Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero. Ia rā ia rā hei tarai koutou i te reo Māori. Every day try to speak Māori. This week I have been thinking of ways to include te reo in my day to day interactions with my colleagues. While this can be challenging it has been fun, and at the end of the day it is about learning and giving it a go! Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei. Pursue that which is precious, and do not be deterred by anything less than a lofty mountain. Jane 
COVID-19 update #16 Auckland region is at Alert Level 2, with extra restrictions on social gatherings, funerals and tangihanga. This will remain in place until at least 11:59pm on Wednesday 23 September. The rest of New Zealand is at Alert Level 2. This will remain in place until at least 11:59pm on Monday 21 September. Alert Level 2 This Alert Level will next be reviewed on Monday 21 September. The Government has agreed, in principle, to move New Zealand down to Alert Level 1. The Government will make a final decision on 21 September. If the restrictions do change, this will happen at 11:59pm on Monday 21 September. Health Update From the Ministry of Health website: Case numbers
There are 7 new cases of COVID-19 today, 17 September, 2020. There are now 77 active cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand. See the current cases page.
Finance Update 2020/21 Kindergarten Budgets And August Accounts Thanks to all those who submitted your 2020/21 kindergarten budgets. We have completed our detailed review of your financial plans and the information you provided has been really useful in helping the Association Board set its financial targets for the coming year. Your approved 2020/21 budgets will be emailed to you early next week along with your August kindergarten reports. Thanks for your patience with this process as we’ve been managing a busy year end period post COVID-19. COVID-19 As Mandy reported at the regional staff meetings, the uncertainty of this COVID-19 environment means we need to carefully monitor our finances as we move through the coming months and manage any risks as they arise. At present this means we are taking a prudent approach to our operational and PA1 spending. At this stage it is unlikely that any unbudgeted PA1 spending will be able to proceed, at least until we have a clear view of how the impacts of COVID-19 will play out. Also a reminder that you should continue to follow the existing process for any PA1 planned spending. Through the PA1 process we will endeavour to support you to achieve your budgeted project goals. The impact of Covid-19 has also shown itself in the challenges we face around availability of goods and services (e.g. IT equipment and building contractors). This impacts on the Association’s major maintenance programme and so the property team will be in touch with you for any work that is being scheduled for your kindergarten.
Extra First Aid Courses Available In Wellington This Term Break! Because of the number of people who need it, we have organised 2 additional First Aid Refresher Courses with Red Cross for this term break: Course 1: Monday 28 September, 8.30am to 3pm, Red Cross Office at 69 Molesworth Street, Thorndon, Wellington (FYI: this is the same date as courses being held in Porirua and Kapiti) Course 2: Friday 9th October, 8.30am to 3pm, Red Cross Office at 69 Molesworth Street, Thorndon, Wellington Please note that parking is not available so you will need to find public parking if you don't come in by train or bus. Please do not enrol if your expiry date is after 20th January 2021 - there will be more courses available during the first term break next year which you will be able to attend within the 3-month grace period allowed. If this doesn't work for you then please contact Kaz directly on karen.craig@wmkindergartens.org.nz. These 2 courses are now available on HR.Net (contact Kaz via email if you have difficulties with enrolling).
