Welcome to our latest update of information and stories you may be interested in... We are keen to ensure as many people as possible are reading the Kōrero, so this week, for the first time, we have sent it out to everyone’s personal wm address. If you have trouble accessing your wm email, or you don’t have a wm email address contact Tania at tania.braybrook@wmkindergartens.org.nz. Jane. 
Event Packs This week we will be making an addition to our regional event packs! Last year we started these by giving each region 2 promotional flags.
This week we will be adding tear away flyers covering all of the kindergartens in your region. These may be used at your local community events to promote your regions kindergartens.
Please refer to the list below as to where you can find your region’s event pack!
Horowhenua - Fanau Pasifika Kindergarten Kapiti - Raumati Beach Kindergarten Porirua - Awatea Kindergarten Wellington North - Tawa Central Kindergarten Wellington - Newtown Kindergarten Upper Hutt - Silverstream Kindergarten Wairarapa - Una Williams and South End Kindergartens
Update On GOSH System  The GOSH system has been upgraded to enhance some of its features. You will be able to open the new GOSH with your existing link. The look and feel of the site has changed and there are a lot of new features, some of the issues that you had let us know about such, as parent sign off and quick reporting, have been fixed. GOSH will now be available as an app for phones and tablets. The new system will require you to change your password and in the next week you will be sent an email to guide you through this process. Further information will be available in next week’s Kōrero. In the meantime if you have any questions give Lorraine a call on 04 2321653.
Hazards Just a reminder that the Termly Hazard Checklist is completed during week 9 of each term which this term is the week of 18/3/2019. The checklist is downloaded from GOSH and is then completed manually. Any hazards that are identified during this process that cannot be eliminated immediately are then entered onto your kindergartens Hazard Register using GOSH. Once you have completed the Termly Hazard Checklist, please upload this onto GOSH using the Hazard checks form (see below) and then following the prompts  Also week 9 of each term, which this term is the week of the 18/3/2019, is the time to review your kindergarten Hazard Registers. This is an opportunity to update your Hazard Register, including deciding if the hazard still exists within the kindergarten environment. You can also check if there are any changes to the actions and approaches you are taking related to each hazard and ensure that hazards that do exist in your environment are included on the Hazard Register. As seen below, you will see that on the bottom right hand corner of each hazard on your register (using the edit option), there is a place to add the date the hazard was reviewed and by who. All reviews will show up on the Hazard Register.  If you have any questions please contact Lorraine.Coulston@wmkindergartens.org.nz
Daily Hazard Checklist  Please note that we have added 2 requirements to the Daily Hazard Checklist: - Substances including all cleaning fluids and laundry products and any other chemicals are stored safely
- There are safety caps in all unused electrical sockets.
The Daily Hazard Checklist is available on the GOSH home page in the HWM Documents section and on the Whānau Manaaki website. Any questions please contact Lorraine.Coulston@wmkindergartens.org.nz
Men's Network Casual Drinks When: Friday the 29th of March @ 6pm Where: Southern Cross Bar and Restaurant Address: 39 Abel Smith Street, Te Aro, Wellington ALL WELCOME!!! Fro more information about the Men's Group and our Facebook site please contact adrian.smith@wmkindergartens.org.nz
Part Time Teacher Get Together Teachers who work part-time will meet again this term break, on Wednesday April 17 at 1 pm in the Johnsonville Community Centre, upstairs in room five. This group meets three times a year and is a chance to meet others, discuss issues, and find solutions together to any problems. All are welcome and if you would like to know more feel free to email Debby, debby.king@wmkindergartens..org.nz Here are the dates for the year: Wednesday 17 April, 1 -4pm, Rm 5, upstairs, Johnsonville Community Centre Wednesday 10 July, 1 -4 pm, Rm 5, upstairs, Johnsonville Community Centre Wednesday 2 October, 1.15 - 4.15 pm, Rm 4 downstairs, Johnsonville Community Centre
Kindergarten Logos We have recently confirmed some more logos, this time for our Kapiti Kindergartens. Looking good! If you are still yet to confirm your logo please get in touch with Chanelle at chanelle.huia-rutten@wmkindergartens.org.nz 
Time Is Running Out To Have Your Say On The Future Of Early Learning Make sure you have your say on the government’s strategic plan for early learning, He taonga te tamaiti, before the deadline of 15 March. The plan lays out five goals for the sector including raising quality, empowering children through adequate resources, investing in the workforce, planned provision and continued innovation and improvement. The ways proposed to reach these goals include funding for 100 per cent qualified teachers as well as improvements to ratios, improved initial teacher education, more professional development and better pay and conditions for teachers across the sector as well as tighter regulations and greater enforcement. Click here to have your say!
