Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero. We cannot emphasise enough the need to campaign to the government for 100 per cent qualified teachers in kindergartens and other early learning centres. You will see the news item below, please share this with your families, and print off the posters to hang in your kindergartens. Jane. 
Name Badges  Please contact Chanelle at the office if you would like a name tag – these are optional and ordered in batches.
Learning Support Study If any teacher is intending on enrolling in the Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching study, please discuss this with your Senior Teacher first. This will support our over all co-ordination of teachers involved with external study who require leave and relievers.
One-off Lump Sum Payment Teachers who were union members, and employed by us, on 12 July 2019 are entitled to a one-off payment, as part of the settlement of the KTCA this year. We have been advised by the MoE that we will receive the funding for this in early November and so we will be paying it in the pay 5 November. The lump sum for a full time teacher is $1500 and those working part-time will receive a pro rata of that amount. Relievers will also receive a pro rata payment, based on the number of days they worked in the 190 days prior to 12 July 2019. If you have any questions you can contact NZEI, or email karen.skett@wmkindergartens.org.nz or phone 021 857 826.
Individual Employment Agreement All teachers who are not union members have been emailed a new Individual Employment Agreement (IEA). We need all these teachers to sign and return the IEA if they accept the offer. Once we recieve the signed IEA we will implement the pay increase. Those who don’t sign and return and the new IEA will stay on their current agreement, including the old (not increased) pay rate. If you have any questions you can email karen.skett@wmkindergartens.org.nz or phone 021 857 826.
Kapa Haka Group In Whanaganui Lou is starting a kapa haka group in Whanganui. The first practice will be at Central Kindergarten on Thursday 31 October from 3.30pm to 5.00pm. Everyone is welcome to come along. This group will be performing at our annual conference with the wider WM group. If you do not want to perform at conference you can still come along to the first session to see what songs we will be learning. Feel free to get in touch with Lou if you have any questions, lou.fruean@wmkindergartens.org.nz 
Finance Update Term 4 2019 Whānau Contributions Just a quick reminder that Term 4 requests for Whānau Contributions will be emailed to families tomorrow. Hard copies of the letters will be delivered to kindergartens for distribution through “child pockets” early next week. September Kindergarten Reports It’s been a busy month for the finance team with new staff on board and a bit of leave being taken over the term break. Thank you for your patience as we work to finish off your September Kindergarten reports. These will be emailed to you early next week. End of Month Infocare Cut-Off A reminder that next week is financial month end and shortly after this we will be working on your Kindergarten reports for the month of October. As detailed in the Annual Administration Wall Planner 2019, your Infocare records for October are due to be completed on Monday 4 November next week. This means we would like you to complete the following tasks in Infocare, up to and including Friday 1 November: - Sign in sheets marked in Infocare (actual attendance)
- Fee invoices created and committed
- Staff timetables (“staff hour count”) completed
- Online sign off of your monthly roll return
- Any ratio, attendance or roll issues are communicated to the Association (please call Tania or Cathryn)
Tania or Cathryn will follow up with you next Monday if they have any questions related to your records.
