Nau mai ki te pānui tênei ko te Kōrero. 
Covid-19 Update Vaccination Update Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens is continuing to work through developing a policy on vaccination, following the end of the vaccination mandate for the education sector. We are working closely with other kindergartens, and with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. We will keep you informed as we do this work. In the meantime, please keep having your booster shots as they become due and remember to send your proof of vaccination to Nicole at the Whānau Manaaki office. The address is covidvac@wmkindergartens.org.nz. So far, 759 people have sent in this information. Thank you for your continued cooperation. PLD in the April Break We are really aware of the challenges that our staff, children, and their whānau have faced during this latest Omicron outbreak. In efforts to take some of the pressure off, we have cancelled all workshops and other professional development for the April Term Break. The only thing that will continue is the First Aid course – we didn’t want you to have to come back and do an extended one because you missed this one, that would have just added more stress to your lives! We will reschedule the workshops, hui etc that were planned and will let you know at a later date. If you have any questions, talk to your Senior Teacher (as always 😊)
Senior Teacher Update A reminder that your compliance checks are due for completion by 8 April 2022. As you will be aware, compliance checks took place when we completed the Annual Review process. As this process is under review, we have adjusted the way compliance checks will look. The Teachers Toolbox holds the Compliance Plan. Within this plan the document called, ‘WMK Internal Compliance Check List-ERO Assurance Statement’ has been adapted with ‘notes’ to support you to complete your kindergarten’s compliance check. Please note this document is not to send to ERO, we are using it as an internal tool to support our compliance process. Please read the blurb on the first page, and talk with your Senior Teacher if you need support, or alternatively you can connect with Leanne Nelson or Raewyn Mckenna. FYI, if, as a result of carrying out this compliance review, you become aware of property matters that need to be addressed, please make contact with your senior teacher and discuss. Please do not contact Rob Dunn or the property team directly until you and your senior teacher have talked about your findings and developed a plan of action.
Hazards In week nine of each term there are two tasks for Hazard Management that need to be undertaken: - Review of Hazard Register
- Review of Termly Hazard Checklist
Review of Hazard Register This is an opportunity to update your Hazard Register to include the answer to this question: Does the hazard still exist? If it does, review it to see if there are any changes to your actions and approaches to manage this hazard. As a result of feedback from teams, GOSH has created a more user-friendly way to review your hazards. You will see now that there is a new icon on your ‘My Kindergarten’ view. There is a new form called ‘Kindergarten Hazard Review Audit’ (see below). This form has simplified the process for review as you no longer need to edit each hazard individually, instead a tick box has been created where you look at the hazards and if it still exists, and you are happy with the ‘controls’, then you just tick the box. Upon completing this record, all related hazard records on your Hazard Register will be updated to reflect this review. Review of Termly Hazard Checklist The Hazard checklist can be completed on GOSH and can be found in the “What would you like to report” section on the home page (please see the red circle below). Any hazards that are identified during this process that cannot be eliminated immediately are then entered onto your kindergartens Hazard Register using GOSH. 
Property Canvasland Shade Sails Removal / Reinstatement Recently Canvasland released, in consultation with WMK, a new process for shade sail removal and reinstatement: - Teams to inform/confirm with Canvasland the number of sails they have onsite
- Pedestrian access to be left unlocked over the term break period
Storage The Association will work with Canvasland on the impacted sites to co-ordinate storage of the sails. Winter period - All shade sails will be scheduled to be taken down over this period, whether you have requested this or not
- All shade sails will be removed, checked for repairs and left at your facility for you to store if no repairs are required
- If repairs are required, the shade sails will be brought back to our premises. Following repairs, the shade sails will remain in our storage until scheduled reinstallation over the Term 3 break
Please note in one or two instances shade sails may remain up during the winter period. This will ONLY BE PERMITTED by emailing the property team by Wednesday 6 April. A property team member will follow-up your email. Other shade sail providers Due to the geographical spread of WMK facilities, we ask those that DO NOT have Canvasland shade sails to work with your shade sail provider as you have in the past.
Finance Fee Rate Changes Infocare – New Child Timetables We have completed the first stage of fee changes in Infocare and have added the new fee structures that apply to your kindergarten from the start of Term 2. You should now be seeing these options available: “Fee (aged 3 & over) – new” “Fee (aged under 3) – new” Next week a team of us (Tania, Robyn, Nicole and Mugdha) will start work on adding new child timetables for all your kindergarten children, effective 2 May 2022. Please don’t make any child timetable changes, including new enrolments, in Infocare between Monday 4 April and Friday 29 April. These need to be communicated to Tania Braybrook (via email) so we can manage the changes in Infocare in the lead up to Term 2. If you have any questions please get in touch with Tania. End of Month Infocare Cut-Off A reminder that this week is financial month end and we will be working on our March Board and Kindergarten reporting shortly. To help us with this, we would be grateful if you could have your Infocare records for this week completed by noon on Monday 4 April. This means we would like you to complete the following tasks in Infocare up to and including Friday 1 April, as appropriate: - Sign in sheets marked in Infocare (actual attendance)
- Fee invoices created and committed (if applicable)
- Staff timetables (“staff hour count”) completed
- Online sign off of your monthly roll return
- Print frequent absences for March
- Any ratio, attendance or roll issues are communicated to Tania.
