| Hibiscusmatters 5 February 201412

Boutique preschool education for children

aged 2 to 5.

The best of Montessori tradition

combined with modern teaching practices.

Local Matters Feb 2014

42 Silverdale St Silverdale

(next to St John Ambulance) p 427 5544

coastmontessori.co.nz

Full-time full year courses Start Feb or April

Call Amanda for free info 09 424 3055

Text 021 040 9311

Quality Local Courses For Super Nanny &

Great Early Childhood Centre Careers

ASHTON WARNER NANNY ACADEMY

Stanmore Bay nannyacademy.ac.nz

NANNY &

MORE!

NorthTec is to continue offering its Sustainable Rural Development course on the Hibiscus Coast this year following the success of the first intake of 10 locals who were keen to learn how to grow crops and garden sustainably. The course is held at the Whangaparaoa Community Hall.NorthTec’s Programme Leader for Primary Industries, Dom Steenstra says the course is designed to provide students with practical skills and knowledge to carry out a range of self-sustainable land based activities.“We’re pleased with the success we’ve had in working with the community so we are now able to offer them even further course levels,” Dom says. He says NorthTec hopes to see similar community-based Sustainable Rural Development projects implemented all over the region the long-term.NorthTec also offers horticulture and Te Reo courses at Te Herenga Waka in Silverdale. NorthTec’s academic year starts February 18 and enrolments are taken until the end of February. Info: www.northtec.ac.nz

Sustainability grows on CoastPupils of Stanmore Bay School have

noticed the difference that replacing chlorine with salt water has brought about this season.Principal Carol Abley says the school decided to move to salt water because they believe it is better for the children, and it is a big saving – the chlorine was costing the school $40 a day. In addition she says the salt is easier to administer and store.She says the Board of Trustees will continue employing the swimming tutors from the Leisure Centre to work with the Year 4 and 5 children, teaching them in small groups.“We believe all children should learn to swim as we live so close to beaches and having a pool at school saves time going to other facilities,” she says. “Our parents appreciate it too.”The pool is also used for water safety lessons and thanks to a grant from the Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Estate, the school recently purchased 20 lifejackets.“We put small groups of children in lifejackets in a boat and then tip them out. They learn what to do, and the purpose of a lifejacket.”Over the last few years the pool has

Primary prioritises pool provision

Stanmore Bay School’s pool is better than ever since they ditched the chlorine. Photo, Angela Simebeen upgraded and an outside shower installed. Solar heating, funded by the Lion Foundation, keeps the water at a balmy 26°C most days. Parents can purchase a key to use the pool after school and on weekends and holidays. Pooling resourcesStanmore Bay is one of only a handful of local schools that still has its own pool, with the majority opting to run water safety and swimming programmes at either The Leisure Centre or Northern Arena. As well as the maintenance cost of an on-site pool, the reasons given include that the public, indoor facilities can be

used all year-round.Only four of the area’s 10 primary schools have pools – these are Dairy Flat, Wainui, Stanmore Bay and Whangaparaoa Schools – and no local colleges have pools.Since Orewa College closed its pool in the 1990s, its swimming programme has evolved into Surf Safety at the beach. The school also uses Northern Arena and the Leisure Centre for swim programmes.Wentworth and Whangaparaoa Colleges hold swimming sports at The Leisure Centre and KingsWay uses Northern Arena for lessons.

E d u c at i o n f E at u r E

Hibiscusmatters 5 February 2014 | 13

Phone 0210 262 9190 | 0508 INFINITYTimetable: www.danceinfinity.co.nz

Enrollments: office@danceinfinity.co.nz

Beginner ballet & jazz | Senior contemporary exams can be sat under NZAMD syllabus | Hip hop for all ages from beginner to advanced

Competitive dance groups for senior contemporary dancers and junior and senior hip hop dancers | Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary

at Stanmore Bay Community Hall | Hip Hip at HBC Youth centre.Classes start the week of the 17th February

