SWIS
Social Worker in School
(Family Works)
Contact:
Kia ora, Malo e Lelei, Talofa Lava, Ni Hao, Namaste, Bula Vinaka, Fakaalofa Lahi Atu, Kia orana, Mauri, Greetings.
We are halfway through Term 4 and have four busy weeks until the end of the school year.
Between now and 13th December we have several traditional and enjoyable school events to which you are invited.
Dates follow in this newsletter.
They are always well attended, and I suggest you add these to your calendar.
I would like to say a big thank you to all staff who helped to organise and train our performers for the cultural festival. It was an amazing showcase of talent, and a particular highlight of mine this year!
Cycle Safety
The spring and summer months encourage children to become more active. Biking to school can be a great way for kids to get exercise, develop confidence and learn to share the road safely with motorists and other people on bikes.
If you are considering a request for your child to ride a bike to school, we ask that you adhere to the following advice from the NZ Transport Agency:
Attendance
You will be aware that school attendance is a Ministry priority, and Manurewa Central School are committed to increasing our regular attendance figures.
If your child's attendance falls below 90%, their learning, progress, achievement and wellbeing is affected. The minimum expectation from the Ministry of Education is 90% regular attendance.
Regular or unexplained absences are cause for concern and, in these circumstances, we will involve our attendance service to help families to return to regular attendance.
If there is anything we can do to support you or your child before their attendance becomes an issue, please contact the school.
You can help us plan for next year by letting us know if your child is not returning in 2025 (apart from Year 6 of course).
Also, if your child is going overseas and not returning for the first day of school on Monday 3rd February you must inform the school in writing.
Children who simply do not turn up at school may have to be removed from the school roll and consequently lose their place at school.
We are here to help so please keep us informed.
Grounds
You will have noticed the uneven surface as you enter school from the cenotaph gate as recent heavy rains have caused issues with the integrity of the pathway.
We have raised our health and safety concerns with the Ministry who are currently looking at funding options to support upgrading of this area.
In the meantime, we continue to make minor repairs until a permanent solution is reached. Please take care underfoot as you enter and leave school.
Ngā mihi
Michelle Dibben
Principal
Please enter and leave school daily using the Admin carpark gate or Cenotaph gate.
Gates are closed at 9am and opened at the end of the day at 2.55pm.
Late students use the main office and are required to sign in as 'Late'.
New Entrant children must be collected from Totara pod at the end of the day.
Please do not use the office area unless you need to speak with office staff.
Thank you for your help with this.
Thank you for keeping our children safe by walking along the footpaths and crossing at the lights.
Keep it up.
Swimming is part of our PE curriculum. It is expected that all children will swim.
Please ensure swimming gear is clearly named for every student.
A note from a parent/caregiver is required if your child is not swimming for any reason.
We have been working very hard this term.
We started the term with cross country and had so much fun running in our race and showing our families all the hard work that we had done training for that big, long run.
We have also been trying hard to learn the words on our word cards and working hard on our reading, writing and counting and trying to be more independent in our learning.
This term we are starting to prepare for our Junior School Prizegiving where we will share songs with you that we will all participate in and some dances with you which some of us have chosen to be a part of.
It will be a busy term but we are looking forward to continuing on our learning journey and enjoying time with our friends at school.
Pūriri have been excited to learn about different types of seeds after reading a poem about seeds.
Unfortunately our seeds have decided they don't really want to grow, but we do have some tiny little silverbeet seedlings that are trying their best to get bigger!
Our tamariki are looking forward to our gymnastics session at the Bruce Pulman centre next week - we are so grateful to have this opportunity to try out all the gymnastics equipment!
Titoki continues to work hard as we enter the final term of the year.
Earlier in the term the year ones had a fantastic time watching Mrs Wishy Washy at the theatre!
It was such a fun and engaging experience, and they've been talking about it ever since.
Cultural group performances and end of year practice sessions are in full swing, and the performers are giving their best as we approach these events.
The effort and dedication are truly shining through, and we're excited to see everything come together!
The end of the year is fast approaching but we are still busy learning and celebrating how much we have grown this year - in height as well as our mitey brains!
Early this term we enjoyed learning more about Diwali from our friends and in Week 1 it was wonderful to see the perseverance shown by all at cross country.
In maths, we have been putting into practise all our learning about place value, to add money.
Our class shop is very busy.
We are also revising how to read time on a digital and analogue clock.