Relievers We know that at the moment it can be particularly challenging to find a reliever. We are working hard in the People Team to get as many relievers processed and available to work in our kindergartens as soon as possible. In the last month we have employed: - 27 new registered relievers
- 19 new untrained relievers
We are currently working through the process for: - 13 untrained relievers/support staff, waiting on their Police Vets
- 8 registered relievers who have applied to be on the list and will be interviewed over the next 2 weeks.
Staff Sync Just a reminder, please make sure you update your calendar if you’re unavailable to work. This allows the reliever coordinators to know who is available for work.
Kindergartens Feature in National Education Magazine The latest journal Ako, from NZEI Re Riu Roa features many of our teachers talking about culture and identity and how it is celebrated in our kindergartens. The issue has the theme of histories, and the article Nō hea Koe? (Where are you from?) includes examples from Nuanua, Toru Fetū and Tui Park Kindergartens. Here’s a link to the story: Nō hea koe? Where are you from? – AKO (akojournal.org.nz)
Jacinda Adern Visits Nuanua Kindergarten Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens welcomed Prime Minister Jacinda Adern to Nuanua Kindergarten today, to address media in regards to the range of family income changes coming into effect tomorrow. The Prime Minister was joined by Minister of Social Development Carmel Sepuloni, Minister of Transport and Workplace Relations and Safety Michael Wood and Mana MP Barbara Edmond. The Prime Minister and her group were greeted into Nuanua with a Turou (Cook Island welcome) performed by Papa Tuainekore Tengaru. Reverand Falkland Liuvaie of Porirua Pacific Islanders Presbyterian Church made opening remarks, followed by Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens Community Services Lead Lealamanu'a Aiga Caroline Mareko, before the Prime Minister spoke at the lectern. Through-out the event children who were attending Nuanua Kindergarten sang and gave gifts to the dignitaries. The event was a wonderful representation of our association and the important work that we all do. 
Family Incomes to Rise A range of changes come into effect tomorrow which will improve the finances of many of our families. Main benefit rates will increase by between $36 to $55 a week, depending on family size and the type of benefit. The adult minimum wage goes up from $20 to $21.20 per hour, while the training rate goes up as well from $16 to $16.96. Around eight per cent of the workforce is on the minimum wage, and for a 40 hour week that means an increase of around $48. Changes to the family tax credit are expected to lift 6,000 children out of poverty with 346,0000 families being around $20 a week better off. Superannuation will increase by $52 per fortnight for a single person, and $80 for a couple. The income threshold has been raised for childcare assistance, so more families will qualify for this. Public transport fares will be halved for the next three months, as a response to the fuel crisis. Student allowances are also rising in line with inflation, while refugee student support is extended to make access easier. Despite the increases, welfare and budget advisory groups say many families will still face a shortfall because of rising costs, particularly housing.
Fair Pay Agreements Expected to Affect Early Childhood Sector The early childhood sector is expected to be one of the first to be covered when Fair Pay legislation is enacted. A bill was introduced into the house this week which will set national agreements for certain sectors and industries. Fair pay agreements will cover all those working in a sector once 10 per cent of the workforce or 1,000 people request an agreement be negotiated. "This is an opportunity for kaiako and kaimahi to lock in the fair pay and working conditions they deserve, and by doing so ensure the provision of high-quality early childhood education for tamariki," says NZEI Te Riu Roa early childhood education representative Virginia Oakly. A Fair Pay agreement could help the Government deliver on its promise of parity rates for early childhood teachers outside of kindergarten, who generally have lower pay and inferior conditions to those of kindergarten and schoolteachers. It could also improve pay rates for unqualified teachers and support staff.
Welcome Nga to the Senior Teaching Team 
Nga Ropu, who is taking up a position of acting senior teacher, was welcomed to Whānau Manaaki’s Porirua office this week. Nga has more than 20 years experience working in kindergarten. She has been head teacher at Awatea and Plimmerton Kindergartens and is being seconded from her position of head teacher at Tui Park Kindergarten. Nga replaces Simone Leaupepe who is returning to work for her iwi, Ngāti Toa, based in Takapuwahia in Porirua. She will be delivering professional development and will continue to work with our kindergartens in this role. Simone’s position will be advertised for a permanent replacement later in the year. 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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