Term 2, Week 2

Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu

Adorn the bird with feathers so it may fly

Email: office@kereru.school.nz
Website: http://www.kereru.school.nz/
Location: 2306 Kereru Road, RD 1, Hastings 4171

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday - 8:30 am - 3 pm
Phone: 06 876 0923
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084298596659

Kia ora e te whānau,

May! I can't believe it.

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Kererū Gorge Opening on the 17th — it was wonderful to see such a great turnout. Like many of you, we’re thrilled to have the Gorge reopened. We know it’s been a long and challenging road for those who’ve had to travel extra distances — particularly the Dunn and Sudfelt families, who’ve been travelling from Maraekakaho since the 14th of February 2023. I also want to acknowledge the hardship Sophie has faced over the past five terms.

Over the school holidays, our teaching team came together to plan this term’s learning. We’ve jumped straight into our programmes, and it’s been great to see how quickly everyone has settled back into our usual routines. Teachers have shared key learning focuses on Hero, if you haven't already seen.

At the end of last term, I was fortunate to join Tōtara Class on their school camp at El Rancho in Waikanae. It was a wonderful experience, with many different learning opportunities and plenty of chances for tamariki to step outside their comfort zones. Some of the activities included wilderness survival, horse riding, tubing down the river, crate stacking, rock climbing, visiting Waikanae Beach, glow dodgeball, quiz night, and many more. Kererū School was joined by South Featherston School, Weber School, Argyll East School, and some home-schooling families. Our students were a pleasure to take away and consistently displayed their manners, kindness, and ADORN values. A huge thank you to Sophie for organising this fantastic trip, and to our parent helpers; Amy, Jimmy, Rochelle, Emily, and Harry for transporting and supervising our students.

At the end of Term 2, the Junior Tough Guy and Gal Challenge will be taking place on Thursday 26th June. Due to limited staffing that week, and with it being a busy, short term filled with events, sport, and trips, we have decided to make this an optional event. Students are welcome to take part; however, parents will be responsible for the cost, transport, and supervision of their own children. Please let Sheryn know if you plan to take your child along. More info can be found in this link or by contacting Sheryn.

Noho ora mai,

Kelsie Allen

Principal

Roll: 24

A big Happy Birthday to:

• Ziggy - 24/05
• Autumn - 01/06
• Immy - 12/06

Mornings: Please contact Megan on FB Messenger or 027 307 5852 before 7 am if your child is not on the bus. After this time, Megan is on the road and may not check her phone.

Afternoons: Please contact Sheryn before 2 pm if there is any change to your normal bus routine (Mon - Thurs). Please contact Kelsie before 2 pm on Fridays.

Term 1 Dates: 31/01 > 11/04 (includes Waitangi Day)

Term 2 Dates: 28/04 > 27/06 (includes King's Birthday & Matariki)

Term 3 Dates: 14/07 > 19/09

Term 4 Dates: 06/10 > 16/12 (includes HB Anniversary & Labour Day)

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

Our next Curriculum Day will be on Thursday 23rd October 2025. Teachers will be participating in Maths Curriculum PLD. School will be closed for instruction on this day.

This link (below) takes you to our school website. Our events calendar is updated regularly with key dates for all upcoming school events.

You are more than welcome to join us at our Assemblies. All dates are on the Events Calendar. Next up is:

• Week 3 - Wednesday 14th May @ 2:30 pm
• Week 7 - Wednesday 11th June @ 2:30 pm

We are waiting for guidance from the MOE in regard to our assessment and reporting practices for Term 2. We will update you when we know more.

Sherwood School hosted the Sherwood/Kererū Triathlon for our tamariki at the end of Term 1. It was an awesome day - we are so proud of all of our students who participated in this event. Thanks to our helpers for marshalling and transporting gear, and to the Sherwood Team for hosting.

We LOVED having our friends from Tots and Dots visit last term! Mrs Charteris was up bright and early baking cupcakes for decorating, while Megan and Bella brought along apples to spiral and enjoy.

These visits are such a special part of our transition programme, giving our tamariki regular opportunities to explore the Kākano classroom, connect with others, and, for our former Tots students, continue building a strong sense of community and belonging. Thanks for visiting, Tots!

