Welcome to our latest update of information and stories you may be interested in... It is exciting to let everyone know this week that the Whanganui Association will be joining us from July. See below for more details. Jane. 
Changing Hours Or Rosters If any teachers or support staff want to change their days of work, or start and finish times on different days, please contact someone in the HR/Payroll team so we can change things in iPayroll etc. You can email hrteam@wmkindergartens.org.nz . Whanganui Kindergartens Join Whānau Manaaki Whanganui Kindergarten Association members voted unanimously last night to join Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens. The 15 Whanganui Association kindergartens will become part of Whānau Manaaki from July 1. This is great news for our association and for the Whanganui kindergartens, and is an exciting development for the future. The kindergartens are located in Whanganui City and also Taihape, Ohakune, Waiouru. The two associations have been working closely together over the past year. Next week, a special meeting will be held in Porirua to change the constitution of Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens to make its geographical boundaries more flexible. All staff from both organisations will continue in their employment. There’ll be more details about the changes in future editions of Kōrero.
Induction Day  Today we held our second induction day to welcome new staff to our association. The idea is to introduce staff to the Whānau Manaaki family so that everyone feels part of the association as well as belonging to their particular kindergarten team. We also want to increase awareness of the work of Whānau Manaaki, and make sure that people know where to go if they need help or support in any area. There were 30 people welcomed to the Association today. Please note you will be contacted if you are required to attend an induction day. 
School Strikes Looming Primary and secondary teachers have voted for a nationwide strike on May 29, with a warning that more strikes may follow. It’s the first time that teachers in primary and secondary sectors have gone on strike together. The Ministry of Education is looking for ways to avert the strike with continued talks, but the government has been adamant there is no more money. School teachers say they want a significant pay jolt, workload issues addressed and more support for children with additional needs. Primary teachers have claimed a 16 per cent pay rise over two years, and have been offered three per cent a year for three years. Primary teachers are also concerned about losing parity with their secondary colleagues. Meanwhile, kindergarten teachers have been meeting to discuss their draft claim for their agreement which expires at the beginning of June.
Four Year Olds Now Can’t Start School, and Advocating For The Right To ECE The government has changed the law so that schools with cohort entry now cannot start children before their fifth birthday. A small number of schools had been starting children before they turned five, at the start of each term. Now schools with cohort entry can start children at two points each term, (at the beginning and at the midpoint) after their fifth birthday. Meanwhile, the government is consulting on some other pieces of legislation, including one on the right to education. Sadly, it doesn’t include the right to early childhood education. The government is seeking submissions on this, so you can encourage the government to include the right to ECE. Just a one or two sentence submission is fine, saying why ECE should be included. There’s a Māori and an English consultation document. Here’s the links:
This Week On Facebook  
Handy Facebook Pages  Joy for generations – WHO WE ARE
This group was established by Wairarapa mum Lucy Adlam, to alleviate loneliness in the community. Over the last two years, this group has developed from just Lucy, to 20 volunteers and a governance committee with 15 members. WHAT WE DO
Our mission is to alleviate loneliness, by creating intergenerational connections. Our groups encourage learning, prevent isolation and provide a sense of purpose. We connect generations in our community, and the results are magic…! 
