Newsletter 31 January 2012

31 January 2012 Term 1 Week 1 12/1

Dear Parents & Caregivers
Kia ora koutou katoa

Happy New Year
The teacher in me loves the long summer break but the parent in me can’t wait till school starts again!

Welcome to the 2012 school year. I welcome especially families who are new to the area: John Paul from Christchurch, Leo from Invercargill and Gracie from the USA. These children remind us what a diverse and interesting mix of children attend our school: John Paul’s family are Filipino; Leo’s Dad, Oswaldo is from Mexico and plays soccer for Otago; Gracie’s Dad is researching water safety in NZ - the family hails from Tennessee.

It is a feature of our school that we celebrate our difference. We are from different backgrounds; we hold different views and values; we look different. Yet we respect each other and treat each other as we like being treated.

We also welcome the new entrants who start today: Sam, Jack, Riley; plus Ziggi and Harley who have started in R5, Tui and Jessica who have started in R3.

Grounds and Buildings
The school looks good. There appears to have been no vandalism over the break. Thanks to all who keep an eye on the place and to Ken for keeping the lawns trim and the litter removed.

Parents will see two carved ‘pou’ installed in front of the school hall. These are the first part of an art installation for this area. The DCC creative arts grant funded this work. I will publish more about the significance of these pou at a later date.

The school hall has been left in a very tidy state by the Kindy. Assemblies will resume in the hall each Friday at 2.20pm.

Staffing:
Welcome to Tom Undy, Luke English and Charlotte Wilson who join our team in varying roles.

Thanks to Mr Andrew who has agreed to move to the senior syndicate to work more closely with the boys in this area.

Classes have been arranged this year to avoid as much as possible shifts throughout the year. In theory each child from Y2 upwards should stay in the same class for the whole year. This is a departure from previous years.

After School Care
OSCAR starts on the school site this term both before and after school. Please see Andrew Bowen for details, contact 021982216.

Dental Service
The school dental service changes will take effect this year. We don’t know when yet but will let families know when we know!

If you have a concern about your child’s teeth please contact the Community Oral Health Service Hub Clinic Ph 471 6080. They are located on the 2nd floor of the Dental School.

No Hat No Play
Children must wear a wide brimmed hat this term. No caps please. Children without sun hats will sit in the shade during break times. Sunhats can be purchased from the School Office for $13.00.

Goals 2012
The teachers school wide goals this year are: moving some senior children’s maths levels from at to above;developing writing skills across the school; finding more creative ways to deal with the few consistent rule breakers.

Children’s Goals
Please reread your child’s end of year report and begin to formulate some academic &/or behavioural goals with him/her and share these with the classroom teacher.

That’s enough for now!

Kia Kaha tatou Katoa ki te tautoko o tatou tamariki, mokopuna hoki.

John McKenzie
Principal

Waitangi Day
School will be closed on Monday 6 February to observe Waitangi Day.

School Activity Donation
School activity donations for 2012 are: Senior School $85, or $21.50 per term; Junior School $75 or $19.00 per term. The family discount donation for a 2 child family is $130, or $32.50 per term; and a 3 child family is $160, or $40.00 per term.

The activity donation is requested for extra curricular activities such as trips to the museum & art gallery, school swimming, and performances by various groups at school. Prompt payment will be appreciated. Payment may be made in full at the start of the year, termly, by automatic payment or by internet transfer to account 03 1726 0055515 00, or by other arrangement with the office staff.

A receipt will be issued and can be used with the donations part of your tax return.

The Board of Trustees has not increased the donation this year in recognition of the financial demands on many families. However it is hoped that all families make a contribution as all children benefit.

Te Reo Class
The bi-lingual class will resume on Wednesday 1 February with Te Ao Marama Tawhara as the Kaiako. If your child would like to join this class please contact the office.

School Newsletter, Website and Blogs
The school will continue this year with the use of the school website for publishing the newsletter and blogs giving updates of happenings in the school and in individual classrooms. Photos of children and their first names will be used. If you do not want your child’s name or image to be used please let us know.

Smart Food School Lunches
Smart Food lunches will resume on Thursday 9 February 2012 and are available on Mondays and Thursdays at NEVNS. The lunch consists of two sandwiches, a piece of fruit, a home made biscuit or muffin and a jelly or milk pudding. The cost is $3.50 or $4.50 for a larger lunch with two extra sandwiches. Orders and money need to be in to the School Office by 9am.

Road Patrol
If you are able to assist with supervising the road patrollers before or after school for 15-20 minutes please contact Mrs Staynes or the school office. Teachers really appreciate this help as it is difficult to leave the classroom before school and at 3pm. Many parents/caregivers like to speak to the class teacher at this time and the children often need this time with the teacher.

Road Safety & Parking Around the School
When walking children to or from school please use the patrolled crossing to get children across North Road. The instruction is to wait for the second whistle and the barrier arms to go out across the road before stepping off the footpath. This is
teaching children safe road crossing skills.

There is currently a campaign encouraging motorists to drive slowly around school zones, which is being monitored by the Police. Drivers exceeding the speed limit by more than 5km per hour will be ticketed. In the interests of the children’s safety please do not park in the school grounds during school hours. Would parents who pick up children from the Longworth Street entrance please not park in the residents’ driveways or on the yellow no parking areas.

Update Contact Details
Please let the office know if you have changed your landline or mobile numbers and/or your emergency contact names and numbers.

PTA News
Welcome back
The PTA would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone back to school for 2012. We hope this year will be filled with fun and laughter for all.

Farewell to Mary and Mick
Mary and Mick’s help will be sorely missed by the PTA. To recognize their huge contribution to the PTA and school, a plaque and voucher were given to them at the final assembly last year. These were donated as a combined effort by the school and PTA. Good luck to them both for the future!

School Banking
Banking day is each Wednesday. At the end of each term all children with active (minimum of 6 deposits per term) accounts will be mailed a Hoyts movie voucher. Banking is fun and teaches your child the merits of putting some money in the bank regularly and watching the total grow!

EZ covers
With each stationery list this year you will receive an EZ cover brochure. These are a selection of New Zealand designed and made, re-usable book covers for school exercise books. Each cover costs $1.30 and comes in sizes to fit all NZ exercise books. You place orders online and for each cover you buy the PTA will receive 5c. If you enter our special code (XFC186) when ordering, our donation will be
doubled to 10c per cover. Every order also receives 12 stick-on book labels. Some samples of the covers will be available for looking at in the office.

*REUSABLE *RECYCLABLE *REAL EASY TO PUT ON

2012 Term Dates
Term 1 Monday 30 January - Thursday 5 April
Term 2 Monday 23 April - Friday 29 June
Term 3 Monday 16 July - Friday 28 September
Term 4 Monday 15 October - Friday 14 December

Statutory Holidays During Term Time
Waitangi Day Monday 6 February
Otago Anniversary Day Monday 26 March
Anzac Day Wednesday 25 April
Queen's Birthday Monday 4 June
Labour Day Monday 22 October

Statutory Holidays not affecting the school term
Good Friday Friday 6 April
Easter Monday Monday 9 April
Easter Tuesday Tuesday 10 April