Write To Cabinet Ministers To Stress The Importance Of 100 Per Cent Qualified Teachers As part of our campaign for 100 per cent qualified teachers, we are creating some posters for kindergartens from the postcards provided by New Zealand Kindergartens (NZK). Funding for one hundred per cent qualified teachers is incredibly important to keep our kindergarten service viable in New Zealand. Here’s a selection of posters which you can print off in either A4 or A3 size. Take a photo of your posters for your facebook page and tell your families how important it is that we support qualified teachers and the funding for 100 per cent. Don’t forget to write to Cabinet Ministers over this issue. Don’t underestimate the power of a well written letter. He Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens has recently written to the Minister of Education reminding him of our concerns in this area and the need to honour commitments. Here’s some of what Amanda Coulston had to say to the Minister: “I am writing on behalf of our 102 kindergarten services, attended by some 6 000 young children, to urge the government to honour its pledge to restore funding to kindergartens and other early learning services that employ 100 per cent qualified teachers. Not only are qualified teachers a key indicator of quality, they are also a key way of keeping our youngest children safe: qualified, registered teachers must abide by the Teaching Council standards and abide by a Code of Ethics, and so if all centres were required to have 100% qualified registered teachers, some of the huge variations in quality and safety would be significantly reduced.” The Minister’s reply makes it clear that he is reliant on the support of his cabinet colleagues to get funding through parliament. Here’s some of what Chris Hipkins had to say: “I want to assure you the Government remains committed to the aim of reinstating the 100% qualified teaching funding band....As you will know decisions on whether to increase ECE subsidy rates are made by Cabinet as part of the annual budget process and must be weighted up against competing requirements both within education and across wider government.” So it is important to write to other cabinet ministers who will ultimately decide the future of early childhood education, for example Jacinda Ardern (Prime Minister, Minister for Child Poverty Reduction), Grant Robertson (Minister for Finance), Tracey Martin (Minister for Children), Kris Faafoi (Mana MP and Cabinet Minister), Kelvin Davis (Associate Minister for Education, Māori Education), Carmel Sepuloni (Minister for Social Development, Associate Minister for Pacific Peoples), David Clark (Associate Minister of Finance), Jenny Salesa (Associate Minister of Education, Minister for Ethnic Communities), James Shaw (Associate Minister of Finance) and Julie Anne Genter (Minister for Women). Some Cabinet Ministers have signed a pledge to reinstate funding for 100 per cent qualified teachers. These are: Jacinda Ardern, David Clark, Kris Faafoi, Ian Lees-Galloway, Chris Hipkins, Phil Twyford, Stuart Nash, Megan Woods, Grant Robertson, Damien O’Connor, Eugenie Sage and James Shaw. You can email Cabinet Ministers using the format firstname.secondname@parliament.govt.nz eg jacinda.ardern@ministers.govt.nz 
New App For Organising Relievers We are excited to share the news that Whānau Manaaki is implementing an app-based programme for the coordination and management of relievers, to further support the two Reliever Co-ordinators in their roles. The app is called StaffSync. It is already used in our Whanganui and Central Plateau areas and it is used extensively throughout New Zealand in the Early Childhood Education Sector. We will eventually use the App across the whole of our region (likely by the end of 2020) but initially the rollout, from the beginning of 2020, will be for relievers in the following areas only: - Kapiti
- Horowhenua/Levin
- Wairarapa/Masterton
- Upper Hutt
We expect 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 will be providing training for relievers in the four areas throughout November and December. Nicki and Dhanaye, our wonderful Reliever Co-ordinators are on board and will be present at the training. All relievers in the 4 areas noted above will receive an email with the dates and details of the training. Please let us know if you have not received this email. For teachers in our kindergartens, please chat with your reliever/s to ensure they have received the email. Some of you may have noticed you are getting email notifications from StaffSync. This is because we have begun the set up process for the roll out. You don’t need to worry about these notifications and you can feel free to ignore – please don’t reply to them. Any questions can be directed totrish.taylor-pope@wmkindergartens.org.nz.
Congratulations As Our Teachers Win Scholarships Jared Lambert, Head Teacher at Berhampore Kindergarten, has received an NZEI scholarship to help support a post graduate qualification that will ultimately lead to a master’s degree. Jared is looking at how teams work and what leaders can do to strengthen team cohesion. Robyn Mockett, a teacher at Papararangi Kindergarten, has also gained an NZEI scholarship to look at children’s social and emotional competency, and how this relates to the UNESCO sustainable development goals.
