Arohamai whanau for the late delivery of this newsletter. We had a very busy day on Friday with Winter Tournament and also a visit from Tahi, a therapy dog in training. He loved the children and was very welcomed by all staff and students. We hope to see him back for a visit again soon.

Emergency Procedure trial: Today (Monday), the eldest in each family will be bringing home a green notice with important information on it about how we communicate with caregivers in emergencies such as lockdowns. As all our communication will be via the HERO app, it is very important that all caregivers are able to access this. If you have not been able to connect with HERO, please get in touch with your child's teacher. We will be trialing our processes by having a trial drill on Wednesday.

New Whanau Afternoon Tea: We invite all families new to Hampstead School to join staff and members of Hampstead Friends & Whanau for an afternoon tea in Rm 1 on Wednesday 21 August at 3pm. All welcome.

Hampstead Friends & Whanau Coffee & Cake: We welcome any new or existing friends and whanau to join us for coffee and cake in the school library on Tuesday 3 September from 6.30pm. All welcome and children are welcome to play while the adults chat.

Disco: There were some excellent dance moves on the dance floor on Friday night. Thanks to our Friends & Whanau that supported this community event.

New Entrant Cohort Entry: On Wednesday night, our board discussed the possibility of having eight entry points (2 per term) for New Entrants to start school. This would streamline the enrolment process and students would have a buddy group (cohort) that they completed visits with and started on the same day together. If adopted, we would start this process from Term 1, 2025. If you have any feedback around this, please email either myself claudine.c@hampsteadschool.co.nz or our Presiding Member Anna Smith at boardchair@hampsteadschool.co.nz

Daffodil Day: Our student council support this very worthy cause each year. Daffodil Day is on 30 August. Children may dress in bright colours. Donations to go to Cancer Society Mid Canterbury. We have set up a donation page and linked this to our facebook page.https://daffodilday.org.nz/o/hampstead-school?fbclid=IwY2xjawEXp8tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHU3k65wxS7VifWeAhM0Cg1pokvL_QT2srGRDak1JXvyGkTqFvQY6IOrptg_aem_TJ7BWb_JcCeLz0IQSivwfQ

Hakatere Festival: Our Junior Kapa Haka and our Pasifika group have been working hard to prepare for their performances at the Events Centre on 19 September. We thank Miss R and Malu for their hard work and dedication supporting our tamariki.

Dance Champs: We were super proud of our Hampstead Megacrew and Hampstead Hampsters performing brilliantly on the Events Centre stage on Monday and Tuesday night. Special awards went to the Mega Crew for "Best Costumes" and Ryan C was given an award for his excellent dance moves. Our Hampsters came second place in their category. Huge thanks to Mrs Czerski, Miss Sherriff and Ms Barltrop for their time, talent, effort and enthusiasm with these creative performers. Our Hampsters even made it into the Weekend Guardian!

Winter Tournament: On Friday, a large group of seniors competed in Football, Rugby and Netball. They all gave their very best and showed excellent sportsmanship. A special congratulations goes to our Year 6 Football team, who came first and will now be competing in the Canterbury zone Winter Tournament. Thanks to the help of our adult helpers that coached and managed our teams and to Miss George, Miss Leonard and Miss Wise for all the work on the day and behind the scenes.

Student of the Week: Last week we celebrated Ninia of Rm 10 Ninia is a very caring, attentive and humble student who always follows the class and school rules. She is very respectful and helpful towards others. Ninia holds herself to a high standard in not only the work she produces but the way she carries herself. She should be very proud of herself and efforts this term. Ninia is an absolute pleasure to be around and we love having her in Rūma tekau! We also celebrated Grace T of Rm 1: Grace loves school and has settled in extremely well. She is the best helper to Mrs Grieve and always offers to help others. Grace looks after her friends by being kind, caring and fair. She tries her best with everything she does and is proud of what she can do. We are very lucky to have such a special girl in Room One. You are amazing Grace, I am so proud of you! This week we celebrated: Malika of Rm 6: Malika is a kind and caring student. She  has a strong work ethic and always does her best to produce work to a high standard. Malika is responsible and reliable student. All of these fantastic attributes are what make her an amazing role model. We are super lucky to have her as part of our class.

Upcoming Dates:

New Whanau Afternoon Tea: 21 August, 3pm in Rm 1

Life Education: 22 August - 2 September

Daffodil Day: 30 August.

Year 5-6 Swim Week #2: 16-20 September

Hakatere Festival: 19 September

Nga mihi nui,

Claudine Campbell (Principal)