Beginner ballet & jazz | Senior contemporary exams can be sat under

Enquire about Student Loans and Scholarships

For further information: 0800 162 100Text 2014 to 226 www.northtec.ac.nzSee our website for terms and conditions

Start your study this yearNorthTec offers the following courses in your area:

• Horticulture • Agriculture • Sustainable Rural Development • Construction • Painting (Trade)

• Forestry • Te Reo• Health and Safety

-Tou iwi, tou wananga Your people, your place

--

Join us at NorthTec

Enrol now for February

E d u c at i o n f E at u r E

Children’s natural love of movement and dance is something that dance teacher Sheri Read of Orewa still finds inspiring.Sheri’s mother was a ballet teacher, and Sheri immersed herself in dance from the age of three, studying ballet, jazz and contemporary styles. After a year of training at Auckland City Ballet Centre, she joined the Christchurch-based Southern Ballet Company.She started the All Star Infinity Cheerleaders in Whangaparaoa a year ago and the group currently has 30 students as well as two school teams. Starting a dance school seemed a natural next step.Sheri will teach ballet, jazz and contemporary and she has utilised contacts in Hip Hop to source two teachers who are experts in the street-style version of this popular dance form; Jimmy Martin from Excel Performing Arts School and Shenal August of Manurewa who works with Identity Dance Crew and choreographed for the Brat Pack. The Brat Pack placed 11th at last year’s Hip Hop Worlds.“Street Hip Hop is a powerful style and has a lot of appeal for boys as well as girls,” Sheri says. “Crews who compete at regional, national and international level do street Hip Hop

Dance school with street appeal

Sheri Read

and our goal is to have a crew that can take it to the Worlds.”She says students learning styles other than Hip Hop will be able to put together a Senior Dance Company for competitions.The Infinity Dance School has classes that cater for all ages, from preschoolers to adults with classes kept to less than 10 students.For preschoolers, the combination of music and movement assists brain development – something Sheri sees in her own children, two-year old Mikayla and four-year old Luke.Sheri says that as well as fun, creativity and healthy exercise, discipline and commitment are values taught through dance and students will be able to sit NZAMD exams.Infinity Dance School is taking enrolments now, and classes start on February 17.

| Hibiscusmatters 5 February 201414

Orewa Community Church

Entrance from Amorino Dr, Red Beach. Ph 426 7023

www.occ.net.nz

~ All Welcome ~

Orewa Orewa

All Welcome All Welcome

9 February:Mission Sunday

16 February:Pastoral Sunday

9 February:9 February:

Discovering GodSharing Christ’s Love

Sunday Family Services 10am + Kids Journeys

It’s fair to say that friendly rivalry exists between local schools, perhaps even more so at Whangaparaoa and Silverdale Schools owing to the fact that Principals Steve and Viv Collins are husband and wife.Steve has been Principal at Whangaparaoa School for 12 years and its nine years since Viv became Principal of Silverdale School.Each has had more than 40 years in the education sector, giving them an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced by local schools.Growth is the most obvious of these – building programmes are in full swing at both schools. Viv says her school expects to reach capacity of 650 students in two years, while Whangaparaoa Primary has a waiting list for its roll of 755. Last October the Board of Trustees at Whangaparaoa School responded to pressure on rolls by tightening its zoning policy; Silverdale School is reviewing its zone boundaries this year. Decisions around the provision of IT are also top of mind. Both Principals say that children increasingly produce work on computers and start school already IT competent.However, both are cautious about the Bring Your Own Device policy being

Principals voice concerns

Steve and Viv Collins

increasingly adopted by colleges, preferring the concept of shared resources.Perhaps the biggest challenge of all though is funding.Whangaparaoa and Silverdale Schools are Decile 9 – the Ministry’s funding model gives Decile 9 schools almost $850 per pupil per year to cover everything except teachers, compared with $1691 for Decile 1.“Without parent contributions and the PTAs, we wouldn’t have money for things that are considered necessary, such as IT,” Viv and Steve say.Both also emphasise that the quality of teaching staff is at an all-time high.“We get 40–100 applicants for any teaching post, and end up with the unpleasant task of having to reject good quality people.”

