Newsletter Term 2 Week 6

2022 Term 2 Week 6

Talofa lava,
Welcome to our Week 6 newsletter. I hope your household is managing the winter weather ok.  As a school, we continue to experience staff shortages due to either staff sickness or the illness of staff dependents. We are doing our very best to mitigate disruptions and appreciate your support. 

Attendance:
This week I will be taking a closer look at our attendance data so I can report to the Ministry of Education. They are interested in gathering information about how we are managing the impact of Covid and how our students’ attendance is tracking. Overall we are very happy to be able to report that attendance has almost returned to normal give or take some winter lurgies that are floating about. I hope I don’t regret writing that down – touch wood! For students who have attendance below 80% the Ministry will seek clarification about the reasons and if it is below 70% this can trigger a referral to the Attendance Service. Your child’s mid-year report will include an attendance figure at the top.

10 Year Property Plan for Bulls School (10YPP):
The BoT has been working on this plan for more than 18 months and it has finally gone to the Ministry of Education for approval. The 5-year plan is made up of 3 projects:
1: Reroofing in areas of the school where the roofing is either substandard or doesn’t meet health and safety requirements
2: Replacing the doors along the deck of the senior hub – the current ones are no longer fit for purpose and
3: Developing the old hall and library into a space that can be used as a Quality Multi-Purpose Teaching and Learning space.

Roll Growth:
When we start project 3, the Board plans to fund part of the upgrade themselves in order to make this an amazing space for our tamariki.  This space is not deemed a classroom within the parameters of the Ministry of Education. This means, that with the current school roll sitting at 190 we can put forward a case for another classroom. If we are successful with this bid it could mean we will be directed by the Ministry to enforce a school zone. This will have implications in the future, but for now, this is all speculation. The Board of Trustees will keep our whānau updated as we work to navigate the roll growth we are experiencing.

Hybrid Learning:
This is a term you will start hearing more and more as education moves to meet the needs of a changing society, prompted but not entirely the result of Covid-19. The way our students learn, the way we function as societies, and the workplace environments they are heading into are different to the ones we experienced when we went to school. We want to respond to that in a way that enhances learning for all of our tauira or students. In the next few days you will receive an email with a survey link attached. I am seeking a 90% response to this initial survey so that we can begin with whānau voice and build our Hybrid Learning platform accordingly. The survey will take just 2-3 minutes of your time so please take a moment to respond.

Home & School Partnership Hui (Learning Conferences):
The booking sheet for these is now live. School will close early on these days and we hope to see every parent/caregiver. You send a very positive message to your child about the partnership aspect of home and school when you attend these hui. There is also the opportunity to goal set and share aspirations. Prior to these hui you will receive your child’s written report, bring that with you to support the korero between you, the teacher and your child.

BSSG Report:
The team met yesterday after school to discuss future fundraisers. One of our big fundraising events for the year is the Rangitīkei Tough Kids event which is held at Ōhingaiti domain in September. As the host school we will be responsible for helping set up and pack up the event as well as run food stalls as fundraisers on the day. This will require a team of helpers and we will be shoulder tapping to see who can help us out in upcoming newsletters. Please come forward if you think you can assist – the more the merrier. Also the BSSG has donated funds to purchase 4 House Murals painted by local artist Joe McMenaman. You won’t be able to miss them when they go up….they will be stunning! Thank you BSSG! 

Tofā soifua, Kim Gordon.

This week our KIND KID is:Noah R  

POU TĀHŪ

Although the weather has been somewhat messy that hasn’t stopped us from getting out and about. Last week we walked down to the Bulls Museum and explored some of our local history. Lots of gems in that place!

We have now received our new skipping ropes as part of the Jumping June programme and each morning we are out there honing our skipping skills. With the weather being so wet please make sure you remind your children to pack a change of clothes in their bags each day.

Thank you for your support with this.

KĀPATA MANAAKI

Give what you can, take what you need! Thank you so much to the whānau who have been bringing things in to share. In these tough times, your donations truly are appreciated by our whānau. If there is anything you have an abundance of or something you no longer require, have upgraded & no longer wish to keep and it’s in good working order, or tidy condition, please think of the Kāpata Manaaki before adding it to landfill.

http://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code/xqjdp

Lunch in School

The Ministry provides free healthy lunches daily, you will need to provide morning tea and a water bottle for your child. Please let the office know of any dietary requirements, alternatively, you can opt-out of the Lunch Scheme by contacting the office and then provide your own healthy lunch. 

SEND HEADLICE PACKING!

If you find head lice or eggs – you need to treat them. Repeat the treatment: 7–10 days later for chemical treatments and every day for wet combing if you can manage it, but at least every 2 to 3 days.

For more information, talk to your pharmacist, doctor or nurse.

If you have any second-hand uniform you would like to donate we would greatly appreciate it.

Please drop off at the office. Thank you.

Term Dates 2022

Term One Mon 2nd Feb to Thur 14th April

Term Two Mon 2nd May to Fri 8th July

Term Three Mon 25th July to Fri 30th Sep

Term Four Mon 17th Oct to Fri 16th Dec (TBC)