Kia ora e te whānau, 

Nau mau, a big welcome back to school to all of you, kids and families! We hope that you have all had an awesome holiday break and been able to spend some quality time together. We have had a lovely week getting to know your child and setting up our classroom.We are both excited to be the teachers in Kauri this year. 

Who are we?

He uri ahau no Te Arawa, ko Ngati Whakaue raua ko Waitaha ōku iwi
Nō Maketu ahau
Ko Hinehau Butcher tōku ingoa. 
I am from Maketu, a small village in the Bay of Plenty. I have lived in Mid Canterbury for the last 10 years. Prior to teaching at Borough I started at Ashburton Intermediate then had the privilege of opening a new school in Lincoln, Te Puna o Araria, where I taught a range of year levels from 2-8. Finally the last few years at Allenton Primary doing part time. I live locally with my partner, Josh, and two children, Ernest and Kowhai.

Ko Jess McCormick tōku ingoa. I grew up in Ashburton and have lived in Canterbury my whole life. I began my teaching career at Ashburton Intermediate, where I met Hinehau. I then taught in Rolleston for three years before returning to Ashburton last year with my husband, Leo, to have our daughter, Mackenzie. I am really looking forward to teaching in Kauri every Thursday and Friday.

Here is a brief overview of how our week looks in Kauri. 

Our topic for this term is Ko Wai Tātou? - Who are we? This will include learning about the important ABS values Be Brave, Be Strong, Be Borough and what this looks like if I'm doing it. We are linking in our persuasive writing (see Leadership below), our Maths, Art, Health, Geography and Science.

Leadership Roles:

One thing that is really cool about being in Year 7 and 8 at ABS is that all students get to be part of a leadership group. Here is a slideshow advertising the different roles on offer this year. In school we will be writing persuasive letters to apply for the roles that we think we will be good at. Can you please chat to your child about their strengths and what role(s) might suit them best.

Options:

Year 7 and 8 students get to participate in Options every second year. This provides an opportunity to choose something to learn in more depth. Each term Options will change and students will need to choose from a different 'category' eg. Sport Performance in Term 1 and Science in term 2. Please help your child with their decision making by the end of this week. We will be starting Options in Week 2.

Our Term 1 options are:

Sports Performance - game play, skill development and sportsmanship
Digital Technology - coding
Language and Culture - Japanese and Māori
Science and Technology - experiments, curiosity and innovation
Our Maths learning is all about Ko Wai Tātou - Who are we? We are measuring, collecting data and then adding it to a national database. We will then be able to 'pull out' the information for Tawa and see what we notice and wonder. See the further information below about Census At School.

As the senior students at ABS, we are really expecting our students to lead by example. That means things like always wearing a hat outside in Term 1, wearing their uniform correctly and showing pride in it, having long hair tied back and being on time to class so that they can get stuck into their learning. Also, a couple of reminders to please bring drink bottles to school and as more mature students, please wear deodorant.

We are looking forward to an awesome year with our class.

Ngā mihi nui,

Hinehau Butcher and Jess McCormick

Our emails are:

hinehau.butcher@ashborough.school.nz  jess.mccormick@ashborough.school.nz 

Census At School

Kia ora Parents and Caregivers,

Our school is excited to take part in CensusAtSchool/TataurangaKiTeKura. This is an international project that helps students understand statistics in a real and fun way. The online survey, which runs every two years, is for students in Years 3-13. During class, students will answer 30 questions about their lives and opinions, showing them how statistics relate to everyday life.

The next CensusAtSchool survey starts on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, and runs until the end of 2026. Over 50,000 students from across New Zealand are expected to take part. We believe this is a great opportunity for your child to learn new skills in an enjoyable way.

Benefits of the project:

Encourages students to enjoy statistics by using real-life data.
Helps them understand how data is collected and why it matters.
Provides access to large data sets for interesting class activities.
Enhances their learning in many subjects through statistical inquiry.
Privacy and security:

Participation is completely voluntary. All data collected is completely anonymous, confidential, and securely stored. No names are linked to the surveys, and the information is used only for learning purposes. CensusAtSchool is run by the University of Auckland, with support from Stats NZ and the Ministry of Education, ensuring it follows strict privacy and security rules.

International and trusted:
CensusAtSchool started in the UK and is now run in many countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Japan. This project has been successful worldwide and provides a rich learning experience for both students and teachers. You can learn more at www.censusatschool.org.nz

The Lagmhor Community Society are currently updating their contact list for our bus students.  If you would prefer that your contact information is not shared, please let your classroom teacher know.

Good afternoon

Just a reminder that we have our Mihi Whakatau / Welcome tomorrow (Thursday 5th Feb) at 10am.  We would love to see as many families as possible.

We will conclude the event with a shared morning tea.  Please send something small to share with your child in the morning.

Many thanks