Week 11 T3

Production

WOW what a great production the children put on for us. Thank you to the staff and all who helped out with back ground, costumes, choir, cast and sound and lighting.  Next term we will hopefully have the DVDs for sale. Well done kids, great effort!!!

I was very proud to take our x-country runners to the Taranaki x-country races held in Hawera on Wednesdays. Following are the results from our awesome Matapu kids.

Emily Back   39th

Toni  Symes 67th

Anthony Kemp 17th

Hannah Clarke 52nd

Michael Back 107th

Ethan McLeod 121st

Ashleigh Hoyte 19th

Josh Devlin 33rd

Shaan Wineera 29th

A huge effort from all of the children well done.

School holidays for the next two weeks. Have a great break and see you all back at school on the 15th October all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Only nine weeks next term!!

Next year in May the 125 Jubilee committee will be holding a machinery auction at school. Keep this in mind and get your gear ready. Proceeds to go towards the 125yr Jubilee.

Week 10 T3

There has been some concern from people getting the flyer in paper form that the writing is too small on the front cover. Hopefully the new format will help the  oldies whose arms are getting too short (hehe)

· Production Next Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm. We are having it over two nights to help with overcrowding in the hall. Could we please have Parents, whänau from years 1-4 on  Wednesday and Years 5-8 on Thursday night. (It is only a suggestion you can come on either night or both.) Supper afterwards.

· Can you please bring a plate on the production night to help out with supper

· We are having a Working Bee on Sunday 30th September to finish off some jobs. We will be here from 9.00 till we finish. If you could come down at any time during the day that would be great. 

· School finishing at 1.00 o’clock next Friday. Please make adjustments for bus pickups.

· Well done to all our Cross Country runners!!

Week 9 T3

Next term we are having a Curriculum meeting on the 24th October at 7.30pm.  Below are the curriculum statements that we have in our Matapu Curriculum document. These are the areas we will cover and I will be   talking about how we do this at Matapu School. This is very timely as we are having an ERO visit in the week of 5th November.

Literacy

To develop in our children the ability to communicate effectively with confidence and to encourage them to use language in all its forms.

Numeracy

We believe mathematics is an integral part of the curriculum.  In our rapidly changing technological world there is an increasing demand on mathematical skills and understanding.  We will teach mathematics in   relevant and realistic contexts offering children a broader, richer and more challenging maths programme as they master basic skills.

Integrated Curriculum

We believe the integrated approach to the curriculum accelerates and   motivates children to learn. We believe that we need to teach the children how to learn through an inquiry process.  We believe this approach creates a culture of co-operation and enjoyment.

Literacy and Numeracy will underpin the integrated curriculum

Assessment.

We believe that assessment should have purpose and meaning and be used to improve teaching and learning, and the quality of learning programmes. We believe that students should know where they are and their next steps in learning.

Please remember that the children will need shoes for the Cross Country on Monday.


Full details of School Production in next weeks Flyer.

Week 8 T3

For those that have been following the Ultra Fast Broadband roll out and were under the impression that we are now all connected and using this fast internet think again!!
To help clear this up, I have included this article from Rachel.

Just because you have fibre at your gate doesn't mean you can hook in and use it! (No surprises there for some)
With much hype and media surrounding the rollout of RBI (Rural Broadband Initiative) it has been a frustrating reality check for schools to find that they are unable to find a RSP (Retail Service Provider) to hook them up (or one they can afford).  Out of the 400 schools signed off as 'connected' only a couple have been able to hook up so far!  There has been quite a disconnect between the expectations of schools and the wider community with the reality of rolling out a huge and complex project such as this one.  So large is this project it is taking - two government departments, and various sub-projects in various stages - RBI, RBI Phase 2, UFB, RSBI, & the Chathams (still in its proposal form).  No wonder it is so bewildering to make sense of for many - I have been following this closely and I struggle.  Throw into the mix SNUPS and the proposed Network for Learning and you have got a recipe for a mental melt down.
What makes this so challenging for schools is the number of variables that are in play - has the school been snupped, if not when will this happen?  Although fibre may be dropped to the school, it may not be enabled at the exchange.  There are more technical variables Handover Points, HSNS, GPON (all of which mean little to me) that will be different for different schools around the country.  So with all of these variables it seems to be every school for themselves to make the best of it...
Recently though some Retail Service Providers have begun to make offers to schools - in        particular Call Plus, SNAP & Orcon.  Schools should also factor into their decision-making   joining the Network for Learning (N4L).  Though scheduled to be available to schools mid-2013, it will likely have a 'soft start' with a few schools ironing out the wrinkles for the rest to follow, so consider being able to access this early 2014.  So do you need to go into mental meltdown now - or just wait for the Network for Learning? (& have your mental meltdown then ;-)  My advice to schools I work with would be unless you are really struggling with your current connection (unfortunately quite a few are) then taihoa and see what the N4L will bring for you.

So as you can see there are many things to think about and many ducks to line up before we are able to get Ultra Fast Broadband. However when it does come, Matapu School has been working hard in the last few years to be ready to fully utilise this service.