Principal’s Message
Tena koutou katoa,
We land the RUA waka with a fountain of knowledge about ‘How to take good care of our brains and our bodies’ to enhance our learning at school. Our akonga have enjoyed sharing and learning from each class with our Inquiry Learning expo held during the last week of the term. Your tamariki will tell you all about their brain function and ways to take care of their brains.
Our kaiako have worked hard to ensure our akonga have a good understanding of our school vision: Sharp Minds, Strong Bodies and Good Hearts.
Congratulations to the following recipients of the Principal Awards:
Leikyn WINTER Bronze TALAGI, Tyrus PIUTAU, Hannah MUELU, Niyah MATAMAKI, Zion SINGH-HIKATANGATA.
We have revised the Application for Alternative Constitution to now include the following:
After further discussions on our Application for Alternative Constitution we have revised the final version to now include the following:
2 Parent Representatives
1 Staff Representative
The Principal
Up to 3 Trustees from the Rise UP Trust.
The reasons for amendments are to ensure that the vision of Rise UP Academy is protected and upheld with the original intent as set out in 2014.
Our whanau educators will contact you to complete the survey as part of our community consultation.
Enjoy the school holidays and quality time with your whanau. Thank you for you continued prayers for our school staff, tamariki and board of trustees.
God’s richest blessings and safe travels for those going away.
Nga mihi nui
Sita Selupe MNZM
Tumuaki
The Calendar
Recent Events
Term 1: Learning in the Classroom
Room 5
Talofa Whanau
In Term 1 Room 5 has been busy in different learning areas. As part of our morning session our tamariki learnt handwriting exercises. They have been learning to form letters of the alphabet correctly as it is very important for their progress in school. One of our Learning Assistants Ms Sarah shared a great strategy to help our tamariki who struggle with pencil control, thank you Ms Sarah.
In Inquiry our tamariki learnt how to care, conserve and protect their hauora. Our tamariki started by exploring and learning through their senses to understand what hauora means. Their natural curiosity led them to ask more questions and be engaged in learning the body and brain parts and functions.
In Mitey they learnt how to express their ideas and feelings/ emotions confidently about changes they have experienced. This is aligned with the Inquiry context. Tamariki worked in pairs to share their feelings about different situations and how to demonstrate responsibility for self-care. They wrote their names and feelings on feathers and color it in. It was a very interesting learning experiment where tamariki shared ideas and worked to put feathers together to form a kakahu.
Devotion has been an important part of our weekly plan. Our class experiment using the tooth paste to extend their understanding about unwholesome talks (using our mouth to say negative words). e.g. When you speak hurtful words it’s like squeezing out toothpaste from a tube – it’s easy to get out but you are unable to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Our tamariki concentrated really well and was curious about the outcome. They were encouraged to use words to build others up and help others with a good heart.
We have PE to practice ball skills of throwing, chest pass, shoulder pass and catching. Tamariki enjoyed a simple and fun activity. Throwing and catching helps with hand-eye coordination, develop balance and attention.
Wishing all my students of Room 5 a restful and happy holiday. God Bless whanau.
Kia Kaha
Mrs Partsch.
Room 4
Kia Ora Whanau
Term 1 has whizzed through pretty fast and has been a busy term thus far for our Tamariki.Room 4 has been very focussed on our Inquiry Topic this term and we have been very busy learning about how the brain works and all the interesting terminology used to describe the different parts of the brain.Our Scenario for our Inquiry :Our School vision encourages us to strive for a Sharp Mind,Strong Body and a Good Heart.Tiaki reminds us that we need to Care,Conserve and Protect our Hauora.Students worked very well through this scenario and brainstormed their ideas and key words .We had lots of big questions and small questions based on how we can care ,conserve and protect our brain and body (Hauora).We have had a intense research going on in Room 4 and we cannot wait to show off our Inquiry Expo to the rest of the school.
