Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero.  Cyber Security Update An update will be emailed to all kindergartens this afternoon.
Amy Weightman Takes Up Senior Position At Whānau Manaaki Office Amy Weightman has been appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer. The Chief Operating Officer is a new role, with responsibility for systems, processes and operations within the organisation. You may recognise Amy from her role on Whānau Manaaki’s Governance Board. Aside from that role, Amy has worked for New Zealand Police for 17 years, including in senior management roles and strategic leadership. Amy’s two children attended Owhiro Bay Kindergarten (among others), and Amy’s partner Donna Eden is an early childhood teacher who has previously worked in several of our kindergartens. Amy takes up her position next month and is looking forward to a new adventure with Whānau Manaaki from a completely different perspective. 
Senior Teacher Update Kia ora koutou katoa, Professional Learning and Development We really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with some of you at PLD over the term break, whether this was at combined sessions such as First Aid, Child Protection, Leaderful Practice, the Hikoi in Whanganui, or through your ST being involved in your Teacher Only Day. We appreciate your engagement and contribution to ensuring that these are valuable learning opportunities for us all. We are keen to hear any feedback that you may have around the PLD that you were involved in, so please let your ST know if you have any comments/ suggestions or would like any follow up from anything that you attended. Head Teachers Meetings Please check the dates for this term and put them in your diary. We look forward to having Mandy Coulston at each of these meetings to share some key messages. We will also be continuing with our work around the roll out of the new Te Manawa document. KH | Monday 16 August 2021 | Te Takare Levin Rimu Room & Totara | HUTT | Tuesday, 17 August 2021 | Matariki Community Centre | WH/CP | Wednesday, 18 August 2021 | St Johns Club | P1 & 2 | Monday 23 August 2021 | Te Puna | CN | Tuesday 24 August 2021 | Te Puna | W | Wednesday 25 August 2021 | Carterton Events Centre | CS | Thursday 26 August 2021 | ASB Sports Centre – please note this is a change of venue. |
Senior Head Teacher Meeting We look forward to seeing all our Senior Head Teachers and Assistant Head Teachers at our PLD day on the 11 August, 2021. Please check your emails for details of the agenda and location and make sure you have enrolled via Tohunohuno, including any dietary requirements you may have. Renewing Your Practising Certificate If you need any help with renewing your practising certificate or with the new online process feel free to contact your Senior Teacher or one of the ST team for help. A reminder also that when nominating your endorser this must be a Senior Teacher. If you are a reliever you can choose a Senior Teacher who knows you, or alternatively that has responsibility for a kindergarten you frequently work in. Here is a link to the Teaching Council website.
Finance Update End of Month Infocare Cut-Off A reminder that this week is month end and we will be working on Board and Kindergarten reports for the month of July in the coming week. Your Infocare records for July need to be completed by end of day on Monday. This means we would like you to complete the following tasks in Infocare, up to and including Friday 30 July, as appropriate: - Sign in sheets marked in Infocare (actual attendance)
- Fee invoices (for the week ending 30 July) created and committed
- Staff timetables (“staff hour count”) for the week ending 30 July are completed
- Online sign off of your monthly roll return
- Any ratio, attendance or roll issues are communicated to the Porirua Association Office (please call Tania on 04 232 3069 or 0800 546 337)
- Print the Frequent Absence forms for May for all children that are highlighted Orange and Red (please call Tania if you need assistance)
Tania will follow up with you if she has any questions related to your records. June Kindergarten Reports and 2021/22 Budgets We have completed production of your 30 June year-end kindergarten reports and these will be distributed to you early next week. These are still subject to audit review so will be issued in “Draft”. Once our auditors have completed their review of your accounts over the coming weeks (and we have processed any adjustments they require) then we will issue your June reports as “Final”, most likely nearer the end of August. Thanks to all those who submitted your 2021/22 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 overall budget and financial targets for the coming year. Your approved 2020/21 budgets will be emailed to you early next week along with your June kindergarten reports. Thanks for your patience with this process as we’ve been managing a busy year-end period. PA1s Our financial outlook remains tight, as it has over the past few years, so we need to monitor our finances closely 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. 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. Unfortunately we are still facing challenges around the availability of goods and services (e.g. IT equipment and building contractors) which may impact on your PA1 spending plans (and the Association’s maintenance and capital programme). The property team will be in touch with you to advise of any work that is being scheduled for your kindergarten. Fraedom / Credit Card Receipts and Coding Timeframes A couple of reminders around credit card receipts and the processing of your transactions in Fraedom. The most common issue we see when reviewing your transactions in Fraedom is a missing or hidden GST number so when uploading your purchase documentation to the Fraedom receipt bank please can you check your image is clear and it includes the following details: transaction date, supplier name, GST number, details of items purchased, and all amounts. Also, we require you to have your transactions “completed” in Fraedom within a week of your purchasedate. Good habits that can help keep you on track are photographing or scanning your receipts ASAP after purchase and/or setting a regular weekly time when you login to Fraedom and complete your coding. If you have and questions related to your credit cards or Fraedom please get in touch with Fiona Bray, 04 232 1650 or Karyn Lewis, 027 550 3155 who will be happy to help. Term 3 2021 Whanau Contributions Your families may have asked about Term 3 requests for Whanau Contributions. Feel free to let them know that these will be emailed out later next week. Hard copies will also be delivered to kindergartens for distribution through “child pockets” in the following week. So that we have the most up to date information for our request letters can you please try and have all your children’s enrolment records in Infocare up to date by the end of day on Monday 2 August.
