Don't forget to add a splash of pink to your uniform tomorrow.

Coming Up

• FOTS Black and White Disco - Tomorrow Friday 17 May

• Pink Shirt Day - Tomorrow Friday 17 May - add a splash of pink

• Y4-6 Cross Country Event - Monday 20 May

• Road Safety Week (Monday 20 May - Friday 24 May)

• Team Photos - Term 1&2 Teams - Wednesday 22 May

• BOT Meeting - Thursday 23 May - 6.30pm Staffroom

• Y4-6 Cross Country Event - Thursday 23 May (Save Day)

• Superheroes Travelwise Day - Friday 24 May - Dress up as your favourite superhero
• FOTS/PTA Meeting - Monday 27 May - 6.30pm Staffroom

• Junior Assembly (Y1-3) - Friday 07 June 9.45am (Y1 Hosting) *note new date*

• Senior Assembly (Y4-6) - Friday 07 June 11.15am (Y4 Hosting) *note new date*

• Kings Birthday - Monday 03 June (School Closed)

• Teacher Only Day - Tuesday 04 June (School Closed)

Contents

Principal News

• Getting to know Browns Bay School
• Newsletter Changes
• Structured Literacy
• Congratulations to Emma Warren and Charlotte Marychurch
  

School Notices

• School Lunchroom Closed 29 July - 09 August
• School Assemblies Date Change

Friends of the School

• New FOTS Logo

School Events

• Cross Country Practice - Year 4-6
• Kapa Haka Work - Year 5
• Museum Visit - Year 3
• Swimming Competition
• Australian Artistic Swimming Championships
  
• Rubbish Free Lunch
• Road Safety Week/Superheroes Travelwise Day
• New School Student Council Team
• Peer Mediator Training

Principal News

Getting to know Browns Bay School

It has been a busy few weeks at Browns Bay School. I have spent as much time as I can getting to know teachers, support staff, the children and the community. If I haven't met you yet - sorry! I will be at the discos tomorrow so hope to catch up with more of you there.

I have spent lots of time in classrooms. I can see that the teachers work hard to make the learning engaging, and your children love learning. 

It was also wonderful to see another side of Browns Bay School at the Year 4 camps. What an amazing opportunity for the children. They certainly embraced the challenge. Thank you to all the parents who supported, and especially to those who stayed the night. We couldn't put on these events without you.

Newsletter Changes

The newsletter will continue to be emailed to you and be available on our school website. I hope the new layout will make it easier to read on all devices. You can also click on the button (top right) for a translation. The platform uses Google translate, so it may not always be accurate but will hopefully be helpful.

Later in the term there will be an opportunity to give some feedback, so keep an eye out for a link to a survey in the coming weeks.

Structured Literacy

On 2nd May the Government made an announcement about the way that reading is taught in schools and specifically about a Structured Literacy approach. The announcement can be found here.

As of 2025, all schools will be required to teach reading using a Structured Literacy approach. The announcement states; 

"Structured Literacy is about getting back to basics and teaching children to read by using sounds and phonics to understand words."

At Browns Bay School, Phonics teaching has been a part of teaching Reading and Writing for many years. In 2023, after much research, the school embarked upon a Structured Literacy approach. This approach helped to refine our teaching of Reading. In the Junior school you may have noticed different reading books being used by the teacher. These are called 'decodable texts' that are written to specifically match the order of the sounds being taught in school. In 2023 we held parent meetings to share the changes with parents. Across the school we are using a resource called "The Code" to support all students.

Teachers have continued to refine their teaching this year. 

You can find out more about Structured Literacy on our school website. Just click here to go to the page.

Congratulations to Emma Warren and Charlotte Marychurch

Congratulations to Emma and Charlotte. Both teachers are looking forward to a new addition to their whānau. I look forward to sharing plans to cover the parental leave when that is finalised (in the next couple of weeks).

School Notices

School Lunchroom Closed

The lunchroom will be closed between 29 July-09 August as Sange is on leave. Ezlunches will still be available during this time. Ezlunches can be ordered through your Kindo account.

School Assemblies Date Change

The School Assemblies scheduled for Week 5 have been moved to Week 6.

Friends of the School

New FOTS Logo

The newly rebranded logo of Friends of the School (FOTS) has been thoughtfully designed to reflect both its strong connection to the school and its local identity, while also symbolising its mission and activities. The use of the school's colours in the logo establishes a visual link to the institution, reinforcing FOTS’s role as an integral part of the school community.

