Ngā mihi nui ki a Koutou katoa/ Greetings to you all.

We are celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori Language Week/Māori Language Week.

This special week provides an opportunity to celebrate and learn te reo Māori,

helping to secure its future as a living and rich language.

If you would like to learn about the benefits of learning another language, or believe

that your child should concentrate on learning English first, then click on the link

below

http://www.languagestars.com/program-overview/programs/parents-and-tots/14-

programs/curriculum/66-the-benefits-of-learning-language-young.html

On Friday (31st) a group of older tamariki are travelling to Timaru to participate in

the Flava Festival. This is a cultural event, which features kapa haka, performing arts

and visual arts segments. It is the first time our tamariki have performed, so if you

would like to watch them they are on stage at the Caroline Bay hall at 10.40am. Good

luck!

The last few weeks the tamariki, and a few staff, have been battling with all sorts of

illnesses. Some tamariki have had high temperatures for a week or more as a nasty

virus does the rounds. Please support us in teaching tamariki to ‘catch your cough’/

cough into their elbow (coughing into their hands only helps to spread germs). Also,

please ensure your tamariki have fully recovered before they return to preschool.

Whakamihi/congratulations to the Preschool team on achieving the Whānau Healthy

Heart award (our 2nd award). Over the last few years we have included Health Heart

in our fortnightly planning and have focussed on children’s nutrition and physical

activities. Thanks for your efforts in providing healthy and nutritious food in your

child’s lunch boxes. We have also made a conscious effort to cook, or bake healthy kai

with the tamariki.

Noho ora mai

Sue Cooper

Senior Head Teacher

Kaweronga Hōngongoi 6 High Street, Geraldine.

Phone: (03)6939133.

Email: geraldinepreschool@xtra.co.nz

Website:www.geraldinepreschool.co.nz

WELCOME/HAERE MAI

We wish to welcome Jackson Cottle-Cunniffe, Molly Toshach and Finn Wilcox and their

whānau to Geraldine Preschool.

We welcome 2 students teachers starting placements with us this term. Janet Harding, who you may remember, in the Pihinga room and 3rd year Tertiary College student, Jessica Buckingham beginning in the Tuakana group on the 10th August.

Pihinga News

Ki ora from the Pihinga room

Physically

Active Play

Korikori

Children

love

moving,

movement

and being

physically active. Finding ways every day for children to use large and small muscles

allows them to gain increasing control over their bodies. Just as importantly,

physical activity promotes children’s mental and emotional health as well as their

physical wellbeing.

Over the last few months we have been making the most of the resources from

WAVE to extend the Pihinga children’s physical abilities. There’s been a lot of

climbing, crawling, rolling, jumping and balancing going on. Many of the activities

require turn taking so learning to cooperate and share comes to the fore as well.

You may at times notice us watching as a child struggles to achieve success in a

physical activity, we may be watching but verbally we are supporting them and

encouraging them to achieve success on their own in their own time. It’s okay for

children to encounter difficulties and to struggle, it’s how we support them in

resolving the struggle. We are always nearby for safety and support but one of the

key concepts we promote and value in the Pihinga room is independence, giving

children the time to work things out.

“Yes, it is counter-intuitive to refrain from assisting a child! But when we help a child to do

something she might be able to do for herself, we are robbing her of a vital learning experience

and ultimately not helping at all.”

― Janet Lansbury, Elevating Child Care: A Guide To Respectful Parenting

Gina, Tess, Robyn and Helen, the Pihinga teaching team

Hōpara News

Tēnā koutou katoa,

This month has been a busy one for the Hōpara group, as we have had several new children joining

us, both from the Pihinga group and new to the preschool. We would like to extend a huge ‘Haere

mai’ to our new children and their families – it’s great to have you join us. Our many new children

has led to our major focus within the Hōpara group over the last few weeks, encouraging a sense of

‘Belonging’ here at preschool. Developing a sense of group and relationships with peers is a key part

of this, which we have been encouraging through name games and songs at mat times, role

modelling positive interactions, setting up group activities and going on excursions as a group.

Another fantastic way for your child to feel settled and happy at preschool is to make links with their

home environment. A great way of doing this is to have a family member come and spend some

time with them at preschool. So if you have a special skill or interest that you and your child could

share with us, be it cooking, a sport, stamp collecting or another language, we would love to hear

from you. Please see Emily or Jen if you would like to share with us. You may also have noticed we

are defining our ‘Hōpara Space’. We would love to further personalise this with pictures of our

children’s whānau, so please bring in, email, or post them on Educa so we can display them in our

area.

