Newsletter # 7 - WE 31/05/2024

Kia ora koutou

We are now half-way through the term and well on the way to winter. A reminder that we are holding our Ministry of Education appointed Teacher Only Day next Tuesday 4th June. School is closed for instruction of students; we hope that you will be able to make the most of an extra day over the long weekend.

I spent the first half of this week attending the Secondary Principal’s Association of New Zealand conference in Queenstown. This was an incredibly valuable trip with amazing key-note speakers and workshops. At the conference we were addressed by the Minster of Education Hon. Erica Standford who reiterated the six priorities she has for education. Of interest, she talked at length about a refreshed curriculum document that will be knowledge rich at it’s foundation with additional focus on skills and competencies. She also discussed twice-yearly common assessments to help provide national data on the progress of children. We also had the Associate Minister, Hon. David Seymour who discussed attendance and his focus on ensuring student attendance statistics in New Zealand improve substantially. We will continue to ‘watch this space’ as we receive updates over the next few weeks and months.

It was great to see a number of our senior students attend the Otago and Lincoln University open days earlier this week to consider the tertiary pathways they may take in the future. My thanks to the staff who planned and provided this opportunity. Well done also to all those students who recently competed at the Hurunui Cross-Country champs.

There has been a series of different illnesses circulating around the community (and country) including another strain of Covid19. Some schools nationally have had to close due to availability of staff and relievers. We are not quite at that stage but it’s a good reminder that we need to remain vigilant about the spread of such illness. If your child is unwell, please do not send them to school until they are free of symptoms or have recovered. Please also log the absence by phoning the school office or via the School app / Edge app.

In weeks 9 and 10 you can expect to receive a mid-year report for your child / children. We will follow this with an opportunity to book a parent – teacher interview in the last week of term (Week 10). I will send out details of how to book these interviews in the next week or two. We value the partnership we have between home and school and coming along to discuss your child’s progress / learning journey is an important aspect of this partnership.

Have a fantastic King’s Birthday weekend.

Kia kitea toikaka
Matt Barlow
Principal

Primary School News

Kia ora Parents and Whanau

With the dairy changeover approaching we have farewelled ten children to other schools, and we wish them well with their moves to Invercargill, Ahaura, Reefton, Sefton and Peel Forest. Thank you to the community members who contacted the school when employing new staff with school aged children. We appreciate the heads up to begin our transition planning. Some of our classes can change quite drastically, so we like to be as prepared as we can be to ensure a smooth transition for everyone. Currently we are expecting ten children to join us over the next few weeks. Some of these children are turning five and there are school visits happening as part of their transition to school. Recently we welcomed Henz who has turned five and joined Mrs Jamieson in Room 1. He has joined his big brother to become an Amurian, welcome Henz!

It’s cross-country season and it was fantastic to welcome all parents and whanau to the school cross country two weeks ago. All our age group top three place getters were presented with certificates in school assembly on Wednesday. The previous day, Mrs Shaw and a team of parents took a large group of runners to the HPSSA (zone) cross country at Scargill. There were several top six place-getters in our team who qualified for the CPPSA (region) cross country. A special mention to Lachie Perry and Jake Van der Heyden for placing first in their age groups at Scargill. Congratulations to them and to all our place getters who were acknowledged on our Facebook page this week. Mrs Shaw will be in touch with those children who will be going on to represent Hurunui at the CPSSA cross country held at the end of June.

Next week I am taking the six primary Whanau leaders and four Year 7 leaders to the National Young Leader’s Day in Christchurch. This day is part of a leadership programme for our young leaders and there are speakers and performers. The team last year had an amazing time, so our new leaders are all looking forward to attending this year.

Please ensure all uniform is named. You would hope being winter, that clothing would stay on the person, but we seem to have a lot of uniform items in our lost property box! We also have lots of lunchboxes and drink bottles. If you’re ever missing anything, please come in and have a look. Items are always left in corridors and out in the playground and do make their way to lost property. If the item is named, I can find the owner easily! I clean out the lost property at the end of each term and put uniform in the second-hand cupboard and other items get donated to charity.

Enjoy the long weekend with your children and we look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Wednesday 5th of June.

Ngā mihi nui
Kylee Habgood
Deputy Principal - Primary School

Secondary School News

Next week sees us at the midway point of term 2, leaving five short weeks for our students to make as much academic progress as possible in all their subjects. To provide feedback to parents and caregivers as to how each child is progressing we have mid year reports currently being prepared by our teachers, ready for delivery prior to our parent teacher interviews in the last week of term. Both reports and parent teacher interviews provide valuable insight into progress and next steps so that you can support your child at home.

