Tēnā koutou katoa!
Week 4 already! The year is flying by. We had a great Cook Islands Language Week with traditional stories read in classes, along with some haka development and language use in classes. Last week we were lucky enough to have the Blake Foundation NZ-VR at school. Students used virtual reality to experience the impact of overfishing and rubbish on our ecosystems. It was truly amazing!
It really got the message home!
Procedures you need to follow
Over the last few weeks, I have spent considerable time sorting avoidable issues. This week’s newsletter will hopefully remind you of these procedures as it is easy to forget.
If you have an issue you would like discussed and resolved, please speak to your child’s teacher in the first instance. Even if it does not involve the teacher, they will point you in the right direction. This could be me, Dean (Deputy Principal), Clara (Assistant Principal), Jo (Special Education Needs Coordinator), a teacher who was on duty etc. Please do not try to talk directly to other children about relationships / friendships etc., this is our job. Thank you in advance for this.
If you are on school grounds after 9 am and before 2.50 pm, please come directly to the office first. From here, Shelley or I can call the class if your visit is for a pick-up i.e. to attend a dentist appointment, or we can deliver forgotten lunches. Please do not go directly to a class to do this. If you are staying for a period of time for a meeting, please sign in (see below).
Please follow this sign!
Sign-in is below:
If visiting, stickers must be worn so staff and students know you are supposed to be here (see below). Please do not be offended when staff ask you where your sticker is.
If a child is late, stickers are given to the teacher by the student.
If leaving, stickers are taken with you in case a truancy officer asks you why your child is not at school when you are on the way to the dentist or wherever (this does happen but is not very common).
Below: This is how you should look if you are on site i.e. heading to classrooms for appointments or parent help.
Returning forms (Board voting papers, Lucky Book Club, anything for the office)
If you are dropping forms back to the office, please show your children the photo below. Feed the Cookie Monster! This is where all things for the office should go. Any money should be in an envelope or bag clearly labeled, please.
This is the place for Board election returns. Thanks to all of those that have done this already! We suggest doing it this week before it gets lost as you cannot get another form.
Interactions
Please be reminded, that we are a Catholic school. Please ensure your actions and words show care. You are role models for our children. There have been some parents upset about things out at the gate, parking is one of them (and rightly so), but the responses and discussion between adults need to reflect our faith whether you are Catholic or not.
Mathletics Competition
We are challenging all senior students (Rooms 5-7) to complete as many Gold Bars as possible by the last day of the term (30th September) on the Mathletics website. 45 days to go!
How: Go to ‘Explore’, then click ‘activities’, there they can pick the subject area they want to start with. There are about 100+ activities that can be completed. To get a Gold Bar, you need 100% correct or at most, only one incorrect. You can repeat activities until you get this. If an activity is hard, students should click on the ‘i’ button in the top right corner which teaches you / reminds you how to do it.
Prizes:
50+ Gold Bars completed by the end of the term (roughly 1 per day) will put students in a draw for small prizes. (chocolate bars etc)
100+ Gold Bars completed by the end of the term (roughly 2 per day) will put students in a draw for medium prizes (vouchers for mini golf, movies etc.)
Finished (100% completed)-this can be seen in the ‘My Progress’ section on the right side of the main page if you scroll down. Students will go into a draw for an XBox Series S and other cool prizes.
Finished + 50% of the next year’s level (note-teachers move you up levels) -Students will go in the draw twice!
Rules: No ‘person’ (parent, brother, classmate etc.) can give answers to any questions but they can help students. Calculators can be used but only if students have tried an activity a few times first without it.
Helpful hints: ‘Are you ready?’ and ‘something easier’, ‘something harder’ do not count in your total.
Languagenut Competition (optional but can be whole school)
As above, we are doing a similar competition with Languagenut. This competition finishes in week 4 next term so they have a whole 12 weeks to complete this one. Thursday 10 November is the finish day for this one! 86 days to go!
Language options for the competitions: Māori Language and a ‘home language’.
Definition of a home language: A language spoken by a immediate member of the family (i.e. a parent). But, if a parent is of ……….. descent but the language has been lost in the household, if the family is actively trying to recover it at their house, this is okay. If in doubt, check with your child’s teacher.
There are 4 levels:
Green
Yellow
Blue
Red
Within each of the levels are 6 topics with 6 activities each. Therefore 36 activities per level. To complete an activity, students learn the words through practice and then complete the ‘quizzes’. To be complete, they need to achieve 100% on the Reading and Listening tests. We have found the writing to be too difficult for children. This will then show a 50% achieved on the main page.
There will be prizes for each coloured level complete. 86 days to go. One per day would get children close to finishing two levels. Two per day would be close to completing all.
Like above, the more levels completed, the larger the prizes they will go in the draw for.
Get started today!!!! More information about prizes will come out but will be as good as the above Mathletics prizes! Go for gold!
Parish Car Park (reminder)
The parish has asked me to remind you to please not park in their car park before or after school. We have a 3 min zone for dropping off or please walk them a little further!
Please respect their wishes! Also, please do not make your child late by waiting until a time car parks may be available.
Enrolments (reminder)
Our lists are looking packed until 2027. If you have a child who is between 0-3 years old, please ensure we have their information if you are interested in them starting here. Waitlists definitely apply in this and next year at present.
Tuning into Kids
Below is some information given to me by Hayley Tait, our Social Worker in Schools. I have heard that this programme is amazing.
Tuning into Kids
Emotionally Intelligent Parenting
A six session parenting programme for
parents of children aged 4 – 12 years
Would you like to learn how to:
be better at talking with your child?
be better at understanding your child?
help your child learn to manage their emotions?
help to prevent behaviour problems in your child?
teach your child to deal with conflict?
Tuning in to Kids shows you how to help your child develop emotional intelligence.
Children with higher emotional intelligence:
have greater success with making and keeping friends
have better concentration at school
are more able to calm down when upset or angry
tend to have fewer childhood illnesses
Emotional intelligence may be a better predictor of academic and career success
than IQ!
Where: 44 Bealey Avenue
When: Fridays, 16 th September- 4 th November (2 week break for school holidays)
Time: 9:30AM- 12:00PM
Facilitators: Whitney and Nicole
Contact: nicoleb@psusi.org.nz
0277125927
Dallas Wichman
Tumuaki