Kia ora Waitetuna whanau,
Well, it is hard to believe this is the final newsletter for 2020. What a year it has been. Staff and I would like to take the time to say thank you for your support this year in every way. We heard many positive things about our lockdown learning and for some countries around the world this has been their way of life for the whole year. Thank goodness this didn’t happen in New Zealand.
It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you and your children and being a part of this wonderful community. Staff and I look forward to celebrating the year at our final assembly on Monday including acknowledging our year 8s and the achievements of all of our students with you on Monday evening. I am sure I will see you all there but if not I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday.
Waitetuna Way this week goes to - Ayla Gee and Tyla Tritar - for the range of learning
Reports - your child's report goes home on Tuesday. This shows your child's progress in relation to the New Zealand curriculum levels. All children can be very proud of their achievement and progress. It also recognises their participation and contribution and how they manage themselves and relate to others. We have completed analysis of the 2020 reading, writing and maths data and we are pleased to report the following -
Reading - 89.7% (92.3% - 2019)
Writing - 84.5% (86.5% - 2019)
Maths - 82.8% (84.6% - 2019)
Considering the year we have had I think this is a very positive achievement and I would like to acknowledge the work you did with your children during lockdown and the way the staff adapted programmes to teach and deliver online. Great mahi tahi.
PTA meeting - keep the date - Thursday 25th February 3pm in staffroom. Please come along and join us for afternoon tea and be a part of an awesome team. Ngaa mihi, Amanda
Swimming lessons - external provider - 2Focus are able to provide us with swimming lessons for two weeks in term 1. These are in addition to the lessons that our teachers provide. They supplement what we are doing. 2focus have been coaching in country schools for 12 years, and coaching in clubs for over 17 years; they bring qualified coaches to offer swimming lessons to students at Waitetuna school. Start Date: 15 th Feb -19 th Feb, 22nd Feb – 26 st Feb Cost: $80.00 for 10 lessons.
What they offer:
Block course of 10 x 30-minute swimming lessons
Swimmers are coached to their individual ability
Technique coaching in all swimming strokes
The instructors come to us to teach in the Waitetuna School pool
Please let us know if you would like your child/ren to be a part of these lessons.
2021 Teacher only days - The Board approved the following Teacher only days at the Board meeting on Tuesday night. Please note these teacher only days are part of the Primary teachers collective agreement and these days have to be used before the end of June.
Thursday 1 April (term 1)
Friday 16 April (term 1)
Monday 17 May (term 2)
Monday 28 June (term 2)
Enviro Education with Matua X - Each of the classes got to spend the week learning more about being a sustainable citizen. The junior room learnt about sorting their rubbish and ways to reduce what goes to landfill. The students in vests in the photos were the rubbish collectors and had to do the ‘official sorting’. They have also learnt about worms and the great things worms do with our food scraps. The middle room learnt about different ways to reduce waste, from reusable fruit and vege bags to great ways to wrap your sandwiches. The senior room has focused on 'Smart Water - starts with you' and looking at the water treatment process and how precious water truly is. We thank Matua X for his wonderful inspiring lessons. Last year we became a Para Kore school and we will be continuing to refine our rubbish systems next year.
VISITING OUR NEW CLASSROOMS FOR NEXT YEAR
Transition visits - to support students with a smooth transition, moving to the middle room and senior room the children have spent time each day in their new room. The kids tell me this has been a great idea.
The Skyline garage base work has started now. We look forward to moving sports equipment into that space before the start of term 1 next year.
Stationery lists - Officemax online orders are available. If you do not have access to the internet please come and see us at the office for a list.
Headphones - Stationery lists will be available through Office max for purchasing. There are headphones on the list. These are an essential classroom item. We have included a range of options as the noise cancelling option with mike is not cheap but if your child has a learning difficulty then this option is certainly something that students can get a lot of effective use out of. The more affordable options will do the job but not as efficiently in some cases. You are welcome to discuss these options with your child's teacher too.
Changing banks - Please note that our school banking is changing from Westpac to ASB. If you are able to change your internet bank details by the end of the school year that would be much appreciated. New Bank account details are now available. We are not closing our Westpac account until into term 1 just in case.
A reminder - Final Prizegiving Assembly - Monday 14th December - 5.30pm. We look forward to seeing whanau at this event. Please bring a plate of finger food that we can share together after the final assembly.
The Pool is open. Pool keys are on sale. A pool key is available for immediate family to use from Dec through to the close of summer season in April - including the school holidays, after school and weekends. With increasing costs associated with the pool upkeep the Board agreed that an increase of $10 was needed. Pool keys will be $80 this season (5 months swimming) and this includes a $10 refund on return of your key. Wednesday will be the last chance to purchase a key for the Christmas break.
Kia Ora, Amanda Nasilasila
Together we are growing the seeds of success Na tō manaaki, na tōku manaaki, ka puāwai mai nga kākano
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