The school holidays were quite quiet this time, and it

was a great opportunity for us to get out on an

excursion to the library. We had a great time

choosing books, browsing the shelves and snuggling

up for a group story. We also chose some stories to

share with the children back at preschool.

This week is Māori language week, and we will be

expanding our Te Reo vocabulary with a new waiata

‘Tohora Nui’ (keep an eye out on Educa for the

words to this fun waiata) and words for the parts of

our body. We have been working on a life sized person for this, which is very nearly ready to go up

on the wall in the Hōpara area!

Lastly, a whakataukī (saying) for the Hōpara group this month

‘Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini taku toa’

My strength does not come from my individuality, my strength comes from many

Until next time,

Ka kite ano

Emily and Jen

Hōpara Kaiako

Tuakana News

Kia ora koutou,

Have you noticed the days are getting longer? Hopefully there will be fewer hard frosts and we can

get outside a bit earlier in the mornings.

We have been awarded the Whanau Healthy Heart award, thank you all for your continued support.

With only a few days to go until the

Flava Festival at Caroline Bay, we are

still practicing our 3 waiata. We

have noticed a real commitment by

the children to learn these waiata,

and now they know the waiata very

well and try hard to remember the

actions that go with them. The

children helped paint the fabric for

our costumes (piupiu), and have

been excited about getting dressed

up to perform on stage.

This last week of July is also Māori Language Week. We will be practising simple phrases.

-“Kei te pēhea koe?” “How are you?”

-“Kei te __________ ahau.” “I am ________ . “

Use any of the following to fill in the blank:

pai = well/good pōuri = sad hari = happy riri = angry

ngenge = tired makariri = cold wera = hot

“Kāore I te pai ahau.” = “ I am not well.”

Give it a go at home!

We have also learned the names of some fruit in Māori. Check out the new posters in the kai area. A

big thanks to Fresh Choice for their koha of fresh fruit, which the children cut up and made into fruit

kebabs for their afternoon tea.

There was great excitement in the playground as a huge excavator was delivered to begin work on

the staff car park. The children had a great vantage point from the red box on top of the hill. They

watched as the fence was dismantled and the excavator made its way onto the grass area. There

Calendar of events

Flava Festival – Friday 31st July

have been ladders propped up against the fence for children to watch the progress. Special thanks

to the digger driver who took some time out to answer all the children’s questions! E.g. “Why is the

hole so deep,” “why does the light flash on the digger” & “where is all the dirt going on the truck?”

Jacqui, Tarsha, Naomi and Rachel

FROM THE BOARD

As the first inklings of spring start to appear, many of us are suffering with coughs, colds and more

serious illnesses. Best wishes to those who are sick or who have sick children for a speedy recovery -

hastened by some warmer weather and beautiful sunshine! Don't forget it's free to take your children

to the doctor, so if in doubt or you have concerns, please seek medical advice.

As always there is a lot going on around the preschool, most obvious of which this week is the arrival

of a big yellow digger and the commencement of the new staff carpark. Aoraki Earthworks have

begun the removal of soil, and we anticipate it will be about 3 - 4 weeks' work until the new spaces

are ready for use. Please note this will be a staff carpark, to allow staff to park safely off the road. You

may have also noticed that our new groundsman/handyman Richard has removed all the plants from

one side of the driveway - these will be replanted alongside the new carpark once it is completed.

We have been granted consent for the new build, which is very exciting and has seemed like a long

time in the making! The Building Sub-committee is awaiting quotes for the main part of the build and

once these are received and a contractor engaged, work will begin fairly quickly. As with the new

carpark, we are aiming to minimise any disruption to the preschool's day-to-day operations as much

as we can. Please keep an eye out for any notices as we will keep you updated with new

developments as they happen. Your children will not be at risk during this period; risk will be

managed by both the contractor and the preschool to ensure that the safe and enjoyable learning

environment is maintained at all times.

Lastly, I would like to welcome our new Board members (James Ellery, David Earl, Hils McCullough and

Bianca Sheed) and thank our returning members for their continued support and commitment to the

vision and governance of the preschool. Thanks also to Will Moore for his many years of service, and

Rachel Welford for her contribution over the last year, both of whom have recently stepped down.

Until next time, stay well and enjoy the transition of our local environment ... as spring (and the new

carpark) unfolds!

Best wishes

Karen Morland

Board Chair