be aware of. Enjoy!
Jane
Giveaway Day
Just a quick reminder that if you have household items, furniture, linen etc that you wish to donate to our giveaway day these can be dropped off to the Association office, tomorrow, Friday 9th March. Your generosity is much appreciated.
Finance Update
All of the finance forms that you use in your kindergartens have been updated. The new forms can be found on the website, you can check them out by clicking here.
If you have any old forms printed in your kindergarten can you please throw them away and start using these new forms.
If you have any queries contact Christine at christine.scott@wmkindergartens.org.nz
Gosh Access 
Recently some teams have been experiencing difficulties access GOSH. This is due to the link expiring for some kindergartens.
If you cannot access GOSH please reset your shortcut using the following link:
http://www.gosh.net.nz/nzkindergartens/hwm/9633.htm
If you still cannot access GOSH or are unsure how to reset the shortcut please contact Lorraine.Coulston@wmkindergartens.org.nz
Census Support
Levin’s Fanau Pasifika Kindergarten held a special morning tea to encourage families to take part in Census 2018, providing laptops and guidance to help people fill in census forms online.
 
Here’s head teacher Michelle Penn with grandparent Diane Hunt, and head teacher Denise De Vorms with parents Philip and Esther Epplett.
Kindergartens can keep supporting parents to fill in census forms for the next two weeks.
PLD Announcement
Please note a new addition to the PLD Calendar for April – limited places are available so please ensure you save your place by enrolling into HR.Net. There will be more opportunities to attend this PLD in Term 2 and 3 – watch out for new dates and venues in Tem 2 and 3’s PLD calendars!
Resilience Strategies for Children Demonstrating Age Inappropriate Sexualised behaviours.
Venue: Kiwi Conference Room, North City Shopping Plaza, Porirua on Tuesday 10th April 3.30pm to 5pm
Due to several relatively new factors more children are presenting with inappropriate sexualised behaviour not consistent with their age.
This is one of the most challenging situations for early Childhood and other professionals to address.
As Early Childhood Learning Environments are a primary space for children to play out the issues that they face Early Childhood Professionals are the ones who are most likely to be in the position where they are required to intervene effectively and with skill around this challenging issue.
This short workshop will increase your learning around:
- It will help you to understand the range of events the child may have experienced that leads them to displaying these behaviours.
- Levels of severity of prior incidences.
- Creative strategic responses to ensure your safety and the healthy ongoing development of the child
- How to manage the wider components, Child, Family, Team, Organisation and Community.
New Graduates
“To be honest I was speechless” says Maryanne Lapana about her graduation with a teaching degree last week. Maryanne is teaching at Toru Fetu after three years of working fulltime and studying fulltime with Te Rito Maioha.
“Getting here is a big achievement - it was worth the journey, I am where I wanted to be.” Maryanne says she would encourage anyone to study. “Three years sounds like a long time but it was really rewarding.”
Maryanne was one of three Whānau Manaaki teachers to graduate at last week’s ceremony.
Emma Stove who also graduated says she feels really well prepared for her teaching role at Ngaio Kindergarten. Emma says working at Paparārangi Kindergarten while she studied, and as a reliever gave her a really supportive environment as a student. She says graduating is fantastic, and she says teaching is what she knows she is meant to be doing.
Sam Bielak-White who is teaching at Matariki Kindergarten says she feels proud to have graduated. “It’s amazing.” Sam has worked at Matariki while studying, and says she has felt welcome as soon as she arrived at Matariki as a student volunteer. “I love it here – I loved it from the second I walked in, I have felt part of the team.”
Sharon Coulton, the team leader of Whānau Manaaki’s Senior Teachers spoke at the graduation ceremony. Her speech included this poem, adapted from the original:
Heart of A Teacher: by Paula J. Fox
A child arrives like a mystery box…
With puzzle pieces inside
Some of the pieces are broken or missing…
And others just seem to hide.
But the HEART of a teacher can sort those pieces out…
And help the child to see
The potential for greatness they have within…
A picture of what they can be.
A teacher’s goal isn’t just to teach knowledge…
By filling the box with more parts
It’s putting the pieces together…
To create a beautiful work of art.
Teachers create learning spaces…
Where each child can feel safe and sound
Where they never feel threatened or afraid to try…
And kindness is always around.
Teachers know that each child can achieve
Much more when they feel secure inside
When they are valued and loved…and believe in themselves …
And have a sense of pride.
Teachers model and teach good character…
And respect for one another
How to focus on strengths…not weaknesses
And how to encourage each other.
Teachers provide each child with the freedom they need…
To make choices on their own
So they learn to become more independent…
Gaining confidence to stand alone.
Children discover the joy that comes…
From learning something new…
And their vision grows as they begin
To see all the things they can do!
A picture is formed as more pieces fit…
An image of the child within
With greater strength and confidence…
And a belief that they can win!
All because a champion was there…
In the HEART of a teacher who cared
Enabling the child to become much more…
Than they ever imagined…or dared.
A teacher with a HEART for their children…
Knows what teaching is all about
They may not have all the answers…
But on this…they have no doubt.
