Newsletter 7 December 2018

Tēnā Koutou, Talofa Lava, Malo e Lelei, Namaste, Ni sa bula, Noaia’e mauri, Fakalofa lahi atu, Kia Orana, Ni Hao, An Nyung Ha Sai Yo, Nay Ho, Hej, Hallo, Sawat Dee. Greetings to our school families.

Weekly Diary

Week 9: 10 Dec – 14 Dec

• Thurs 13.12    School Picnic at Scandretts (12:30pm high tide)
• Fri 14.12 Carols in the Courtyard (details below)

Week 10: 17 Dec – 21 Dec

• Tues 18.12  Prize Giving & Reports Home
• Weds 19.12 Year 6 Graduation (evening)
• Thurs 20.12 Last Day Term 4! 2pm finish. 

School starts 4 February 2019

Farewells

At our formal Prize Giving this year, we will be farewelling 3 of our longest serving staff members:

• Mrs Gay Spittal. Gay was actually one of the first people to show an interest in working at our school, when she popped in to our temporary office by the Warehouse, before the school was even built! She has been a wonderful support to our ESOL and Pasifika Community, and is a real advocate for our special needs students. She often acts as a “go between” between various community groups, and the school, through which we all benefit. Gay is retiring, and we wish her and Gary all the best.
• Mrs Christine Mackay. Chris also worked in the temporary office as Team Leader, sharing her wealth of skills and knowledge in the junior area of the school. Chris has a real passion for environmental education, and has spent many hours encouraging students in this area, through opportunities such as the Garden Club, and growing seedlings for Trees for Survival Planting. She was also a key person when liaising with community groups such as the Ladies Lions, and our reading support volunteers. Chris has been on leave for much of the year and is now retiring. We wish her and Roger all the best with creating further travel plans.
• Mrs Pauline Watkin. Pauline joined our school shortly after we opened, and her role has evolved from reliever, to senior release teacher, CRT teacher (Te Reo Maori focus), to being a driving force in our Junior School. Pauline embodies the term “life long learner”, and barely a year has gone by without her undertaking some level of tertiary study. She has a passion for ESOL education, and has been a key player in the introduction of Play Based Learning to our school. We are thankful for the relationships Pauline has forged with the Early Childhood Centres in our area. Pauline and her husband Paul are returning to his homeland, Australia, and we have ensured she has pledged allegiance to the All Blacks and Black Caps before she leaves.

End of Year Picnic – Thursday 13 December

Next Thursday is our annual End of Year Picnic at Scandrett Regional Park. Please check your child’s bag for the information sheet & permission slip they will need to swim – this will come home today. We would really appreciate some extra help supervising swimming – if you are able to assist, please return the slip.

End of Year Prize Giving & Awards Ceremony

We are acutely aware how busy parents are at this time of the year, so have attempted to make the time commitment for parents a little more “user friendly” by splitting Prize Giving into two. We are aware that some parents may want to attend both, but this will be the exception, rather than the norm, and we do apologise for any who are affected in this way. It is hard to formulate a plan that works for all!

11:00am Prize Giving (Kapa Haka Welcome, Farewells, Top of Year Level in Literacy & Numeracy, Values & Creativity Awards for Each Class)

1:00pm Awards Ceremony – Years 4 – 6. (Kapa Haka Welcome, Major Awards, Year 6 Graduation)

Parking will be available in the paddock next to the school. 

Special Kapa Haka Performance

As our Kapa Haka Rōpū will be splitting their performance over the two parts of Prize Giving, we would like to give parents the opportunity to see the whole event (including new waiata-a-ringa). The Kapa Haka Rōpū will perform to close our school year at 1:30pm on Thursday 20th December, prior to school finishing at 2pm. We welcome all friends & whānau.

Carols in the Courtyard 

We will be holding our inaugural “Carols in the Courtyard” event this year on Friday 14 December. We welcome you all to attend, as well as the wider community. Bring a picnic blanket, or cushions, and enjoy entertainment, including:

• a short welcome by the Kapa Haka Rōpū
• the Junior School Christmas Concert
• a performance by our Pasifika Group
• Christmas carols performed by our choir

Thanks to Terin Port, who has been co-ordinating some wonderful craft stalls (details to follow), and the PTA who will be selling light snacks on the night. Craft stalls open from 6:00pm, entertainment from 6:30pm. Please feel free to bring your own picnic baskets, but remember, as a school event, it must be alcohol free.

Parking will be available in the paddock next to the school.