Nau mai ki te pānui tênei ko te Kōrero. 
COVID-19 Update This week a separate email update will be sent to Kindergarten teams. This will include points relating to leave as well as other things you need to know. RATs We are working hard to apply pressure with the Ministry of Education on this issue - it is something we know is needed to support our entire workforce and we hope will change quickly. We will continue to apply for RATs through the exemption scheme for teachers and support staff whenever we can and if we can secure a regular, sustainable supply of RATs we will make them available to our kindergarten-based staff. Positive Case Numbers Report 
ST Update Kia ora koutou katoa, Senior Head Teacher meetings. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, we have decided to move our SHT meetings for 2022 into terms two and four. As soon as we confirm the new dates, we will be in touch with all our Senior Head Teachers to let you know. Induction and Mentoring Update Unfortunately, we have made the difficult decision to postpone our Induction and Mentoring Hui that we had planned for this Saturday, as a significant number of our Kaiako have been impacted by COVID-19 and are currently isolating. We will advise you of the new date as the situation becomes clearer. We are aware that for a number of you this would have been your first Hui, and you may have been keen to take part in the introduction to our Induction and Mentoring programme session. There is a recorded version of this on the Teachers Toolbox and we do plan to run this online for those that are interested before the end of this term. In the meantime, if you have any questions about getting started with your I & M programme, please talk with your senior teacher, check out the information on Teachers Toolbox via the link above (this plan includes our Kits for Tōmua/Pūmau and mentors) or contact Lynette Wray by email TEAMs chat or phone 😊 Leaderful Practice PLD For Kaiako interested in PLD around being leaderful, we will be holding our leaderful practice workshops again in 2022. We will still be offering morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session (9.30 - 12) will still align with the 2019 cohort mahi, and the afternoon session (1 - 3.30) with the 2021 cohort mahi. However, the difference this year is that we will not be starting a new leaderful practice group, so anyone can attend any session or even both if you wish. If you have been previously attending, you can change groups if that suits you better or attend both groups if you want to revisit previous capabilities. We will be delivering this PLD via TEAMS and with the option of physically attending one of our four cluster groups in Porirua, Kapiti Coast, Wairarapa or Wanganui. Given the current situation with Covid, there will also be the option to attend the workshop from your own home if you would prefer. When enrolling in this PLD you will need to identify which session (or sessions) you wish to attend (morning/afternoon) and which cluster/ location you wish to be part of. Even if you plan to zoom in from your home, please identify a cluster location to be part of. The first of these workshops will be on the 21st of April 2022 as follows: 9.30am to 12.00 noon - exploring the capability: Embodying the organisation’s values and showing moral purpose, optimism, agency, and resilience. 1pm – 3.30pm -exploring the capability: Ensuring culturally responsive practice and understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural heritage, using Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the foundation. Embracing this capability requires understanding Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and our own Lou Fruean will be supporting you in this mahi. PLEASE NOTE: This PLD is NOT specifically focused on being a positional leader (e.g., Head Teacher). You can attend this PLD if you are interested in leaderful practice, regardless of whether you aspire to be a positional leader or not. We will post more information about this closer to the time but if you have questions about these workshops or how to enrol please feel free to email Fiona Twaddle
Relievers Relievers Network Meetings - Cancelled Sadly, with the number of COVID-19 cases rising we have decided to cancel our reliever network meetings on the 16th of March. However, Senior Teachers are still available for any relievers who would like to talk with us about your 2022 professional growth cycle. You are very welcome to contact one of the STs in your regional cluster (listed below) or a senior you know well, to talk about your professional learning for this year. It was lovely to see so many of you that joined our online meeting last week, if you have any questions around relieving please do not hesitate to contact us Whanganui Rawyn Mckenna Katie Fry Central Plateau Tania Jack Kapitia and Horewhenua Lynette Wray Ottalie Holme Porirua Andy Cairns Jane Horrax Upper Hutt Leanne Nelson Lyn Wright Wairarapa Catha Ritchie City North Fiona Twaddle Simone Leaupepe City South Glenda Rowe Michelle Somerville Finding a Reliever As we said in the last Kōrero, we understand that it can be particularly challenging to find a reliever at the moment. The People Team is working hard to get as many relievers processed and available to work in our kindergartens as soon as possible. In the two weeks we have employed another: - 5 new registered relievers
- 4 new untrained relievers
- 7 new support staff in various roles (who may also be able to be relievers)
We are continuing to process applications, please make sure if you are sending in all the correct documents so we can deal to these as quickly as possible. What we need you to do: - Only get a reliever if you think attendance will be high and you need one to maintain ratios. We know that attendance has been lower, particularly in communities where there are confirmed cases of COVID and this may mean you don’t necessarily need to replace the teacher who is away.