At the end of last term, Kererū School joined Tots and Dots, along with the wider Kererū community, to farewell Megan Linnell, who has been an instrumental part of our children’s early education. Megan has worked within our community at Tots and Dots for the past 16 years, teaching many of our students at Kererū School, providing them with a solid foundation, and offering amazing support to both old and new families. A special farewell was held in our newly established BBQ area. Farewell, Megan — we thank you for your kindness, dedication, and commitment to our tamariki.

Some snaps from walk throughs during literacy and numeracy time in Kākano and Tōtara at the end of last term, and beginning of this term.

At the end of Term 2, Kākano students were busy picking and packaging tomatoes to sell at the Kererū Hill Country Walk/Run.

This term, we’ve been back in the garden. A big thank you to Ms Bazzard and Tōtara for helping tidy up our vege gardens, ready for winter planting. We had a great haul — tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkin, some tiny carrots, and a beetroot! We also harvested the kūmara we planted with Jo Moorhead (from Garden to Table) last year. It was exciting to see what had been hiding beneath the soil!

At the end of Term 1, our tamariki spent time reflecting on the meaning of ANZAC Day, its importance, and how we can remember the many Australians and New Zealanders who lost their lives in Gallipoli. We made ANZAC biscuits, read and listened to stories, and created poppies to display on our fence. There were lots of wondering questions and rich conversations throughout.

At the end of Term 1, our Tōtara class spent 4 action-packed days on camp in Waikanae. During Camp, all of the students showed manakitanga, respect, resilience, determination, organisation, and we all had an awesome time!! For some in Tōtara, it was their very first camp, but for all of us, it was our very first camp spent at Camp El Rancho!!

Over the four days, we had so much fun together doing these activities: top team, archery, horse riding, rock climbing, the confidence course, quoits, lasoo, a break at the beach, glow in the dark dodgeball, a disco, wilderness survival, kayaking, tyre tubing on the river. In general, we gave everything a go and tried our best!!

Finally, all of the staff there were VERY enthusiastic and you could tell they were enjoying it as much as you were!! The food was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! (We would give them a 5-star rating!!) Overall, we had a BLAST!! It was a great experience and a positive way to end Term 1!!

Elsie Dunn

Tōtara have been writing some stunning poetry to reflect on their time away at El Rancho.

There was lots of fun at the end of Term 1 for Kākano! We made pizzas using our homemade tomato sauce for the bases and made lots of apple juice with apples kindly donated by Bostock NZ. As a way of giving back to our wonderful community, Kākano stood on the roadside and gave away free cups of juice. We also delivered some to the hard workers down at the Hall! The squeals of excitement when a car stopped — that’s what it’s all about.

A big thank you to Emily G for volunteering her time each week to coach hockey skills with our tamariki. It’s been great to see our students remembering some of the skills they gained last year — they’re right into it and growing more confident and skilful with a hockey stick each session.

We had our first of 4 rugby skills sessions with Jack from HB Rubgy on Monday. Our students were right into it and had lots of fun!

Tōtara have been working on their camp reflection art masterpieces for the past couple of weeks.

We are absolutely thrilled with the success of the Kererū Hill Country Walk/Run at the beginning of the month! On behalf of Kererū School, our FOKS committee, and Kereru Community Hall, we want to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this day such a success.

• Thank you to the Glazebrook family for hosting this event at your property — Big Hill Station.
• Thank you to everyone who baked slices for our walkers and for the stall, and to those who donated produce, preserves, and other goodies.
• Thank you to our wonderful marshals — on the track, on horseback, and in the carpark — who kept everything running smoothly.
• Thank you to the lunch team who packed lunches at the hall, and to those who worked hard at the stall, on the BBQ, selling drinks, and signing in walkers.
• Thank you to our set-up team who marked the track, set up signs, and transported gear to Big Hill.
• A huge thanks to Jane, Sheryn, and the wider walk committee who marketed the event, secured sponsorship and donations, and pulled everything together behind the scenes.
• And of course, thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and encouraged others to do the same — without you, there would be no event!

We are absolutely blown away by the turnout — 211 tickets sold — with people travelling from near and far to be part of it. A rough count shows we’ve raised around $12,500 for Kererū School students and Kererū Hall. Just amazing.

