by John Murrihy

Amesbury Notices - 9 May 2022

Welcome back for Week 2 ....

What's on this week?

  • Harakeke and Pōhutukawa Swimming - Monday 9 May
  • 4-year-old Programme Begins -  2pm Monday 9 May 
  • New Families Information Session - 4.30-5.30pm Monday 9 May
  • Mihi Whakatau & Amesbury Awesomeness Awards (in school only) - 2.30pm Tuesday 10 May
  • Koru Swimming Begins - Thursday 12 May
  • Module 1 Learning Celebration - Friday 13 May
  • Kelly Sports -  active autumn sports begins - 3.05pm Friday 13 May

Mask Wearing - Years 4-6

To ensuring that our tamariki and wider community are safe, we are making a slight protocol change and are asking all year 4-6 ākonga to wear a mask indoors from this week (Monday 9 May) and for the remainder of Term 2. We feel this is the best approach for the wellbeing and protection of everyone. 

Masks are already worn by all staff and adult visitors indoors at school. Masks will not be required outdoors.

New Families Information Session

On Monday 9 May from 4.30-5.30pm we will be holding an invitation session for all families new to the school.

The purpose of the session is to introduce whānau to our learning programmes, how you can help at home, and we show you how to follow our online communications and resources.

For parents who have children starting in Koru, you will meet in Kōwhai (the space with the yellow carpet in Koru). If your child has started in Harakeke or Pōhutukawa, you will meet in Māwhero (the pink carpet in Harakeke).

Mihi Whakatau & Amesbury Awesomeness Awards

Our Term 2 Mihi Whakatau to welcome new students and staff will be held on Tuesday 10 May. We have made some slight changes to this as we are in ‘orange’ level. We are now able to come together as a whole school to welcome our new students to Amesbury.

In order to have enough space for students to spread out during singing and the haka, we are unable to have parents attend onsite. Previously we advised that we would livestream the event, however, on further reflection, we have determined that it would not be practical to do so. We will, however, take photos and provide these in a subsequent news article.

In conjunction with the mihi whakatau we will be holding the Amesbury Awesomeness Award presentations. We will also provide a news article, in the near future, covering this event.

Koru Swimming - Begins this Thursday

Just a reminder that swimming for the Koru tamariki will commence this Thursday (12 May).

You can read all of the details in the Koru Swimming article, the most important of which is for tamariki to bring their swimming gear along on Thursday - togs, a towel and a swim cap, all in a named swimming bag. Goggles are also very useful, but not compulsory.

Learning Celebration - Friday 13 May

This Friday we have the Module 1 Learning Celebration.

We have reorganised how this will take place so that parents can come on site and take part. The learning celebration will be staggered by hubs:

  • Koru Hub will have their learning celebration between 1.40pm-2pm in Koru Hub.
  • Harakeke Hub will have their learning celebration from 2pm-2.20pm in Harakeke Hub.
  • Pōhutukawa Hub will have their learning celebration between 2.20pm-2.40pm in the Hall and the Library.

There will not be any gathering beforehand, and when the time for your child’s hub starts, you may go into their hub to see their learning.

Please note that as we are in Orange Level, masks will be required for all adults when indoors.

Scholastic's Book Club

The latest Scholastic's Book Club issue is now out.

As usual, there is a wide range of  interesting books to choose from and it is now easier to order and pay than ever before.

Kirat explains all of this in her Scholastic's Book Club article.

Cyber Safety Evening

This event was covered in last week's notices and, rather surprisingly, the uptake at Amesbury has been very low. Some schools in the cluster have exhausted their allocation and will happily use the balance of the Amesbury tickets if we don't use them.

If you are interested in attending a presentation aimed at helping parents to keep their tamariki safe online then complete this form to reserve your seat to one of the two sessions being held at the Rāroa Intermediate School Hall on 7 & 8 June.

