Newsletter - WE 31/07/20

Tēnā Koutou

So what is an Education Brief?

As part of our redevelopment we are creating a document for the Ministry of Education that they will use to guide the decision made around our redevelopment. This document will help guide the scope of the project and provide the architect with some ideas on how to approach the design task.

The temptation when completing such a thing is to focus on the design, the buildings, how they are configured and the nuts and bolts of the building process as you would with say building a house. The challenge, however is to think of the process within the context of how students will engage with learning. How do we envisage teaching and learning delivery to happen now and into the future and what physical spaces will support that process? For example, our recent COVID experience has taught us that for SOME students being physically on site all the time is simply not necessary. What implications could this have on future learning? This process has also opened up strong conversations around the relationship between the teacher and the student in the presence of educational content and how subjects and themes of learning can be intertwined as part of a more holistic learning programme.

We are well into the formation of this document and your teaching staff have been an integral part of contributing to the overall vision of the future. They are engaging with students and looking at ways to create a school that is not a new substitute for what we have but a vision of what could be. We have checked in with groups of students along the way to see if we are on the right track from their viewpoint. To be clear, how far this goes is not within our control. We have no assurance of a complete rebuild on the Senior Side only a promise to look at our brief and the eventual outcome may be 4 new classrooms or it may be something far more comprehensive. All we can do from our end is to make the strongest case possible to set the school up for the future.

The first draft of the education brief is scheduled to come out for community consultation at the end of August. We look forward to receiving your feedback.

Netsafe Event

A reminder of this event which will be held at the Hurunui College Rugby Rooms in Hawarden on Monday night at 6:30pm. If you want to know more about keeping your child safe online then this is a great opportunity to pick up the tools and knowledge you will need.

Dates for the Term

A reminder please that we are NOT having a teacher only day on August the 5th. This day was mandated by the Ministry of Education to work on NCEA changes and due to the impacts of COVID 19 this has been cancelled. Some schools have opted to keep the day for professional development, however, we have decided that we would rather our students be at school on this day. The second planned day on the 19th November will still go ahead at this time and we will keep you updated if this changes.

Year 9 Camp

Our Year 9 group are so excited to be getting a camp experience in light of the cancellation earlier this year. This will be quite a different camp to normal with a focus on making the best of winter experiences. Please check your child's bag carefully the night before to ensure they have sufficient warm and weather-proof clothing as the fun they have will be directly impacted by the clothing they have available.

Reminder of 125th Anniversary Meeting

August 27th at 6.30pm at school we will be holding our first meeting to discuss plans for the 125th Anniversary next year here at Amuri. Please RSVP so we know who is coming to melanie@amuri.school.nz.

Trips

Thanks to Mr Anink and Mr Black for a successful ski trip, which as I understand, was the best days teaching they have had all year! These trips take a huge amount of organisation and I would also like to thank the parents who chipped in with transport.

Under the watchful eye of Mrs Ibbetson and Mrs McCarthy our Year 11 students also had a wonderful Maths/English trip to Hanmer this week to complete a number of practical activities for assessments. Thanks to Hanmer Hot Pools and Spa for allowing them to have a swim after too.

Hanmuri Football

Congratulations also to our 7/8 football team this week who had a convincing win over Rangiora New Life School with a return leg next week. This team plays together at weekends in the Mainland League and have just been promoted to A grade!

Senior Netball
We won our first round game against Burnside but lost yesterday to Papanui. The girls are learning to play against the slightly different style of town teams, whilst enjoying the competition challenge that this brings.

Have a wonderful weekend.

James Griggs

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Junior School News

Dear Parents and Whanau

It is great to be back at school and great to see the sun too. We know this term is busy for our dairy farming families as calving starts. Please keep the communication flowing between home and school so we can help to support your children during this busy time.

Some of Year 7 and 8 students were up at Mt Lyford yesterday as part of the senior school ski trip. They had an amazing day. Years 5-8 are incredibly lucky to have another opportunity to go back on August 13th. The forms for this have been sent home already but if you have not seen one yet, please contact Adrian Black or Charlotte Campbell at school.

Our Year 8 debating team is travelling to Oxford Area School to take part in the first round of the North Canterbury debating competition this week. Our Year 7 team drew a bye in the first round. This is a knock-out competition against other students in North Canterbury and we wish our teams well; thanks to Mrs Wilson for coaching the team and helping with their preparation.

In Year 1-6 we have enjoyed unlimited access to Lexia during the lockdown period. This access expires at the end of this week and we will be back to our normal licence number of 50. Tekoa will be continuing their access for the remainder of this term. Next term the licences will shift to Te Kooti.

Our teachers are starting to notice we are running short of books in our reading room. When one book is missing, it becomes difficult to find readers for groups of six children, so we are having a reading book amnesty. Please encourage your children to have a look at home and return any school reading books so we can make up our book sets again. There is a container in my office where the children can return any books they find, alternatively they can be left with Janine at the office. Thank you!

Our magazine and newspaper supplies also need a boost. Our junior hub use magazines frequently as part of their phonics and alphabet work so if you have any magazines that you no longer need, please send them along to school.

Morning milo will continue for Year 1-6 students this term, on a Wednesday morning. We are very grateful for this financial support to provide a warm drink for our primary students.

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

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 Ollie to Year 7 CBN and Michael to Room 3. We would also like to say happy 5th birthday to Billie who has joined Room 1 and the beginning of her school journey. Welcome to Amuri!

Nga mihi nui

Kylee Habgood 

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Year 11 English and Numeracy Trip to

Hanmer Springs

On Tuesday we took a group of Year 11s on a combined English and Numeracy Trip to Hanmer Springs. Students measured the time and distance to walk to the top of Conical Hill and back. They measured the angle of slides at the Hot Pools to find which slide was the steepest; timed which slide was the fastest; and compared the temperatures of the pools. They then used measurement to decide which hot chips were the best in Hanmer Springs. The students had planned the trip and completed a report on their return. It was a great day of learning, cooperation and fun whilst gaining
Level 1 credits.

Mrs McCarthy and Mrs Ibbetson

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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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AMURI AREA SCHOOL PTA CALF SCHEME

Our Calf Scheme which we run every year is our No. 1 fundraiser for our school. Every year, thanks to your generous support, we raise in excess of $30,000.00. All money raised goes to classroom resources, school excursions or any other needs within the school.

If you are keen to donate to this years’ scheme, please let us know and we will get tags to you.

If you would rather make a monetary donation, as any donation is greatly appreciated, please donate through online banking using your surname and first name as reference, code CALF. Our bank account number is 03-1582-0069597-00.

If you are after a tag or two or need any further information, please contact Vicky Hamilton on 021-134-1793 or Fiona Dwyer on 027-260-2027. Please note that you will need to ensure all donated stock are NAIT tagged.

Thank you to Allflex and Amuri Transport for sponsoring this scheme.