Newtown Kindergarten turns 75, November 16 2019  All former teachers, children and families of Newtown Kindergarten - you are invited to celebrate our 75th birthday on Saturday November 16, from 11 - 2 pm. We’d love to have as many of you as possible join us to celebrate this very special occasion. It will also provide you with a marvellous opportunity to look at the changes that have occurred over the last 75 years. There will be entertainment including a bouncy castle, bubble machine, live music, sausage sizzle and other refreshments, including the birthday cake, to be cut at 12.30pm. A commemorative plaque will be unveiled, next to the olive tree which was planted earlier this year to remember families affected by the Christchurch shooting and to convey love and solidarity towards our Muslim families and friends. Photos depicting the kindergarten through the years will be on display, many of them hilarious and all of them interesting. Anyone with any photos to share is welcome to contact the kindergarten so they can be included. See you there ☺☺☺
Treat Kids Like Gold The Ministry of Education has put up a publication Treat Kids Like Gold which contains the views of children and young people about their education and what they want. It deals with issues of racism, whānau involvement, gender identity, being listened to, belonging, relationships with teachers, poverty, hunger and many other issues. Although it is the views of school children, the issues are relevant for early childhood education, and the link was released in response to a request from the National Early Childhood Sector Consultation group ECAC. Here’s the link to the publication. 
Early Childhood Education Makes A Difference Karen O'Leary, who was one of the MCs at the Whānau Manaaki conference earlier this year, is the Head Teacher at Adelaide Early Childhood Centre in Newtown. She is also known as Officer O'Leary from Wellington Paranormal. Karen was recently interviewed by the Spinoff about a number of issues, one being early childhood education. During that interview Karen said "research suggests that if you have a really stink home life and you’ve never been told anything positive in your life, a positive ECE experience can turn it around before you are five.” Here’s a link to read what else Karen had to say about ECE. 
Karen, as Officer O'Leary in Wellington Paranormal.
Te Ahu I e Reo Māori 4 kaiako from WM kindergartens we’re amongst 70 others who graduated on Thursday 17 October after completing 12 weeks of weekly classes culminating in a 4 day Kura Reo . The Labour Government initiated this pilot programme to foster the use of Te Reo Māori in all learning environments. Congratulations to Samantha Whaanga and Linda Milne from Ōtaki, Denise De Vorms from Fanau Pasifika and Amanda Doncliff from Raumati Beach. They are pictured below with the honorable Kelvin Davis. 
Language Week Celebrations The months of September and October bring celebrations for Māori and Pacific languages. Kindergartens across our region have been celebrating with their children and families. Next week is a celebration of all things Tokelaun, what will you be doing? Remember to email your photos through to korero@wmkindergartens.org.nz, we would love to share them in the Kōrero. Here are a selection we have received so far:  
Toru Fetu children and teachers celebrated Niuean language week by attending the Niuean flag raising ceremony at the war memorial in Porirua, magafaoa family day celebration and loved baking pitako! They also had a visit from the Niuean Rugby League team who came to share and support the children through connections with the Niuean community, vagahau Niue/language and their sport, rugby league. The league team visit every year and always enjoy spending time with the tama ikiiki.  
During Māori Language Week the children at Aramoho Kindergarten practiced their mihi, kanikani and waiata and also were lucky to have some very special taonga at the kindergarten.
Beanies For Plimmerton These beautiful beanies (with knitted logo and brand colours) were a gift from one of Plimmerton Kindergarten's wonderful Oma’s. She is a very talented knitter, and the team have much appreciation for the beanies she knits for her grandchildren, as they are made with lots of love and always stay on when Tawhirimatea is blowing. With full hearts Plimmerton accepted these beanies when one of her moko headed off to kura. They love them! 
Greytown Gala Last Saturday Greytown Kindergarten held their gala fundraiser. Despite the rain they had great community support. The international cuisine, celebrating our diverse community, was a big hit. Lots of people enjoyed eating the different foods available. A great event with lots of money raised to go toward their new deck. 
This Week On Facebook  
Handy Facebook Pages 
The 5+ A Day is a Charitable Trust. The core activity of the 5+ A Day programme is developing education resources for educators in early childhood centres, primary and intermediate schools. The resources can be ordered on our website for teachers and educators, are curriculum linked for ease of use and promote healthy eating and fruit and vegetables.
Can You Use This? Onslow Kindergarten have received 2 full boxes of soap refills that don’t fit their new soap dispensers. Have a look at the photo below and if you think you could make use of them please get in touch with the team at Onslow. 
Appointments And Resignations Congratulations to the following on their recent appointments: | Jade Oxnam | Teacher | Waitangirua |
We wish all the best to the following who has resigned: | Bex Thomas | Teacher | Una Williams |
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