Welcome back from the long weekend to week 6 of term 2...
Yesterday morning we welcomed our midterm cohort of new entrant children and their whānau to our kura. Our school continues to grow with the roll currently at 205 students.
We are excited to have new students attend our school. With increased roll, comes increased demands on space and higher class numbers. We are seeking to employ another teacher for the Auraki and aim to have a new teacher to start at the beginning of term 3. Whaea Sharon will be moving into the Library and the new teacher will take over Room 2 space. There will be a reshuffle of students across the Auraki to accommodate for a new class and further communications will be coming out as soon as we have finalised the class lists.
I would also like to remind whānau that we take all considerations when making new class lists, it is not just about the oldest or the most academically capable who move through to other spaces. We will inform you about which class your child is in next term before the end of this term. There will be no new stationery requirements for any child who moves classes.
Mid Year Reports At the start of term 3 you will receive your child's mid year progress report. Shortly after this we will host parent teacher hui bookings for you to discuss these with your child's teachers. Bookings will be made available for this purpose only. If you require a longer hui time, please consider booking these at a different time.
These reports will give you information about where your child is currently achieving according to curriculum levels and our school values. We will also include a general statement about what your child has been learning about as well as how they interact within school time.
Akomanga Tui - Room 3 There will be a familiar face teaching in Room 3 for the remainder of this term and into term 3 - Whaea Linda is well known to the students and has done many days relieving at our school, including having her own classroom in 2022 when we added an additional class due to roll growth. She will be teaching in Room 3 while Whaea Hannah takes leave for 3 months. We look forward to hearing from Whaea Hannah while she is away and wish her happy travels as well as a safe return home.
Garden to Table Fundraiser Thank you to everyone that participated in our Garden to Table Bake Sale Fundraiser. It was great to see such a good turn out and support for our school. There were lots of delicious treats on offer and some very creative entries. Our winners of the different categories were from a range of classes and age ranges. We have managed to capture a small group of students in the photo featured below.
Together we raised over $600. These funds will help support the running of this programme in our school. Thank you for your support with this.
Pink Shirt Day On Friday 17 May our school participated in the Pink Shirt Day movement to spread aroha and kindness and end bullying. We dressed in pink and raised $70 for the Mental Health Foundation. Our school has a clear structure for our behaviour management as well as acknowledgements. We do not accept continuous incidents of bullying behaviour and always seek to address these matters as soon as they are reported. We encourage all of our students to report matters that are impacting them negatively so we can support them to find a solution. As a Positive Behaviour for Learning School we have spent years refining this and have a very sound structure in place for behaviour to be at it's best.
Please see the helpful resource below from Pink Shirt Day and the Mental Health Foundation containing accessible information about bullying prevention, including what bullying is and what do do if you or someone you know is being bullied. There are more resources available on their website https://pinkshirtday.org.nz/
We currently have a couple of students currently attending our school who have health issues which could be considerably impacted negatively if they were to contract Covid 19.
As there are a large number of cold and flu bugs circulating at the present time, we ask that you continue to let us know if your child is sick and going to be away from school because of this.
I am asking on behalf of the families who have children which could be negatively impacted if they were to contract covid - If your child is sick and has Covid, please tell the school. We need to let the families know there are cases of covid in the school so they can manage their child's health appropriately in the way that works best for them.
We will not be passing on any personal details to the other families, we will simply be telling them we have an identified case in the school and from which class so they can determine the risk to their child's health.
We appreciate your support and help.
As always, please let us know why your child is not at school for any reason at all.
Akomanga Kēreru Camp
Room 1 Camp Report
My favourite thing at camp was kayaking and volleyball and my least favourite thing was bush craft. Izaiah
Camp was very fun, we did a bunch of activities like, hiking, spa, kayaking and a lot more. The bus ride was long and tiring but it was worth it when we got there and saw a zipling and a river. We thought we were going on the zipline but we didn't, but we did go in the river. On day three we all wanted to go home because we missed out families, but when we were going home we felt excited. When we got back we felt like we save the world, feeling accomplished but I speak for all of us, we thank my teacher for the trip. Leighton
What I enjoyed at camp: raft building, spa pools, kayaking, Arapuni swing bridge, bush craft, top town challenge. Devon
We went on camp and did amazing things. My favourite was the spa, bush craft, kayak, sleeping, spot light, the good was so nice. Raft building was exciting, we learned how to tie lots of knots. After that I was tired. Once we got home all of my clothes were very wet but I had fun. I hope we go on another camp sometime. Tutehiwi
My favourite thing at camp was swimming because I got to jump off the pontoon. The water was cold and deep. Kayaking was also good, I fell in the water, my kayak capsized, someone had to yell out "capsized", Matua Elijah had to come over to help me, I had to sink the front of the kayak and he pulled my kayak onto his kayak to flip over. I had to climb onto Matua Elijah's kayak and hop onto my kayak to get back in. I was freezing and had a hot shower to warm up. Camp was good. Ryan B
Attendance
Every day matters
If a student misses one day of school every two weeks, they miss a whole year of school by 16 years of age. As a parent or caregiver, you, alongside our school, play a key role in building strong habits of regular school attendance.
All students are legally required to attend school every day and it is a shared responsibility to make sure students attend and engage in learning from when they first start school. Every day of school matters.
You must let the school know if your child is going to be absent for a day or intends to be absent for a portion of the school term for whatever reason, like a tangi or medical procedure. Family holidays or taking time off for extracurricular activities (not organised by school) are not acceptable reasons for being absent.
If you're struggling at home with getting your child to school, talk to us! Our school is committed to supporting your child to attend school and building a culture that fosters excellent attendance by having:
School staff who have strong relationships with students and whānau.
A school culture that recognises your child and your family for who they are, where they come from and who they want to be.
A school community that does everything to make sure students are at school, and they are participating, and progressing in their education.
The Skool Loop App is completely free app for schools and parents, and is trusted by thousands of schools across New Zealand and Australia. To keep up to date with what is happening at school - including the school newsletter and other school notices - we highly recommend that you download this app to your phone. You can also use the app to report a student absence or to book parent-teachers interviews when they are scheduled.
Kihikihi Community Health Hub
Did you know Kihikihi has a Community Health Hub?
The Kihikihi Community Health Hub operates from the old dental clinic on the Kihikihi School grounds next to the admin block. Entry is through the gate off Whitaker Street.
During Term 2 you will be able to get free medical care for your whānau on Thursday mornings between 8.30am and 10.00am. These are walk in clinics and no appointment is necessary.
Save time, save on travel and save money - FREE health checks and treatments for medical issues in Kihikihi - only at the Kihikihi Community Heath Hub.
Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata - Period products in schools
Did you know that the Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata - Period products in schools programme is available at our school?
This programme aims to provide access to free period products for children and young people in all state and state-integrated schools and kura across New Zealand.
Students can obtain these products from the school by asking a trusted adult at school - this might be a teacher, office staff, Social Worker in School or School Counsellor. The products are stored in the office area. We can discreetly provide students with all the product they need for their cycle for school and at home.
If your child is using period products, please ensure you have a conversation with them regarding the importance of not flushing these down the toilet. We have bathrooms available to girls at school who need to use sanitary bins in the office and school hall spaces. Please also check with your child's class teacher if you are unsure about the procedures for this and how we can best support your child while at school for this kaupapa.
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