In Brief

Ag Day working bee

Mangawhai Beach School is looking for help with a few jobs to get things looking smart for their upcoming Ag Day. A working bee will be held on Saturday September 29 weather permitting. Extra hands will help lighten the load. Paint brushes, water blasters, wheelbarrows, and spades and shovels are also needed! Organisers hope to start at 9am and finish by lunchtime. Children are welcome, and morning tea will be provided to all helpers.

Environmental awards for Kaipara schools

The Northland Regional Council has presented cheques to two Kaipara schools which have shared a $1750 slice of this year’s Environmental Curriculum Awards (ECAs).

The annual $20,000 awards aim to foster excellence in environmental education, with schools eligible for up to $2000 each for their efforts to educate children ‘in, about and for’ the region’s environment.

This year 18 award winners across Northland received between $350 and $2000 each for their 19 projects. Two of those were in the Kaipara: Ruawai Primary School, which received $350 for its mobile henhouse to be used in a school orchard and Dargaville Intermediate, which got $1400 for its school nursery and vegetable garden project.

Rubbish dumped at MAZ

Mangawhai Activity Zone committee member Dave Smith recently discovered household rubbish dumped behind the children's playground area. The rubbish included two boxes of empty beer bottles and about three supermarket bags of refuse including food scraps and clothing. 

Rummaging about and finding an address, Dave picked up the rubbish in his truck and took it to the property, where an elderly woman said it was her granddaughter who had dumped the rubbish. He gave it back to her to dispose of correctly. 

Nice one Dave!

Nominate an inspirational teacher – quick!

Students, parents and teachers have until September 23 to nominate deserving early childhood, primary or secondary school teachers, who go above and beyond to make learning time more enjoyable and valuable, in a nationwide search for New Zealand’s most inspiring teachers.

Thirty nominated teachers will share in $30,000 worth of classroom stationery and technology from Warehouse Stationery, with one of the 30 winning a grand prize including a $5,000 holiday and the title of New Zealand’s Most Inspiring Teacher 2012.

Nominations have come through for teachers across almost 1,400 different Primary and Secondary schools, as well as 54 Early Childhood Centres.

Judges will be looking for teachers who have a passion for the profession and their pupils – the ones who are committed to the learning process and go beyond the call of duty in terms of time and resources.

Nominating your favourite teacher is easy. Simply visit www.inspiringteachers.co.nz before Sunday September 23 to find out more.