Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero. Have you caught up on our new recruitment portal? This has been up and running now for a couple of weeks and we have received really positive feedback about how easy it is to apply for a job online. A big thank you to the HR team, Karen, Andrea and Leigh, with the help of Chanelle and Jan, to get this up and running. Me mahi tahi tātou mō te oranga o te katoa. We work together for the wellbeing of everyone. Jane 
Term 4 2020 Whānau Contributions Your families may have asked about Term 4 requests for Whānau Contributions. Feel free to let them know that these will be emailed out next Friday, 23 October. Hard copies will also be delivered to kindergartens for distribution through “child pockets” in the following week. So that we have the most up to date information for our request letters can you please try and have all your children’s enrolment and contact email addresses in Infocare up to date by Monday 19 October.
First Aid The Red Cross has informed us that the "grace" period of 3 months usually attached to your First Aid Certificate expiry during which you can attend a refresher course has been extended to 6 months. This gives everyone a bit of breathing room! The PLD team are currently looking at the First Aid refreshers needed in the near and medium term and will be in touch. However, if you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact Kaz on karen.craig@wmkindergartens.org.nz (email preferred).
PLD Just a reminder that all PLD has been cancelled for Term 4. This includes all HT, Regional and Reliever Appraisal meetings. If you are uncertain about whether a meeting is to go ahead please contact the meeting convener or Kaz on karen.craig@wmkindergartens.org.nz.
Election 2020  So these weekend sees the final day to vote in this year's general election. Voting closes at 7pm on Saturday evening. Last week we showed the chart below (since updated) with the numbers of people registered on the electoral roll. It is great to see there has been an approximate 2% shift in voters, up to the age of 39, who have enrolled to vote. However these figures mean that there are still approximately 267,252 people under the age of 39 who are not enrolled to vote! 
Did you know that you can enrol on the day? If you know of anyone that is not enrolled to vote, please encourage them to get to a polling booth, enrol, then vote! Some of the parents from our Arohanui Kindergarten voted during the week for the very first time! The group took the opportunity to go to a local polling booth together and cast their votes in the election. Here they are with "orange man!" 
Our Transport Team Has A Vacancy Our transport team is looking for a driver to join their team. The successful applicant must love working with children and have a full New Zealand Drivers Licence (no driving convictions) and be subject to a police check. This is a fulltime position (40 hours per week) and based in Porirua. If you know of anyone who may be interested in this role please get them to check out the job on our website at www.wmkindergartens.org.nz or clicking on this link here.
When You Decide To Have a Break ...... Ali Easton, Head Teacher at Betty Montford Kindergarten, is taking some time-out from the rigours of teaching and leadership this year and has been working on her family farm. We received an email from Ali recently and thought you’d like to hear and see what she’s been up to. “I have been working on our family farm, which my brother runs, and it’s been just great, reconnecting with my younger life and back to where I came from. It’s been calving time so I do the milkings, clean up and feeding approximately 270 calves. I have a bit of fun and the guys are happy to see me as they know I just get on with what needs doing. And I boss my brother - his workers love it! Two of the workers, Harry and Jordan, work at farm and I taught them at kindergarten! We have a great connection already. I have done a bit of relieving at Foxton kindergarten . It’s been great even if a little challenging - us Foxton kids are full on!! I’m lucky they have let me do what hours I can. I’ve also been excited to work with Merilyn Clark again as she works at Foxton too. It’s amazing how you can just pick things up again, even though it has been 20 years since working on a farm. The technology so helps, though. It’s been a great journey so far and I look forward to coming back to Betty’s next year.”  
OMEP - Next Event Spring is in the air and what better time than now to support children's engagement as kaitiaki of the garden. Come along and be a part of Anita's presentation titled: Foster Kaitiakitanga through gardening: Spring in the Garden. Hope to see you there. 
OMEP - Exciting Event Please see exciting information about the upcoming International research-to-Practice Conference ECE 10-12 December 2020. The conference is fully online and involves many international ECE experts. Registration is now open. Please note costs are in Euro's. The 10th International Research-to-Practice Conference "Early Childhood Care and Education" (ECCE 2020 Digital) will be held on December 10–12, 2020 This year the Conference is held in an all-digital format for the first time ever and will gather over 20,000 participants including speakers from Sweden, Australia, UK, US, Netherlands, Norway, Russia and other CIS countries. At scientific and applied sessions, workshops and masterclasses, dedicated experts will share results of their most recent studies, offer brand-new approaches to childhood care and education, reveal lessons learned, discuss transformation processes the education sector is forced to undergo due to the coronavirus crisis. The online format means live streaming from different areas of Russia and abroad. Pedagogical practices will be covered at an ad-hoc panel. Kindergartens from different Russian regions will discuss their hands-on experiences. For more convenience, simultaneous interpreting from English to Russian and vice versa will be provided at some scientific sessions. It will allow for a more comfortable interaction among participants including Q&A and feedback. Registration is opened! You can choose your package here. REGISTRATION 10th International Conference "Early Childhood Care and Education" (ECCE 2020 Digital) will be held on December 10–12, 2020. The Conference is held in an all-digital format for the first time ever and will gather over 20,000 participants including speakers from Sweden, Australia, UK, US, Netherlands, Norway, Russia and other CIS countries. |
This Week On Facebook It's All About The Election   
To Give Away Ohakune Kindergarten have this piece of "history" to give away! It is in working order with educational games programmed into the computer. Not connected to internet, both key boards work, no current mouse (just needs one plugged in). Get in touch with the team at Ohakune if you are interested.  Pikopiko Kindergarten have two floor rugs to rehome. They measure 2240 x 3100 and 3650 x 3650. Good used condition but still plenty of wear to go. Recently cleaned in the term break clean. Pick up preferable but delivery can be arranged with costs to cover petrol etc. Please contact Pikopiko kindergarten for enquiries.  
Rug 1 Rug 2
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