Newsletter - WE 03/07/20

Tēnā Koutou

It has been a rather weird term!

As we come to the end of perhaps one of the strangest terms of schooling any of us have experienced, I can see a number of students who are really looking forward to the next couple of weeks respite with some tired young people around the place.

I would like to take a moment to thank you all and the team here at Amuri for adapting and remaining positive throughout. As we move into Term Three, we would appreciate you continuing to keep sick children home and keep communicating with us if you have concerns around the impact of the lockdown on the achievement of your child. Our combined interventions of extra time, removal of study leave, credit recognition and additional learning opportunities places us in a very strong position to see success for our learners.

Outdoor First Aid

On Monday we have 15 students here at school taking the Outdoor First Aid Course over two days to gain both extra credits and essential life skills. Thanks to Graham Frith for taking this course with our students.

Building Work over the Holidays

Over the term break we have a bit of activity going on at school. The Netball courts (weather permitting) will have the fencing replaced and strengthened, the Community Room will be getting a much needed paint and clean up and we will be upgrading the power to the senior school to prepare us for the future redevelopment. Please respect the security fencing and note the Community Room will be unavailable over the term break whilst the painting is being completed.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Thanks to all those who tried our ZOOM parent teacher interviews last week. At the end of last week I sent a quick survey to those who participated to ask how it went.

· 60% stated they preferred this way than face to face interviews.

· 27% stated they were happy either way.

· 13% stated they would prefer face to face.

On a scale of 1 (being very poor) to 5 (being excellent) the overall rating from participants for the interview experience via ZOOM was an encouraging 4.4!

Overall participation numbers were similar or in the case of Years 11-13 up from previous years however we did see a small drop in participation from parents with students in Year 7 and 8. Alongside the ZOOM interviews we did organise a number of face to face meetings for anyone who requested it and this seemed to work well.

The future therefore looks to be more of a hybrid option with the majority of interviews booked for an online interface combined with the ability to book face to face if required. I have requested the developers of our booking software to adapt the system so it will accommodate both options for 2021 and provide a seamless booking experience regardless of the option you choose.

Thanks as ever to our teaching team for trying something new!

Matariki Performance and Pot Luck Dinner

Thanks to Mrs Johnson for putting together this special event to celebrate Matariki. Such a great turnout on the night and some awesome food and of course, our Kapa Haka group performing wonderfully. This group has had quite a disjointed year in terms or practice therefore I was so impressed with the performance they put on with 52 students on show. They will be practicing hard in Term Three for September 2nd where we will host the CASA Kapa Haka celebration here at Amuri.

Next year we celebrate 125 years of Culverden Primary school.

We are calling for expressions of interest to be part of the organizing committee with a meeting in the Community Room at 5.30-7pm on the 27th August. All are welcome and light refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP to melanie@amuri.school.nz by the 20th August.

Finally have a wonderful term break with your children. We look forward to seeing you all back and ready to go in Term Three!

James Griggs

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Junior School News

Dear Parents and Whanau

Thank you to all the parents who came along to the cross-country last week. It was a great event and made more so by the fact that we were able to have our community support the students. The children really responded to all the crowd support and it was well worth braving the cold to cheer all the runners on.

On Monday our Year 7 and 8 students went up to Waiau to visit Rodin Cars. We toured the three different workshops and looked at the different technology being used to develop the custom-made racing cars. It was an invaluable visit for some students who were exploring possible career paths and also highly interesting for all the car enthusiasts (and even those who are not so interested in cars) in the group. If you ever get the opportunity to visit, I recommend you do so. Thank you to Rodin Cars for hosting our large group and to the Year 7/8 teachers for organising the trip.

Morning milo will continue for Year 1-6 students next term, on a Wednesday morning. We have had another donation from Mariela Pino and Jessica Davison of $100 which will help pay for the milk. We are very grateful for this financial support to provide a warm drink for our primary students. Thank you.

The food warmer will also continue next term as an option for Year 1-6 students. Thank you to parents who ensure the food is securely wrapped. This helps our monitors avoid being burned by hot food that has seeped out of the wrapping.

Primary Assembly Roster

Term 3

24 July - Room 4

31 July - Room 5

7 August – Room 6

14 August - Maths Week

21 August - Singing

28 August - Room 1

4 September - Room 5

11 September - Room 2

18 September - Singing

25 September - Room 3

We would like to welcome Jonty to Room 1 and the beginning of his school journey. Welcome to Amuri Jonty!

Congratulations to our wonderful teacher Dee Shanks, her husband Luke and Beau, on the safe arrival of Olivia Eva Shanks who arrived on June 29th. The children were very excited to hear this news and are eagerly awaiting a visit from Mrs Shanks next term so we can meet Olivia!

Have safe and happy holidays with your children and we look forward to seeing you back on Monday 20th of July.

Nga mihi nui

Kylee Habgood

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June 2020

Reading Together Workshop

Dear Parents of Amuri Area School

Following on from our three very popular Reading Together Courses we would really like you to consider taking part in our Reading Together workshop programme for parents. I am sure you will find it of great help for yourself and your child(ren) as you support their education. We all know how important reading is for children to succeed. One of the things that really helps children to become good readers is support from home. The Reading Together workshops will show you best how to do this. A huge number of parents nationwide have already attended these workshops and found the programme very helpful, indeed we have already run three very successful workshops here at Amuri Area School.

The programme consists of four workshops – each 1 hour and 15 minutes. To make the most of this opportunity it is important that you attend all of the workshops, if you can.

At this stage we are planning on having the workshops on a Thursday evening, but recognise that this term or this day may not be convenient for everyone. For that reason we are wanting you to phone the school and register your interest and tell us what evening would suit you.

The programme is FREE! We can even help with childcare costs if you need it and it will REALLY help your children to become much better readers. In particular, it helps children to UNDERSTAND what they are reading and helps you to form strong bonds and make reading a positive family experience.

Please see https://www.readingtogether.net.nz for more information and the significant positive research on this programme. We are looking forward to your participation.

Please register by calling our school office or e-mailing alison@amuri.school.nz. Should you need further information I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Yours faithfully

Alison Nimmo

Reading Together Co-ordinator

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On the evening of Monday 29 June, the Kapa Haka group performed for their whānau to celebrate Matariki. They put on an amazing performance. Following the waiata and haka, we shared kai together. It was great to have such a huge turnout. There were 160 tangata all enjoying each other’s company. Many thanks to the students and their whānau for making this evening one to remember. We look forward to celebrating Matariki again next year.

Matariki te tipua Matariki tawhito Tai mai te wairua mai e nga ira atua ki nga ira tangata.

Matariki the sacred, Matariki the old, Welcome the spirit, Welcome the life force, From the essence of Atua, To us of the human kind, Let there be life!