Kia ora Parents and Whanau
It was really good to see all the positive press in the Weekender recently. These articles reflect activities that are going on all the time at our school. They also reflect the many learning opportunities that our students are offered and experience. Some of our off site activities are having to be postponed or curtailed due to the country being at Alert Level 2.Please find below information regarding the advice given to schools by the Ministry of Education
Please remember that the only point of entry to our school for visitors including parents at Alert Level 2 is through the Main Entrance where there is a NZ COVID Tracer QR code and a written tracer sheet for those not using the QR Code.
Things you need to know about Alert Level 2
Schools are open to everyone, and all children must attend
At Alert Level 2 the disease is contained but there is still risk of community transmission. It is safe for children and staff to attend school and for school hostels to be operating as there will be appropriate measures in place, including for children and staff vulnerable to severe illness.
Learning will be onsite with distance learning offered in some circumstances Distance learning should be provided for those required to self-isolate, those individuals who health authorities have asked to stay away while waiting for a test result, or those choosing to remain at home because they are vulnerable to illness.
Schools are not classified as gatherings and a range of events and activities can go ahead But you must be able to meet usual health and safety requirements and the specific public health requirements for COVID-19 for Alert Level 2.
Face coverings are not required at school or on any school transport
This includes charter buses hired by the school to transport students and staff. Anyone who chooses to wear a face covering in any setting should be supported to do so.
Sick people must stay at home
They should seek medical advice if they have COVID-like symptoms and get tested if advised to do so. If that person displays relevant symptoms of COVID-19, tests positive for COVID-19, or has been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 they must self-isolate.
Fundamental public health measures continue to apply at every alert level:
- Physical distancing (not touching and not breathing on each other at Alert Level 2)
- Hand hygiene
- Cough and sneeze etiquette
- Regularly cleaning and disinfecting high touch surfaces
Nga mihiSteve Allen Principal
Smokin Joes Honey
Smokin Joes Honey
Hot News! Read all about it!
Hot News! Read all about it!
All Barista trainees did outstandingly well and as a result, I am proud to present to you 8 Tongariro Baristas; Amiria Bennett, Baylee Beauchamp, Eternity Thompson, Jade Turanga, Kapi Siddells, Linda Nolan, Mataara Grattan and Tehirau Lambert.
Para kore: Aiming for zero waste at Tongariro School
From school pigs to experimenting with making bricks from recycled cardboard, Tongariro School is moving towards becoming a sustainable school.The change at the Tūrangi school, which has students from year 1 to year 13, is being driven by both students and staff, with a group of senior students leading a para kore (zero waste) project and Services Academy director George Jensen setting up a small sustainable farm and recycling area on the school grounds.The school and Taupō District Council are supporting their efforts, with the council funding bins for classrooms to allow students to sort their waste and bringing in waste-free campaigner Kate Meads earlier this month to talk to the senior female students about waste-free period products.All the girls at Kate's session were given a free pack of waste-free period products, including a pair of period undies, a reusable pad and menstrual cups to try. Social studies and art teacher Reina Hepi says the girls were really interested in cutting down on sanitary waste which in turn benefits the lake and the environment and there were lots of questions that came out at the session.Kate is a well-known waste-reduction campaigner and as well as waste-free periods she is also interested in recycling, waste-free nappies and reducing food waste. After her korero with the girls, she toured the school's little farm with some of the students.As well as Kate's visit, Shannon Hanson of the Taupō District Council was also there to assess the school's recycling efforts and present the sustainability group with a certificate confirming that the school had already reached Stage One of the Resource Wise Schools Programme. The school aims to make it all the way through the top level, Stage Five, Reina says."The council is willing to come and support us around our sustainable vision and the kids are really engaged in it. We've got a recycling team of seven girls and they reinforce the learning and the teaching to the whole school so they go down to the junior school and check the that the kids know which bins the recycling goes into."The whole para kore project has been driven by a group of primarily year 9 and year 10 students, Paris Watene, Hope Sangster, Leilani Lacey, Sophie-Rose Bruce