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Principal's Kōrero
Kia ora e te whānau
What a busy start to the final term of the year. We are in full speed now getting things organised so that we end the year on a positive note.
Thank you to all the whānau who turned up to help with the first event of the term - our Colour Run. Everyone had the best afternoon and enjoyed being part of the day. We have raised a lot of money for our school which helps go towards the ongoing costs of events such as camps, trips and special activities for our kids to partake in.
The teachers are all going through a process of learning more about the new curriculum documents for Mathematics and English (literacy) which are being fast tracked to implement by the start of next year. We have an entire year to work on this and get familiar with all the content required for teaching and learning as well as the assessment side of these documents. You might not notice an immediate change but over time you will see things or hear about how we are tracking.
On Monday 4th November we have a Teacher's Only Day which the Ministry of Education have given our school to help learn more about the Maths curriculum changes before the start of next year. Please do not send your child to school on this day as we are not required to be open for instruction. School resumes as normal on Tuesday.
In two more weeks our junior playground will be having an upgrade. The metal bars will be removed and an extension of the area will be made with new equipment. This upgrade is thanks to a very large donation and contribution from a member of our community who wanted to do something for our school. We are so very grateful to have this opportunity and can't wait for the children in our junior area to have more options for play spaces. The wonderful family who provided the financial donation wish to remain anonymous at this time. The upgrade is set to start Monday 11th November. So there may be some disruption to access in this area for approximately 2 weeks. Weather will be the deciding factor to how long it takes.
I have noticed an increase in students wearing the wrong uniform and incorrect hats. Upon enrolment, all parents signed an agreement to abide by our school uniform policy. We do not expect a lot and offer parents a wide range of options that do not cost an extensive amount so we appreciate it if you are able to ensure your child leaves home with the correct uniform on each day. Plain black shorts, skirts, skorts or pants are acceptable. No any other colours and no writing on the clothing also
our school polo shirt - plain black or white undergarments can be worn to help keep warm.
A school Jacket or polo fleece can also be worn - No hoodies or other sweatshirts to be worn during school time.
No basket ball shorts with writing on them either please.
A number of students have turned up at school very tired and have not been able to sustain learning throughout the day. Quite a few of them have mentioned being on devices till late, sometimes till after midnight.
This is a huge concern and we encourage all parents to provide strong boundaries about how long children are allowed on devices. There is a strong mesage coming from all the research about how long periods of time on devices negatively impacts children and their ability to function while at school. The biggest issue is lack of sleep for most of our students. They struggle to maintain a positive level of behaviour when they are tired and can not engage in learning as well as they normally can. Please help by ensuring your child gets plenty of sleep during the week and has limited time on devices before bed.
Biking to and from school - It is marvelous to see how many students are now biking or scooting to school. It is compulsory to wear a helmet and I strongly advise shoes be worn also to avoid any serious injuries or loss of toes due to falling off or getting feet caught in spokes.
Your child's helmet should cover their forehead as well as the back of the head. Straps should also be fitted properly so only one finger can fit between the strap and under the chin. Too many students are not wearing their helmets correctly and are at risk of serious injury.
Students should be taught how to navigate the road and driveways before being sent on their own. Drivers do not always leave their properties slowly when exiting the driveways and some children might get hit off their bikes if not taught how to look into each driveway. There have been a number of near misses reported this year already.
Our next big school event will be the School sports/athletics day. We do not do this in the traditional way and include a number of other skill based activities for our students to participate in. This has been encouraged by Sport Waikato and we are setting the trend with how our school runs the athletics day. A more formal interschool's athletics event is being planned for and we are working on sending children who are interested in this to that later in the term.
Our other big event that we would love all those who offer to help at our school and events throughout the year is our helpers mornign tea. If you haven't seen the information yet, please check out the facebook page, skool loop app and this newsletter for details. We must have your RSVP for catering purposes before the event - not on the day.
Thank you all once again for the support you show our school and the staff. We are working hard to ensure your child has the best outcome for their learning journey.
