Wednesday 25 May 2016

May Newsletter

May 2016
Term Dates:
Term 2:
 Older Group: 2 May – 6 July
Younger Group: 5 May – 8 July

Teachers’ Update
Last term was a busy time here at Torbay Kindergarten and this term is looking to be just as action packed. The teaching team attended Professional Development entitled ‘Wild the Child.’ This is in line with our focus for this year on Sustainability and Natural Environments. We have been looking at our environment here at kindergaten and introducing more natural spaces including expanding on our Earth Kitchen and Te Rua Paru – our mud pit.
Another focus has been on composting and recycling. We are teaching the children to sort their rubbish into food waste, recyclables and general waste. This helps the children to really think about what is happening to the waste from their lunch boxes.
We have just had 2 bokashi bins delivered. Bokashi “pickles” your food waste, unlike traditional composting where waste is allowed to decay. The Bokashi system produces nutrient rich compost. Most food waste can go into a bokashi which makes it the perfect composting solution for kindergarten. We are all going to learn to use these together and hopefully grow some amazing produce with the compost.
Matariki
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It rises in mid-winter – late May or early June. For many Māori, it heralds the start of a new year. Matariki literally means the 'eyes of god' (mata ariki) or 'little eyes' (mata riki).
Matariki is a time of celebration, planting trees and crops and remembering of ancestors.
At Torbay Kindergarten we celebrate this time through story telling, song, planting and for the older group a shared feast. This is a lovely time for children to learn about sustainability, caring for their environment and to affirm their sense of belonging here at kindergaten. This year our feast will be on Monday 20th June.
This is a perfect opportunity for a bit of star gazing at home. Check out this website for more information about how to find Matariki.
http://www.matarikievents.com/how-to-see-matariki/
Dates to Remember
Fri 27th May - Disco
Mon 6th June - Queens b'day holiday
Mon 20th June - Matariki Feast (older group)
Water Station
Have you seen our wonderful new water station next to our kai tables. The children are enjoying being able to independently fill their own water cups. Thank you for paying your fundraising donation which has helped us to get this installed.
Market Day – Tuesday 17th May
Following our very successful market day in April we have decided to have another one for the last of the autumn harvests. Come along with your produce for the table and your gold coins and sample some of the lovely fresh fare that is grown and produced in our community.
Beach Explorers
Our Beach Explorers expeditions have kicked off again and the children are eagerly waiting their turn to come along. Don’t worry if your child hasn’t been yet, we only take the oldest children, usually in the term before they are due to go to school. Everyone will get to come when the time is right. These trips have a real focus on caring for the environment and the role we have in looking after our Turangawaewae, our local standing place.
Disco – Friday 27th May
This is a wonderful evening for families to catch up with others, enjoy some dinner and have a good old boogie. This years theme is ‘Beach Party’ so get out your sarongs, boardies and mermaid tails and come along and have some fun. Keep an eye out for a flyer with more information in your news pockets soon.
Quiz Night
Quiz night is our second major fundraiser of the year. This year we are raising money to further develop our outdoor area including additional shade sails so that we can make the most of our outdoor space in the heat of summer.
We have yet to confirm the date but now is a good time to start thinking about how you can help. We will be looking for business to donate items for silent auctions, sponsorship for our tables and big items for our live auctions. So get thinking about your contacts. A weekend at a holiday home is always a wonderful live auction item!
Parking
We have come back to kindergarten this term to many high sided vechicles parking in the spaces in front of the kindergarten. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. If you have a high-sided vehicle (this includes people movers, SUV’s and vans), please park on the road. We have had a few near misses when people are trying to back out of the car parks; they are unable to see the traffic coming down the hill.
We have reserved the right to park behind the teachers cars for families that have special needs. Please do not park there unless you have seen a teacher about this.
Donations and fees
Since January 2015, all the fee payments are now passed on to our Head Office at NAKA. This money goes towards repairs and maintenance at an Association level. For example – our back fence needs repairs and NAKA will pay for this rather than the money coming out of our Kindergarten Fund.
The donation amount is now even more important to the kindergarten as we use this for all resources- consumables (paint, paper etc) and equipment (games, toys, furniture etc).

You will receive an invoice in the next week or so. Please help us by paying this as soon as possible. You can pay this online using the acc # at the bottom invoice.