Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero. You may remember some time last year there was work being done on establishing one national kindergarten association. While the vote was close the numbers decided against proceeding with the work to establish one national kindergarten organisation. As a result, though, there were further discussions within the associations and we are pleased to provide you with an update below. This is exciting for our organisation going forward. Jane. 
Regional Staff Meetings Regional Staff Meetings are happening in your area over the next few weeks. Please see PLD section of the Kōrero below and enrol for one of the meetings through HR.Net, this helps us with organising seating, resources and kai. If you’re having trouble with accessing HR.Net please contact Hannah To'omaga at hannah.toomaga@wmkindergartens.org.nz. For those in the Whanganui and Central Plateau Regions Karen Craig will enrol for you.
Coronavirus Kindergartens will have received an email from the Ministry of Education about welcoming back children and families who have been in self-quarantine as a result of recent travel to China. It is important that we take active steps to make families feel welcome, and to counter any negative messages that families may be getting as a result of the virus.
Staff Sync Reliever App Training We are continuing the roll out of training for Staff Sync (app for co-ordinating relievers). This app is already used in some parts of our organisation. It is really important that all relievers attend the training because it is the systems we will using for booking relievers from Term 2. We know, like any change, there could be some hiccups along the way so please let us know if you need further support or have any questions. We anticipate that there will be very little (if any) impact on teachers in Kindergartens, it will be Relievers and our Co-ordinators who will be using the App, we need teachers to support where you can. Our reliever co-ordinators have been provided with training and they will also be present where possible at the training days being provided. The schedule for the remaining training sessions is as follows: Region | Date | Times | Venue | Upper Hutt | 4 March | 3.00pm & 5.30pm | TBA | Masterton | 5 March | 3.00pm & 5.30pm | TBA | City South | 9 March | 3.00pm & 5.30pm | TBA | City Central | 10 March | 3.00pm & 5.30pm | TBA | Levin | 16 March | 12.30pm / 3.00pm / 5.30pm | TBA | Kapiti | 17 March | 12.30pm / 3.00pm / 5.30pm | TBA | City North | 23 March | 12.30pm / 3.00pm / 5.30pm | HWM | Porirua | 24 March | 12.30pm / 3.00pm / 5.30pm | HWM | Catch Up Sessions | 30 & 31 March | 112.30pm / 3.00pm / 5.30pm | HWM |
Catch Up Sessions The catch up sessions are for any relievers from Upper Hutt or Wairarapa that have not yet attended a training session, or who need a refresher. We will email relievers with the dates and details of the training, if you haven’t received this email by end of next week please contact Leigh.Comeskey@wmkindergartens.org.nz. We will send out this schedule to be displayed in the kindergarten for relievers. We will send out further details with the venue and asking you to RSVP to confirm numbers for catering purposes. Please direct any questions to trish.taylor-pope@wmkindergartens.org.nz We look forward to seeing you there.
Kindergartens Join Together Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens is joining seven other associations to form one kindergarten association from 2023. This is so we can strengthen kindergarten across the country, grow our services and offer the kindergarten experience to more children and whānau. Nationally, kindergartens are in slow decline – with a 30 per cent drop in rolls across Aotearoa New Zealand since 2005. The new organisation will be called Kindergartens Aotearoa. It will continue to offer diverse services to meet the needs of our different communities around the country. The Associations who are part of this initiative will start working together on a more formal basis this year, in three regions – Tuarāki (north), Waengapū (central) and Taitonga – south. This means we will work more closely with both the Taranaki and Napier Associations. But we will remain autonomous organisations until each association makes a constitutional decision to wind up and join the new organisation, prior to July 2023. The new organisation will retain our same philosophy and values, and will continue to be community based and not for profit. We will continue to support communities, run services that reflect those communities, be a good employer and value our staff, retain 100 per cent qualified teachers, provide quality, be a leader in education and advocate to government and be influential in shaping policy. The Associations involved have 360 kindergartens from North Auckland to South Otago. This initiative follows discussions that started in 2016, when NZ Kindergartens, our national body, formally explored the idea of establishing a new, single kindergarten organisation. Whānau Manaaki talked about that work at our regional staff meetings in 2018. While not all associations supported the idea, we did - and over this past year, we have been working with others to progress that work. Over the coming months, we will provide you with updates on progress. At the moment, more information about the project is available here.
Project Jonah – Save The Whales  The whale organisation, Project Jonah is offering sessions to kindergartens about whales and dolphins in the Wellington region. The sessions are free but a donation is appreciated to cover costs and to go towards the work of Project Jonah. Educator Mina Holder brings a life sized inflatable pilot whale as well as large photographs so children can learn about marine life. Children can help with a simulated whale stranding, pouring water over Lionel the whale. She also uses music, with children composing whale songs. The idea is to get children interested in marine life, and excited about protecting animals and reducing litter in our oceans. “We believe that the more children who know about the amazing marine mammals that are right here on our coastline, the more they will want to help protect both them and the ocean that they call home.” Project Jonah is a registered charity with a long history of advocating for marine mammals and helping with whale strandings. The sessions are interactive and have been well received by early childhood services. To contact Mina to make a booking education@projectjonah.org.nz or call 02108935602.
Awatea Invite You To Their Brainwave Trust Presentation 
Can You Help Onslow Kindergarten? 
Above And Beyond The Call!! They say that teachers go above and beyond the call and Julie, at York Street, certainly proved that this week while she rounded up the school's goat! Were you missing your lifestyle block Julie??  
This Week On Facebook  
Handy Facebook Pages  Aroha’s way - Come along on a journey with Aroha, as she wards off nervousness, fear, worrying thoughts and apprehension, with simple, yet effective tools. 
Appointments and Resignations Congratulations to the following on their recent appointment: | Sue Claridge | .8 Teacher | Titahi Bay | | Hanna Sadoun | Refugee/Migrant Navigator | WMK | | Ann White | .8 Teacher | Churton Park | | Nora Robertson | Administrator | Titahi Bay | | Belinda Sharpe | Relieving Teacher to July 2020 | Island Bay | | Sasha Landall | .7 Relieving Teacher to November 2020 | Katoa | | Josephine Kara | Support Staff to August 2020 | Strathmore Park |
We wish all the best for their future endeavours to the following who have resigned: | Lea MacDonald | .3675 Teacher | Te Timatanga Hou |
For Koha Tōtara Park Kindergarten have these shelves, surplus to requirement, and wondered if any other kindergarten might want these for a koha. Please make contact with the kindergarten directly. 
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