In between our exciting new learning Mrs Govender had a special morning tea during the Easter week. We read through Easter stories and watched Easter videos and made beautiful Easter cards and crafts .A spread of fresh chocolate hot cross buns and Easter eggs and other goodies were shared amongst Room 4 students.
Our Swimming Lessons this term went off really well our Tamariki really enjoyed their time slots at the pools.Many thanks to all our swimming instructors and parents who managed to help out during the allocated swimming times.Have a safe and enjoyable holiday we look forward to working alongside with you all next term .Thank you for your continued support muchly appreciated .
Room 4 continue to be Good and do Good cause Good is Good to do!
Many Blessings
Mrs Govender and Mrs Faga
Room 3
Term one 2024 started with a serene feeling over the school. Everyone was well rested and ready to catch up with their friends. New classes, new friends and new knowledge.
Our inquiry was studying functions of the brain. Room three covered the proper care of our brain through making right choices around exercise, healthy food and water. Math sessions were fun activities measuring amounts of sugar in sugary drinks such as coca cola, fanta etc. and how it can be harmful to the brain and its development. Did you know there are 9 teaspoons of sugar in a glass of coca cola. This was put into a data The students learnt that the brain is the boss of the body.
Another highlight was swimming. The students looked forward to learning how to swim and the last lesson was interesting facts about how to survive if you fell off a boat in a life jacket which they wore. They were told to huddle to keep warm and other strategies of survival.
Term one has been a season of getting to know each child. I have a wonderful class of happy eager beavers and they all love to learn and grow in their adventures of learning.
I look forward to the holiday season and digging deep into their growth and learning in term two.
Enjoy your time with your children. They are precious years and time to implant good foundations of God’s principles into the hearts and minds of your whanau. One Day they will fly away and make their own nests.
Blessings Ms Bella
Room 2
Wow, Term 1 finished!! The last 11 weeks have flown by. What has room 2 been up to? This year, Room 2 consists of 15 x year 6 students and 5 x year 5 students; 12 x female and 8 x male students. Welcome back!! To school for 2024. A BIG welcome to Carla -June and her family who are new to RUA!
Ms Weightman has finally been shown how to use Class Dojo and is trying to get into the practice of using it. I will do my best to use it more next term for weekly spelling and homework. Please feel free to send messages via Class Dojo. Swimming lessons on a Monday started in week 3. The swimming test was completed before Easter and the last lesson included wearing life jackets learning deep water and boat safety skills. Huge congratulations to MariaRosa, Carla and Fisi-Anne who attended ALL 8 lessons and congratulations also to Brianna, Riley , Nissi, Ulaiasi and Knolan who completed 7 out of the 8 lessons. Students have improved their swimming and confidence in the water as well as having some fun too.
Our Inquiry topic has been learning about Tiaki (care, conserve and protect) our Hauora (physical and mental well-being) with the focus on our brain, our body. Our class has made a life-size skeleton and learnt lots of medical jargon for the names of our digestive system and organs. We have learnt about interdependence (relying on each other) and how our brain and body must work together. Our presentation was a combination of student presentations which had to be cut down to fit in our allocated time. Great effort everybody.
Our writing has been on explanation and informative writing which include facts which has linked nicely with the inquiry topic. We were also doing compare and contrast writing about different body organs. We have been reading books about people and stories related to the brain and body or informative pieces about body organs. Our Friday poems this term have been chosen for having famous authors.
We have one lesson a week on Te Reo Maori, NZ Sign Language and Mitey. Te Reo class and Mitey have been about our identity. Where we get our culture and what groups we relate to. In Sign Language we have learnt our alphabet, signing our name and colours. The Miss Nicky Te Reo colours song we have been singing along while also doing the signs. For PE we did a beep test and have spent some time practicing athletics and some ripper tag. We
did a beep test again in the last week to see if we improved. Happy to report that many students in the class improved their level. This is an ongoing process as we will do further beep tests at the end of each term to monitor our progress.
I hope everyone had a lovely Easter, felt a bit odd not being in the holidays but it was great to do some fun Easter activities.
