Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero. Today we begin to profile the Whanganui Kindergartens. It is awesome to read about the really great things they are doing. Remember to keep yourself up to date with the latest conference information. Jane. 
Pay Day 4 June Please can you have your timesheets, returns and Infocare confirmed and sent to timesheets@wmkindergartens.org.nz by 10am on Friday 31 May. With Monday 3 June being a Public Holiday there is extra pressure on the payroll team to get the pay processed on time. Your assistance with this is much appreciated. If you have any questions you can contact Karen at karen.skett@wmkindergartens.org.nz or on 021 857 826.
Property Update Barry Evans is away from work, on sick leave, for the next few weeks. As a result we are needing to prioritise property work. This means we may not get back to you in our usual timeframe, or be able to complete anything that isn’t urgent as quickly as usual. You can contact Rob for any urgent concerns on Robert.dunn@wmkindergartens.org.nz
PA1 Cut-off The cut-off date for PA1’s related to Building & Environment work over the July term break is Friday 21 June 2019. Any questions please contact Lupeni.Aitogi@wmkindergartens.org.nz
Ministry Of Education RS7 Reporting Just a reminder that the Association has to report “RS7” information about your kindergarten to the Ministry of Education for the current funding period (1 February – 31 May 2019) by Friday 7 June 2019. All of the information we require is generated from your enrolment and staff timetable information in Infocare, so we need your help to ensure that all of this is complete and accurate. As with normal month end requirements can you please ensure that, for the all weeks in this funding period (which ends Friday 31 May), the following is completed in Infocare by 4pm on Tuesday 4 June: - Sign in sheets marked in Infocare (actual attendance)
- Fee invoices are created and committed
- Staff timetables (“staff hour count”) are completed
- Online sign off of your monthly roll return
- Frequent absence review competed
- Any ratio, attendance or roll issues are communicated to the Association (please call Tania or Cathryn)
If your support staff is unavailable to work on Tuesday can you please ensure arrangements are in place so that this deadline is met – this may mean that these tasks need to be completed by teaching staff before the cut off. We will be reviewing your Infocare RS7 data so you may receive reminder emails or queries on Wednesday 5 June. Note that no changes to Infocare for the 1 February – 31 May 2019 funding period will be able to be made after 4pm, Tuesday 4 June.
Tūmanako He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua as a Te Tiriti o Waitangi-based Organisation Click here to see the final paper regarding He Whānau Manaaki’s position as a Tiriti-based organisation. It is called– Tūmanako. It will form the basis of Action Plans relating to Te Tiriti and as part of that, to sustainability. These plans will be circulated to you in draft by the end of this term so you can have input into them. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this work. Tumanako is an important document because it forms the foundation for the Association’s operation. And from here, the continuing work will be around the actions we take and the way our philosophy develops.
Leaderful Practice Cluster Abstract: Learning to be educational leaders who are equipped to support high quality and equitable education in New Zealand is a multi-faceted and complex process. In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on developing all teachers’ capabilities as leaders. In response to this emphasis, we will be using a cluster approach to provide PLD around building leaderful practice during 2019. Being involved in the cluster means: - Attending three workshops over the year, that are framed around the nine capabilities identified in the recently published Educational Leadership Capability Framework – can we put a hyper link in here?
- Undertaking a small inquiry around some aspect of leaderful practice.
The second of these workshops will be on 10 July, from 9.30am – 12.30pm (in the term break) and will be available simultaneously across three regions: - At WMK office with Lynette Wray and Lyn Wright.
- Caterton Kindergarten, in the Wairarapa, with Catha Ritchie
- Waikanae Kindergarten, on the Kapiti Coast, with Tania Jack
In order to achieve this, the workshop in the Porirua region will be live-streamed through zoom. As above each regional venue will supported by at least one senior teacher, providing face-to-face facilitation. It is recommended that you attend all three of the workshops but if you missed the first session and wish to enrol please feel free to give Fiona Twaddle a call and discuss which cluster you might like to join. PLEASE NOTE: This PLD is NOT specifically focused on being a positional leader (e.g. Head Teacher). You can attend this PLD if you are interested in leaderful practice, regardless of whether or not you aspire to be a positional leader
Scam Callers  Just a reminder to always be vigilant when taking phone calls. We have had notification from a number of kindergartens advising they have been receiving phone calls from callers purporting to be from Spark. Do not, under any circumstance, give out personal information over the telephone. If you have any queries you can contact Tania.
Office Staff Profiles Today we profile our transport team.  Back Row, Moz, Scott, Jolie, Ian. Front Row, Menime, Chayna, Rita The transport team pick up children and drop them off to their TONI Educator or to kindergarten. They also transport educators and their children to playgroup. Three vans are on the road each day transporting over 90 children with many more children on our waiting list. The team develop amazing relationships with the children and are referred to as "aunty" or "uncle" by them, showing just how much the children love the team. If you see them out and about in our marked vans, or in their branded clothing remember to give them a toot and a wave! Check out the video below for more information about this service.