When asked which areas they love to teach,
They answered this way and smiled…
“It’s not the areas that matter…
It’s all about teaching the CHILD.”
Mothers, Disability, Advocacy and Activism
An interesting article in the New Zealand journal, Counterfutures, looks at the role of mothers as advocates for disabled children.
It is written by seven mothers with varying experiences, to tell stories of success and to provide recommendations to professionals, including teachers. The mothers are Ally Attwell, Awhina Hollis-English, Anna Dickson, Anita Gibbs, Gretchen Good, Janice Gordon and Joanna Taylor.
In the article the mothers acknowledge their love for their children, their acceptance , their healthy and respectful parent child relationships, and their “struggle to change systems, policies and structures so that our children and families can lead quality lives”.
The paper says work to advocate on behalf of children is “time-consuming, difficult, requires tremendous skill, time and patience” and is likely to be unacknowledged.
It asks teachers to recognise and support the advocacy and activism skills among parents.
“We want you to help create space for our voices. Mums can make an impact and change systems in a way that benefits many and there are many barriers that need to be conquered with your help.”
Here’s a link to the full article.
It's Goodbye from the Middle East!
Tena koutou katoa, nga mihi nui kia koutou,
Warm greetings from the Middle East.
Well my life in Abu Dhabi has been a roller coaster of learning, lots of fun and a few moments of really missing whanau and friends back in NZ.
Things are so different here, our school has camels and falcons who visit reasonably regularly for special occasions. I was driving the other day and two camels went flying past on the back of a ute, in summer the sea water is too hot to swim in, about 35 degrees – (true) – they cool down swimming pools and the education system is based on the external curriculum of several other countries.
There are schools like ours that are American based; then there are also French, British, Indian and German schools that sit alongside local Emirate schools. All children, regardless of which school they attend, learn Arabic while the rest of the curriculum will be delivered in the language of the country followed.
The school I work at has 86% Emirate students and I am in awe of their ability to learn so capably in another language – lessons for us all! What I have also learnt is that our children back home in NZ have a much freer education, especially our younger children. For kindergarten children in this school, we have a play-based model, but it sits (sometimes uncomfortably) alongside the need for summative data of a kindergarten through year 12 system.
Life in general is comfortable and exciting. I have been to the Formula 1 – probably won’t go again except for the concerts in the evening, (watching very loud cars go around and round is a bit meh). I have been able to travel easily and often. I have met people from all over the world having a new experience like myself…these were the things I was looking for when I made this career decision. If an opportunity comes up for you and you are in a position to do something like this, I say go for it! It will challenge you and your beliefs, but it will also rejuvenate you as well.
As I have just handed in my official resignation to WMK, I want to thank everyone I have worked with over the 11+ years I was part of the organisation, for their kindness, their sense of team and for being the best teachers with, I think, the best curriculum in the world.
To the staff at the office, I miss you all every day and can not tell you how much I miss the laughs (especially in meetings), the compassion and the sometimes madness of being a part of that team. You will forever be my exemplar of a great work environment and I try to inject a little bit of that here...my sense of humour is still a bit naughty and it’s ok!
Best wishes to you all,
Helen
A Note of Gratitude! 
In my eulogy I said, “Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest, it’s about who walked into your life said, “I’m here for you” and proved it”. You showed this and more.
Fa’afetai tele lava.
To the management, my colleagues, whānau/aiga and the community of Una Williams Kindergarten and Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you all for the great support, love and kindness towards me and my family in our time of mourning over the loss of my beloved husband Jeremy Pascoe.
Your gifts and words of comfort will be dearly cherished. We were so blessed and touched in the way you helped with the sadness that my family and I are going through. My prayer is that God’s great mercy with all the abundance of his love flow from his throne to bless your hearts of giving because Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. Our hearts are filled with your love giving with so much generosity. It will never be forgotten and gives me comfort each day as I struggle to move forward without my husband. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.
“Ua fa’afetai, ua fa’afetai.
Ua malie mata e va’ai.
Ua tasi lava oe. Ua tasi lava oe i lo’u nei fa’amoemoe”.
With gratefulness, with gratefulness.
Our eyes are joyful in what we see
It is you alone. It is you alone, my highest hope”.
With all my love,
Melnissa Pascoe and Family
Appointments and Resignations
Congratulations to the following on their recent appointments:
Phoebe Fang, .65 Teacher, Karori
Fiona McQuatt, Head Teacher, Matairangi
We wish all the best to the following who have resigned:
Helen Smithies, Senior Teacher, WMK
Ann Bonouvrier, Teacher, Adventure
Monica Power, .5 Teacher, Wellington South
Hot Tip 
This week’s Top Tip! – try it out it really does work!
For Sale
The following items have been offered for sale by the respective kindergartens. Please make contact with the kindergartens directly.
Plimmerton Kindergarten has this drying rack for sale, $80 and must be able to pick up. Please note there is one broken wheel but does not affect the usability.
Matairangi have two new tables, still in the packaging, for sale. The actual size is 60 x 120. They cost $235.95 ex GST.
Matairangi are going to put them on trademe but thought they would offer them to the kindergartens first. They are wanting $150 each, but could do a part money and part exchange for resources.
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