Special thanks to our amazing sponsors:

Vet Services Hastings

Hastings New World

Hellers

First Light Foods - NZ

Rural Support Trust Hawke's Bay

Silver Fern Farms

Craigmore Farming

Kereru Rural Fire Brigade

BOSTOCK New Zealand

Wee Doo Loos

Tots ’n’ Dots

We couldn’t have done it without you all. Bring on next year!

SAVE THE DATE

Here's a summary of our progress to date:

• Goal 1: Implement a rich, responsive curriculum that promotes self-directed learning.

• Our teaching team is actively engaging in professional learning to implement the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum, particularly in maths and literacy.

• Staff are working with external experts, including ImpactED and the Ministry of Education, to align teaching plans, assessments, and resources with new curriculum expectations.

• Teachers are using Oxford and Numicon resources to support the maths curriculum and have begun using structured assessments to better understand student progress.

• We've connected with the National Library to provide audiobooks and e-books for senior students, supporting varied learning needs and preferences.

• A structured literacy programme (BSLA) is being introduced for Years 0–3, with training under way for our junior teachers.

• Additional learning support has been secured, including RTLB support and input from a paediatric occupational therapist to help students with learning tools, seating, and classroom setup.

• Goal 2: Connect to our people, place, and local environment.
• Promoting Kererū School to new families and welcoming connections.

• Building partnerships with Garden to Table, Enviro Schools, and the Hastings District Council.

• Celebrated community events, including our BBQ to mark two years on from Cyclone Gabrielle.

• Students are busy in the garden — cooking, creating, and sharing meals together.

• Taking part in a range of EOTC activities such as sports events, leadership workshops, and camp.

• Strengthening local links through the Kererū Gorge opening, including performing Kererū e, and developing a pou project in partnership with Te Piringa Hapū.

• Sharing our learning and successes regularly through social media, newsletters, and featuring in community publications like Te Matau-a-Māui.

• Updating our transition booklet to support families new to Kererū School.

• Learning new waiata and actions to support our weekly Hui-a-Kura.

• Goal 3: Strengthen the wellbeing and resilience of ākonga and kaiako.

• Partnered with Sport Hawke’s Bay to offer activities like HungerBall and sport leadership development.

• Rugby, hockey, and football sessions planned for Term 2.

• Signed an MOU to continue our involvement in the Healthy Active Learning initiative, supporting both physical and mental wellbeing.

• Prioritised water safety and confidence through weekly swimming sessions with Erika Berendsen.

• Staff unpacked the STAR Attendance Framework to build a shared understanding and commitment to supporting regular attendance, with ongoing reporting to the Board and whānau.

• Shared useful attendance information and Ministry of Health resources with families to promote whānau engagement.

• Continued professional learning, including AI in Education and Curriculum Leadership webinars, to build staff capability and resilience in adapting to change.

• Applied for Structured Literacy PLD for Years 0–3, with RTLB support also accessed to strengthen teacher aide input in literacy and numeracy.

• Built strong links with external expertise — including regular support from MOE Curriculum Leads and RTLB.

• Celebrated student success and encouraged perseverance through involvement in events like the Sherwood Triathlon and the GRIP Leadership and PALS workshops.

• Supported peer connection and collaboration by joining with other schools for events and sporting activities.

• Invited community members to share their skills with students, including helping with bottling and using produce from our garden.

This term, the Board and Staff will review specific policies and procedures on SchoolDocs. You can access these documents at any time. Instructions for viewing our policies and procedures are available on our website and below in this newsletter.

Topics:

• Planning and preparation for Emergencies, Disasters, and Crisis
• Communication during an Emergency, Disaster, or Crisis
• School Closure
• Emergency Management
• Disaster Management
• Crisis Management

We are going to have a Working Bee on Friday 13th June at 1 pm.

We would love as many families to join us as possible, many hands make light work and there are jobs for everyone. If this date/time doesn't work, and you'd like help, please let me (Kelsie) know and I'll give you a job.

Thank you!

A big thank you to all of the community members and businesses who contribute to our school through Fern Fuels points. We are grateful for your support.

