Tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou

We have had a very busy but rewarding last couple of weeks at Halswell School. Thank you to all of the parents who attended last week’s Meet the Teacher Conferences. This was a great opportunity for parents and teachers to connect early on in the term and discuss aspirations and goals for the year ahead. A reminder that if you have any questions or concerns about your child at any stage of the year, please feel free to contact his/her T Group teacher to arrange a meeting.

Our new students and teachers were welcomed with a mihi whakatau last Friday. This was a special occasion and a lovely way to welcome them into our wider whanau. We have our next school assembly at 9.10am on Friday (22 February). Parents and caregivers are welcome to attend.

Our Years 5-8 students participated in the annual swimming sports last Wednesday 13 February. The events took place at both Jellie Park (competitive section) and Te Hāpua Halswell Pool (non-competitive section). I was really impressed with how well our students conducted themselves at these events. A team selected from the competitive event will now go on to represent Halswell School at the Lincoln Zones in early March. A big thank you to Tash Fraser for organising this year’s swimming sports and all of the teachers and parents who helped out on the day.

Early this week you would have received a request for your contribution towards Term One activities and full year school donation. The school donation is set at $175 per child for the first two children and $87.50 per child thereafter.

Please note that although the donation is voluntary, as a decile 10 school, Halswell receives the lowest per student level of government funding within the primary school education system. Because of this we are heavily dependent on donations and fundraising to provide our children with the level of education they need and, at the same time, balance our budget. Donations paid by you go directly into your child/ren’s learning.

You may qualify for an income tax credit from Inland Revenue in relation to donations made to the school. You will receive a receipt for any donations you make to school if requested. This receipt will meet Inland Revenue requirements for a tax credit claim. Issuing duplicate receipts is time-consuming so we would appreciate it if you could retain these carefully. Please note we are happy to receive donations as part payments throughout the year. If you wish to utilise this facility please advise our Executive Officer, Vicky Brown, by email vicky.brown@halswell.school.nz.

Your child/ren will undertake curriculum-related activities each term as determined by their teachers. Without your financial support, the ability of the school to provide these activities would be severely restricted. We therefore, request your contribution to be cleared within the term the activity is undertaken. Please note there may be a seven-day delay between receiving payments and allocation of these to your child’s account.

Payment options include EFTPOS, cheque or cash at the school office; or internet banking. The office staff prefer EFTPOS or internet banking, as this reduces their paperwork and keeps minimal cash on the school premises.

Parents of the school have a history of being very generous with donations and fundraising efforts. We thank you once again for your continued support.

Finally, our PTA will have their first meeting of the year tonight (7pm in the staffroom). You are warmly invited to come along to this meeting. The first fundraising event for 2019 is a special Crusaders "Take a School to Footy" promotion. This is a fantastic event for our community to get behind. Please see the articles attached to this newsletter for more information.

Ngā mihi nui

Stuart Cameron

Principal