Welcome to our latest update of information and stories you may be interested in... I cannot believe we are talking about our end of year celebration! But we are! Please take time to read the important information about this celebration and ensure you are aware of the cut off dates noted. Jane. 
End Of Year Full Staff Function - Update  Remember to please save this date in your calendars. When: Friday 23rd November 2018 Time: 5.30pm to 10pm Where: Mac’s Brew Bar 4 Taranaki Street Wellington (Opposite Te Papa) - All Staff employed by Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens welcome and encouraged to attend.
- We will provide food and non-alcoholic drinks free of charge. A selection of subsidised alcoholic drinks ($3 per drink) will be available on the night.
- For catering purposes it is really important that we know who from your team will be attending. Please RSVP the names of attendees to hannah.toomaga@wmkindergartens.org.nz. We need these details no later than Friday 16th November.
Transport Details A bus will be leaving from Levin and will stop at - 3.30pm Levin Railway Station
- 3.50pm Otaki Railway Station
- 4.05pm Waikanae, carpark opposite New World
- 4.15pm Paraparaumu Railway Station
- 4.30pm Pukerua Bay – Bus stop opposite Wairaka Road
- The bus will leave Wellington at 9.30pm. It is important to please reserve your space on the bus as we are limited to 53 seats. Please email Hannah at hannah.toomaga@wmkindergartens.org.nz.
- For anyone travelling from the Wairarapa and Upper Hutt, we have had some feedback from teams with regards to offering transport, therefore we are looking at offering a bus/coach service from Upper Hutt to and from the party. Watch this space!
Facebook Events  Let us know if you have an upcoming event! Or add us as a co-host to your event page on facebook! We’ve had some interest from potential stall holders wanting to know when our kindergartens are holding their fairs and festivals. The easiest way for us to share this information with the largest audience is to share these events from our Whānau Manaaki Facebook page. So if you have any events coming up that you would like us to share on our page please either let Chanelle at the office know or add the Whānau Manaaki Facebook page as a co-host to your event, this way your event will be visible from the WM page to be seen by over 1000 followers!
Photo Bank Approval In the past we have sent out photo content banks to each kindergarten to have photos approved for use. Unfortunately we received little response, so we will be sending these out again. The photos were captured either by Doug from Glasstower or Chanelle at the office. The idea is that once we have the photos approved for use we will be able to access these when we need images for our reports and advertising etc - rather than sending out 50 emails asking for photo permissions every time we put out a new document. Some of the images may seem dated, however so long as we have approval, these photos will always be useful for us! They will also be used in a number of different ways, so while you may think a photo is not particularly flattering, it may be that we intend to crop and re-colour the picture etc. You will first receive an email from Wetransfer telling you, you have files to download. (Please be sure to check your junk folder for this). You will then need to click ‘get your files’ which will take you to the wetransfer website where you can begin downloading the images. Once these are downloaded they will most likely go to your downloads folder where you can view these. If you could then go through the photos, making a list of which photos can not be used due to permission, and then please send this list to Chanelle at the office –chanelle.huia-rutten@wmkindergartens.org.nz. Please could this be actioned by the 16th November. If you have any queries or questions, please email Chanelle.
Teachers Meet The Minister 
Birchville Kindergarten teacher Bridie Mawdesley and Heretaunga Kindergarten’s acting head teacher Carolyn Evans met the Minister of Education last week to highlight issues in early childhood education, including the need for funding for 100 per cent qualified teachers. Bridie says the teachers decided to attend Chris Hipkin’s weekly clinic in Upper Hutt after an NZEI meeting. They used the “How to Lobby” materials on Storypark, in the toolbox, and worked out what questions they wanted to ask, which included ones about funding, teacher shortages, ratios, and learning support. The Minister said the Ten Year Strategic Plan will be released for public consultation before Christmas. He reiterated Labour’s election promise to reinstate 100% qualified teachers as a short term goal, with ratio improvements being a medium term goal. Bridie says she would encourage other teachers to meet their MPs to highlight issues in early childhood education. “I’d never done anything like that before.” She said the Minister was approachable, knowledgeable about issues in the sector, and they gained a deeper insight into what is happening.
Philosophy At South End  With our new philosophy completed and on display, the teachers at South End Kindergarten have been working with the children on the meaning behind it and how we can make the values evident throughout the kindergarten and the curriculum. Our logo is a pictorial representation of the philosophy and its values, so it seemed fitting to bring that out into the playground as a visual anchor to connect our conversations and kawa to. 
Manaakitanga – Kindergarten Kids Can Make A Difference Eddie, who learned about manaakitanga at Owhiro Bay Kindergarten and contacted Wellington’s mayor with his ideas, now features on a poster encouraging children to think of others at Christmas. The Wellington City Council and Volunteer Wellington have teamed up with local charities to distribute gifts to children in need for the holidays, as a result of Eddie’s communication. Eddie, who is now at school, explains the project on the poster with Wellington’s mayor Justin Lester. Kindergartens interested in taking part can collect new, unwrapped, donated goods by 1st November and contact Volunteer Wellington. A local charity will pick up the donations on 19th November and distribute them to appropriate families. 
Welfare Advisory Group Wants Your Views The government is looking to improve the way the welfare system works, with a focus on making it accessible and fair to all New Zealanders. An experts advisory group has been set up to recommend changes. Last week, Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens was represented at a community forum in Porirua looking at what changes are needed. The advisory group is interested in hearing stories and recommendations from those currently experiencing the benefit system. Teachers and families can take part in the process by completing a short survey. Here’s the link. You can print out a hard copy of the survey form to give to families who may not have computer access, and you can post them free to Freepost 91673, Welfare Expert Advisory Group, c/- Ministry of Social Development, Box 1556, Wellington 6140. The survey is open until 9th November.
Fab Enhancements to Outdoor Environment 
“The children at South End Kindergarten are enjoying exploration and physical play in their new playground development.”
Handy Facebook Pages  A good page to follow is the spinoff – parents page. https://www.facebook.com/TheSpinoffParents/ 
This Week On Facebook  
Tokelauan Language Week at Waitangirua Kindergarten! Tamariki made “puta” (a type of donut) with our Tokelauan kaiako, Saulelei this morning. We all enjoyed fresh, tasty and fluffy puta at lunch time.   a-
Yesterday at Paremata we had our first Hikoi ki te taiao for term 4. We explored Ivey Bay and discovered what was under rocks - crabs (with some very brave children who picked them up) and observed some local birdlife when we spotted a kingfisher and an oystercatcher. 
At Lansdowne we were lucky to have Reuben's mum Lynsey bring their pony, Sparkles, to visit in preparation for the pony rides at the Spring Fair next weekend.
Puppet Show Sunshine Kindergarten have just had a visit from Birdlife Productions and their travelling puppet show. The teaching team said it was a fabulous show with great learning outcomes for the children around protecting bird life. Birdlife Productions are returning to Wellington in March 2019 so get in quick if you would like to have them visit your kindergarten. 
Wanted Johnsonville Kindergarten are wanting to expand their glue gun area to give children more space to work. They are looking for a table that is over 1 metre in length and not quite 1 metre wide. If you have a spare table, can you please email the team at Johnsonville, with a photo of the table, so they can see if it will fit in their space. Thanks.
For Sale 
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