Kia ora koutou katoa

It is hard to believe that we have reached the end of Term 1.  It seems like only yesterday we were welcoming our new Year 7 students and whànau to Hutt Intermediate.  It has been an incredibly busy term with trips, camps, sporting fixtures and students getting back into their classroom routines.  Our school wide focus on Tūrangawaewae has been a catalyst for some outstanding learning and has produced stunning artwork, performances and writing.  Much of this will be on display when you visit for our Whānau Conferences in Weeks 1 and 2 of next Term.  As always, if you can’t make those days please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your child’s teacher to set up an alternative arrangement.

We had a perfect day for our annual cross country run yesterday and it was great to see so many of our tamariki participating with enthusiasm and commitment. We have some outstanding athletic talent among our students and we look forward to seeing how our fastest runners perform at the WRISSA inter-intermediate cross country next term. Thanks to Miss Presland and Mr Bridewell for their hard work in organising this event.

Tomorrow morning our staff will hold a morning tea to farewell Mary Hazelwood who is one of our much loved and long serving music tutors. Mary has taught guitar at Hutt Intermediate for an incredible 29 years.  Over that time she has taught students who have gone on to become musicians, politicians and even teachers here at Hutt Intermediate.  We will miss Mary’s cheerfulness and patience and we wish her all the best for her retirement.

We hope everyone has a very happy and safe holiday.  Fingers crossed for warm, settled weather so students can spend lots of time outdoors, relaxing and recharging for the term ahead.

Ngā mihi nui

Mike, Catriona and Tracey

STOMP has been a really fun and unique experience. We made beats and sounds using nothing else other than our bodies. Each class had to learn two patterns which gave them a base, and they used that to create their own rhythms. We then competed firstly against our own syndicate. The best of each syndicate were chosen to compete in the finals. 

The finalists chosen were K4 from Kiwi, M9 from Kotuku, H5 from Kahu, H1 from Kereru and M6 from Kea. Mr Gillatt, Mrs Mathieson and Mrs Kelly scored us in four different categories including timing, energy and enthusiasm, creativity and the overall impression. Two other classes also got to perform at assembly as they narrowly missed out on making the finals. These were M5 and M7.

As we had won our syndicate competition, we were feeling confident for the school-wide one. I was a bit nervous that I might forget the patterns but I managed to remember them all. The students were roaring and clapping really loudly after each performance and our syncopated canon came out really well. When H1 was announced in third position I felt like we were in with a chance, as I knew we had met all of the judging criteria. And we did it! We were really excited after we were announced as first equal winners with M9!

I really loved how you can make music with no instruments. It was exciting to perform as a class where we had to have each other's backs and work as a team. I think of success as like the peak of a mountain and when you get to the top on your own it doesn’t feel as nice as getting to the top with a bunch of friends to celebrate with you. This was a great journey together and it was awesome to celebrate our victory as a class.

We set up our field of remembrance next to our flagpole to honour the New Zealand soldiers that fought for their country and sadly died in WW1. 

The crosses are for soldiers who came from our community here in Lower Hutt. The soldiers fought in many battles in Europe including Gallipoli, The Somme, Passchendaele and Flanders. Of the 100,000 soldiers who fought in WW1, over 18,000 never returned. They lie in unmarked graves and our crosses are a way of remembering them and acknowledging their service and sacrifice.

Of the people named on the crosses outside our school, we have a nurse, 9 people that were given awards because of their courageous actions, an All Blacks Captain, Sergeant Dave Gallaher and Private Basil Mercer who was the youngest to die at just the age of 17. 

These people were so brave, enlisting in the war, not knowing what lay ahead of them. A quote from Laurence Binyon says, "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.”

Ka Maumahara Tonu Tātou Ki A Rātou

We will remember them 

By Caleb, Charlotte, Reuben and Riley.

Thanks to our chocolate fundraising efforts last year, we have just purchased two more CommBox Interactive Touchscreen Units which have now been installed in classrooms. 

We do have a number of surplus boxes of chocolates which we are keen to move.  If you are interested in buying some for the holidays, we are offering them at a discounted price of $70 a box (that's less than $2 a bar).  

Please email secretary@his.school.nz if you are interested.  

Payment of $70 can be made by internet banking (to our usual bank account), by Eftpos at the office or cash.  

Once payment has been received, we can arrange to get the box to your child to take home or it can be picked up from the office.

 

The School day commences at 8.55am and finishes at 3.00pm. Punctuality is important. Students are required to bring their PE gear to school every day. 

 

Please remember to notify school before 9.00am if your child will not be at school for all or part of the day. You can do this via our website or by calling our absence line PH: 570 3101. This reduces the lengthy process of contacting you to check on absences. We use an electronic absence notification system, which means you will be initially contacted via text message and/or email when your child is away and no notification has been received. 

Students arriving late for school must sign in using Vistab on arrival before going to class. This is located at the main office. 

DIRECT PAYMENT 

Below are the Direct Payment details for paying school donations, class trips and activities.  Please make sure to reference all payments. 

 

Hutt Intermediate School Direct Payment Details 

Account Name: - Hutt Intermediate Board

Account Number: - 12 3142 0339812 00 

 

PLEASE CLEARLY STATE THE DETAILS OF YOUR PAYMENT: 

 

              Student’s Name – Surname and first name initial is adequate 

              Class Number 

              What the payment is for – EOTC / Donation / Electives etc 

Water Only School

Hutt Intermediate is registered as a water only school.  Please ensure that students only bring water to school.