Newsletter 19 August 2009

Term 3 Week 5 09/25

Dear Parents & Caregivers
Kia ora koutou katoa
Things are pretty busy at school at present. Here are some snippets of interest:
College Teachers –
We currently have ‘AG’ teachers on posting. The AGs are university students who have completed a degree and are doing a one year intensive course of teacher training. These students work alongside our teachers for two days a week then near the end of the term they have supervised full class control.

Teacher Only Day
The revised curriculum is due to be in place by the beginning of 2010. The teachers have been working hard addressing the new elements of the curriculum. The Government authorised two ‘teacher-only’ days for schools to help implement the curriculum and our second day is coming up this Monday. The school will not be open for instruction on that day. We are holding our planning day in Karitane at Puketeariki Marae. We will also take the opportunity while we are there to plan a whole school marae trip for 2010.

The NEV Community Programme
This programme has operated since 1990 and for most of that time has been based in the prefab classrooms in front of the school hall. Sadly, due in part to the recent cuts in adult education funding, the Programme members have decided to wind up the society which governs the Community Programme. This Programme has added considerable value to North East Valley, and beyond, over the years. Not all is lost though as a new body will be formed to better reflect the current needs of residents of North East Valley – probably a charitable trust. This new structure will aim to stimulate community development in the Valley. The reins of this work have been taken up by the members of the NEV Project whose members undertook research into the Valley last year. The NEV Project has representatives from each of the schools, early childhood centres, businesses, churches and agencies who work in North East Valley. In the meantime, the Valley News will continue to be published and the community rooms will still be available for community use.


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


Welcome
We welcome Katie Shanks who is working in the office each morning this term.

Assembly
Friday’s 2.30pm assembly will be organised by Room 8 with items by Rooms 3 & 10. Assembly will be held in the Hall. Parents/caregivers are welcome to attend.

School Opens at 8.30am
Children are not to be dropped off or allowed to make their way to school to arrive before 8.30am.

There have been incidents lately of children being dropped off as early as 7.50am! This poses a real danger to the student as teachers are not patrolling the playground to ensure children are safe.

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 Hot Dog for $1.50
Milo $0.50c. Please bring a cup for Milo.
Orders with money in a named envelope with room number to the office by 9am please.

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

Skike Demonstration
Scott Kvick visited our school last Friday afternoon with his skikes. They are a cross between skis and roller blades. Scott is planning to skike from Cape Reinga to Bluff during summer in a bid to raise $20,000 for Canteen and the SPCA.

Some children at school thought it would be a good idea to raise some money to donate to Scott’s very worthwhile fundraising cause.

Next Friday 28 August we will have a Wild Hair or Hat Day. Children can come to school with a wild hairstyle or hat.

Please bring along a gold coin donation to support Scott.

Board of Trustees News
Nine members of the Board of Trustees met last night. Items discussed at this meeting included: school wide assessments in reading and social science (the results of which are available for viewing on the notice board in the office); the programme for the teacher only day next Monday; property issues including progress on plans for structural strengthening of the senior classroom and college blocks; a proposal from a board members to set up a meeting space in the school for parents and
caregivers.

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

August
18 Volleyball Tournament
21 Wide Horizons trip R5
24 Teacher Only Day—school closed
25 PTA Meeting 3.15pm
27 Rainbow Class
28 Wild Hair and Hat Day—gold coin donation
Wide Horizons trip

September
3/4 Life Education visit
10 Rainbow Class
11 Wide Horizons trip
OPPA Cross Country
14 BOT Meeting 6pm
15 School Photos
16 PTA Meeting 3.15pm
18 Wide Horizons trip
25 End of Term 3


Tips for home energy from the Community
Energy Action Trust:
www.cea.co.nz/energy-information
Heating choices and costs (continued)

Night-store Heaters
Advantages
Work with Night and Day power plans and use power at night on the cheaper rate to make heat. The heat is stored in the heater (in bricks) until 7am, when it is
released during the day.
Day time warmth at night time prices
A clean form of heating
Good if people are at home during the day
 
Disadvantages
Considered 80% efficient because sometimes they waste energy by providing heating when it is not required.
Little heat is left for evenings
They don't emit heat at night
Higher purchase and installation cost than regular plug-in heaters
You must decide the night before whether you want heat the next day


Measles Outbreak Information from the Ministry of Health 17 August 2009
There has been a rapid rise in the number of measles cases reported around the country, with the number of notified cases so far this year already seven times higher than the total number of cases last year. There have been more than 100 cases in Canterbury,including 11 who have been hospitalised. The number of cases in Auckland is growing, and there are isolated cases in other regions. Measles is a highly infectious notifiable disease with serious complications. Case fatalities are around one per 1000.

It is important to stop the spread of measles by keeping infected children at home. Immunisation is free, and is the best way to prevent measles. Doctors have begun recalling unimmunised patients to increase immunisation coverage. The Ministry of Health requires students who have no proven immunity to measles (through immunisation or previous exposure) to be sent home if there is a measles outbreak in their class. Once immunised, 90 to 95 percent of people are protected from measles. Please check that your child/ren’s immunisation is up to date.

Under the Health (Infectious and Notifiable Diseases) Regulations 1966 (Section 14), a student or teacher with measles must stay away from school for seven days from the appearance of the rash. Unimmunised students, or those with no immunity to measles, who have been close contacts of a measles case during the infectious stages will be excluded from school for 14 days from their last contact. This exclusion also applies to students taking part in sporting events.

Further information on measles is available on http://www.moh.qovt.nz/immunisation

You can also call the Immunisation Advisory Centre toll-free line 0800 IMMUNE (0800 466 863).

If you would like to discuss these issues, please contact the local public health service. If you are unsure, call the public health nurse for NEV Normal Ruth
Ballantyne. Contact details: 476 9894.

Teacher Only Day

Monday 24 August

School will be closed