Attendance is free for parents as the cost is covered by our Kāhui Ako cluster of schools.

Please note that each school has a total allocation of 70 tickets provided on a first come - first served basis with a maximum of two tickets per family.

For full details please read the Cyber Safety Evening article, complete this form if you will to attend, and contact Jenny, our Associate Principal (jenny.king@amesbury.school.nz), with any questions.

Expertise & Glass Jars with Lids

We know that we have a diverse range of skills out there in the Amesbury Community and we would like to tap into some of those for our Module 2 Inquiry which starts in Week 3 this term.

If you have any expertise in the areas of construction (e.g. building), fabric (e.g. sewing), food (e.g. nutritionist or chef) or waste management and you are keen to share your expertise with students at Amesbury School, please contact Jemima (jemima@amesbury.school.nz).

Let's not forget the glass jars with lids. Could you please save your glass jars together with their lids (e.g. jam) and take them into the office, that would be great. We need them for one of our activities later in the term.

Thank you in advance for your support with this. We really appreciate it.

ICAS Exams 2022

It's time to start thinking about ICAS exams. If you are interested - or think that you may be interested - head to Jenny's ICAS Exams 2022 article for all of the details. The critical dates are:

  • Thursday 9th June @ 4pm in the library - Parents' Meeting
  • Thursday 23rd June - last day for registrations
  • August - the ICAS exams

Year 5&6 Activities Week

It seems a long way until the Year 5&6 activities week in December, however, necessary planning is well underway. The Year 5&6 tamariki have an 'out and about in Wellington' alternative if they opt out of the activities week at El Rancho in Waikanae.

Most crucially the consent form and deposit are required no later than Friday 27 May - whichever option is taken up.

Kalesha has a very informative activities week article covering everything, so if you have a child in Year 5 or 6 please read it carefully.

Kelly Sports

Active Autumn Sports - Term 2 @ Amesbury School

This 8 x weekly (Friday’s) programme gives children the skills and confidence in a fun and enjoyable environment. Its a great way to improve your child’s motor skills and coordination.

We aim to develop and enhance balls skills; catching, kicking and throwing, while improving strength, flexibility, hand/eye coordination and spatial awareness
It also encourages their enthusiasm for sport and the life skills that such involvement brings, giving them the confidence to join sports clubs and teams in the future.
In term 2 we will be focusing on the following sports:
Football, Netball, Ultimate Frisbee and Athletics! (2 weeks of each sport).

The sessions start in week 2 on Friday 13 May 2022.

To enrol go to www.kellysports.co.nz and in the school box put “Amesbury”.

Community Notices

SAMUEL MARSDEN COLLEGIATE SCHOOL - YEAR 7 ENTRY IN 2023
Upcoming events
Open Day: Sunday 15 May 2022, 2-4pm
Year 7 Information Webinar: Monday 23 May, 7pm
Experience Year 7: Wednesday 15 June, 8.30am - 3.30pm

Please register for the above events at https://www.marsden.school.nz/about/experience-marsden/

Scholarships

Applications for Year 7 Academic Excellence close on 19 May. Exam date 28 May. Year 7 Māori & Pasifika Scholarship applications close on 12 August. Please apply online at https://www.marsden.school.nz/about/scholarships/

Enrolments

Enrolments for entry in 2023 are due on Friday 8 July. Please apply online at https://www.marsden.school.nz/about/enrolments/

If you have any questions, or you'd like to arrange a personal tour or a day in class for your daughter, please contact Enrolment Registrar Leigh McCathie on 476 8707 or leigh.mccathie@marsden.school.nz

2022 Wellington Marathon

The Heart Foundation is the official charity partner for the Wellington Marathon.

You can show your support for the Heart Foundation by:

  • entering the event; or
  • becoming a volunteer

If you are interested in either please contact www.heartfoundation.org.nz/get-involved/wellington-marathon-2022.

Wellington Lego Show

Image by: John Murrihy