Wednesday, January 23, 2019 Wairarapa Midweek
FIRST
STEPS
&
FUTURE
PROSPECTS
23
Register your baby’s name online Charlotte and Oliver remain New Zealand’s most popular baby names, taking the top spots once again in 2018.
Mia and Nikau are the most loved Maori names, both overseas and here in New Zealand. The full list of top baby names is available on SmartStart, an online tool for new parents. Jeff Montgomery, Registrar-General Births, Deaths and Marriages, says registering your baby is an important step. It ensures your child has an official identity, and can access their legal rights as they grow up. Doing so is now even easier as SmartStart centralises those services in one easy-to-use site, he says. “The last thing new parents want to be doing is filling out a raft of forms. SmartStart is a free, fast, and efficient way to register your child, obtain an IRD number, and even adjust a Ministry of Social Development benefit. You can complete those tasks any time, on any device.” “This year, parents can also apply for the weekly BestStart payment at the same time as registering their baby.”
Charlotte and Oliver have been consistent in popularity for many years – Oliver has been the most popular boy’s name for six years in a row. Oliver’s female counterpart, Olivia, has been in close competition with Charlotte since 2011, with the two swapping first and second place many times. Jack and Isla were ranked second most popular this year. Nikau remains number one for the most popular Maori boy’s name, having topped the list for the last few years, while Mia is a new entry. The top Maori baby names were calculated and researched in partnership with the e Taura Whiri I te reo Maori, the Maori Language Commission. Colin Feslier, Principal Adviser at the Commission, says Maori names have significant cultural and spiritual meaning. “In Maori tradition, names are given to reinforce memories of past events, family members, or in reference to the qualities hoped for in the child. Whatever the specific motivation, the traditional intent is always to recognise the mana of the child within a community,” Mr Feslier explains. CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
A total of 13,668 different first names were given to 59,302 babies in 2018.
wairarapa college 2019 Term One
Term One:
Tuesday 29 January - Friday 12 April
Term Two:
Monday 29 April - Friday 5 July Teacher Only Day: Tuesday June 4
WHERE FUN AND ACHIEVEMENT JOIN TOGETHER We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to explore the joy of dance and have it enhance their life.
Dance Programme • Jazz • Tap • Hip Hop • Adult Classes • Preschool Classes • Ballet • Contemporary
Thursday 24 January: Course Confirmation Day 9am-10.30am: Year 13 11am-12.30pm: Year 12 1.30pm-2.30pm: Year 11 (only students with subject clashes) Prefect Camp departs 11.30am returns 3.30pm Friday 25 January Friday 25 January: No students Monday 28 January: Teacher Only Day Tuesday 29 January 8.40am: Year 13s meet at the Hall 8.40am: International Students meet in the office 9.15am: New students (other than Year 9) meet in the office 10am: Year 9s meet at the Hall for Pōwhiri Wednesday 30 January 8.35am: Students met by SLT and Deans Year 10: Gym Year 11: Hall Year 12: Common Room Year 9 & 13: go straight to group classes Thursday 31 January: Normal school day startng at 8.40am
2019 Term Dates
Jacqui Murray
Located in Carterton & Martinborough
Photos by Sue Nikolaison
Contact us on 06 379 6004 or 027 242 3462 Email: jacquimurraydance@xtra.co.nz | www.jacquimurraydance.co.nz
Term Three:
Tuesday 23 July - Friday 27 September Teacher Only Day: Monday 22 July
The library is a great resource for you as your children head back to school this year. We offer: -weekly story times in English (Wednesday’s 10:30) and Te Reo Māori (Thursday’s 10:30). -STEM activities (Lego, Minecraft, and Code Club). -Book Bugs Book Club (Ages 10-13) Fun with books, crafts & 54 Queen Street library.mstn.govt.nz activities. Monthly starting 13 February 5:30-6:30pm. (06) 370 6253 -Picture books, Early Readers, Board Books, Juvenile Fiction and Nonfiction, Talking Books, E-book, and much more. Masterton Back to School Reading Tip District Library Set an example. Children mimic behaviors and Do you have will repeat your actions. So pick up a book and school aged encourage reading at home. children AND
Term Four:
Monday 14 October - Friday 9 December
Pownall Street, Masterton : 06 370 0400 : waicol.nz
Coding & Robots
3D Printing
need access to the internet? Then sign up for Spark Jump and receive a free modem and 30GB of data for $10 (prepaid). Visit steppingup.nz to sign up for the next course.