Waiouru, Ohakune and Taihape Kindergartens As you know, the Whanganui Kindergarten Association’s 15 kindergartens are joining us from 1 July and we will be featuring these kindergartens over the next few weeks. Most of the kindergartens are in the city itself, but there are three on the central plateau – Waiouru, Ohakune and Taihape – while Maxwell Kindergarten is in a rural area north west of Whanganui.  Ohakune Kindergarten borders Tongariro National Park and takes advantage of its mountain location, respecting the maunga of Ruapehu, known as koro Ruapehu. Kindergarten children spend a lot of time outdoors in all kinds of weather, and look forward to snow each year. “Our children are very resilient” says Justine, one of the teaching team, and the seasons provide learning opportunities. Ohakune has a strong bicultural programme and links with Ngati Rangi who are very supportive. Instead of Matariki the kindergarten celebrates Puanga, as the Matariki stars are not readily visible, and the next important star is known as Puanga. The kindergarten begins its Māori new year celebrations with a visit to the mountain at 4 am, this year on 10 June. This community event, held on a Saturday, is followed by breakfast. The kindergarten holds many other celebrations, including a pets’ day in conjunction with nearby Ohakune school and blokes’ night, which involves Dads and other significant males, and dessert features prominently. Here’s a link to Ohakune’s current web page.  Waiouru Kindergarten and care centre is situated in large, attractive grounds within the Waiouru Military Camp, around 30 kms away from Ohakune. With its magnificent view of the mountains, the kindergarten focuses on its place based programme. Most of the families that attend are connected to the army, and the army provides strong support to the kindergarten, particularly when working bees are needed. Because of the nature of Waiouru as a military base, the families are close knit and connected. Families are encouraged to spend time at the kindergarten. Postings to Waiouru are often for two years, so there are changes as families move elsewhere and new arrivals move in. The kindergarten is open from 7.30am to 5.30pm and caters for children from birth until school age. At the moment, Katrina, head teacher at Titahi Bay Kindergarten, is acting head teacher at Waiouru. Here’s a link to the current webpage for the kindergarten. And here’s a link to the Facebook page.  Taihape Kindergarten is around 20 minutes drive from Waiouru, and is just behind the well-known Gumboot sculpture, at the foot of Mount Stewart. The kindergarten has large grounds which families appreciate. Head teacher Lisa says the things that make Taihape special include the relationship with local iwi, Mokai Patea, and the strong bicultural programme. Taihape operates a holiday programme each holiday for up to 20 children and children on the waiting list often start through the holiday programme. While most children come for six hour sessions, Taihape offers seven hour days for up to 20 children, which suits many families. Here’s a link to the Taihape Kindergarten webpage and here is a link to their facebook page.
Samoan Language Week Many events have been held this week to celebrate Samoan Language week. It is awesome to see so many people take advantage of this. Here are some snippets of what some of our kindergartens have been up to over the week. 
Nuanua - Talofa lava families, this week we celebrate 'Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa' Samoa language week with all children and families at Nuanua kindergarten. Come and join us if you are free. Look at how beautiful our environment is for children and families!! 
Katoa –Talofa, 'Weave an environment for a better future' is the focus for Samoan Language Week. We have started our celebrations by learning the weather and names of body parts in Samoan and the tamariki got to try a Samoan drink of pineapple and watermelon (faafetai Helen for making this) which went down well.  
Johnsonville full day - Talofa Lava, we are currently celebrating Samoan language week. At mat time today (and throughout the week) Feiloaiga has taught us gagana Samoa (language), aganuu (culture, customs and traditions) and siva/pese (dance/songs). The children (and teachers) took part in a siva and throughout, we learnt and practiced some of its traditions - about how the boys and men go at the back and the women and girls go at the front. Adrian very ably modelled the Lavalava😉 We look forward to more fun and learning Tofā Soifua!  
Tui Park - Talofa lava!!
Grating fresh coconut to make coconut bread today!! Tautalatala from our tamariki, “this is hard work”, “the Kana is sharp”, “practice practice practice”, “have a go”, It was “yummy”, “it tastes like raspberry buns”, “shall we do it again?”