E d u c at i o n f E at u r E

Warkworth Birth Centre

Our friendly helpful postnatal staff at the birthing centre

quality maternity carequality maternity carequality maternity care

FREE pregnancy tests Prenatal classes, birth venue & post-natal stay Own room in peaceful rural surroundings Excellent equipment and atmosphere Water birth a speciality Midwives on call at all times, and as backup for your caregiver (LMC) Full post-natal hospital stay 24 hour Registered Nurses / Midwives to care for you and your baby You can transfer from your birth hospital within 12 hours of normal birth or 24 hours following a Caesarian

Available to all women and their caregivers

For further information talk to your LMC/Midwife or Warkworth Birth Centre

Phone 09 425 820156 View Road, Warkworth

www.warkworthbirthcentre.co.nz

ALL

SERVICES

ARE FREE

Breast Feeding Support GroupWednesday 5th February @ 10am

ALL MOTHERS WELCOME

Hibiscusmatters 5 February 2014 | 15

Long or short term hire *free bolt install (*conditions apply)

We can check if your car seat is installed correctly

HBC Community House

CAR SEAT REnTAl

Trained technician Ph 426 3598

Dynamic Martial ArtsClasses for 5 years upwards

Get fit • Have fun • Learn something new

A club with something for everyone

Silverdale Training Centre, Agency Lane, Silverdale

Ph 021 214 7204www.dynamic.org.nz

09 421 9700 www.northernarena.co.nz

Northern Arena, 8 Polarity Rise, Silverdale.cnr Whangaparaoa Rd & Hibiscus Coast Highway

SWIM2012&2013

New Zealand

SCHOOLOF THE YEAR

Northern ArenaSWIM SCHOOL OF THE YEAR A standard of excellence in swim teaching unrivalled by any other learn to swim school in New Zealand

Can your child swim and survive?

www.zero2five.co.nz

0800 CALL 025

Homebased care for preschoolers. Educational support programme for Nannies and Home Based Caregivers.

Subsidies available for every child. WINZ approved 20 ECE HOURS for 3 and 4 year olds. 9 Free WINZ hours.

(0800 2255 025)www.zero2five.co.nz

Whangaparaoa College is starting the New Year with a fresh focus on sustainability that it hopes will reap big dividends in due course.At the end of last year, a Sustainability Group was formed, chaired by teacher David Godfrey. The group includes Principal James Thomas, teachers and support staff and one student, Thomas Stiven – it is hoped that more students will become involved this year.Mr Godfrey says that although there are big items on the group’s wish list down the track, including photo voltaic cells and water reuse, this year the aim is to focus on recycling.He says the school already recycles most of its paper and cardboard, but is aiming to remove other recyclable materials from its waste stream.Mr Godfrey says this will involve introducing recycling bins, alongside educational programmes to help change attitudes among students.“We plan to form an ‘eco warrior’ group of learners who will assist us in this initiative,” Mr Godfrey says. “Some of them are excited about it already.”Students will be responsible for the separation of recyclable materials that can be taken to the recycling depot.He says the ultimate aim is to become

a ‘no rubbish school’, in a similar way to many Primary schools.The second aim for this year is to reduce the school’s use of electricity – perhaps starting with a ‘lights out’ campaign.The wheels are also in motion for the possible introduction of solar power – something Mr Godfrey says the school’s board has agreed to allocate money for.“We will investigate the process of installing photo voltaic cells to generate power for the school, and for sale back to the grid when excess is produced,” Mr Godfrey says.Feedback from Auckland Council has been obtained, and the college has also approached power companies for comment; installing photo voltaic cells requires permission from the local power company.Eventually the group will investigate methods of diverting water from the college’s roof to be used on the gardens or for cleaning.Principal James Thomas says the group formed due to a growing awareness of the need to improve the school’s sustainability.He says the key to the success of the project will be letting the initiative grow from the ground up, as student support increases.

Start made on sustainability

E d u c at i o n f E at u r E