Kia ora koutou

Welcome back everyone.

We hope to be able to start moving back into the Admin Block later next week.  Please see details below.

Thank you to Deb Templeton for the work she has done with our students over the last 12+ years. Deb has been a valuable member of our team and I have appreciated the support she has provided to all of us. Deb leaves us at the end of this week and wish her all the best for the future.

The Fortnight Ahead

Term 2 – Week 2

• Wednesday - Senior Cross Country
• Wednesday – NZEI Paid Union Meeting 1 – Queenspark School
• Thursday - p/p Senior Cross Country
• Thursday – NZEI Paid Union Meeting 2 – Casebrook Intermediate School
• Friday - School Disco

Term 2 – Week 3

• Tuesday - Year 7-8 Zone Basketball Tournament
• Thursday - Resilience Parents Workshop
• Friday - Junior Cross Country
• Friday - CPSSA Weekly Winter Sport

The Weeks Notes

Rebuild Update - 3 May 2019

The school Administration Block refurbishment is almost complete. We are hoping to access to this facility later next week. We will move back into this space in stages with the first move being the re-establishment of our staffroom. This will free up several spaces in the school hall that have not been accessible to students or parents during Term 1.

The roofing of the new teaching block will be completed today - weather permitting. 

Safety fencing around most of the Administration Block will be removed by late next week. We are also hoping to move the safety fence beside the Junior School Adventure playground back giving access to the main pathway into school.

Senior Cross Country

The Senior School Cross Country will be held in and around the school grounds on Wednesday 8 May, 2019 (postponement 9 May, 2019). Children will assemble on the playing field at 11.15am.

Race Order:

• Race Walk
  
• Year 4 – 1km
  
• Year 5 – 1km
  
• Year 6 – 1km
  
• Year 4 – 2km
  
• Year 5 – 2km
  
• Year 6 – 2km
  

Children are to wear house colours and suitable shoes. Please bring a water bottle and remember your inhaler if required.

Parent help appreciated – please see or contact Peter Harper

The Parents Association have organised a Coffee Cart for the Cross Country. The van will be located under the trees on the back field between 10am and 12pm. Proceeds will go to the Parents Association so please support us.

Paid Union Meetings - May 2019

NZEI have notified us that they are holding a round of joint paid union meetings for all teachers covered by the Primary Teachers Collective Agreement and all principals covered by the Primary Principals Collective Agreement during the week of 6 May 2019.

The Employment Relations Act gives union members the right to attend two paid union meetings a year (the March meetings are the first in 2019) but also requires that schools remain open during paid union meetings.

Cotswold teachers will be split into two groups and attend meetings on separate days to ensure we maintain enough staff onsite to keep our school open. These meetings are being held on the following days:

• Wednesday 8 May at 2.00pm
  
• Thursday 9 May at 2.00pm
  

Cotswold School will remain open on these dates.

School Disco

This will be Friday the 10 May, 2019.

This disco has no set theme, but children are most welcome to dress-up if they wish too.

• The junior disco (Years 0-3) is from 6pm-7pm at a cost of $3 a ticket
  
• The senior disco (Years 4-6) is from 7.30pm until 9pm at a cost of $4 a ticket
  

Parents can also purchase tickets for pre-schoolers so they can have access to the drinks and a packet of chips.

Tickets will go on sale that morning at the canteen window from 8.30-9am (door ticket sales will also be available).

We have a variety of “glowing” products on offer and these are from $2 each and will be sold at the disco only (not in the morning as we do not want the children to be playing with them in class).

Please do not bring your own Glow Sticks with you. In previous years we have had incidents where they have broken and the liquid inside has stained the hall floors.

We are also looking for parent help on the evening. Sometimes the hall gets very hot and we open some of the doors for fresh air. Therefore we require parent help to be security guards on the doors so no children can leave unattended. If you can help out at either or both of the discos, please ring Helen on 021 277 1117, thank you.

Parents and Caregivers please note that we do not let any children leave the school hall by themselves. Please do not wait in cars outside the school gates for your child to come to you. Each child must be collected from the school hall doors by a caregiver. We also do not provide child care between the junior and senior discos, we use that half an hour from 7.00pm until 7.30pm to clean up and prepare for the next disco. Please wait with any children outside until the doors open at 7.30pm.

Resilience Workshop for Parents

On Thursday 16 May at 6:00pm a workshop will be held at Cotswold School to provide parents with ideas and strategies to help build resilience in their children. If you are putting a class update out for parents, please include the following details. The workshop will be run by Georgina Guild a clinical social worker from the School Based Mental Health Team.

We are planning to run the evening in the Staffroom however the venue may change to the School Hall depending on numbers attending.

The evening will cover the following points:

• What is resilience?
• What do we need to build resilience?
• Building caring relationships
• Positive role models
• Community resources
• Developing self-control and building self-regulation
• Developing thinking skills
• Building confidence
• Developing a positive outlook
• Encouraging responsibility and participation

If you would like to attend this event please ring the school office to RSVP before 3:00pm Wednesday 15 May. Tel: 03 359 8035

Kia pai tō rā whakatā

Principal
STEPHEN HARRISON

Repeated Information

Tōtaranui Kāhui Ako Teacher Only Day

All Tōtaranui Kāhui Ako schools have planned a combined Teacher Only Day on Friday 31 May, 2019. This date is the Friday before Queen's Birthday - we hope families may be able to plan a four day weekend rather than the traditional three day weekend.

School Newsletter & School Updates - Subscribe

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School Newsletter

Cotswold News for April was published on Wednesday 3 April and circulated via Flexibuzz, Facebook and our subscribers list. You can access the online version here - https://hail.to/cotswold-school-nz/publication/fYrXSJr . A pdf version is attached to the bottom of this article.

School Newsletter & School Updates - Subscribe

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2019 Term Dates

Term dates for 2019 have been confirmed as follows:

• Term 2: Monday 29 April to Friday 5 July
  

• Term 3: Monday 22 July to Friday 27 September

• Term 4: Monday 14 October to Tuesday 17 December

School will be closed in 2019 on Saturdays and Sundays and on the following holidays:

• Queen’s Birthday – 3 June
  
• Labour Day – 28 October
• Canterbury Anniversary Day – 15 November

Keeping Up To Date

Please refer to the attachment at the bottom of this article – “Keeping Up To Date At Cotswold”. A printed copy of this information can be collected from the school office.