Mana Atua He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Staff Conference 2019 Update No 2 Kia Ora Koutou Welcome to our second conference update – don’t forget to print it off (if you want to) so you have a record of it for easy reference for your whole team. We’ll be putting updates in each weekly edition of Kōrero. Accommodation The really urgent thing for you to do if you live in Waikanae or further north, or if you live in the Wairarapa is to email Lorraine at Lorraine.coulston@wmkindergartens.org.nz as soon as you can if you want accommodation. You definitely need to have done it by 1 June, but please, if you know you want accommodation, just email Lorraine after reading this. It’s a pretty huge task to facilitate accommodation for all staff requiring it, so thanks. Remember: non-teaching staff who are attending the workshops etc on the Monday morning (July 8) are able to stay over on the Sunday night (if you live in Waikanae or further north, or if you live in the Wairarapa), and others who are attending the teacher conference on the Tuesday (July 9) and want to stay over on the Monday night (if you live in Waikanae or further north, or if you live in the Wairarapa) are the ones who need to email Lorraine. Mid - Year Celebration This year we are going to hold the Whole Staff Celebration on the Monday night (July 8) of conference at Macs Bar from 5pm to 9pm. This is in place of the end of year celebration we had at Macs Bar last year. We are aware that it can be difficult for staff who live outside of the Wellington area to attend our end of year celebration, so we thought we’d try to have a celebration at a time when most people would be in Wellington. We will be putting on food and having subsidised drinks. This will be a wonderful opportunity to mix and mingle with each other. We haven’t decided how we will organise end of year celebrations going forward – this will be something we’d welcome your feedback on. Feel free to email Hannah on Hannah.toomaga@wmkindergartens.org.nz with any ideas. But at this stage, just know that there’ll be a mid - year celebration at the conference, so make sure you bring your dancing shoes with you! Keynote Speakers Confirmed This week we’re really pleased to profile the Keynote Speakers we have confirmed for our Staff Conference. Next week, in Update 3, we will profile our presenters and workshop facilitators. The following are extracts drawn largely from our Keynote Speakers’ biographies. On the Monday 8 July: For Non-teaching Staff in the morning, Dr. Jean Mitaera. Dr Mitaera is Cook Island Māori, born and bred in Newtown, Wellington. Jean is a researcher, educator, trainer and facilitator. She is a former senior policy adviser who has taught at Victoria University of Wellington and is currently the Chief Advisor Pacific Strategy for WelTec and Whitireia. For the Whole Staff Meeting in the afternoon, Gilbert Enoka. Gilbert has a long history of success as a mental skills coach with New Zealand’s corporate and sporting elite. He is internationally renowned for his 18-year history with the All Blacks, first as their mental skills coach and now as All Blacks Manager - Leadership. His skills have been highly sought after by the All Blacks, the Canterbury Crusaders Super Rugby team and the New Zealand Cricket Team. On the Tuesday 9 July: Dr Rangimarie Turuki Arikirangi Rose Pere CBE Dr Pere has had the great honour of interacting and sharing ancient teachings with 150 + Nations, throughout the Americas, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Great Britain, East Asia, the South Pacific, Europe, and more recently, Alaska. Honoured as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1996 for her contribution to Education in New Zealand, and the British Commonwealth, Dr Pere is the author of Te Wheke - A Celebration Of Infinite Wisdom. Based on the symbol of the Octopus – Te Wheke: A Celebration Of Infinite Wisdom – provides a selection of simple ancient teachings which give an understanding of how all learning dimensions are valued and connected. Anthony Semann Anthony is primarily a presenter and researcher. His background is in education, research and management – in government, corporate and community based organisations. Anthony’s expertise as a researcher and his specialist knowledge of early education has seen him work across Australia, Asia, Europe, America, France and New Zealand. Anthony challenges organisations and people. He asks them to reflect. To ask how their communication, their leadership, their values, their relationships and their workplace culture and diversity effect what they do. He asks them to reflect because it is these things that affect their services, businesses and ultimately the community. Hinewirangi Kohu Morgan Hinewirangi is an artist, poet, and a visionary. She is the Director of Te Whānau o Te Rau Aroha Ltd, and she and her staff work within Te Ao Marama-Waikeria prison. She is part of a women’s collective-Ka Ata Mai, teaching creative ways of working with Maori, and is part of Te Kotahi research team, Waikato University. She teaches in New Zealand and abroad, conducting workshops on all aspects of Māori philosophies of mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Her areas of expertise include traditional Māori parenting and healing; Māori flute-making; and indigenous poetry and drama.
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