Budget 2019 A Disappointment For Early Childhood Education The government has increased spending for early childhood education by 1.8 per cent, which will compensate services for inflation, but will not improve the funding picture overall. It does not begin to address the government’s promise to reinstate the funding for 100 per cent qualified teachers in early learning services. The government has promised to deliver this within its first term. While there are some policies that will help families and children, early childhood services are likely to continue to struggle especially those like kindergartens which employ 100 per cent qualified teachers. Whānau Manaaki Chief Executive Amanda Coulston says, while the focus on well-being including child well-being is welcome, the government has not specifically acknowledged the important role that early childhood education plays in supporting the wellbeing of children and families by restoring funding levels. “We need quality services for all children, and that means qualified teachers and the funding to support them” says Amanda. The government’s wellbeing budget prioritised mental health spending, with a new frontline service and overall spending of $1.9 billion. Mental health services will be provided in GP clinics, in iwi health services and in other health services so people can have easy access to mental health workers. There is also more money for addiction services and for suicide prevention, as well as money for improving community programmes for Māori and Pacific people. The government has also indexed benefits to wage increases, but this falls short of the welfare advisory group recommendation which was that benefits need to rise by up to 47 per cent, and then be indexed. Lower decile schools (decile one to seven) will also be given extra funding in place of parents’ donations, while the nurses in schools scheme will be expanded. An extra $80 million dollars has been made available for the Whānau Ora programme. Other initiatives for child wellbeing, such as the funding to address family and sexual violence had already been announced, as had further support for young people moving out of state care. Money has been set aside for Te Reo Māori initiatives, with $19.8 million going to programmes over four years including Maihi Karauna which aims to have one million people speaking basic Te Reo.
Free Event At Porirua Library  The Porirua Library has an exciting event coming up that may be of interest to your kindergarten and kindergarten community. They have renowned author Sharon Holt, of Te Reo Singalong Books fame, coming to visit City Centre Library in two weeks. She will be presenting a set of her singalong stories, with puppet assistance, and lots of laughs. The show is happening on June 11, 1.40pm, and will be finished in time for pick-up. If you intend to take a large group, please email in advance to Bee.Trudgeon@poriruacity.govt.nz
Active Retirement Looms 
Jenny Braaksma is looking forward to having more time to catch up with people after retiring from York Street Kindergarten this week. Jenny has been at York Street for more than 40 years, after starting there in 1976, with a few years off when her own children were young. Whenever she is in town, she always meets people she knows, but usually she is too busy to stop and talk. “Now I’ll have time for a chat, not rushing off to work.” With so long in the community Jenny has seen several generations of many families come through kindergarten. “I’ve really enjoyed myself as a teacher in this community” she says. Jenny plans an active retirement with her husband who has also retired after giving long service to the Wellington Regional Council. Their first plan involves travelling by campervan to visit grandchildren in Te Anau. Jenny grew up in Invercargill and enjoyed many holidays at Lake Manapouri, so she is no stranger to the south. Both Jenny and Stanley enjoy the outdoors and last year they travelled from Cape Reinga to Bluff by bike, on the Te Araroa trail. She has seen many changes in her time in the kindergarten movement, with teachers now enjoying greater understanding of the important role the early years plan in setting children up for life. Both Jenny and her husband have featured in local newspaper stories, because of the role they have played in the communities they have served. A retirement function will be held for Jenny next month to celebrate her long career.
This Week On Facebook  
Mana Atua He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Staff Conference 2019 Update No 4 Kia Ora Koutou Welcome to our fourth conference update – don’t forget to print it off (if you want to) so you have a record of it for easy reference for your whole team. We’ll be putting updates in each weekly edition of Kōrero. Accommodation The really urgent thing for you to do if you live in Waikanae or further north, or if you live in the Wairarapa is to email Lorraine at Lorraine.coulston@wmkindergartens.org.nz now if you want accommodation. You definitely need to have done this done by 1 June, but please, if you know you want accommodation, just email Lorraine after reading this.It’s a pretty huge task to facilitate accommodation for all staff requiring it, so thanks. Remember: non-teaching staff who are attending the workshops etc on the Monday morning (8 July) are able to stay over on the Sunday night (if you live in Waikanae or further north, or if you live in the Wairarapa), and others who are attending the teacher conference on the Tuesday (9 July) and want to stay over on the Monday night (if you live in Waikanae or further north, or if you live in the Wairarapa) are the ones who need to email Lorraine now. Administrators and Teacher Aides Conference Registration Administrators and Teacher Aids please can you confirm your attendance by emailing Tania.Braybrook@wmkindergartens.org.nz by Friday 21 June 2019. In this email can you please include any specific dietary requirements for Monday lunch. All Staff Conference Registration ENROLMENT OPENS THROUGH HR.Net on Monday 10 June 2019 at 9am - registration will be open until Friday 21 June at 5.00pm. Further information regarding registering for conference will be provided in next week’s Kōrero. As with previous years, please do not try to register before Monday 10 June at 9.00am! Whole Staff Meeting The following is