Incorporating the silhouette of Rangitoto Island as viewed from Browns Bay, rather than the typical perspective seen from Auckland City, offers a unique local representation that underscores the personal connection between the community and the school. This specific viewpoint of Rangitoto Island highlights the geographical backdrop of the area but also symbolizes the solid and enduring support FOTS provides to the school. The island, a prominent and well-known landmark, represents stability and the natural foundation of the community, mirroring the foundational support that FOTS offers.

The letters "FOTS" are creatively integrated into the logo with the "O" designed to depict both a sunrise and a Koru behind Rangitoto Island. The sunrise suggests the dawn of new opportunities that FOTS creates through its fundraising efforts, shining a light on the future of the students and enhancing educational experiences. The Koru, symbolising new life, growth, strength, and peace, echoes these themes, reflecting the ongoing rejuvenation and the vibrant dynamism brought about by FOTS's initiatives.

Overall, the logo combines local identity with the core mission of the PTA, using symbolic imagery to communicate the vital role of FOTS in nurturing and supporting the school’s community.

Huge thanks from FOTS and Browns Bay School to DMG Digital for donating the logo.

Any parents interested in joining the FOTS/PTA Team, please feel free to come along to our next monthly meeting which will be held on Monday 27 May at 6.30pm in the Staffroom.

School Events

Cross Country Practice - Year 4-6

The Year 4-6 students have been practicing for the Cross Country.

Kapa Haka Work - Year 5

The Year 5 students have made a positive start with their Kapa Haka work with Whaea Warren this term.

Museum Visit - Year 3

As part of our Natural Disasters topic, Year 3 were lucky to have Sara Corbett from the Auckland Museum come to visit us at BBS to talk about being Volcanologists. They had the opportunity to learn about local volcanoes, different types of volcanoes, see a demonstration of how a volcano erupts and hold different types of volcanic rocks. The following day they made their way to the Auckland Museum where they took the opportunity to explore the Volcanic room and other areas of this National treasure. We would like to say a huge thank you to all those parents who supported us on the day as this incredible learning opportunity would not have been possible without your support. Thank you once again!

Swimming Competition

Last week, 11 of our Y4-6 students represented BBS at the North Shore Swimming Champs at the Owen Glenn Pools. This is a huge swimming competition with students from all over the North Shore competing. Some events had up to 50 students racing in many heats. The BBS students had some fantastic results, as well as demonstrating excellent behaviour and sportsmanship.

Some of the outstanding results Top 5 placings:

Oscar Zhang: 2nd 25m Backstroke, 2nd 50m Backstroke, 2nd 25m Butterfly

Timmy Wang: 2nd 25m Breaststroke

Crystal Shen: 3rd 100m Freestyle

Gabriel Cornejo: 4th 25m Backstroke, 4th 50m Freestyle

Veronica Zhou: 4th 100m Freestyle

Layla Voss: 5th 25m Backstroke

Jessica Feng: 5th 25m Butterfly

Year 4 & 5 Mixed Relay Team (Crystal, Timmy, Veronica & Oscar): 5th 100m Freestyle

Australian Artistic Swimming Championships

Howard Zhang competed in the 2024 Australian Artistic Swimming Championships and won the following titles: 

12 years & under Male Solo - Gold Medal

12 years & under Mixed Duet - Gold Medal

12 years & under Team - Silver Medal

Well done Howard!

Rubbish Free Lunch

Road Safety Week/Superheroes Travelwise Day

This week some of our ESOL and new students have been learning about road safety with Constable Wansink. 

New School Student Council Team

Meet our new Browns Bay School Student Council. So far this term they have had the pleasure of helping to promote our FOTS Black and White Disco. The next event that they will be promoting and supporting is our Road Safety Week including the Road Safety Heroes Travelwise Day.

As a Student Council they play a vital role in fostering a positive and inclusive school culture.

Peer Mediator Training

As part of their training this term, the Year 6 Peer Mediators at Browns Bay School have been learning about the Wheel of Choice. You can find the Wheel of Choice placards in our Junior and Senior Playgrounds. The Peer Mediators will use the Wheel of Choice to help students in Year 1-5 solve problems in a positive manner. They will seek the help of a duty teacher if they need support. 

Community Notices