- If you book a reliever but on the day you find numbers are low, please contact the Relieving Coordinator or your Senior Teacher. We may need to move the reliever (or another teacher) to another kindergarten. Thank you, in advance, for your support in this way.
- If you need a reliever (because of numbers) but we haven’t been able to find you one, contact your Senior Teacher, or the Office, immediately. We will contact other kindergartens and try to move a teacher or a reliever to you.
- Identify a group of kindergarten parents who can be emergency relievers for you. We will always try to get a qualified reliever first but if we can’t get one then you can ask one of these parents to step in. They do need to be police vetted e.t.c before we can use them so ask them to complete the Untrained Relievers Pack (see below) and send it in – we will process it as quickly as we can. We suggest you start with the volunteers you already have attested under the Mandatory Vaccination Order, as they will also need to meet that requirement.
We need to support our precious Relievers during this time – keep them connected, informed and feeling supported. Please talk to any relievers you have in your kindergartens – check that they are reading the Korero and other information we send out.
Untrained Relievers Pack Please find below the links to paperwork for an untrained reliever. The Police Vet and Proof of ID are two separate documents. The Proof of ID requires the Head Teacher to sight the two forms of ID and fill in the form with the details. The Police Vet requires two forms of ID to be photocopied and on each copy the words: “I have sighted the original version of this document and confirm they appear to be the same person” – Head Teacher to sign, and date. Please be aware that if you are copying the drivers licence, the new licences have the issue and expiry date on the back and we require a copy of that too. Please also provide us with a COVID-19 vaccination record showing dose one and two and booster and CV. Application Untrained Relievers Nov21 IR330 Police Vet and Identity Verification Check List Proof of Identity PVS Vetting Request and Consent Form
Pacific Language Week Dates The government has announced the dates for Pacific Language Weeks this year. Teaching teams may want to diary the different weeks to prepare for celebrating. The theme for the weeks is ‘sustainability’. This year also marks the beginning of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. “Our languages are a key cornerstone for our health and wellbeing as Pacific people” says Pacific Peoples and Associate Education Minister Aupito William Sio. “We know when you lose your language, your culture soon follows, and when there is no longer culture, there is a void. Let’s prevent that void by fostering Pacific indigenous languages in our daily lives.” Pacific Language Week Dates 2022: - Rotuman Language Week: Sunday 8 May – Saturday 14 May 2022
- Samoa Language Week: Sunday 29 May – Saturday 04 June 2022
- Kiribati Language Week: Sunday 10 July – Saturday 16 July 2022
- Cook Islands Language Week: Sunday 31 July – Saturday 06 August 2022
- Tonga Language Week: Sunday 04 September – Saturday 10 September 2022
- Tuvalu Language Week: Sunday 25 September – Saturday 01 October 2022
- Fijian Language Week: Sunday 02 October – Saturday 08 October 2022
- Niue Language Week: Sunday 16 October – Saturday 22 October 2022
- Tokelau Language Week: Sunday 23 October – Saturday 29 October 2022.
New Whanganui Office- Whare Manaaki The Whanganui team moved into a brand new office space in Bell Street yesterday, a more fit for purpose site than the old premises on Victoria Street. COO Amy Weightman, Whanganui Senior Teachers, Whanganui office staff and the Whanganui Transport Team gathered together for the official opening and blessing of the new office. Kaumātua Ned Tapa assisted Whānua Manaaki by blessing the new space, and has suggested a wonderful new name for the office, 'Whare Manaaki'. He says this will reflect the feel of the place, and the mahi of the Whanganui team.  Appointments and Resignations Congratulations to the following on their recent appointments: | Name | Position | Kindergarten | | Abigail Dohare | Teacher | Aramoho | | Jinny Ali | Teacher | Kahurangi | | Andrea Kirby | .85 Teacher | Maxwell & District | | Zaley Brennan | .9 Teacher | Putiki |
We wish all the best to the following who have resigned: | Name | Position | Kindergarten | | Hannah Anderson | .8 Teacher | Ascot Park | | Holly Roberts | .75 Teacher | Kahurangi | | Sonja Murphy | Teacher | Katoa | | Jan Taylor | LTR .8 Teacher | Ngahina | | Simone Leaupepe | Senior Teacher | WMK |
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.
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