Have a happy and safe holiday and I look forward to seeing everyone in Term 2.
God Bless,
Ms Weightman
Room 1
Mālō e lelei,
The end of Term 1 is near and Room 1 has been busy with all the events that have taken place so far. We have had a great start to the year where we have been deep diving into parts of the body including factors that affect our wellbeing. Students were quick to identify the influences of sleep, nutrition and exercise as huge factors impacting our learning. We have been able to apply our statistical knowledge in math to help us conduct and understand data and graphs in our inquiry. Room 1 has been fortunate enough to have Food tech and Ukulele lessons with Mrs Selupe and Mr ‘Ofanoa. They have been able to apply measurement skills and procedures cooking delicious food that can be made at home as well as learn simple chords. Our literacy focus has included extensive research to produce great explanations and reports which again have played a huge role in our inquiry for this term.
Swimming has been huge in Room 1 with us participating in free lessons every Monday. We have also partnered up with Room 2 for PE every week learning various skills and games relating to our focus which is athletics.
It has been a pleasure joining not only Rise Up this year but more importantly being the teacher of Room 1. This is something I don’t take lightly. I want to wish the Room 1 students and whanau a safe and restful holiday. Have a blessed and well earnt break. Make sure students that you help around the house.
God Bless you all. See you in Term 2.
Mr ‘Ofanoa
XRACE – An Event for our Junior whanau
XRACE is a parent and child race that involves completing 10 different challenges. This year the organisers of XRACE generously gave our school a 75% discount off the registration cost which was a great incentive for our families to join. So on Sunday 7th of April we had 6 families represent Rise Up Academy at the annual Auckland XRACE.This year the challenges included dancing to Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk, painting toenails, memorising clues, constructing a paper house and painting it and using morse code.
Our families used their STRONG BODIES to dance, run and move and their SHARP MINDS to think, decipher and build.
It was a great day where our families were able to spend time together, for the children and parents to work together to complete all the tasks and to connect with our other Rise Up families. There was lots of laughter, fun, thinking, dancing, painting, cheering and celebrating and our day concluded with our Rise Up families eating hot dogs together and recalling their funny moments of the race.
Thank you to our families who participated and represented Rise Up Academy and also to Mrs Laura and her sons who came along to support.
We look forward to having more Rise Up families participate next year!!
Ms Grace and Whaea Celia
SWIMMING
Part of our Physical Education learning for Term One has been Swimming. Our school is grateful to partner with the John Walker Foundation which provides free swimming lessons for our Year 2 to Year 8 students. Every Monday our students take part in a 30 minute lesson at the Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Leisure Centre in Mangere. The purpose of these lessons has been to equip our students with essential water safety skills, to teach them correct swimming techniques and to increase their confidence in and around water.
Our students have learnt how to swim freestyle correctly, to float on their back, breathing techniques while swimming, how to use a kickboard and their last lesson was all about water skills while wearing a life jacket. We know that our children have enjoyed these lessons and the chance to become more confident in their swimming ability and in the water.
Thank you to the parent helpers that came to assist our teachers in monitoring our students during these lessons.
Whanau Notices
HEARTS & MINDS
Kia Ora Koutou,
Our Hearts and Minds Programme details for Term 2 below.
Parents signed up for Term 2 please check your emails for your confirmation letter.
Parents who wish to do a refresher on any of the sessions are welcome.
Thursday 9 May – 21st Century Learner
Thursday 16 May – Learning Styles
Thursday 23 May (No Hearts and Minds due to Annual General Meeting AGM)
Thursday 30 May – Love Languages
Thursday 6 June – Personality Styles
Thursday 13 June – Problem Solving
Thursday 20 June – Culture and Education
Term 2 Hearts and Minds starts Thursday 9th May.
Synergy Programme Starts: Wednesday 29th May.
Congratulations to our graduating Whanau of Hearts and Minds Term 1. Graduation Video attached. Thank you for your continued commitment and whanau engagement.
