Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero. We are excited to welcome new TONIs into our Etu Ao Homebased service, this time based in Levin. Next week 9 TONIs will graduate and will provide a homebased service for the Levin community. The TONIs will receive ongoing support from a Visiting Teacher. We wish them all the best as they join the wider Whānau Manaaki family. Jane. 
Office Absences Rob Dunn & Lorraine Coulston will be away from Thursday 14 November – returning Monday 9 December. Their emails will be checked on a regular basis. Any urgent property matters please contact Jane Braun. Any urgent child protection matters please contact Mandy.
Te Taiao Workshop Just a reminder there is a Te Taiao workshop at Onslow Kindergarten this Monday, 18 November, from 4.00pm to 6.00pm. This workshop is about the environment through a Te Ao Māori lens, about interconnection. It also uses science to connect with Matauranga (knowledge) Māori. As usual please ensure you have registered for the PLD on HR.Net.
TG Macarthy Trust  You will be aware that a number of our kindergartens receive a $500 grant, biennially, from the TG Macarthy Trust. In fact the latest round of funding is due at the end of this month. You will have been notified already if your kindergarten is to receive this funding. The grant is for books, computers and new or replacement equipment. We have just been notified by Public Trust, who manage the TG Macarthy Trust, that the Board of Governors have recently met and agreed, from 2020, to fund all kindergartens in the funding area every year, so no longer biennial. Kindergartens do not have to do anything for this grant money, it will be paid directly to the Association and will be reflected in your kindergarten accounts once it has been received. This is fantastic news and we are very grateful to the Trust. Remember if you have any queries about this item or grants in general please get in touch with Jan at jan.hannon@wmkindergartens.org.nz
Advertising Are you needing to do any advertising to fill spaces in the New Year? Please get in touch with Chanelle, at Chanelle.huia-rutten@wmkindergartens.org.nz, and she’ll see what she can do for you! We have a couple of templates we use for flyers and facebook postings which can be easily altered to suit your kindergarten. 
Sample Template
Week Of Action Last week was a week of action for the early childhood sector, organised by NZEI Te Riu Roa. Teachers met at Kris Faafoi’s office in Porirua to call for more funding for ECE. Caroline Mareko from Whānau Manaaki’s office spoke about the importance of qualified teachers, as did Vienna Chambers who teaches at Toru Fetū.  Teachers and families in Wellington met at local MP and Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s office, with the same message. Allanah Clark, parent and Board Member, attended along with Newtown Kindergarten teacher Catherine Vaughan.  A petition was presented to the Minister of Education, Chris Hipkins, who reiterated that early childhood education was the priority in the next budget. One successful activity as part of the week of action was in Dunedin, where the Minister of Health, David Clarke was shown around a community-owned centre by teacher Erica Elder. Here’s what he said on his Facebook page: “A child's first 1000 days are critical for growth and development. Early childhood educators know this, and they do some of the most important work in our society shaping these young minds. There is more to do. Early childhood education is a top priority for us.” It’s crucial that all teachers keep the pressure on for restoring funding, with engaging with Cabinet Ministers and MPs a priority for every kindergarten. Letters are the main way that MPs gauge public opinion, but face to face interaction has even more impact. If you need support to engage with MPs, and particularly Cabinet Ministers who are MPs (of which we have several in our region), please email jenny.davies@wmkindergartens.org.nz
Reminder - Newtown Kindergarten Turns 75, This Saturday 16 November  All former teachers, children and families of Newtown Kindergarten are invited to celebrate their 75th birthday on Saturday 16 November from 11 - 2 pm. There will be a bouncy castle, bubble machine, live music, sausage sizzle and other refreshments, including the birthday cake, to be cut at 12.30.
Little To Improve Quality In National Party Education Document National has released an education discussion document as part of its policy formulation for the next election. It has a few proposals that would benefit early childhood education, but there is very little significant policy for the early childhood sector. The document has attracted attention for its suggestion of a kind of Kiwisaver for education – where children would have a savings plan for tertiary education and the government would contribute. National’s ECE proposals include spot checks for centres to ensure they are following regulations. This proposal follows a rise in parent complaints and an increase in the number of centres placed on provisional licenses. The document also includes a limit of 30 days for a child to be assessed after a referral to the Ministry for learning support. Under the heading “Improving Quality”, the document focuses on poorly performing centres, complaints, and provisional licenses. It also proposes more funding for teachers in their first two years to move to full registration. The document recommends encouraging parents to read to their children, and encouraging self-regulation in children. The document also suggests each child should have a “passport” to track their education progress and development according to “milestones.” This is likely to be controversial within the sector. It proposes greater recognition of overseas qualifications and easier re-entry into teacher registration after time off for children. It suggests relaxing the rules for centres that can’t meet the current 50 per cent qualified requirement. There are no proposals to move to a more qualified teaching workforce, or to restore funding for 100 per cent qualified teachers, or to improve ratios, even though the document says National supports the development of evidence based education policy. Its schools policy, however, mentions improving ratios and increasing the number of teachers. The document is for discussion and offers a chance for feedback. It includes an 11 -page survey for you to comment on its proposals. Here’s a link to take you to the discussion document.
Government Announces Changes To The Way Schools Are Run The government has announced some changes to the way schools are run, with more support for school leaders and boards from a revamped Ministry of Education, and Ministry control over zoning. New regional Education Support Agencies will be set up to provide these services, as part of the revamped Ministry. They will also provide property services if schools want them to. Disputes between families and schools and suspension issues would also be referred to the Ministry. The announcements follow a Tomorrow’s School Review which proposed creating education hubs outside the Ministry to take over many of the functions of school boards. These proposals were criticised by some schools as undemocratic and bureaucratic. The new proposals recognise the differences between schools. The idea behind the reforms is to support those schools that have struggled with the weight of the responsibilities, and to reduce inequality between schools. The new proposals have been generally well received by the education sector, and the Minister has been commended for listening to the sector.
Is It A Bit Early? One of our Head Teachers, who shall remain nameless for fear of retribution by the Christmas Grinch, may have got a bit ahead of herself last weekend. While in the office to do some paper work, and oversee a family portrait event, she managed to find some time to update her desk space. What do you reckon? Wonder how much paper work she got done? 
This Week On Facebook  
Check out how much fun the children, and teachers, had at Harriett Vine Kindergarten. Those faces when the water stops in the middle of the filming 🤣. Fun times🚒
Handy Facebook Pages  Pop-up adventure play
Grounding our work in our pop-up adventure playground model, we work internationally, providing children of all ages and abilities with opportunities to recognise, explore, and express their natural play instincts on their own terms. We are a charity, aiming to give children around the world opportunities to direct their own play, every day. 
Appointments And Resignations Congratulations to the following on their recent appointment: | Chloe Willcocks | Head Teacher | Karori | | Pip Greig | .6 Teacher | Pukerua Bay | | Simone Baker | .75 Relieving Teacher to June 2020 | Kahurangi | | Barbara Cahn | .5 Relieving Teacher to November 2020 | Taitoko |
We wish all the best to the following who have resigned: | Janet Delaney | Teacher | Doris Nicholson | | Urmila Parbhu | .8 Teacher | Miramar Central | | Felicity Fogarty | .6 Teacher | Ngaio | | Jill Winter | Teacher | York Street |
Congratulations Congratulations to Robyn, kaiako at Otaki, Robert and Rozalie on the arrival of their beautiful baby, Elena Wineera, born 29 October and weighing 3.4kg. Enjoy your little one! 
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