Newsletter 29 July 2009

29 July 2009 Term 3 Week 2 09/22
Dear Parents & Caregivers
Tena koutou te Whanau

Condolences
By now most families will have heard the sad news that one of our parents, Jimi Bates, father of Emilly (year 5), has died. Emilly has spent most of her life in Jimi’s sole care and we extend our deepest sympathy to Emilly and her family. Jimi is well known to our staff and many of our families and his death has been a shock to us all. A number of Emilly’s school friends are keen to attend the funeral which will be on Thursday at Hope & Sons at 11.00am.

Families who wish to make a donation to Emilly and her family can do so at the school office.

“Don't be dismayed at goodbyes, a farewell is necessary before you can meet again and meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends”. Richard Bach

Congratulations
Life seems often to have a way of displaying its remarkable balancing act! This week, as we learnt of the death of a parent, we had the joy of meeting an addition to another school family – Kiki, a new wee sister for Eli and Cyprus. Thanks Kirsty and Carlos for bringing your special bundle of joy into our classrooms for the staff and students to have a cuddle!



John McKenzie
Principal
Visit the school’s website www.nevn.school.nz

Welcome
A warm welcome to Ruth who has started in Room 5. We welcome her whanau to our school community.

Senior Syndicate Trip to the Art Gallery
R3 & R5 will visit the Art Gallery on Friday. This trip is part of the curriculum study of our environment. The cost for this trip is $4.00. If you have paid the school activity donation you are exempt from paying this.

Rainbow Class
Rainbow class for 4 year olds will be held this Thursday 30 July from 1.15 to 2.45pm. This is a fun transition to school class taken by Mrs Will, the new entrant teacher. All 4 year olds are welcome to attend with a parent/caregiver. For further inquiries contact Mrs Will or the office.

Assembly
Friday’s 2.30pm assembly will be organised by Room 2 with items by Rooms 3 & 10. Assembly will be held in the Hall. Parents/caregivers are welcome to attend.

Stars on Stage DVD
Final orders with money need to be into the office by tomorrow, Thursday, at the latest for the DVD of the Stars on Stage performances. The cost is $15.00.

Smart Food School Lunches
Smart Food lunches are available on Mondays & Thursdays at NEVNS. The cost is $2 or $3 for a larger lunch with two extra sandwiches. Orders & money in a named envelope need to be into the office by 9am.

PTA Hot Lunches
Hot lunches this Friday are: -
1 slice of pizza & 1 sausage roll $1.50.
1 cup of Milo $0.50c. Bring a cup for Milo.
Orders with money in a named envelope with room number to the office by 9am please.

Road Patrol
Help is needed supervising the road patrollers on Tuesday and Wednesday morning (8.30-9am) and Monday and Tuesday afternoons (3-3.15pm). If you are able to help at any of these times please contact Mrs Staynes or the school office.


Artists in School
This term children will be involved in making \puppets and creating performances. Thank you to everyone who has sent materials in but we still need more! Please send along:-
Washing powder scoops
Washing powder boxes
Halved walnut shells
Fabric scraps
Sheets
Large pieces of material.

School Activity Donation
Many thanks to the families who have paid their Term 3 activity donation already. This donation helps pay for the cost of special performances and school trips etc. Please make payment at the school office as soon as possible. We are happy to accept payment termly, monthly, weekly or by direct credit.

Lost and Found
A scooter was left in the school grounds on Sunday. Please ask at the office. There is a great deal of \clothing in the lost property box located between Rooms 2 & 3. Please take the time to check if anything belongs to your child/ren.

Dates to Note
Term 3 Monday 20 July Friday 25 September
Term 4 Monday 12 October Friday 18 December

July
30 R8 & R10 Trip to Visit HMNZS Resolution
30 Rainbow Class
31 R3 & R5 Art Gallery

August
7 Wide Horizons trip
10 Chris Smith, Dental Therapist, on site
13 Rainbow Class
14 Wide Horizons trip
17 BOT Meeting 6pm
18 PTA meeting 3.15pm
18 Volleyball Tournament
21 Wide Horizons trip
24 Teacher Only Day—school closed
27 Rainbow Class
28 Wide Horizons trip

September
3/4 Life Education visit
10 Rainbow Class
11 Wide Horizons trip
11 OPPA Cross Country
15 School Photos
16 PTA Meeting 3.15pm
18 Wide Horizons trip
25 End of Term 3

PTA News
Spellathon
Spellathon cards and money are still coming into the office which is great! Please check that you have returned your sponsorship cards and money. Thank you.

Next Meeting
The next PTA meeting will be held on Tuesday 18 August at 3.15pm in Room 4. All welcome to attend.

Snow/Wintry Conditions
On especially wintery mornings please
remember to check radio stations/cancellation line for any school closure or delayed start notices. Alternatively ring school as a message will be left on the answer phone if there is a delayed start.

If you do choose to keep your child at home please ring and leave a message on the school answer phone. Local radio stations most commonly used for cancellations are Newstalk ZB 1044AM, 4XO 1206AM, Radio Dunedin 1305AM, Classic Hits 89FM. The cancellation line number is 474 8426. Please take a note of these details.

Community News
The folding guild will meet this Friday (31st July) from 9am in the Community Room – 248 North Road in the NEV Normal School. Come and help fold your community newsletter “Valley News”. All welcome. Delicious home baking this time!
Otago Chess Club and the Dunedin Junior Chess Academy will be running tournaments for individuals on two Saturday afternoons in August. Entry forms to both are available on the Otago Chess Club website http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/otagochess. or at the school office. The Primary & Intermediate School championship is open to all players will be held on Saturday 8 August. The venue for both is The Otago Chess Club, 7 Maitland Street.
Calling all parents and care givers – would you like to improve your computer skills for FREE?You can start as a beginner or improve your
current Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc), get to grips with Google, learn to use email and the internet or catch up on Trademe and finally sell all those toys and clothes the kids have outgrown. Impress your children with your new skills! Keep up with your teens and find out how to stay in touch with Skype, Twitter, Facebook and Blogging – and take the opportunity to sort out all those holiday photos from your digital camera or manage your music on your MP3 player. It’s FREE with Otago Polytechnic as part of Computing 4 Free at our Community Learning Centres. Our Centres are open at convenient times – you can learn when you want at your own pace. We have Centres on George St (The Common Room - 477 3626), Forth St (479 6987), South Dunedin(455 1768) and Mosgiel (484 7540) – with more in Central Otago(03 445 9900). Need help with something special ? – low cost one-on-one sessions also available! Call for more info, or even better just call in – and as a
special incentive bring this article with you for a half price one-on-one session. If you visit The Common Room on George St (opposite the Council offices) you can also enjoy a fresh coffee or other hot drink for just $2.50 – come and see what we can offer you. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Head Lice
Head lice continues to be a problem in most classes. Please make regular checks of your child/ren’s hair and treat when necessary. Regular combing with a fine tooth comb and conditioner will help remove any lice or eggs. There is a robicomb available to be borrowed from the office if required.

Further information may be obtained from the public health nurse. The public health nurse for NEV Normal is: Ruth Ballantyne. Contact details: 476 9894.