Long Jump for Athletics

Hopefully your child brought home the three different notices relating to camp that we gave out on Friday. One notice is an information and gear list for you to keep. The second notice is a Health Profile and Medical Consent form. This is to be filled in and returned to school on Monday. This information is essential for us to plan and prepare in advance, to ensure that we are aware of medical backgrounds and history, just in case! The third form is a Medical Authority form. This is to be filled out if your child is bringing any type of medication to camp. The filled form, along with the medication, should be put into a zip lock bag or ice cream container and handed to Katie on the day we leave for camp (Tuesday 13 November).

We have attached the all of the notices and forms here, in the event that your little poppet misplaced them and they didn't quite make it home!

If you have any queries regarding camp, please contact one of us.

Pōhutukawa Pitch Perfect choir performance this Friday

Good luck to the Pōhutukawa Pitch Perfect choir who are performing at Horncastle Arena on Friday 26th October.

The choir will be attending a massed rehearsal on Friday morning. They will bus from school to  Horncastle Arena in the morning, and will return to school by lunchtime. Whilst there they will be shown where to meet when they are dropped off that night (they enter through door 1) and where they are being seated in the arena when not performing.

We ask that parents please do not visit their child/ren during the performance. The performers are to be picked up at the end of the show from where they are sitting, so they are able to be signed out.

The children are required to be at the arena by 6:15pm, in clean and tidy school uniform .

Tickets are available through Ticketek. Adult tickets cost $22.00 and school age children are $10.00.

We welcome back our trainee teacher, Lisa Griffith



Pōhutukawa Whānau has been very fortunate to have had Lisa Griffith as a part of our team, for three weeks at the end of last term, and four weeks of this term. Lisa is in her last year of training to be a teacher, and when she finishes this placement will graduate, ready to begin her career as a teacher. She is mainly based in Beach, with Tracy and has been a valuable contributor to our team.

School Athletics Day

Our school athletics day is next Thursday, 1 November. The students will be participating in field events - shot put, discus and high jump, along with sprinting races.
They have an option of signing up for long jump, which will be held at Hillview Christian School, on an alternative day (Friday 2 November), and opting into mid distance (1000m) running, which is being held first thing on athletics day (9:15am).
The children should wear sports shorts and house shirts or their school shirt on athletics day. They have the option of wearing running shoes or bare feet when competing.
We will supply sunblock during the day, and it would be great if the children came to school with sunblock already applied to their face and torso.
A wide brimmed sunhat is essential for the day, along with a named water bottle. The children will be unable to compete if they do not have a hat. They will be carrying their water bottle with them from event to event.

Sexuality Road Programme: Parent meeting

In week 6 we will be starting our health unit: The Sexuality Road. This topic addresses, changes that happen at puberty (physical and emotional), communication and decision making, reproduction and where to go to for support. We will teach the Year 5 programme and the Year 6 programme separately. If you would like to find out more about what the programme involves, we will be holding a parent information evening for Year 5 - 8 families in the staffroom on Thursday November 2nd, starting at 7pm.

Living Springs Camp 13 - 15 November

We are very much on the countdown for camp. The teachers are finalising details, and intend to send home an information newsletter, gear list and medical form by the end of the week. If you have any concerns or questions about camp, please contact any one of the teachers in the hub.

Welcome to the final term of 2018.

Living Springs Camp 13-15 November (Week 5)
Thank you to all of the adults who volunteered to assist us on camp. We have a fabulous number of adults who are giving up their time to participate in our camp programme.
Shortly we will be sending home medical forms and gear lists.
If you have any questions about camp please free to contact any teacher in our hub for more information.

Cycle safety
The year 6 students are participating in a Christchurch City Council run cycle safety programme this week. With summer coming up it is great to see our children learning to be more confident in their biking skills on the road.

The Great New Zealand Shake Out
Our school has signed up for the Great NZ Shakeout School Challenge. Each person that completes the 8 challenges with their families will be in to get some cool prizes.
Some of the challenges include...

• Show someone how to drop cover and hold – inside and outside.
• Check your tsunami zone and plan where to go.
• Store water for three days or more.
• Identify which key household objects need to be secured or made safer through Fix. Fasten. Don’t Forget.
• Find out which natural hazards could affect your family.
• Work out what to pack in a getaway bag for your family.
• Make a plan that includes who will pick up the kids if the adults can’t get to school.
• Make a list of who can help in an emergency

The students have been given a booklet to take home. If your child would like to participate by completing all of the challenges, they just needs to bring the booklet back, with each challenged signed to say it was completed, to collect their small prize.

Welcome assembly
This term's welcome assembly is on Friday at 2:30. We welcome everyone back to the new term, and Pōhutukawa in particular welcomes two new students and their whānau to our school.

Athletics
Athletics training has started this week, and it is very encouraging seeing the students improve in many of the athletics disciplines. Our school athletics day is in week 3, Thursday 1 November.