Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero. This year the AGM will is being held at Owhiro Bay Kindergarten on Tuesday 22 September at 7.30pm. We are seeking both community and staff representatives. Board meetings are held once every month usually in the Porirua office, with two or three being held during the day and the others in the evening. Zoom is also available to provide board members the opportunity to join in without having to be physically at every meeting. If you have any whānau who you think may be interested in standing for the board – encourage them to get in contact with me and I can let them know more detail. Also, if you are interested in standing as a staff representative have a chat with either myself or one of the current staff representatives: Iona To-omaga (Moira Gallagher Kindergarten) or Christina Rizos (Owhiro Bay Kindergarten). E hara taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective. Jane 
Finance Update ANZ Banking We have been informed by ANZ that the Fast Deposit Envelope option for cash and cheque deposits is being removed from 1 August 2020. Any banking done from this date will need to utilize ANZ’s Fast Deposit Bags, which are tamper proof. We have attached here the ANZ’s ‘Getting Started’ instruction document which you can refer to so you are clear on how to complete this type of deposit. If you need more Fast Deposit Bags they can be collected from your nearest ANZ Branch. We will be issuing you with new Deposit Books in the weeks to come, which you will need to use with the Fast Deposit Bags moving forward. In the meantime, please continue to use your existing books. 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 tomorrow. This means we would like you to complete the following tasks in Infocare, up to and including Friday 31 July, as appropriate: - 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 Wellington Association Office (please call Tania on 04 232 3069 or 0800 546 337) Tania will follow up with you if she has any questions related to your records. Finance Team Changes There have been a few changes in the Finance Team over the last few weeks. Cathryn Wong has left us and we have welcomed Julie Muller to the team. As a result there have been a few changes to “who does what” in the team. Here is an updated version of who you should contact in the finance team for the support you need. The full office list should be in next week's Kōrero.
Learning Support Updates Here are the learning Support Network Meetings dates and Topics for this term: - Monday 7 Sept, Carterton Events Centre, 3.30pm to 5pm. Topic: Sensory Needs with Lisa Scott OT, Sarah Balmain-Chin and Rebekka (EITs)
- Tuesday 8 Sept, Cossie Club Upper Hutt, 3.30pm to 5pm. Topic: Strategies that help tamariki build resilience, Soreen Scahill
- Thursday 10 Sept, Southwards Car Museum, 3.30pm to 5pm. Topic: Strategies that help tamariki build resilience, Soreen Scahill
- Thursday 17 Sept, Whanau Manaaki - Te Puna, 3.30pm to 5pm Topic: Strategies that help tamariki build resilience, Soreen Scahill
If you are keen to participate in these please enrol on HR.net.
Opportunities for Storypark PLD: Term 3 2020 The planned Storypark PLD, that was to be held via zoom, could not go ahead earlier this year due to the rāhui. We are now keen to offer more opportunities for you to continue on your Storypark journey via two zoom sessions this term. The focus for this term will be around using the Planning Function and in particular setting up your Appraisal Action Plans on Storypark. We aim to have time for responding to your questions too. We will also record each session so that you can revisit the information shared. The first one is scheduled for Thursday 6 August from 3.30 -4.30 pm, and the second one for Thursday 27 August from 3.30 – 4.30. If you and/or your team are interesting in being part of either of these sessions please enrol on HR.Net or contact Kaz on Karen.craig@wmkindergarten.org.nz and we will send more detailed instructions about joining in via zoom. Numbers for each session will be limited to 20 participants. If you have any questions, please email Lynette lynette.wray@wmkindergartens.org.nz
New 2020 Leaderful Practice Cluster Postponed Till 2021 In March 2020 we advertised that we were offering another PLD opportunity for any teachers who were interested in growing their leaderful practice who had not been able to participate in the 2019 Leaderful Practice Cluster. Unfortunately the COVID 19 restrictions meant that we were not able to begin this mahi, and we have now decided to delay starting a new leaderful practice cluster until the beginning of 2021. We thank those of you who expressed interest in the PLD earlier, and hope that you will join us in 2021. We are not asking for expressions of interest at this stage, we will do that early in the new year, but if you do want to ask anything, please email fiona.twaddle@wmkindergartens.org.nz. 2019 Leaderful Practice cluster We will be contacting those teachers who were involved in the 2019 Leaderful practice cluster in a separate email about dates for continuing this cluster in 2020.
Election 2020  As mentioned in last week's edition of the Kōrero we will be distributing banners to our most visible kindergartens. The banners are just under 2 metres and can be placed on your fence. So if you are lucky to receive one of these banners at your kindergarten please display it for all the world to see! The results of the general election can mean huge changes for our kindergartens, tamariki and whānau. 
Join The WM Board This year we are looking for both staff and parent representation on the WM Board. Click on the heading to download the following forms: The poster below can be printed out and put on your kindergarten notice board to encourage your teachers and community to put themselves forward. 
TONI Recruitment Shortly we will be recruiting for our next intake of TONI homebased educators. These educators are based in our Levin and Porirua areas. You may have whānau at your kindergarten, or in your wider circle of friends, who will be interested in knowing more about this opportunity. We will be holding an education evening in Levin in the next couple of weeks. Check out the details below and please print off the posters to put in your kindergarten. 
Cook Islands Language Week / Te ‘epetoma o te reo Māori Kuki Airani It’s Cook Island language week beginning on Sunday 2 August. The theme for the week is Kia pūāvai tō tātou reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani i Aotearoa.
That the Cook Islands Māori language may blossom throughout New Zealand. Here’s a link to the Ministry resources for the week, with some ideas about phrases to use, artwork ideas, music, dance and more. 
Shakeout 2020  In October, your kindergarten can be part of the national earthquake drill and tsunami hikoi. You can sign up to be part of it: New Zealand ShakeOut - Get Ready website. It’s at 9.30 am on Thursday 15 October.
It’s a great chance to join with schools services and other organisations around the country to do a ‘Drop, Cover and Hold’ drill, and plan a tsunami hīkoi if you are in a tsunami zone.
Refreshed Māori Education Strategies The Ministry of Education has released a “refreshed” Māori education strategy, including Ka Hikitia for Māori learners and Tau Mai Te Reo for Māori language in education for all. The strategies are about giving practical effect to the Treaty of Waitangi and achieving equitable outcomes for Māori. The Ministry says it will work on implementing the strategies with early learning services and schools over the coming months. Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens is considering our work in relation to the refreshed strategies in the next few weeks, so look out for more information about this. Here’s a link to a visual representation of the Ka Hikitia strategy in Māori and English which gives a good overview for teachers and parents.
Greens Release Education Policy The Green Party has released its education policy, which says: “every child deserves a high-quality free accessible public education that gives them the best possible start in life.” The policy includes: - a commitment to equity and recognising the role that housing income and health have on a child’s education
- increasing early childhood funding and prioritising pay equity for ECE teachers
- fully funding the costs of 20 hours free
- a target for 100 per cent qualified teachers in all services
- working towards a sustainable funding framework for community-run centres including kindergartens
- providing early childhood education on school sites as part of community hubs that also include health services and adult education
- increase funding for kura kaupapa, kohanga reo, and mainstream te reo and to support Māori medium teachers and teacher scholarships
- improved ratios
- increased funding for outdoor environmental education – to get kids into nature
- support for ECE services to have policies resources and programmes to create inclusive environments free of racism, bullying and violence
Here’s a link to the full policy.
Teachers Take Action Teachers at several community based early childhood services around the country took action last Friday following dissatisfaction with pay offers made in their employment negotiations. The teachers are covered by the Early Childhood Education Collective agreement (ECECA) and the Barnardos agreement. The teachers’ union, NZEI Te Riu Roa says they say they are on average paid 24 per cent less than kindergarten or primary teachers. Here’s a photo of some of the more than 100 teachers gathered in Dunedin’s Octagon last week. Meanwhile, a petition on pay parity was discussed at the Education and Workforce select committee this week, after being presented earlier in the year. The petition had 15,000 signatures. 
New Law Limits The Number Of New Centres That Can Open The government has passed the Education and Training bill, which limits new licenses that can be issued for early childhood services. Rather than new services setting up and getting funding as of right, people will now need to prove that there is community need, that their service meets that need, and that they are suitable people to hold the license, and are financially viable. This should stop the unfettered expansion of centres in areas that already have too many, and the ‘churn’ as new centres open and seek to attract children and families and teachers. This should be good for kindergartens, as oversupply generally leads to falling rolls for existing services. It should also curb incentives - at the moment, some teachers get a finder’s fee for persuading a friend to work at a new service, while families may be encouraged to change centres for a fees free period or free nappies etc. The new law also increases the fines for services operating in breach of their license conditions.
Electorate Reps Visit Waikanae Kindergarten 
Reasons For Celebration! At Doris Nicholson kindergarten last week there was a double reason for having a celebration. It was Matariki and it was also Des's 92nd birthday!! You will have read in previous editions of the Kōrero that Des is a great friend of everyone in the Doris Nicholson Kindergarten community and visits regularly. A birthday cake was presented to Des and then he stayed on to join in the feast festivities celebrating Matariki.  
Aramoho Celebrate Matariki It was a wonderful opportunity to have the Aramoho Kindergarten community come together to celebrate Matariki last week. The children performed their waitata so well in front of all of their whānau.  
This Week On Facebook  
Handy Facebook Pages  Te Awakairangi Health Network. Te Awakairangi Health Network (TeAHN) is a dynamic and innovative organisation that plans, funds and provides a wide range of primary healthcare services.
This may be different in each area, but health services like these can make a huge difference for our families. By following these pages you can find out about resources and opportunities that may help your kindergarten whanau!
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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