some information for teams regarding attendance at the Whole Staff Meeting which starts at 12.45pm on Monday 8 July 2019. Teachers and Kindergarten-based Students The Whole Staff Meeting on Monday afternoon is compulsory for all permanent and long-term relieving Teachers and KBSs. It will be four hours. If a teacher or KBS doesn’t usually work on a Monday, or works less than four hours, they will be paid for this extra time. They will need to fill in a time-sheet for these extra hours, which we will have available at the sign-in desk. There will be someone at the sign in desk to help you if you are not used to filling in a timesheet. Relievers Relievers who attend the Whole Staff Meeting on Monday afternoon will be paid for four hours. This information will be taken from the sign-in sheet available before the meeting so Relievers will need to sign in, in order to be paid. Kindergarten Support Staff (Administrators, Teacher Aides, Kaimahi, Cooks) Full Year Kindergartens - this is normally an Annual Leave week for Full Year Support Staff, because kindergartens are closed. Any Full Year Support Staff who normally work on a Monday and who attend the whole staff meeting will not have Annual Leave deducted for that time, and can take Annual Leave for their normal hours at another time. If they attend for more hours than they normally work on a Monday, they will be paid for that extra time. If a Full Year Support Staff person, who doesn’t normally work on a Monday, attends one or both sessions, they will be paid for that time. Information for pay and leave will be taken from the sign-in sheets available at both sessions so Support Staff will need to sign in for either or both sessions they attend. Part Year Kindergartens - this is normally an unpaid, ‘unworked’ week for Part Year Support Staff as it is term break. Any Part Year Support Staff who attend on Monday will receive additional pay for that time. Information for pay will be taken from the sign-in sheets available at both sessions so Support Staff will need to sign in for either or both sessions they attend. Exciting MC’s for Monday 9 July & Tues 10 July This year Nikau Te Huki who was the MC at last year’s conference will again be reprising this role however this year he will be supported by Karen O’Leary. As well as previously being an Early Childhood Teacher, you will recognize Karen from the roles she has played in movies “What We Do in the Shadows” and “The Breaker Upperers” and more recently in the television show “Wellington Paranormal”. Further Speakers Confirmed This week we’re really pleased to profile some more of the presenters and workshop facilitators we have confirmed for our Staff Conference. The following are extracts are drawn largely from our presenters’ & facilitators' biographies. On the Tuesday 9 July: Anjum Rahman is an Accountant by trade but she also commits to various volunteer roles in the community. She was a founding member of the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand, an organisation formed in 1990 to bring Muslim women together and represent their concerns. Over the years, she has been Chair, secretary, and for many years, the media spokesperson. She has also been a founding member and trustee of Shama (Hamilton Ethnic Women’s Centre), a social service organisation that provides support to ethnic women through its social work service, life-skills classes and community development. She is a founding member of the Campaign for Consent Waikato, an organisation working on sexual violence prevention, and in that role, has been involved a number of programmes to raise community awareness. The organisation has been working on setting up an agency network to co-ordinate activities within Hamilton, as well as pushing for research into the prevalence and impact of sexual violence in ethnic communities. Anjum has been an active member of the Waikato Interfaith Council for over a decade, a trustee of the Trust that governs Hamilton’s community access broadcaster, Free FM, and a trustee of the Ethnic New Zealand Trust. The latter undertakes projects to promote awareness of human rights within the community. Along with these roles, she writes poetry, is a member of the interfaith choir and is a mother of two. She takes on various public speaking engagements on a voluntary basis. Her favourite activity, for reasons which should be evident, is sleeping. Logo Grainger and his wife Vanessa work within the Porirua community, alongside people to identify their health issues and work with them to better their health and lifestyle. Logo was a hairdresser in a previous life but became interested in health and wellbeing as a result of wanting to make life style changes in his own life. The title of Logo’s workshop at conference is "Wellness - Balance in All Things". He will focus on the work he does in the community getting alongside people to identify their health issues and working with them to better their health and lifestyle. This is not done by telling them what to do, what they can or cannot eat, but by educating them on the effects of food, and what it actually does to our bodies. The aim is to empower people to make informed choices about food by providing researched and up-to-date nutrition information, regular assessment, accountability and encouragement to help people stay on track. The goal is to ensure lifestyle advice given is always specific to the person/family’s needs so they can obtain the results they want and deserve! ‘Ai ia ola – Eat to live’ Mid - Year Celebration his year we are going to hold the Whole Staff Celebration on the Monday night (July 8) of conference atMacs Bar from 5pm to 9pm. This is in place of the end of year celebration we had at Macs Bar last year. We are aware that it can be difficult for staff who live outside of the Wellington area to attend our end of year celebration, so we thought we’d try to have a celebration at a time when most people would be in Wellington. We will be putting on food and having subsidised drinks. This will be a wonderful opportunity to mix and mingle with each other. We haven’t decided how we will organise end of year celebrations going forward – this will be something we’d welcome your feedback on. Feel free to email Hannah onHannah.toomaga@wmkindergartens.org.nzwith any ideas.
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