Tena Koutou and Welcome to Term 3

I am halfway through my time at your school and I want to thank you for the fabulous experience it is for me. Motumaoho is a very special place and you are lucky to have such a dedicated and capable team in place. The whakatauki above seems appropriate as your Board of Trustees works through the process of appointing a new Principal. They have been diligent in their research and guided by a desire to ensure that the best person for the role has been chosen. I am sure that a loving heart has guided their decision. 

Hayley Arnold, Board Chair will be sharing progress on the search in this newsletter.

What a delightful time we had meeting with whaanau over the past two evenings. It is always so good to chat about individual children with the adults who support them. Thank you for coming and sharing your knowledge of your children with us. We are genuinely delighted with the children’s progress, and your support of their learning.

As you are aware, this year School Board of Trustee elections are being held. I would encourage you to consider making yourself available for the Board.  It is an important opportunity for you to help guide the future of the school through further development of the Strategic Plan. Timing is significant this year as a new Principal will appreciate a strong team to support them as they move into their role. Skills developed in working on a School Board are transferable into the workplace and other parts of life. From personal experience, I have seen a family member grow tremendously in confidence from her involvement in her children’s school. The skills learned as Chair of her local board are now useful in the management of her family’s internationally renowned digital company.

More Board Election information later in the newsletter from Hayley Arnold, our Board Chair.

The whole school is travelling to Hamilton on August 19 to visit the Museum. We will take part in their educational program ‘Puuraakau at the Museum’. We will also visit the Exscite area for some individual exploration of the amazing activities available there. Travel will be by bus and further information will be available in the coming days.

Students in Tui (years 3-6) are working hard on developing their Maths and Literacy skills with some online tools to support their learning. Our school licences for Mathletics and Stepsweb are giving aakonga opportunities to develop skills independently, with their learning being monitored closely by the teaching team. Logins for these programs are available for your child if you would like to give them an opportunity to practice at home.

We are pleased to share that the permanent Principal recruitment process is going very well. We received over 20 applications from around the world, and during the school holidays a panel of the Board and teaching staff interviewed five strong candidates. From there, we further shortlisted candidates and conducted follow-up visits. We are pleased with the calibre of applicants and are confident that, whichever candidate is ultimately chosen, Motumaoho School will be in excellent hands moving forward.

This week, we are completing important next steps, including reference and background checks. The Board of Trustees will make a final decision at our meeting this Thursday (24 July 2025). Our goal is to notify the successful candidate this Friday and to share this exciting news with the school community next week.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Hayley Arnold
Board Chair
hayley.arnold@motumaoho.school.nz

As you may be aware, this year marks our school Board Elections, and you may have already received an email about nominations. The role of our School Board is incredibly important, playing a key part in the day-to-day operations of the school and ensuring the best outcomes for our tamariki.

We are seeking individuals who can commit approximately 3 hours per term to attend meetings where we discuss various topics such as property, attendance data, finance, and other operational matters. No prior experience is required, and you do not need to be a parent to represent the school. Whether you’re a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, or a close friend of the school, we welcome your involvement!

To nominate, please follow the instructions provided in the nominations email. If you haven't received it, please let Angela know, and she will assist you. If there is a member of your whānau or community whom you would like to nominate to be on the Board, you as the parent/caregiver, submit the nomination on their behalf. http://www.myschoolelection.nz/mynomination

Nominations close on 4th August. Be sure to get your nominations in before the deadline!

If you have any questions or need more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at hayley.arnold@motumaoho.school.nz. Alternatively, if you'd like to attend a meeting to see how the Board operates, we have two meetings this term, and you’re welcome to join. Contact me for further details.

Again, the School Board is a vital role for our community, and we encourage community members to step up and take these vacancies. Our school cannot run without a functioning Board of Trustees.

Hayley Arnold

BOT Chair

As the colder months continue, please ensure your children come to school with extra layers of clothing. During break times, students play outside, and it can get very chilly. Having additional clothing can also be helpful in case they get wet.

Our goal is to keep all students warm, healthy, and protected from winter illnesses. Thank you for your continued support!

We need to establish the best time to hold our Livestock Day and begin arrangements for the event. If your child is going to rear an animal for our school Livestock Day (calf, lamb or kid goat) please let Angela know now, so we can make decisions going forward, thank you.

Please email: office@motumaoho.school.nz

We are part of the Yummy Fruit Company School Sticker Promotion. By collecting Yummy Fruit stickers, you can support our school to earn FREE sports gear! Sheets are available from the school office. Collect your stickers, add them to the sheet and return the full sheets to the office before the end of Term 3. Keep munching on those apples!