We've noticed fractions on the clock for half and quarter past and how we can our counting in 5's to count the minutes in an hour.
For our Extreme Earth inquiry we have been exploding with lots of new knowledge about volcanoes.
Did you know there are 53 volcanoes around the Auckland area?! We're learning so many new words such as vents, lave flows and magma chambers.
It's been a busy and exciting time in our classroom.
In writing, our students have been lerning to craft detailed information reports and exploring the vibrant traditions of Diwali.
In math, we're focusing on fractions, including improper fractions, while also providing extra support to help students achieve their addition, subtraction, and multiplication goals.
We recently introduced Guy Fawkes, sparking curiosity with a fun fact: Did you know that fireworks have been a part of the Guy Fawkes celebration since 1605?
The children were fascinated to learn about this historical event!
Looking ahead, we're gearing up for gymnastics practice and working on kapa haka songs and performances, getting ready for a wonderful end-of-year celebration.
We are well into our learning about oceans and were lucky enough to have Andrea from the House of Science come into our pod.
We had a virtual reality experience using VR Goggles to see under the ocean looking at a coral Reef and the creatures that live there.
We have started Gymnastics at Bruce Pulman and are really enjoying using all the equipment and feeling some muscles in our bodies we don't normally use!
Tabloids day was also great and we have now started swimming in our school pool.
It is Term 4 - please remind your children to bring and wear a hat at school.
In Nikau we've been studying about space during inquiry sessions.
A real highlight was visiting the Stardome Observatory and Planetarium.
We took part in some hands-on activities including a Kahoot based on what we had learned while we were there.
There was some free time to explore the space gallery with plenty of interactive activities.
Our session ended with a feature show in the Planetarium.
We are now getting creative by making our own satellites and solar system models.
Kauri has a lot going on at the moment!
We are all busy writing valedictions and reflecting on our time at Manurewa Central School.
These are fun to write, and our teachers are really enjoying reading them.
We are doing lots of end-of-year testing to demonstrate the progress we have made in all our subjects.
Highlights of the last fortnight have been the Tabloid Sports Day! We had so much fun rotating through lots of different activities, including a yummy sausage sizzle.
The Diwali Showcase was amazing! We have so many talented students at MCS.
Other things we have been a part of include the Cultural Evening — what a great night! We enjoyed seeing our friends on stage performing their items.
Kokako had a Paralympian visit this week as a special treat.
We were lucky enough to attend the Armistice Day commemoration on Monday of this week; some of our students even got to release doves in remembrance of the fallen soldiers of Manurewa.
We have a lot of students taking part in the Weet-Bix Tryathlon in Week 6, and the countdown is on to our Year 6 Graduation, which is a real highlight of the year!
Parents, caregivers and whānau
Please help your child/ren to be at school by 8.30-8.45am every day.
This gives your child/ren time to talk with the teacher, see their friends and get organised for learning for their day.
All students are required to be 'ready for learning' by 9.00am every day.
Our learning programmes begin at this time.
Thank you for your help and support in ensuring a happy start to the school day for your child/ren every day.
Please DO NOT allow your child to bring toys to school.
We are not able to ensure they return to their rightful home or that they do not get broken.
Please DO NOT send lollies & lollipops to school.
We encourage healthy eating at school.
Please save treats for after school.
No fizzy drinks please.
We appreciate your help with these requests.
Parents/Caregivers
Please ensure your contact details are up to date!
These can be updated by email to:
officemanager@mancent.school.nzPlease check we have a copy of your child's vaccination records and any important medical information.
Pasefika Healthcare Nurse: Anita Lea
Our nurse is available at school by appointment to advise and support you with any health concerns for your children.
She is available for hearing and vision checks and will throat swab for infection at your request.
Referrals can be made to see the nurse or for advice and support via application at the school office.
Gates are closed at 3.20pm.
Sunhats on Heads
Please ensure your child has a named sun hat or cap to be used for all activities outside the classroom.
Children without hats/caps will play in shaded areas.
Term Dates 2025
Teachers will send an invite to join your child's class dojo.
Parents, you will get an email or text with a link to accept.
From there, you will create an account or sign in to an existing account to connect.
Please Note:
You will need to use an email address to create an account.
Follow us on Facebook and check out our Website for notices.
Students will be asked before the end of the term to sign up if they would like to take part and represent our school at the Manurewa Primary School Sports Association Tournaments.