Newsletter Term 4 Week 3

2022 Term 4 Week 3

Kia ora koutou,

Term 4 is flying by and I can hardly believe what has already taken place in the past two weeks. School photos, agriculture day and cross country have all had the big tick. The Jump Jam inspired Disco was also a huge hit on Friday night and we can see that our tamariki are thriving on some of their past opportunities returning to our school calendar.

This Friday we have Hunterville Cross Country and we are taking along some very competitive students. It is a very tough course, the hill is VERY big, so if your child is looking forward to being competitive, get them out on some hills for practice!

A real highlight that is coming up for us is a Rangitīkei Kapa Haka Cultural Festival. This has been organised by a teacher from Hunterville School, Johnpaul Koteka. It is a celebration of the arts and another opportunity for us to showcase our wonderful kapa haka rōpū.

Teachers are busy busy busy checking in with your child/ren and writing end of year reports. This is such a great time of year with so much to look forward to. That however also means there is a lot to get through. I am in awe of the teaching staff who are putting in the extra effort to make sure activities and events are planned and take place while also fronting up for our tamariki each day – they are angels in disguise in my opinion!

We have Jen Weir away at the moment recovering from a very nasty burn and this has meant we have been relying heavily on relievers to support Pou Tāhū. Whaea Amie has further explained this in her insert below. We are rallying around Jen to help her get back on her feet and she is chomping at the bit to return, but her health is our priority at this time.  

I think it is important that home and school are on the same page when it comes to ensuring term 4 remains a positive space for both teachers and students. Not letting standards slip, making sure students are present and remembering that expectations that our learners don’t always agree with, are in place for a reason.
For example our hat wearing terms (4 and 1). We have already had children share that they had their first summer sun burn over the long Labour weekend even though some regions were cloudy. Hats serve a protection purpose. We have introduced a school hat and we ask that children who don’t wear a hat play only in the shaded areas – but ‘policing’ this is not an enjoyable part of our play and lunchtime duties. The easiest and simplest solution is to wear a hat. Jewellery, makeup and unruly hair does not support your child’s learning journey. Let school, especially primary school, be about learning and remove the distractions that dangly earrings, false eyelashes and hair hanging in students eyes bring to the classroom. Let’s focus on getting our school leavers to the finish line in a positive light, and let’s work together to make sure all students get to enjoy the build up to the summer holidays that lie ahead.

I have put some of these reminders into the boxes below. And now to finish on a positive note….first, thank you for responding to my email about your child’s tee-shirt size so you can take advantage of the one time offer to supply each child enrolled at the beginning of 2023 with a hot off the press Sports and Cultural Tee-Shirt.

The other piece of very exciting news is that at our Board meeting last night the Board have decided to provide students with the stationery they need for the year from 2023 onwards. For us – supplying all students meets the basic requirement of setting our tauira up for success. All students will be ready on day one with full sets of stationery.

The Ministry of Education have developed NELP’s or National Education and Learning Priorities and Objective 2 states that School Boards of Trustees should be aiming to provide Barrier Free Access to Education. Of course, being able to do this comes down to prudent fiscal management and a belief that this action contributes to equitable educational opportunities for all.

Kia pai te wiki, Kim Gordon, Tumuaki o Te Ara Taumaihi Kura.

MISSING UNIFORM

We have had parents with younger children who have lost items of clothing, in some cases more than one. What we believe is happening is that students are taking home clothing that doesn’t belong to them because it looks like it does. Could you please check the name tags inside all pieces of clothing and bring them back if they are incorrect we will try to match items with their actual owners. If you haven’t named them it is vital that you do – it is very hard for children to distinguish what is theirs and virtually impossible for teachers if things items aren’t named.

School Expectation Reminders:
Please wear a hat – we prefer that you wear the Bulls School hat and will be looking to enforce that as a part of the uniform in 2023.
Please ensure long hair is tied back to support learning and that you are regularly checking and treating your child’s hair for lice. Please wear the appropriate uniform and do not wear unnecessary jewellery or makeup to school.

CONGRATULATIONS OUR KIND KID THIS WEEK IS PEATALITA

POU TĀHŪ

So many things have happened this term and it’s only half way through Week 3!! Cross Country was a very exciting day! The sense of achievement as they made their way around the course, and crossing that finish line at the end made our training so worthwhile! It was so lovely to have whānau there to cheer us on, thank you for coming down to be with us. The excitement levels were high on Friday with the disco on Friday night, I’m really loving seeing these events make their way back onto our calendar as they really are such an important part of our school years and memory making with friends- we even managed to squeeze in a maths lesson with imaginary budgets & the disco treats price list!! Please check out Seesaw to see your child’s mahi- they are so proud of their calendar art. Your children love when you comment on their work, so please don’t be shy- write a comment or two on them. We usually read your comments together- their faces fill with delight!

As you may be aware, Whaea Jen has suffered some serious burns at home last week. I am pleased to let you know that, at this stage, she doesn’t require a trip to the burns unit down in Lower Hutt, so we’re all relieved for this good news. I’d like to acknowledge your amazing tamariki- the kindness, care & concern they have shown in reaction to this news has been heart-warming. They have also been incredibly resilient with the changes of staffing in our hub as we manage the best we can in her absence. “Normal” routines aren’t always possible at the moment, however, I am super grateful to our amazing Classroom Assistant Whaea Sarah who is helping make things remain as “normal” as possible for our tamariki. If you have any questions regarding your child- wellbeing, learning or anything else, please message me on Seesaw. I appreciate your patience, support and understanding at this time. Whaea Amie.

Please return all overdue library books 

https://nz.accessit.online/BLL14/#!dashboard

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. 

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 Thur 15th December (confirmed)