Coming Up

Meet the Teacher Dates:

• Year 1 - Wednesday 12 February - 6.00pm - 6.30pm

• Year 3 - Thursday 13 February - 5.30pm - 6.00pm

• Year 4 - Wednesday 12 February - 5.30pm - 6.00pm

• Year 5 - Thursday 13 February - 6.00pm - 6.30pm

• Year 6 - Thursday 13 February - 6.00pm - 6.30pm

  *Followed by a camp meeting from 6.30pm - 7.00pm

• Y5/6 Basketball Trials - Thursday 13 February

• Whanau Hui - Wednesday 19 February - 5.30pm (Staffroom)

• Year 4-6 School Swimming Sports - Thursday 20 February

• BOT Meeting - Thursday 20 February - 6.30pm (Staffroom)

• FOTS AGM - Monday 24 February - 6pm (Staffroom)

Contents

Principal News

• Attendance

• Pick Up/Drop Off Zone

• Hats

• After School

Awhi Update

• Setting Up for Success

School Notices

• 2025 Medical Updates

• Outdoor Education Programme - Term 1

Friends of the School/P.T.A

• FOTS/P.T.A AGM

Principal News

It has been wonderful to welcome so many new families to our school. As I meet parents and grandparents around the school I am always reminded of how many processes we have to keep everyone safe - and how hard it is as a parent to stay on top of those! There are lots of reminders this week. You may want to save this newsletter somewhere for future reference.

Attendance

At Browns Bay School we take the approach that every school day matters.  Learning starts from the first day of school and our teachers work hard to ensure that learning is built on every day. Regular attendance is essential for students to develop strong learning habits, build friendships, and reach their full potential.

Research shows that children who attend school regularly achieve better academic results and feel more confident in their learning. When students miss school, they can fall behind in key subjects such as Reading, Writing, and Maths. Attending school every day also helps children develop important life skills, such as responsibility, time management, and teamwork. It fosters a sense of belonging and strengthens their relationships with teachers and classmates.

Being away from school can also affect children's confidence if they know that their peers have completed work or had experiences that impact learning and they have not had the same opportunities. This anxiety can lead to children wanting to take more time off.

We understand that sometimes children need to stay home due to illness, but we encourage families to prioritise attendance whenever possible. Establishing good routines, such as preparing school bags the night before and ensuring a good night’s sleep, can make a big difference.

Parents and Whānau play a vital role in supporting school attendance. If you are facing challenges with getting your child to school, please reach out—we are here to help. Together, we can give our Tamariki the best start in their education.

Pick-Up / Drop Off Zone

If you are picking up or dropping off your child from the designated Zone area on Masterton Road please note the following;

• Please stay in your car at all times. The teacher on duty (usually me) will help your child. If they need help please keep moving to the end of the zone and I will get to you.

• Never let your child enter or leave your car until you have fully entered the parking area. Encouraging children to get in or out on the yellow lines is dangerous and does not help the traffic flow.

• If you arrive before 3pm and the Pick Up/Drop Off Zone is closed, please do not wait on Masterton Road. Queuing on the road is illegal. When the queue prevents traffic flow, the Police intervene and will ticket drivers. It helps everyone in the neighbourhood if you drive around the block and wait until the Pick-Up/Drop Off Zone is open.

Hats

It is compulsory for children to wear hats when they are outside in Term 1 and Term 4 (after Labour Day). We encourage even our very youngest children to take responsibility for remembering their hat. If you can support that at home it builds great habits for your child.

Children are never punished for forgetting their hat. There are designated shaded areas where they need to play, but it sometimes does mean they miss playing with their friends and instead have to play with others who do not have a hat. Small and medium bucket hats are available for sale in the school office for $12.00.

After School

School finishes at 3pm and all children must be collected from school if they are not walking home. Children must not play on the school grounds unattended as it is not safe for them to be unsupervised.

At 3.30pm a bell rings. At this time we ask that the school grounds are cleared so that the caretaker can complete his safety checks for the day.

Awhi Update

Awhi is a school wide initiative that aims to embed positive behaviour practices that support the whole school community and enable students to feel confident, connected and actively involved in school life. We will continue to run short lessons, once a week, across the school that focus on school wide behaviour needs which have been identified by staff and students.

This year our first Awhi lesson was titled “Setting Up For Success,” and focused on what students can expect in their new year level. This week's lesson was about wearing correct school uniform with pride. Thank you for helping your children to have the uniform items they need.   

School Notices

2025 Medical Updates

Please remember to return your completed Medical Update forms to school even if your child has no known medical issues.

If your child does have medical and/or medication needs, please complete a new form for this year to ensure that the information we have recorded for your child is correct. Completed forms and any required medication should be returned to the school office.

All children should have received a 2025 Medical Information form when they started/returned to BBS this year. Extra forms are available from the school office.
Outdoor Education Programme - Term 1

Term 1 is always a busy one with many Outdoor Education programmes happening during the Term.

• Our Waterwise Sailing Programme starts on Wednesday 05 March for those students who are at Level 5 of our Waterwise Programme.

• The Year 6 Camp at Carey Park is on from Monday 24 February to Wednesday 26 February.  Thank you to all those parents who have offered to help – all your help is greatly appreciated.  There will be a parent helpers meeting scheduled prior to the camp date.

• The Year 3 Outdoor Education Days will be held at Long Bay Regional Park on Thursday 06 March and Friday 07 March. This is a one-day programme and parents will be notified which day their child will be attending.  Bigfoot Adventures will once again be the facilitators of this programme.

• The Junior Outdoor Education Day is scheduled for Friday 14 March.  This will be held on our school grounds.

Later in the Year

• The Year 5 camp is to be held in the last week of Term 3 on Monday 15/Tuesday 16 September and Wednesday 17/Thursday 18 September. This is a 2 day/1 night camp at Peter Snell Youth Village. Parents will be notified which camp their child is attending.

• The Year 4 camp is to be held early in Term 2 at MERC. This is a 2 day/1 night camp - the dates are Monday 12/Tuesday 13 May and Wednesday 14/Thursday 15 May. Parents will be notified which camp their child is attending.

A reminder that Police Vets are required if a parent is intending to stay overnight at a camp.  If you are unsure if you have a current Police Vet, please contact the school office or email Jo Hewitt – joh@brownsbay.school.nz.

Police Vets can take a number of weeks to be returned so please action this ASAP if required.

Friends of the School/P.T.A

All parents/caregivers are invited to the Friends of the School/Browns Bay School PTA Annual General Meeting. This will be a wine and cheese evening held in the staffroom on Monday 24 February at 6pm. Everyone is welcome. Now is a great time to join our committee and make a real difference to our school. No need to RSVP, just turn up on the evening - we would love to see you there.

The FOTS Team.

Community Notices

Ardent Performing Arts

We are running a community theatre group and often have opportunities for youngsters to perform on stage.

Currently we are in the midst of preparing to stage West Side Story at Centrestage in Orewa and would like it if any of the Seniors at your school wanted to get involved.

We have several roles available including back-stage for those who would like to learn the ropes.

Kind regards,

Linda Marais

Ardent Performing Arts

Operations Manager

linda.ardentpa@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/Ardent-Performing-Arts-114178706691463