Rise UP Calendar
How can I help my child to succeed?
We know that learning starts in the home, so with our 2024 Hearts and Minds Calendar you will have helpful reminders and tips about understanding your child and how YOU can help your child to grow, to feel loved and expand their thinking.
Our calendars are only $20.00 and are available by emailing [email protected] or texting 022 461 0144 with your name, address and contact phone number.
Payments to be made Online at
Rise UP Trust
02-0216-0028088-00
Please put your name as the reference and once payment has been received then your calendar will be delivered.
Start 2024 being equipped for your child’s year of new learning!
ENROLMENTS
As mentioned in our previous newsletters it is important for our whanau who have children turning five in 2024/2025 to please complete an enrolment form. Our New Entrant class is already filling quickly. We have currently have a waiting list in our junior school and spaces available for 2025. Please fill in an online form from our website https://www.riseupacademy.school.nz/
TERM 2 & 3 WINTER UNIFORM
Our students are welcome to wear our winter uniform during these terms which is our regular polo and polar fleece jersey but they can wear this with PLAIN BLACK long pants e.g. plain track pants or school pants. They are still able to wear shorts/skorts if they like. If your child does not have a school polar fleece you can buy these from the school office OR your child can wear a PLAIN BLACK crew neck jersey – please no hoodies. Hats are not compulsory during these terms however they can wear them on sunny days. We will be sending notes/text/emails home for students who are not in correct school uniform. The school will be open on Wednesday 24th April 1.00 – 3.00pm for any uniform purchases. Please ensure all uniforms are labelled – we have plenty of polar fleece jerseys lost due to no labels.
GOOD FOOD DEALS FOR OUR WHANAU
Fruit and Veges for $15 a bag – please take your own recyclable bags.
CYBER SAFETY
Please read this information from Safe on Social as it may be of interest if your children are spending time on the internet.
FREE SKATING FOR STUDENTS
Free skating session Friday 26th April – David Lange Park. 10years to 16years, all skating and protective gear provided
GOOD SEED TRUST HOLIDAY PROGRAMME
If you are looking for a local holiday programme to send your students to in the holidays please read the information below.
SMALL BUSINESSES WITHIN OUR SCHOOL
PROV-TECH Automotive
If your car needs some work done or a service please check out http://provtechauto.com
275KAI
Mary and her whanau make the heartiest burgers and delicious meals like; surf n turf, ribs etc found here too! 60 Vine Street Mangere. https://www.facebook.com/275KAI
MAMAS MEDALS
She and her team create the most stunning pieces and are available to order. You’ll be the talk of the town when you wear one of her numbers. https://www.facebook.com/mamasmedals
*Whanau if you own a small business that you would like us to post up on our newsletters please email [email protected]
Devotions
Whanau devotions:
Devotion topic: Sharp Minds, Strong Bodies, Good Hearts
Scripture for the term: Luke 10:27
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself”.
Term 1 Reflection:
Praise God for our school vison: Sharp Minds, Strong Bodies and Good Hearts, akonga have heard the good news! They have learnt what God says about each body part and how we can care for it and use it to serve Him.
Here is a recap of each week:
Week 1: Sharp Minds: Honouring God with our thoughts/overcoming fear.
Week 2: Eyes/Ears: Taking care of our eyes by being mindful about what we see and hear.
Week 3: Tongue/Mouth: Encouraging others with our words, no unwholesome talk
Week 4: The Smarts
Week 5: Good Hearts: loving our neighbour with a pure heart.
Week 6: Hands: giving to the needy
Week 7: Stomach/Fasting: prayer and fasting, sacrifice.
Week 8: Strong Body: discipline in our race as believers
Week 9: Good Friday
Week 10: He Has Risen
Week 11: Shoes/Feet: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!
We pray our akonga continue to take care of their minds and bodies over the school holidays. We look forward to our Devotion topic in Term 2: Prayer Warriors of the Bible with our parent guest speakers and staff.
Blessings and have a wonderful break.
Rhona Dean
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