Kindergartens At The Newtown Festival Berhampore, Newtown and Wellington South Kindergartens joined together for a stall at the Newtown Festival last Sunday to promote kindergartens to the estimated 80,000 people who attended. Rongotai MP Paul Eagle and Wellington’s mayor Justin Lester, as well as local councillor Fleur Fitzsimons, were among the visitors. Teachers and parents took the opportunity to speak to their representatives about the importance of quality early childhood education while children enjoyed the face painting. Don’t forget, if you are attending a community event, contact Chanelle at the Whānau Manaaki office. We can help with leaflets, banners, flags and a gazebo. Even if you don’t need help we would appreciate knowing about your activities in the community! 
Janene Campaigns For Equal Pay  Janene Cutts, who works at Wadestown and Miramar North Kindergartens as an administrator, is part of the group putting forward an equal pay claim for administrative and other support staff directly employed by kindergartens. Janene, who is also employed by the Ministry of Education as a learning support worker for children with additional learning needs, has an insight into issues about equal pay, as support workers have already won an equal pay case with the Ministry of Education. The government has introduced legislation that enables groups of workers to take cases on the basis that the work is usually performed by women and their work is undervalued. This case is likely to be lodged in April, but it is expected to take some time to work through the equal pay processes. Janene has been on the negotiating team for the Kindergarten Administrators’ Collective Agreement and describes the equal pay claim as "well overdue". “Our roles as support for the teaching staff are extremely valuable” says Janene. “The more administration and support we are able to do the more the teachers are free to do what they are trained to do – teach children.” In the past the government has funded the cost of settlements arising out of equal pay claims in both the public and the private sectors.
Don’t Forget To Vote - Teacher Council Elections Voting for representatives on the Teaching Council is underway. If you are eligible to vote (as a registered teacher) you should have received an email from Election Services which is contracted by the Teaching Council to run the election. Have a look in your spam folder if you can’t find it. The election process is easy and only takes a few minutes. You can all vote from your worksite, one after another from the same computer, if you each have your access code and password from your email. When your vote has been successfully recorded you will be asked if there are others to vote from your site. It’s important to vote as the Teaching Council affects us all and we should be represented as early childhood teachers or leaders. You can self select to be a service leader so head teachers and senior head teachers may wish to vote in this sector.] Here’s a link to more information about the elections. 
This Week On Facebook   Raumati South Kindergarten team have been harvesting their autumn fruit and vegetables. They used the tomatoes and zucchinis to make yummy pizzas!  From Heretaunga Kindergarten - Who remembers using Cuisenaire rods at school?
Learning early mathematical concepts with cuisenaire rods tamariki are developing: counting, sequences, patterns, addition, and subtraction skills. An interesting fact, it was George Cuisenaire who introduced these rods in the 1950s onwards. He taught music and arithmetic in primary school.  And York Street Kindergarten shared this!
Handy Facebook Pages  Parenting Place – “Our dream for Aotearoa is that every whānau thrives, and every child feels deeply loved.” 
To Give Away The team at Miramar North Kindergarten have a sandpit cover to give away. It is 5.08m by 4.08m and it is weighted with a chain on all sides. If you are interested give Miramar North Kindergarten a call. 
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.
Thank you for taking the time to read Kōrero. Don't forget to check out some of the stories listed down the side menu. Just click between the stories of use the Kōrero bar to come back to this page. | 