GOSH Thank you for your patience with the new GOSH platform.  We are currently working with the GOSH team to address the glitches in the new system and hope to have these sorted as soon as possible Please ignore your kindergarten “To Do” list at the moment as this is one of the areas we are still working on If you haven’t responded to the invitation from GOSH to the new system, please can you do this as soon as possible. If you are having any issues with GOSH or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Lorraine. Remember there is no such thing as a stupid question!
Practising Certificate If you have been issued a one-year Practising Certificate, please read below: From Monday 12 July 2021, the Teaching Council will once again be issuing 3-year practising certificates. For those teachers who hold an annual practising certificate the Teaching Council will automatically issue you with a new three-year practising certificate. Once you have received your new certificate please send a copy through to Pamela who will update your Tūhonohono record. The Teachers Council have sent through the following message, if you have any queries you can contact the Council direct: Our main priority is to ensure teachers have valid practising certificates. From Monday 12 July practising certificates will be issued for three years. For now, we will only ask teachers to pay the fees as they were prior to February 1, 2021, while we work through the issues about the new fees. For teachers renewing their practising certificate, this will mean a payment of $220.80. For those teachers who already hold an annual practising certificate we will issue them a three-year practising certificate. We may invoice for a top-up amount later.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi Workshop Lou is holding a workshop on Monday 2 August from 3pm to 5pm with the team at Tawa Central and has extended an invitation to anyone else who would like to join them. If you would like to go to this workshop please enrol in Tūhonohono.
Senior Teacher and Head Teacher Meetings Just a reminder that these meetings will be held in the first couple of weeks of August. If you have not already done so can you please enrol in Tūhonohono.
Hours And Kindergarten Models Change Whānau Manaaki continues to change operating models at kindergartens to meet community need. This includes moving to full year operation, which supports many families in many different communities. Since some of our school year kindergartens began moving to full year operation around five years ago, we have found that the numbers of families making use of these extra weeks has continued to grow. With more and more parents in the workforce, this trend is likely to continue. As well as looking at the number of weeks of operation, we have been considering the hours that kindergartens are open in response to different and changing needs. Two of our longer day kindergartens are looking to reduce their hours, with Toru Fetū in Porirua moving to close an hour earlier, at 4.30pm from this term. Toru Fetū will still open at 7.30am, meaning it is open for nine hours instead of ten. Owhiro Bay Kindergarten will change its hours from term four, to start at 8.00am instead of 7.30am, and the kindergarten will close at 5.00pm instead of 5.30pm. To remain relevant to our community needs kindergartens will continue to adapt.
Cook Islands Language Week 2021  Sunday 1 August – Saturday 7 August This year’s theme for ‘Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani – Cook Islands Language Week is ‘Ātuitui’ia au ki te Oneone o tōku ‘Ui Tupuna which means, connect me to the soil of my ancestors. The theme reflects on the journey of Cook Islands peoples in New Zealand, as well as the longing of young Cook Islanders to connect with their language, culture, and identity. Acknowledging that, while community elders are fundamental to the teaching and sharing of Cook Islands language, the leadership of young people as the next wave of cultural and language experts is also critical in keeping the connection to their homelands alive. This year’s theme also reflects the overarching 2021 Pacific Language Week theme of Wellbeing, by linking the importance of language to overall wellbeing. Planned activities and events will be held throughout New Zealand to showcase the richness of the Cook Islands language, culture and traditions. Some activities and key events for Cook Islands Language Week will also be available on the official NZ Cook Islands Language Week Facebook page so more people can learn, embrace and celebrate ‘Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani.
Whanganui Hikoi During PLD week in Whanganui kaiako had the opportunity to attend a hikoi led by Dr Mike Paki around significant sites in our area. This was organised through the Takatini Hauora, and was open to all early childhood practitioners. As you can see from some of the pictures, many of our teachers attended. Mandy, Lorraine and Lou also joined in the day. Through this opportunity kaiako were able to continue to strengthen knowledge of our local rohe. Ngā mihi nui to our ASL leads Tiffany Wagstaff (ex-teacher at Tōtara Puku) and Clare Zimmerman (teacher - Aramoho), for all their mahi around organising this amazing day. 
 
Māori Medium Education Success The Education Review Office has published a report on its website that highlights the success of Māori medium education. The research credits visionary leadership of Māori immersion education for transforming the education system. It says Māori children in Māori medium education are confident of their identity and have a deep sense of belonging. When they graduate, the have a desire to contribute to their hapu and iwi and to the revitalisation of Te Reo Māori. It shows the importance of nurturing learning environments, a holistic approach and involvement of whānau, hapu and iwi in school communities for Māori students to achieve. Here’s a link to the full report.
More Children In Poverty A report from the Child Poverty Action Group suggests an additional 18,000 children have been pushed into poverty after the first year of the Covid -19 pandemic. This research does not include the rising cost of housing so the figure may be worse. It is based on official statistics. Tamariki Māori and Pacific children were up to three times more likely than Pākehā children to be tipped into poverty. Report co-author Janet McAllister, said the government did not prioritise children and families sufficiently as it developed policy responses to the pandemic. "It is thanks to the collective efforts of iwi, hapū, community organisations, schools, whānau and families - and low-income children themselves - that the crisis of poverty was not even worse," McAllister said. Here’s a link to the report. Previous Kōrero Editions If you are wanting to access previous editions of the Kōrero you can find them at www.wmkindergartens.org.nz/archive or you can click here. It is a good idea to save this link as an icon on your desktop.
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