Newsletter - WE 01/09/2023

Janine Jack

— Sep 1, 2023

Kia ora Koutou

What an amazing week of fine weather we are having! It is nice to be gaining a little more light and warmth with each passing day as we roll into Spring.

In the Week 3 newsletter I shared a one-page diagram which had an outline of our draft strategic plan. We really value your input as a school community and I invite parents / caregivers to drop in on either Monday or Tuesday afternoon / evening to hear more about this. Details are in the newsletter about these engagement sessions. Please note that there are several options within the proposed times and there is no need to attend all of the sessions. A reminder to that you are welcome to email any thoughts or questions you have to me using the following email address: principal@amuri.school.nz.

I would like to wish all of the senior students the very best for their derived grade exams which will be sat next week. These exams provide an opportunity to check where learning is at as well as serve as a back-up should anything impact the external exams scheduled for November. I encourage each senior student to study hard and give their best effort in these exams.

While it was a few weeks ago, I want to acknowledge the staff who ran our annual maths week. It was awesome to see the amazing entries and I congratulate all entrants alongside those who received places. The week was well organised and provided an opportunity for students to both explore and excel!

It was wonderful to hear about the way our students represented the school at both the North Canterbury Kapa Haka Festival and the Hurunui 7-aside tournament during week 5. These events help to provide a rich learning environment where students can experience opportunities and excel in skills that sit outside of the classroom environment. It has also been great hearing updates from our senior netball team who are currently at the SISS tournament in Invercargill. My thanks also to those staff and parents who helped with these events.

Last week I was able to attend the New Zealand Area School’s Conference in Rotorua. There were a range of wonderful speakers and workshops. The theme was ‘Challenge and Change: Ka mate kāinga tahi, ka ora kāinga rua.’ There are several meanings linked to this whakatauki including, ‘if one door closes, another will open’ or’ if something does not bring benefit the first time around, it will the next.’ It was a good reminder of the fact that challenge and change can feel overwhelming but with perseverance, positive things can come. There is certainly a lot of challenge and change in the educational environment and we are working to ensure that these things bring positive outcomes for each and every learner and their whānau here at Amuri Area School.

All the best for the next few weeks!

Kia kitea toikaka

Matt Barlow
Principal

Primary School News

Kia ora parents and whanau

It’s been a much quieter fortnight since the last newsletter. We are all enjoying the warmer temperatures and looking forward to the grass getting dry enough to play on again.

I was having a reflective moment this week and on Tuesday between 10:00am and 10:30am, I went into every teaching space for Years 1-8 and took a snapshot of each staff member in action. I wanted to highlight the dedication of our teaching team and support staff and the work they do with the students here at Amuri. We are incredibly lucky to have such a dedicated team in our kura.

Next Friday I am taking a group of Year 8 students to a podcast writing workshop in Rangiora. They will be writing the podcast at the workshop and then once written, we book a recording session at Plains FM. The podcast will be recorded and go to air on Plains FM. I will be advertising this on our Facebook page when the time has been confirmed, so please watch out for this! The students taking part are very excited to think their family and friends will be able to hear their work broadcast live on the radio!

The primary assemblies for the remainder of the term are listed below.

Term 3

1 Sept – Room 5
8 Sept – Room 6
15 Sept – Room 7 (Māori Language Week)
22 Sept – Room 1

Term 4
13 Oct - Room 4
20 Oct - Singing
27 Oct – Primary Athletics
3 Nov - Room 7
10 Nov - Room 6
17 Nov - Show Weekend
24 Nov – Room 2
1 Dec – Terako (Leavers Assembly)

We are beginning to plan for 2024 and I have been looking at class numbers to ensure we have enough staffing for our students. One thing that helps me enormously is having enrolment forms for students who are starting school in 2024. Our new entrant visit programme starts at least three weeks before the student’s birthday, so the earlier we know the better prepared we can be. Like last year, we will be having at least one visit day with all children who will be turning 5 over the December, January and early February period. This is going to be on Tuesday 5th of December. If you know of anyone who has a child intending to start school in 2024, encourage them to come and pick up an enrolment form. Janine has these available at the school office.

A warm welcome to Freddy who is our newest Amurian. Freddy recently turned 5 and joined Ms Jamieson and the students in Room 1.

Happy school days Freddy!