and Te Atawhai Tahau, who researched what was needed and who have made it their mission to reduce the amount of waste being produced. Prior to their para kore project, recycling was non-existent and not only were students not recycling, but litter around the school was also a problem.Hope says the impetus came about during sustainability discussions in social studies lessons. They were also inspired by Kate's series Wasted New Zealand on YouTube.The group started off by doing a waste audit which found that the school was producing a lot of waste. Some of it, such as food scraps and paper, were going straight to landfill but could instead be reused or recycled."Everything was going into one bin when it should have been sorted into recycling and food scraps."They wrote a proposal to the Taupō District Council for funding and were given $1389 which was used to buy three bins for each of the classrooms in the junior school to allow the students to separate their waste. In addition, Manaaki Fitness donated 18 mobile bins.They held a junior school assembly and explained the kaupapa to the students, how the recycling programme worked and what they could do to help, but admit it took some time for the students to learn to make it a habit.Another thing the para kore group has helped set up is a resource recovery and recycling centre. The students in each class sort their waste into the bins and when they are full each class takes its recycling bins to the school resource recovery and recycling centre and sorts them into the correct place.George, who helps look after the school's mini-farm and resource recovery centre, says previously, the school would have two big industrial containers that it filled every two weeks, which would then be shipped off to landfill. Now, it is closer to every six to eight weeks.The school could do more with its waste if it had the resource to break it down even further. For example, the students envisage using the waste paper and cardboard from the school to create bricks which can be used for construction but cutting the cardboard into pieces small enough to be used to make bricks is time-consuming. George is experimenting to find the right amount of water to break the cardboard down so it can then be mixed with flour and sawdust to make bricks.Reina says part of the drive behind sustainability was prompted by last year's wastewater spill into Lake Taupō. Some of the recent spills into the lake have been caused by wastewater pipe blockages from wet wipes and other non-biodegradable material being flushed down toilets. That, in turn, had driven a desire to reduce waste in order to protect waterways."A lot of the kids were really heartbroken about the damage that had been done...We've got a really deep strong connection to our waterways, our kids are the driving force for us ensuring that our lake and our rivers are taken care of and we can only do that if our kids learn how to do that properly."Down on the (school) farm, Moko the goat is friends with the rabbits. The chickens and ducks scratch about, eating scraps and laying eggs. The pigs break down green waste.It's all part of the scene on the Tongariro School's mini-farm, where there are gardens, animal pens and compost binsThe animals' waste goes into the school compost bins, along with green waste and shredded paper. Food waste from the classrooms is fed to the chooks and pigs. It's a cycle.Not only are the animals entertaining to watch, they serve many purposes. The older students can learn about animal husbandry. The younger ones learn about empathy, and what is needed to care for the animals, cleaning them out, feeding them and petting them.Next to the animal farms are school vegetable gardens which are looked after by the students. The weeds go into the compost and the bigger green waste is put into the pigs' pen where the pigs break it down by chewing on the green material and breaking up the branches.Old tyres are also reused, filled with compost, dirt and mulch and used for growing plants.The animals have been at the school for around six years and the idea originally came from the George, who also feeds and cares for them during weekends, holidays and during the alert level 4 lockdown.He says the corner of the school occupied by the animals and gardens was used for storing rubbish until he decided to develop it. It first became a community garden, which was later folded back into the school. George added more gardens, and later, the animals.Article from the NZ Herald – 20th August 2020Para kore: Aiming for zero waste at Tongariro School
2020 School Terms
2020 School Terms
Term 1
3 Feb – 27 March
Term 2
15 April – 3 July
Term 3
20 July – 25 Sep
Term 4
12 Oct – 10 Dec
2020 BOT Meetings
2020 BOT Meetings
September 21st
October 19th
November 16th
December 7th
Enrolment dates for 5 year olds entering school in 2020 will be as follows:
Enrolment dates for 5 year olds entering school in 2020 will be as follows:
Term 1 - 3rd Feb; Mid Term 9th March
Term 2 - not applicable because of date changes for Term 2
Term 3 - 20th July; Mid Term 24th August
Term 4 - 12th Oct; Mid Term 16th November