What a busy start to the final term of the year. We are in full speed now getting things organised so that we end the year on a positive note.
Thank you to all the whānau who turned up to help with the first event of the term - our Colour Run. Everyone had the best afternoon and enjoyed being part of the day. We have raised a lot of money for our school which helps go towards the ongoing costs of events such as camps, trips and special activities for our kids to partake in.
The teachers are all going through a process of learning more about the new curriculum documents for Mathematics and English (literacy) which are being fast tracked to implement by the start of next year. We have an entire year to work on this and get familiar with all the content required for teaching and learning as well as the assessment side of these documents. You might not notice an immediate change but over time you will see things or hear about how we are tracking.
On Monday 4th November we have a Teacher's Only Day which the Ministry of Education have given our school to help learn more about the Maths curriculum changes before the start of next year. Please do not send your child to school on this day as we are not required to be open for instruction. School resumes as normal on Tuesday.
In two more weeks our junior playground will be having an upgrade. The metal bars will be removed and an extension of the area will be made with new equipment. This upgrade is thanks to a very large donation and contribution from a member of our community who wanted to do something for our school. We are so very grateful to have this opportunity and can't wait for the children in our junior area to have more options for play spaces. The wonderful family who provided the financial donation wish to remain anonymous at this time. The upgrade is set to start Monday 11th November. So there may be some disruption to access in this area for approximately 2 weeks. Weather will be the deciding factor to how long it takes.
I have noticed an increase in students wearing the wrong uniform and incorrect hats. Upon enrolment, all parents signed an agreement to abide by our school uniform policy. We do not expect a lot and offer parents a wide range of options that do not cost an extensive amount so we appreciate it if you are able to ensure your child leaves home with the correct uniform on each day. Plain black shorts, skirts, skorts or pants are acceptable. No any other colours and no writing on the clothing also
our school polo shirt - plain black or white undergarments can be worn to help keep warm.
A school Jacket or polo fleece can also be worn - No hoodies or other sweatshirts to be worn during school time.
No basket ball shorts with writing on them either please.
A number of students have turned up at school very tired and have not been able to sustain learning throughout the day. Quite a few of them have mentioned being on devices till late, sometimes till after midnight.
This is a huge concern and we encourage all parents to provide strong boundaries about how long children are allowed on devices. There is a strong mesage coming from all the research about how long periods of time on devices negatively impacts children and their ability to function while at school. The biggest issue is lack of sleep for most of our students. They struggle to maintain a positive level of behaviour when they are tired and can not engage in learning as well as they normally can. Please help by ensuring your child gets plenty of sleep during the week and has limited time on devices before bed.
Biking to and from school - It is marvelous to see how many students are now biking or scooting to school. It is compulsory to wear a helmet and I strongly advise shoes be worn also to avoid any serious injuries or loss of toes due to falling off or getting feet caught in spokes.
Your child's helmet should cover their forehead as well as the back of the head. Straps should also be fitted properly so only one finger can fit between the strap and under the chin. Too many students are not wearing their helmets correctly and are at risk of serious injury.
Students should be taught how to navigate the road and driveways before being sent on their own. Drivers do not always leave their properties slowly when exiting the driveways and some children might get hit off their bikes if not taught how to look into each driveway. There have been a number of near misses reported this year already.
Our next big school event will be the School sports/athletics day. We do not do this in the traditional way and include a number of other skill based activities for our students to participate in. This has been encouraged by Sport Waikato and we are setting the trend with how our school runs the athletics day. A more formal interschool's athletics event is being planned for and we are working on sending children who are interested in this to that later in the term.
Our other big event that we would love all those who offer to help at our school and events throughout the year is our helpers mornign tea. If you haven't seen the information yet, please check out the facebook page, skool loop app and this newsletter for details. We must have your RSVP for catering purposes before the event - not on the day.
Thank you all once again for the support you show our school and the staff. We are working hard to ensure your child has the best outcome for their learning journey.
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