Ngā mihi nui

Kylee Habgood
Deputy Principal - Primary

Senior School News

Kia Ora Whanau

It has been fantastic to be back at school this week after my time away recovering from knee surgery. I have definitely missed the positive interactions that I always have on a daily basis with our awesome students. Being back for such a short time has just reinforced to me how our students are the embodiment of our school values.

The end of the term is fast approaching and the remaining weeks are jammed packed with vital learning opportunities. We have our derived grade exams starting next week on the 4th of September for Years 10-13. Please note that all students are required to wear school uniform to exams and workshops. Students from Years 11-13 are not required to be at school if they do not have an exam or workshop, however, they are more than welcome to use the Academy or the Library for study.

The derived grade exams are incredibly important, not only do they provide a benchmark on achievement to date, but they also produce a backup grade for students if they are unable to sit the externals in November. I hope that all of our senior students are working diligently on a study plan to ensure that they put their best effort forward in all of their exams.

In the weeks following the exams teachers will be writing reports to reflect what each student needs to do between now and the end of the year to maintain or improve on their grades. As a school , we will also be running career and pathway assemblies to prepare the students around making subject selection choices for 2024.

Please note that as part of the process around making subject selections, we would like to invite parents and whanau to attend a subject pathway evening in the Gym on 21st September. Students are encouraged to attend with their parents to discuss with teachers the best possible choices for the following year.

There will be two sessions available: 3.30pm-5:00pm and 5.30pm-7:00pm. Each session will start with an overview of the requirements of NCEA amid the changes being introduced next year and then families are encouraged to move around the various displays and discuss with teachers the best pathway choices available to their child. The option selection process will require each student to hand in a completed option form, co-signed by their parents and the subject teachers. Options will need to be handed in no later than the last day of term.

Congratulations to Alex Palmer for gaining his restricted licence this week with the support of the mentor driving organised by HDC.

Nicole Peterson
Deputy Principal - Secondary

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Dates for Your Diary

September

4th-8th Senior Derived Grade Exams
11th Year 11Ag trip
12th Ethics Olympiad Junior
13th Choir rehearsal at Haeata Community Hall
14th Caverhill Assembly @ 11:20am
16th-23rd Year 13 Geography trip to Gold Coast, Aust.
19th Children’s University gown fitting
20th Student Executive Meeting @ 1:10pm
22nd End of Term 3

October

4th-7th NZ MTB Champs
9th Start of Term 4
9th-11th Year 6 Camp to Living Springs
11th Student Executive Meeting at 1:10pm
16th-19th Year 8 Camp to Kaiteriteri
18th Board of Trustees Meeting at 6:00pm
23rd Labour Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
26th Hamilton Assembly @ 2:00pm
27th Primary Athletics
30th Primary Athletics Postponement

November

1st Senior study leave begins
3rd Christchurch Choir Festival at the Town Hall
6th HPSSA Athletics

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AAS Strategic Plan Presentations

Dear parents / caregivers

We warmly invite you to drop into school at one of the following times next week to hear about and engage with the draft Amuri Area School strategic plan and learn about the changes that are happening in the education space which are informing this plan.

Session Times: Monday 4th September: 4:00pm - 5:30pm and 7:00pm - 8:30pm (presentations will start at 4:00pm, 4:45pm, 7:00pm and 7:45pm)Tuesday 5th September: 7:00 - 8:30pm(presentations will start at 7:00 and 7:45pm)

Each session will have a short presentation and the opportunity for you to ask questions and to share your thoughts about our strategic direction as a school for the next 2 - 3 years. The sessions are repeated so you do not need to attend all of the sessions, just choose a time that suits you! These sessions will be held in the Community Rooms and light refreshments will be available.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Matt Barlow
Principal

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Roll of Honour

1st Merit

2nd Merit

2023 Cantamaths Competition

Year 9 &10 Cantamaths competition at the Wolfbrook Arena 2023

Congratulations to Owen, Van, Emerson and Sophia of Year 9 who scored 35 points. Well done to Charlotte, James, Jakob and Van for the Year 10 team who scored 20 points. Many thanks to Jan Roberts from our community who coached both teams; to Mrs Turner and Mr Logan who took the teams there and back on the night; and to the parents who waited at school until late to collect them.
Mrs Ibbetson
Secondary Maths HELA

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