Principal's Patch
Kia ora koutou
Extra Staff Only Day in Term 4
The Board has approved an additional Staff Only day during Term 4 which will happen on Tuesday, 26th October. This is the day after Labour weekend, giving you the opportunity to make a four-day weekend for your family if your work commitments allow.
This day will count as one of the eight days, over three years (2020 - 2022) that were allocated to schools to use through the Collective Agreement negotiations between the teachers' union and the Ministry of Education last year. Last year we only used one collective agreemet day, this year we will have used four days, leaving us three days to use in 2022.
BOSCO have advised us that they will be OPEN on this date, and they will provide more details soon for whānau who want to take advantage of their services.
Karakia Kai from our Hāngī
What a great evening everyone had at the Whānau Hui and Hāngī on Wednesday evening. Thank you to all who were able to attend and participate.
As part of the hāngī, we learned the karakia kai 'E Rongo E Rongo'. Some families have asked for the link and the words... they are here if you would like to listen and learn this with your whānau.
E Rongo, e Rongo (Rongo - guardian of cultivated foods)Homai ngā tipu (Provide us with your fruits)Hei whakakī te tīnana (To sustain our bodies & provide)Hei oranga (wellbeing)Au eke au ekeHui e, taiki e (Unified, connected and blessed)
We are looking forward to holding more hāngī in the future, and to being able to cater for more participants.
Teaching our young people to be respectful
As part of our daily learning activities, both explicitly and informally, we focus on the ways that we can show respect to one another, both at school and in the wider world we live in. The recent news around the issues being faced by teenagers at Christchurch Girls High School regarding sexual harassment has highlighted again the importance of teaching our young people to ask for help if they are experiencing any kind of targetted behaviour that makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable. It is important that our young people do not accept this kind of behaviour as 'normal'.
At a day-to-day level at school, we have been talking more about the negative impact on others of swearing.
Swearing at people and using a raised, aggressive voice, is a form of put-down and intimidation. We are calling out this behaviour and appreciate you talking about this at home with your children.
New Building Opening
We are expecting to have the handover of our new building in the next week. This means that it will be available for our children to use from the beginning of next Term.
We will be holding the official opening of the new 'Hangere' building at 9:10am on Monday 26th July, the first day of Term 3. Please ensure that your children are at school before the 8:55am bell, and that they go to their hubs first so that they can be marked present on the roll. Teachers will bring everyone over to the new building as soon as their rolls are done. All whānau are most welcome to join us for this special celebration!
Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Week 10:
Thu 8 Jul - South Zone Winter Sport
Fri 9 Jul - Celebration Assembly & Band Concert (11:50am -12:40pm)
Fri 9 Jul - Last Day of Term
School Holidays
Term 3, Week 1:
Mon 26 Jul - First day back at School
Mon 26 Jul - New Building Opening (9:10am)
Wed 28 Jul - PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm)
Thu 29 Jul - South Zone Winter Sport (12.00 - 3.00pm)
Fri 30 Jul - Welcome Assembly (9.15 - 9.30am)
Mon 26 Jul - New Building Opening (9:10am)
Wed 28 Jul - PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm)
Thu 29 Jul - South Zone Winter Sport (12.00 - 3.00pm)
Fri 30 Jul - Welcome Assembly (9.15 - 9.30am)
Term Dates
Click here to view 2021 term dates.Citizen of the Week
Josh Cornfoot - Year 4
Josh, your kind, caring and thoughtful nature shines in all that you do. You have a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards all areas of learning and you are a fantastic role model to other students. You are self-motivated and you constantly strive to be the best you can be. Kia ora mo tō mahi!
School Notices
Sushi Meets Dumplings - Lunch orders
Next term, we will be trialling a new lunch provider on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (the days Lunchonline doesn't deliver). It is "Sushi Meets Dumplings" which is based at Beckenham Central shops. The cut-off for placing orders will be 9:00am on the day. More info to come!
HERO - School Accounts & Donations
Thank you to all of you who have logged onto our new app "HERO" and have paid, or part-paid your accounts and donations. We really do appreciate every bit that you are able to contribute towards enriching the experiences that we are able to offer the children.
(Click here if you haven’t yet set up HERO on your phone, and download the app)
To see your current statement, log onto HERO and click on Finance
Whānau Rōpū Hui
We had a fantastic turn out for our first Whānau Rōpū Hui this year. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated Matariki with us. It was great to see tamariki of all ages, whānau, and friends socialising and having fun together. We enjoyed making harakeke weaving and Matariki stars, learning about māhinga kai and the Matariki macarena, and practising poi skills and chalk drawing. We hope to see you at our next Whānau Rōpū Hui, later this year!
Parking in the 3min area on Sandwich Road
A reminder please, that the stretch of road adjacent to the Admin building on Sandwich Road is a 3min drop-off zone from 8:30-9:30am and 2:30-3:30pm on school days. This means drivers are not able to sit in their cars from 2:30pm waiting for children, or to park cars in this area and go into school. If you arrive early and wait for children, or if you need to get out of your car and come into school, please find an alternative place to park. Having this area just for drop-offs means that the traffic on Sandwich Road moves smoothly before and after school, and this is much safer for our children.
