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COVID Alert Level 2 - 15 February 2021 - Whanau Newsletter

Please find our latest update in our response on moving to alert level 2...

Whānau panui - November 2020

We've sent out a whānau panui with the latest news from our Association and key dates for the upcoming holiday break and 2021. Click here to read the e-newsletter...

Our local firefighter in Pukeatua

When the fire siren calls in Wainuiomata the tamariki at Pukeatua Kindergarten jump into action. They know that sitting in the office is their very own firefighting hero and that the siren means she’ll be leaving in a hurry to drive a big red fire truck. Nathalie Pettigrew has worked for Pukeatua Kindergarten as an Administrator for eight years and is proud to be a volunteer fire fighter in Wainuiomata. A role that she can do thanks to the kindergarten being within 5kms of the fire station. A...

KidsCan at Taita Kindergarten

Warm coats, comfortable shoes and healthy meals make for a happy day at kindergarten. Earlier this year Taita Kindergarten was chosen to be part of the KidsCan programme and the tamariki have been enjoying their new gear and delicious meals five days a week. “It takes the pressure off parents because morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea are provided every day while their child is at kindergarten. This means there is no need to pack a lunchbox and whānau know that their tamariki are enjoying h...

Embracing different cultures

Earlier in the week it was a heartfelt encounter when a child dancing with a scarf, wrapped it around their head and likened themselves to Amal “I look like Amal.” The value and learning that has come as a result of this experience has been very meaningful following our priorities for learning to promote cultural value, celebrating and welcoming diversity in our kindergarten community. Amal’s Mum, Natasha kindly offered to visit this morning and share with us their culture as Muslim from M...

Whānau Update

Kia ora koutou, Following the announcement from the Prime Minister, we will remain at Alert Level 2. This is a reminder that everyone must adhere to key health measures, including: Staying home if sickGood hand hygiene - children wash their hands when they arrive and adults use the hand sanitiser availableCoughing and sneezing into your elbowKeeping the appropriate physical distance from othersUsing the QR tracing code poster to record your visit at kindergarten. At the kindergarten we will cont...

Update for Whānau - 13 August 2020

Kia ora koukou You will be aware that all of New Zealand excluding the Auckland region moved to Alert Level 2 at noon yesterday. This is unsettling news, but we want to assure our HCK community that we are prepared and will remain open.It is safe for all children and staff to attend kindergarten. Appropriate precautions are in place.Here is a summary of the situation at Alert Level 2: Children and staff who are at higher-risk of severe illness are encouraged to take additional precautions when l...

Welcome to Alert Level 1

Kia ora, Yesterday our Prime Minister shared the great news that New Zealand has no active cases of COVID-19, and as of 12am this morning we are at Alert Level 1. Well done to everyone for following the guidelines and keeping each other safe. This move to Level 1 means that we are almost back to life as normal for Kindergartens, with good hygiene practices and people who are unwell staying away, remaining a priority. Here is how Alert Level 1 will look at our Kindergartens: We no longer require...

Delight at Extra Funding for Early Childhood Education

Young children will benefit from the latest Government announcement to restore 100% funding to early childhood education services with fully qualified staff. “We’re thrilled that the Government acknowledges the importance of trained teachers for our tamariki. This truly is an investment in our future.” said Norma Roberts, General Manager of Hutt City Kindergartens. The increased funding will help the Hutt City Kindergarten Association, a not-for-profit organisation, be in a stronger financ...

Welcome back to Kindergarten

Kia ora koutou As most of you will be aware, all children will be able to attend our kindergartens from this Thursday 14 May, once NZ has moved from Level 3 to Level 2 for all.  We are looking forward to welcoming all our families back. As guided by the Ministries of Health and Education, HCK has developed plans around additional health and safety practices. Since reopening our kindergartens on 29 April our teachers have had time to get everything ready on site and put in place these extra ...

Covid-19 Update

Hutt City Kindergarten Association say they want to support parents returning to work this Thursday with the move to Level 2 and have had time to thoroughly prepare. “Our teachers over the past couple of weeks have had time to get everything ready on site and have been practicing new hygiene routines. We’ve been extremely careful to wipe down all surfaces and in Level 2 we will be cleaning outside surfaces daily as well.” Said Norma Roberts, General Manager of Hutt City Kindergarten Assoc...

Supporting your child's language development

With Claire Fouhy, Speech Language Therapist at Hutt City Kindergartens Kia ora koutou, As a speech-language therapist, I’m forever amazed at the journey children take from birth to five. Going from babbling and crying to speaking in sentences, telling stories, and even leading their friends in karakia kai at Kindergarten. Have you ever wondered how they do it? At the moment it feels like there are endless ideas popping up in social media for activities to keep your tamariki learning and enga...

We’ve begun our Rainbow Tick journey

Earlier this year we began the process to become a Rainbow Tick certified organisation. A process that will see us complete a diversity and inclusion assessment, and reflects our values as an Association. This certification is about providing a supportive workplace environment and promoting acceptance. Through this process Rainbow Tick will assess our policies, training, staff engagement and support, external engagement and monitoring. Providing us with reports along the way and making recommend...

Kindergarten to open in new Health Hub

We are pleased to announce that we will be opening a new Kindergarten at the Health Hub on Witako Street. The yet to be named Kindergarten is expected to open mid-2020. This will be an all-year service for two to five year olds that will offer options from 7.30am to 5.30pm. This is a change from the traditional Kindergarten session which will meet the needs of many families in the Hutt Valley. “Last year we surveyed our families to better understand what they wanted and needed from us as an ea...

KidsCan Support for Naenae and Taita Kindergartens

We are very pleased to announce that Taita and Naenae Kindergartens have been chosen to be part of the KidsCanNZ ECE programme from 2020. The KidsCanNZ programme will supply food for all children at these Kindergartens five days a week, consisting of sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, and three cooked meals per week. They also supply children with a new raincoat, shoes and two pairs of socks. On top of this they provide nit treatment for all children and their families.We are very gr...

Kindergartens Win Business Excellence Awards

We are thrilled to be the winner of the Not for Profit category in the 2019 Wellington Business Excellence Awards. An honour that has put Hutt City Kindergartens in the spotlight for our dedication to quality early childhood education. The Awards evening was held at the Lower Hutt Events Centre and celebrates the success of businesses in the Wellington region. “We’ve been growing young learners in the Hutt Valley for over 90 years and have remained at the heart of our communities. Everything...

We're a finalist!

We are honoured to have been named as a finalist in the Wellington Business Excellence Awards 2019 in the Not For Profit category. It is wonderful to be recognised for our dedicated to providing quality early childhood education to all in the Hutt Valley. Winners will be announced on Friday 22nd November. Keep your fingers crossed for us!...

Kindergartens Say Goodbye to Plastic Bags

Media ReleaseFor Immediate Release9th April 2019 Kindergartens Say Goodbye to Plastic Bags Taking wet clothing home no longer requires the use of a plastic bag thanks to the introduction of new reusable bags. Hutt City Kindergartens has gifted waterproof bags to all children enrolled at their 19 kindergartens across Lower Hutt. “We gifted each child their own bag to take home and return the next day. Going forward children will receive a waterproof bag on their first day at kindergarten as a ...

New Leadership Team

We are pleased to introduce our new Executive Management Team. The job titles may be new but the people in those roles are familiar faces. We are pleased that our Board appointed two leaders from within our Association to draw on their experience and knowledge. Our Executive Management Team now consists of Charmaine Hakaraia as General Manager - Operations, and Norma Roberts as General Manager - Professional Services. We are excited about the future of our Association and the combined exp...