Thank you to;

• Allen Farming Company Limited
• Beeline Limited
• Corson Farming Limited
• Forest Road Farm - NZ Red Deer Ltd
• Freethlands Limited
• Hilltop Spraying Ltd
• HWS Agri Limited
• MD & KA Hinton Partnership
• Ohara Farming Company Limited
• Olrig Limited
• R Haselsteiner T/A Matangi Station
• Rangimoe Farming Limited
• SH Harper
• Simmons Contracting Ltd
• Stephen J Averill
• Summerhill Partnership
• Te Whana Farm Family Trust
• Topaki Limited
• Tuapae Farm Limited
• Tuturo Farm Limited
• Universal Livestock Limited
• Wakarara Farms
• Whenuapapa Limited

The school works on a subscription basis with SchoolDocs to maintain, update, and review our policies. SchoolDocs provides us with a comprehensive core set of policies that have been well researched and follow the Ministry of Education National Administration Guidelines. The policies and procedures are tailored to our school, and the school supplies specific information such as our charter, and procedures for behaviour management, reporting to parents, etc.

SchoolDocs updates, modifies, or creates policies in response to changes in legislation or Ministry guidelines, significant events, reviews/requests from schools, and regular reviewing from the SchoolDocs team. Our board of trustees has the opportunity to view changes/additions and comment on them before they are implemented.

Policies are up for review each term. You can access, view & review our policies and procedures anytime.

http://kereru.schooldocs.co.nz

Username is “kereru”

Password is “kereru1912”

If you ever find the need to raise a concern or file a complaint with a member of our staff, we value open communication and encourage you to follow our concerns and complaints process.

We recognise that we can't always please everyone. We appreciate your understanding that we are committed to doing our best. We value diverse perspectives and acknowledge that opinions may differ.

We encourage you to reach out to your child's classroom teacher, who is your first point of contact for any concerns. They play a crucial role in addressing issues promptly and effectively.

These links will give you some ideas on how to help your child's learning at home:

• Ministry of Education Website: https://parents.education.govt.nz/primary-school/learning-and-development-at-home/ideas-to-help-with-reading-writing-and-maths/
• Maths at home: https://nzmaths.co.nz/maths-our-house
  
• Writing prompts and ideas: https://app.pobble.com/auth/
  
• Mindfulness: https://www.smilingmind.com.au/
• Early letter formation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=609NcinTkGI

If your child is unwell, please keep them at home to prevent the spread of the illness.

Gastro

• "People with gastro should not go to work, school and early childhood centres until they have been well (symptom free) for 48 hours. There will be viruses in your poos for several weeks after you become well. You should continue to wash and dry your hands thoroughly after you have been to the toilet."
• Here is the link for a brochure: https://www.rph.org.nz/public-health-topics/early-childhood-centres/current-illnesses/gastroenteritis/gastro-brochure.pdf

Covid-19

• If you or someone in your whānau tests positive for Covid-19, please let Kelsie know ASAP and then follow the MOH guidelines: https://covid19.govt.nz/testing-and-isolation/if-you-have-covid-19/

School is open for students to arrive from 8:15 am - 3:15 pm.

Our staff sometimes arrive late or need to leave straight after school. Please ensure you can pick your children up no later than 3:15 pm, otherwise you will need to make alternative arrangements.

Hero gives you (parents) the opportunity to send through your child's absence with a click of a button. This is a quick, efficient way and gives our staff a notification and message of the reason your child is away.

This is the way we would like you to let us know if your child won't be here. If there is additional information that the school needs to know, please contact Sheryn directly.

You can find out more information about our Student Attendance & Attendance Procedure policies by heading to School Docs and searching the above headings. Link to School Docs - https://kereru.schooldocs.co.nz/

Just a friendly reminder to help us with the end of the day organisation, please ensure you let us know if your child/ren will not be on the bus in the afternoons.

Unless we have heard otherwise, or you put on your sheet at the beginning of the term, we will assume that your child is on.

You need to contact Sheryn before 2 pm with any changes.

We would love to have a better understanding of who will potentially come to Kererū School in the (near or distant) future. This is to ensure that you, as parents, receive information such as transition visits and school information before your child's start date.

We would love to hear from you if your child is between 1 and 4 years old. To make sure we have you on our 'potential enrolments' list.

Please email office@kereru.school.nz or follow the link to our enrolment section on our website to find out more information.

Health guidance has been released by Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand to help schools and parents to decide if a student is well enough to attend school.

Knowing if a child is well enough to be at school – Te Whatu Ora

We've recently shared the latest Ministry of Education attendance guidelines on Hero, detailing what constitutes justified and unjustified absences. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with this information.