New Online Recruitment and Appointment Tool You will have heard at the Region Staff Meetong that over the next few weeks we will be rolling out our new recruitment tool, called JobAdder. All jobs will continue to be advertised on our website and the Education Gazette. But people will now be able to apply for a job online, through an Apply Now tab. This will take you to the application form which will include uploading your documents. We will let you know when this goes live. For Head Teachers and Senior Teachers this change means streamlining the vacancy process. As vacancies arise we will support Head Teachers and make sure you can use the tool. In the meantime HTs and STs may receive an email from JobAdder advising they are now active in the system. You don't need to do anything. As mentioned we will be in touch when we are ready for you to be involved. If you have any questions please email Karen Skett at karen.skett@wmkindergartens.org.nz
National Promises Cuts To ECE While Labour Promotes Pay Parity Across The Sector  This week three parties have announced their policies on education for the election. Even though National proposes spending an extra $2 billion on education, it wants to cut the 100 per cent qualified teacher funding for early childhood services. Most of its proposed extra spending is in the schooling sector, although it does propose improvng ratios for children under two. Labour has made early childhood education the main focus of its policy, with $600 million promised for moving towards pay parity for teachers in all early childhood services. Whānau Manaaki, through our collective organisation Kindergartens Aotearoa, has responded to both National and Labour’s election policies with releases. You can read those releases here: The Māori Party, which is not currently represented in parliament, has also released its policy which includes a commitment to Kaupapa Māori education and the teaching of Te Reo, as well as fair pay for kaiako in kōhanga reo. Next week in Kōrero we will present a full analysis of all significant party policies that have been released to help compare what the different parties are offering families and children. You can read the full policies that have been released this week here:
Child Wellbeing Election Forum An online and in person election forum on child wellbeing is being held in Wellington next week. It’s being organised by a range of organisations including Tick4Kids and the Child Poverty Action Group. Here’s the link to register and for more information:
Te Wā Tuku Reo Māori  Was your kindergarten part of the Māori language moment on Monday? If so we would love to hear what you got up do, and what you did at 12 noon on Monday. Email korero@wmkindergartens.org.nz to let us know what you got up to. In the office we joined the moment! Have a look at what we got up to!
Mental Health Awareness Week  Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) has been running annually since 1993. It is marked in over 150 countries at different times throughout the year. The theme for the week is Reimagine Wellbeing Together - He Tirohanga Anamata. This year hasn’t been easy. Many of us have had to reconsider the experiences, actions and surroundings that make us feel good, stay well, and uplift our wellbeing. Whether it’s taking some downtime, soaking up the mauri of the ocean, getting out for a hīkoi in the bush, taking notice of the beauty around us or building on the manaakitanga that’s helped us get through together – this year we've really tuned into the simple things that matter and that strengthen our hauora / wellbeing. MHAW is a chance to build on the simple things we’ve been doing to look after ourselves, and this year we're asking you to reimagine what wellbeing looks like – together. Click here to find out more about the week and to check out the useful resources.
Remembering Di Lawrence Dianne Lawrence, who worked for Whānau Manaaki and its preceding organisations for nearly forty years, lost her battle with cancer earlier this month. Di worked at many kindergartens across our region including Otaki, Foxton, Seatoun, Ascot Park and Brian Webb in Tawa. She was head teacher at Ascot Park Kindergarten in Porirua for more than 20 years. Di also made a major contribution to NZEI Te Riu Roa, campaigning for pay parity, protesting about kindergartens being removed from the sector, serving in various capacities including many years on the TRCC which provided professional development by teacher for teachers. Senior teacher Lynette Wray spoke at Di’s funeral this week, and said she deeply embodied the principles of Te Whāriki in her practice, empowering children and also adults who she worked with, including many students. Lynette finished her tribute with this whakatauki: Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere te Kārohirohi I mua I tōu huarahi – may the calm be widespread, may the ocean glisten as greenstone, may the shimmer of light ever dance across your pathway. 
Lyn Leaves Irmgard Ritchie We say goodbye and good luck to Lyn Baines as she embarks on a new chapter of her life with her family. Lyn started at Irmgard Ritchie kindergarten at the beginning of 2008. She finishes at the end of this term. She has been one of the "backbones" of our kindergarten and we are blessed to have her in our team of dedicated teachers. Lyn has shown her passion and aroha to all our tamariki and has excellent relationships with our parents and whānau. We wish her and her family well. She will be missed! 
Ngaio Kindergarten Working Bee The kindergarten whanau came together last weekend for a massive working bee! There is a large outdoor project underway at the kindergarten and in preparation for that they cleared the local stream of invasive species, built a circular rock bench seat, created a nature space down the bank and cleaned up the local alleyway. The whānau worked for 5 hours and the tamariki continued with the work this week. It was a great community effort!  
 
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Handy Facebook Pages  Haere mai ki te haerenga o Te Reo Māori. On a mission to normalise the everyday usage of Te Reo Māori. To teach our people, to teach their whānau, to strengthen our Te Reo Māori, āke āke. Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, Engari he toa takitini. 
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