Tumuaki / Principal News

My goodness you need a good dollop of longsuffering and patience to overcome the hurdles we all face at present. Cancellation of athletics twice, continued road works, (scheduled to finish in another week) changeable weather that limits what we can do outside and the usual with ants, leaks and a few vermin in the mix. Hang on to the promise of going home. That’s how we get through all of it.

So far we are still on target for April 2021.

The buildings are taking shape quickly and we can see mounds of dirt being shifted around ready for contouring and sowing with grass seed. Outer Space are finalising the concept drawings for board approval and  public tender. We have been busy applying for funding and taking note of folks who have offered materials or labour at greatly reduced costs.

Sport Canterbury have developed a very generous partnership with us. Thanks to Tu Manawa funding, who gave us a $13K grant for  helmets, scooters and a GaGa Dodgeball pit. Last Friday I went to a bike shop to buy 20 scooters and helmets and was genuinely shocked to learn that the demand for bikes and scooters far exceeds  the supply. We have an order being processed but we have to wait for scooters to come in from overseas.

In the meantime we are looking for skilled builders and handymen/women  with generous hearts and willing hands, who will construct a wooden  GaGa Dodgeball pit on this site and then help us to dismantle it when we leave, so it can be permanently installed  in our new school. Jared and I have searched out some plans and we have the money for the materials. If you are thinking of helping us out with a working bee, please let Jared know so we can spend the grant and complete our milestone report with lots of photos of the children playing. If you can’t help with this project there are plenty more opportunities waiting in the wings.

December 1 11.am is the staff hosted Thank You morning tea for all of our volunteers and helpers. We rely on your goodwill all year and this is our time to say thank you with a cuppa and a bikkie. Please let Helen Ross know if you are attending so our staff can cater for you.

Camp

Camp was amazing. No major accidents, a few tears and lots of challenges. My takeaway memories are about the 5 children who couldn't ride a bike and who learned to ride within an hour. The patience of the parents and staff was brilliant. The children fell off a few times but got back on the bikes and kept going. Their grins were from ear to ear.

I took my bike and followed Donna into the forest on several bike rides. The best parts were watching children recover from tumbles and keep going.

We played heaps of games and on the second to last day, every game seemed to involve more and more water, until it was just the hose turned on full.

Our teaching and support staff worked so hard before and during camp to make this successful. It was worth it.  Thanks Jared, Lou, Glen and Taylor. Thank you to all of the parent volunteers Donna, Abbey, Rob, Simon and Anna, our SWiS Jess, Inga trainee teacher and Isaiah TA who gave their time to make this such a wonderful event. Camp is such a highlight experience for everyone and we often see the most unexpected children shine.

Sexuality Education is taught from years 0-6 in our school. This is part of the New Zealand curriculum and is specifically addressed in the Education Act. It is not necessarily taught in a block of time. It is not just about sex and pubertal change. It is about healthy eating, positive body image, online safety, good choices, family values, friendships and caring for others.

In our recent survey, we got the best feedback from parents that we have ever had. It was thoughtful and very protective of children and their developmental stages. Sadly, only three parents attended the information night, which would possibly have put to rest a lot of parental questions and worry about the content of the programme.

Please read the Education Act carefully. There are specific exemptions for parents and teachers. There are specific steps that you need to take if you want your child excluded from the programme, and even then, there are exceptions to that.

As a parent and a grandmother I was determined that our children would learn about all of this from us first, so that they could have our take on values and beliefs. I’m really glad we did it that way. Children deserve to learn from mum and dad first,  and the school programme should just be a refresher course. Please talk to your children about what they are learning. It is surprising what misinformation children pick up and how important it is for them to know that mum and dad have got this. 

We have undertaken professional development as a staff and talked about the importance of “reading the audience” and making sure that information is age and stage appropriate. Children do not mature at the same rate, which is why it is important that they learn from you first.

We are in the throes of appointments for next year as fixed term contracts end and we plan for 2021. One they are settled we will organise classes based on the information we have. If there is a special fact about your child that we may not know, that could influence where he/she is placed, please contact the leadership team or send an email.  Special requests for a specific teacher are not possible for us to meet, unless there is an exceptional reason. Our roll is still on  a slight decline since the zone was applied and this does have an impact on staffing. Things will change when we go home. We love our staff team and our school community gets the benefit. 

The athletic sports are causing a few melt downs as we try to navigate fickle weather. One day!! We are going for our third attempt and after that I think we have run out of time. Fingers and eyes crossed.

Take care of yourselves as we come into the last weeks of the school year. It is busy for everyone. If you have a little worry niggling away, please speak to the classroom teacher. Mostly a good conversation brings resolution.

Thank you for your kindness and help over the last weeks

Best regards

Marriene

News from Room 3

Room 3 has been producing James Rizzi inspired art based on our Hanmer Springs camp. Check out the cool art work!

We have also been writing thank you letters to the parents who attended the camp. Without them, camp would not have been possible. These days, emails seem to be the main way that people communicate with each other. In Room 3, we still like to learn about how to structure a letter because it is still a cool way to communicate with people.