Headlice
We have had head lice reported in Koru, Kahikatea, and Kōwhai hubs. Please take a moment to check your child's head for eggs and lice, and treat accordingly. If you find any evidence of head lice please treat your child before sending them to school, to prevent spread - and make it more comfortable for them!
Gastro bug in Christchurch
Community and Public Health have noted an increase in the number of gastrointestinal illness cases reported in schools and Early Childhood Education centres.
There is currently an increased possibility of children and teachers developing symptoms. Children and teachers who develop vomiting and/or diarrhoea should not attend school and can return once they have been symptom free for 48 hours.
Dental Care during the School Holidays
The Community Dental Service will be providing dental care for children enrolled with our service during the upcoming school holidays. The clinics will offer check-ups, treatment and relief of pain sessions by appointment only. To make an appointment please call/email our Contact Centre which operates between the hours of 8am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday throughout the holidays.
The following Dental Clinics will be open during these school holidays:
Aranui Clinic, 240 Breezes Road, Aranui,
Burnside Clinic, 96A Memorial Avenue, Burnside,
Timaru Clinic, Level 1, 18 Woollcombe Street, Timaru
The clinics will offer appointments between 8.15am and 4.45pm for school-age and preschool children. If your child has dental pain because of an accident, please contact your dentist in the first instance.
To book an appointment at one of our clinics please call, 0800 846 983, or email commdental@cdhb.health.nz
Maka Ake
Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…
A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.
Staff Profiles
Sports News
Cross Country Challenge at Hillview Christian School
Our top cross country runners from the junior school competed in an interschool cross country challenge at Hillview Christian School on Thursday this week. The team was buzzing with energy and enthusiasm as we set off. Everyone lived our school values, taking on the challenge and running as hard and as fast as their legs could carry them, and caring for and supporting each other. Thanks to the awesome team of parent helpers, as well as Otis and Layla, our Year 8 students, who did an amazing job of helping and caring for our team throughout the event.
A special congratulations to the following children on their results:
Maximus Olykan (Year 2 boys) - 2nd
Ben Stoney (Year 3 boys) - 5th
Laura Stoney (Year 3 girls) - 1st
Bianca Ashworth (Year 4 girls) - 4th
KidsCan Funrun
Wow! What an amazing effort by around 100 of our children, from our newest of new entrants through to our Year 8s, today at the student organised FunRun for KidsCan.
Thank you to the Year 8 students who came up with this amazing idea to support KidsCan, and to everyone who got behind the idea and supported them by either running or sponsoring.
Please help your child get their sponsorship money into school this week, either by bringing it to the office or by paying it into the school bank account with both your child's name and 'FunRun' as reference.
Bank account number: 12-3148-0131641-00
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Whānau/Family support
Qtopia offers support and education for whānau with LGBTQIA+ children and young people under 16 years of age. This group is peer support based and gives parents a chance to talk through everything that is happening for their young person and whānau. Click here to find out more about what support is available for you, and your young people.
Imagination Station will be running heaps of epic LEGO classes at Tūranga this July holidays, AND visiting Upper Riccarton, Fendalton and Aranui Libraries with heaps of LEGO classes! We’ll be running basic LEGO Technic Starter classes, remote controlled race cars, an introduction to robotics with LEGO WeDo2.0, an exciting battlebots class with our new LEGO SPIKE Prime robotics and our famous LEGO movie making workshops. If you’re interested, find more info and reserve your space at imagination-station.org.nz or give us a call on 027 438 2106.
Studio One Performing Arts, your local dance school, is currently giving Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary and Acro lessons in your area. The school’s director is teacher, choreographer & ex-ballet dancer Patricia Paul A.R.A.D. (London). Ballet lessons from 3 years through to Advanced, and all levels in Jazz and Contemporary starting from age 7. For all enquiries please phone 372-9191 or email info@studioone.co.nz
Now open Monday to Friday 8.30 PM - 2:30 PM for children aged 2 to 5 years.
An inspiring, unique, caring, unrushed community-based preschool.
High adult to child ratios. Fully qualified, experienced teachers. Individual learning programmes. Exciting natural outdoor garden.
Visitors are always welcome.
Art Classes for Children
Is your child passionate about art? Would they like to extend their creativity through learning a range of new art skills and techniques? Maybe Kat's holiday painting workshops or after-school art classes are just what you've been looking for. Kat's Art Studio is located at 171 Waltham Rd. Art tutor Katrina is a professional artist and tutor who has over 10yrs experience teaching children art. For more details, please visit www.katsartstudio.co.nz
Family Fest Christchurch - 23-25 July 2021
Event Hire is very proud to be hosting Family Fest Christchurch again this year, however we have decided to go bigger and better this year since we SOLD OUT last year! We are holding the event at Pioneer Recreation Centre this year, allowing us a bit more space than last year. There will be two, three hour sessions each day. 9am-12pm and then 1pm-4pm for each of the three days.
Ticket prices will be;
Children (under 1's) - FREE
Children (1-5 years) - $10
Children/Student (6-17 years) - $15
Adult (18+) - $5
Family Pass (2x Adults & 3x Children) - $50
Mates Rates (4x Children/Students/Adults) - $55