For students in Year 10, 11 and 12 these conversations will be focused on progress, next steps and potential pathways available to your child. Term 3 will be the time of year where we ask our students to make choices around courses for the following year. The information you gather this term will help to guide your child into making these choices in an informed and balanced way. Over this last week we have had a group of Year 12 and 13 students attend both the University of Otago and Lincoln University open days. Students were able to choose across disciplines on offer at the university to attend lectures that interested them. These experiences have helped inspire and challenge them in their thinking about where to go from school.

The importance of learning how to undertake exams was shared multiple times in different lectures across the four days. A big thank you to the teachers and parents who helped make this trip a success.

In regard to exams, Year 10 and 11 students have been undertaking their Numeracy and Literacy, reading and writing common assessment tasks in the first round of external exams for 2024. While there were many publicised issues in the media surrounding last year’s exam, this year we have seen only minor issues, which have all been relatively easy to fix. Results for these exams will be available in mid-August.

Tickets for our Year 11-13 senior formal will be on sale from the school office next Wednesday at a cost of $85.00. Students will need to return a signed permission slip before they can purchase their tickets. These have been handed out already and there are spare ones available from the school office.

Lastly, this week I would like to encourage all students and parents alike to get involved in the wearable arts competition. To dispel some urban myths that are circulating, this is not a ‘Sewing’ competition, although you may choose to use this as a method of putting your idea together. Other methods such as glue, staples, safety pins, chain links, no8 wire and much more are also acceptable. The aim of the game is to have some fun and make something crazy and creative to celebrate Arts within our community.

Parents and community members with no connection to the school are also encouraged to enter and have their own sections to showcase their creativity. So, please spread the word and start collecting your recycling and rummage through those sheds for inspiration. See the flyer attached for more details.

Nicole Peterson
Deputy Principal - Secondary School

Dates for Your Diary

June

3rd Kings Birthday - SCHOOL CLOSED
4th Teacher Only Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
5th National Young Leaders Day - Years 1-8
6th CSS Cross Country
11th Kaikoura Sports Exchange
11th Year 11 Ag Trip to Eudunda
12th Years 12/13 Chemistry trip to Canterbury University
12th BOT Meeting @ 5:30pm
13th-14th Year 11 Art Trip to Hokitika
17th Years 12/13 Physics trip to Canterbury University
17th Kapa Haka Matariki Dinner/Performance @ 5:00pm
18th Prajesh from Otago University visit
18th Year 11Ag trip to Eudunda
19th Caverhill Assembly @ 2:00pm
22nd Senior Formal at Mt Lyford Lodge
26th-27th Year 7/8 Matariki Sleepover
26th CPS Cross Country Champs
26th Year 12/13 Ag trip to Hossack Downs
26th Student Executive Meeting @ 1:00pm
27th CPS Cross Country Champs postponement
27th Market Day
27th NZ Playhouse for Year 1-6 students
28th Matariki Holiday - SCHOOL CLOSED
26th-5th Year 13 Geography trip to Australia

** WANTED **

Old pots, pans, metal spoons, baking trays, colanders etc. These are needed for our new mud kitchen in the Primary School.Donations would be appreciated and dropped off to the School Office.Thank you

Strive Rewards

Roll of Honour
Rhyder Absalom
Catalina Aguilera
Frank Anderson
Safira Barroz
Baylea Black
Carl Keiran Caballero
Lily Campion
Milah Campion
Brodie Carr
Maddison Carr
Symon Clement
Gus Clisby
Brooklyn Colebrook
Annabelle Cundy
Grace Cundy
Sam Currie
Fergus Davison
Sophie Downes-Diack
Cliodhna Flaherty
Kyle Gardiner
Madi Gavin
Beau Glassey
Ruby Glassey
Peyton Harwood
Willow Harwood
George Jackson
Isobel Johns
Wally Johns
Jourdyn Keepa
Riley Mason
Becky Minson
Jonty O’Neill
Rory Palmer
Kace Perry
Georgia Roberts
Yushra Rojas
James Rutherford
Paul Ryan
Lillie Schuurman
Oskar Schuurman
Alex Shaw
Ian Solano
James van Arendonk
Levi Vautier
James Wallace
Jackson Wilkes
Charlotte Williamson

First Merit
James Anngow
Paige Bailey
Bonnie Collins
William Cromie
Annabelle Cundy
Cliodhna Flaherty
Ruby Glassey
Zoe Green
George Jackson
Biddie Johnson
Charles Paragas
Greta Reed
Paul Ryan
Oskar Schuurman
Lottie Smith
Charlotte Snowling
Levi Vautier
Elliette Williamson

Ms Nimmo with the gorgeous farewell card created by some talented students.