There is lots on in the Intermediate Hub at the moment. I apologise for the long blogpost. It is all important, so please read carefully.
Learning Conferences:
We are looking forward to seeing you at learning conferences today and on Thursday. Please do not wait outside, just come straight in. Your child knows to get their bucket and start sharing their learning with you. We will join you to talk about writing, maths, key competencies and answer any questions. 30 minutes needs to be allowed for our conferences.
Becamath:
Tomorrow we will be holding our maths problem solving competition in the hall. The children will be in mixed ability groups, solving problems and running answers to get marked. It is an exciting event. We will be keeping an eye on individuals, as this is one part of the selection process for our Cantamath teams.
Ski Trip:
We are just over a week away from our ski trip. Over the past two days I have been matching children up with ski clothing that they need to borrow. We have been short on glasses/goggles, medium sized gloves and larger ski pants. If your child still does not have what they need, Snowmania, 4 Dalgety Street, Riccarton, has the best deal on rental equipment, including gloves or goggles for $5. The package at Mt Hutt includes skis, boots, poles, helmet, ski pass and lesson, so no need to organise a helmet or hat.
On the day we will need to leave school, Sandwich Rd, at 6:10am!!! Yes, I know, it is extremely early, however we need to be at ski hire on the mountain by 8:15. The tricky part is that the ski report, letting us know if the mountain is open, does not come through until 6am. This close timing is unfortunate, but not something we can avoid. If your child arrives for the bus before we have seen the ski report, please wait with them until the go/no go decision has been made. We will be leaving the mountain to head home soon after 3:30, which will get us back to school around 5:45pm. We will text with a more accurate time when we are on our way home.
Tomorrow we start our class preparation sessions. These include: dressing for the mountain, an introduction to gear, snow safety and mountain management. Many thanks to those who replied to say they can loan skis for our dry land session on Thursday morning.
Being dressed for the mountain conditions makes such a difference to the enjoyment of the day. Your child will need:
- Several thin layers are much better for keeping warm and comfortable than a bulky layer. Cotton is not great for the mountains; thermal clothing is what’s needed.
- Polypro or woolen thermal top
- Thermal ‘long-johns’ or tights
- Fleece or woolen top / jersey
- Waterproof pants
- A warm weatherproof jacket
- Woolen or thermal socks, not too thick. Socks need to come up to mid calf at least.
- Weatherproof gloves or mittens
- Either sun glasses or ski goggles
- A scarf is optional, but must be tucked into their jacket, to avoid dangling ends.
- Hats are not needed as all children will be given a helmet
- Sunscreen, for the face
- A substantial lunch, including a drink. The mountain cafe is very expensive. Children may bring some money for a hot drink or snack, but please also pack a lunch. They are responsible for looking after any money they bring.
- Long hair needs to be tied up.
Plan for the day:
6:10am Meet in school car park on Sandwich Rd, roll call
6:15am Buses depart
8:15am Arrive at the ski-field, snack, ski hire sorted and tickets distributed
9:00am Lessons begin
10:30am Morning tea break
11:15am Free skiing with lots of adult supervision
12:30pm Lunch break
1:00pm Free skiing with lots of adult supervision
3:20pm Return gear to ski hire
3:40pm Leave the ski-field
5:45pm Arrive back at school
Parent Helpers:
Many thanks to the following people who have offered to help out on the mountain.
Skiers: Matthew Cowie, Paula Winsor, Stu Clarke, Joe Evans, Tony Sice, Iris Brookland, Liz May, Matthew Macdonald and Rod Gray
Non-skiers: Kate Packer, Anne Jaiswal, Jane Parrett or Hugh Reynolds and Fenella Jameson.
If you expected to see your name on this list, but didn’t, please contact me ASAP. If your name is on this list and you are now not available, again please contact me ASAP.
I will be sending out a parent helper notice later this week.
We have four teaching staff going, including Jarred. Many thanks to those who have sorted their $30 for this trip. We would appreciate the rest of the money in ASAP.
Finally on ski trip, we need to make up another 20 arm bands, as per the photo below. If you are a sewer and able to help out by making these up, please email me.
Cantamath Home Learning:
There was a misprint on the notice that went home about Cantamath project home learning. This is due on Monday August 13th. Your child should be well underway with their project by now. Please let us know if any support is required for your child.
Winter Tournament:
The weather really turned it on for our Zone Winter Tournament at Hagley Park yesterday. The children competed in a series of fast and furious games against teams from other schools in our zone. Three seemed to be the number of the day with many of our teams earning third place in the tournament, narrowly missing the chance to compete at Canterbury level. After the tournament, I received a number of emails from parents, commenting on the fantastic sportsmanship demonstrated by our tamariki, which is fantastic to hear. A mammoth thank you to all the parents who managed a team for the morning. The children loved this experience.
Mountain Biking Passion:
Last year, in Term 4, I (Jenny) offered mountain biking as a passion option. I would love to be able to offer this again this year and I know there are quite a number of keen participants in our Kauri whanau - I've been asked more than a few times to repeat the passion group this year!
This passion is made possible by adult helpers who are willing and available to support with child and bike transportation and child supervision. With Passion Thursday taking place during typical work hours, I am getting in early so that we can hopefully get enough adult helper committed to the venture to enable it to happen.
If you are able to commit to some or all Passion Thursday sessions, please fill out this form.
Primary and Intermediate Ski Race:
This annual event is held at Mount Cheeseman and is a fantastic opportunity for tamariki with a passion for skiing to represent their school in this sport. Following the success of last year’s event, we would like to put forward a team again this year and are now accepting entries on a first come first served basis. Children must be competent skiers. The event takes place on Sunday the 19th of August and costs $40 per child, payable to the school. Please, email Jenny if you are interested in entering.
Phew! That's it for now. Just a community message to finish with ...
Week of Engineering Expo – Come along and get inspired!
Interested in learning more about engineering or just want to learn more about how the world works? If you’re looking for a fun family day, are considering engineering as a career pathway or wish to answer your child’s tricky questions about how things work, head along to the Week of Engineering public open day. There’ll be drones, robots and virtual reality to get involved with! Find out more at www.weekofengineering.co.nz/engineer-expos-2018
When and where:
Canterbury University’s College of Engineering
69 Creyke Street, Christchurch
Saturday 18 August from 10am – 4pm.
