Principal's Patch
Kia ora koutou
A huge 'Thank you' to the PTA and whānau who gave their time to make the four discos happen! Running four, back-to-back discos is no mean feat and takes a considerable amount of organisation and support. The events were clearly successful, and enjoyed and appreciated very much by our children.
Sandwich Road Water Leak
As those of you who use the front entrance to the school will be aware, we have had major, ongoing issues with a water leak at the crossing point for over 18 months. The issue appeared to have been repaired during the May holidays, then returned again during the July break. Over the past three weeks, Richard Scott and I have been in almost daily contact with the council as the leak has become worse and worse. Below is a message from Tim Drennan regarding this leak and the plan for repairing it:
Firstly, thank you to the school community and residents for their patience with ongoing water leaks in the area. There have been several leaks that have caused disruption, both on the road and within the school grounds.
We have repaired a number of leaks in this area over the past few months. However, we are aware the current leak has got worse over the last few days. We had undertaken a temporary repair on this leak in the past and had hoped that it would last until we were able to do a full replacement of the water pipe. The replacement is scheduled to happen in October this year.
The current leak is on one of the major mains that supplies water to the reservoirs on the Port Hills and surrounding area. The water supply for the school does not come off this main.
From 8pm, Friday 4 August, one-way traffic management will be in place on Sandwich Road so we can begin the repair. Spare parts are not available locally and need to be sourced from Auckland given the age of the pipe. The repair will be completed on Tuesday 8 August and traffic management will remain in place until then.
This is a temporary repair, and we are hopeful that this will be enough to get us through until the replacement is in place.
We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming days and weeks.
Again, thank you for your patience.
Ngā mihi
Tim Drennan
Manager Service Excellence
Three Waters
As you can see from the photo above taken on Friday evening, the repair has started to happen. Please be aware that Sandwich Road will have traffic management in place on Monday and Tuesday, so consider walking, biking or parking away from Sandwich Road if you can on those days.
Sickness and keeping sick children at home
Already this term we have seen a series of colds, flu, tummy bugs and a small amount of Covid at school. We can see that these bugs do spread through a home group or a team very quickly so please keep children at home if they are unwell, and make sure that phone or email the office to let us know why they will be away. Thank you!
Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal
Important Dates
NB You can find our Community Calendar on our school website. You can embed this calendar into your own digital calendar and stay up-to-date with events and information.
Fri 11 Aug - Book Character Day - final day of Readathon
Fri 11 Aug - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 18 Aug - School Closed - Staff Only Day
Wed 23 Aug - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Wed 23 Aug - 7:30pm - PTA meeting - Staffroom
Fri 25 Aug - Final day for returning Readathon Money
Fri 25 Aug - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 8 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Thu 14 Sep - am - Year 8 entrance testing at Cashmere High
Fri 15 Sep - School Photos
Wed 20 Sep - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Fri 22 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 22 Sep - Final day of Term 3
Term Dates: Click here to view 2023 & 2024 term dates
Citizen of the Week
Lukas O'Connor - Year 6
Lukas, you brighten up the hub with your vibrant smile. You are a helpful student who demonstrates our school values of 'We Care' and 'We Love Learning' on a daily basis. Your kind and caring nature is enjoyed by many. We appreciate you everyday! Ka rawe, Lukas!School Notices
Readathon and Book Character Day
Remember to get those reading minutes in each day & added to your tamariki Readathon forms!
A reminder that the last day of the Readathon is this coming Friday the 11th of August, which is also Book Character Day! We look forward to seeing everyone coming to school dressed as their favourite book character.
A reminder that the last day of the Readathon is this coming Friday the 11th of August, which is also Book Character Day! We look forward to seeing everyone coming to school dressed as their favourite book character.
All Readathon money needs to be in by 9am on Friday 25th August, and the PTA will announce spot prize winners in assembly on that day (rather than Friday 11th as stated on the reqadathon card).
Cross Country Challenge
At the end of last term, the top-placed students in our Year 0-4 cross country event had the opportunity to take part in the Cross Country Challenge which is held at Hillview Christian School every year. There were many other schools participating which added to the excitement of the whole occasion. Luckily, the rain held off and the children successfully took part in their cross-country races, putting every effort into doing their best. It was fantastic to see the determination on everyone’s faces as they strove to get to the finish line. Well done to you all!
Following the races, the children then attended an award ceremony followed by a delicious afternoon tea. It really was a fantastic experience for our tamariki.
Free Broadband - Supporting Students To Learn
The Ciena Jump for Students Fund can now be accessed through selected local libraries.
To be eligible, there needs to be cell tower capacity (mobile coverage) at the home address. If the home address is available, your details will be sent to the Christchurch City Libraries by GCSN, and a librarian will contact you when a modem is available to collect. A GCSN co-ordinator is available to support whānau through the process if needed.
The Ciena Jump for Students Fund offers a free modem and 210GB monthly data until the end of this school year. For more information on the Ciena Jump For Students Fund, please visit https://www.skinny.co.nz/jump/ciena/
Helplines
1737 - free text and phone counselling 24/7
Youthline – 0800 376 633 or free text 234
Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202
Anxiety New Zealand - 0800 269 4389
What's Up – 0800 942 8787 (5–18 year olds)
thelowdown.co.nz –or email team@thelowdown.co.nz or free text 5626
thelowdown.co.nz –or email team@thelowdown.co.nz or free text 5626
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
“If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever.”
― A.A. Milne
Tickets can be purchased via Ticketek: https://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=POOHBEAR23
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The Mainland Pouākai want you to be a part of the action this year as they take the floor in what will be an exciting season. For the games listed below, we are offering your school an exclusive 10% discount on tickets which will be a great night out for the whole family! Get yours your tickets today!
Mainland Pouākai vs Northern Kahu Home Game - Sunday 20th August, 3:00pm at Cowles Stadium
Mainland Pouākai vs Whai Home Game - Sunday 27th August, 3:00pm at Cowles Stadium
If you are interested in purchasing tickets to other home games, please click the link:
