Welcome back to school. The children have had a fun two weeks. It has been nice seeing the children connect with their friends and making new friends too. We welcome all new families to Hampstead School.

Connect Night: We invite all Hamsptead School whanau to come along from 5pm on Tuesday 13 February and meet your child's teacher and look around the classrooms.  Our Board of Trustees are kindly running a free sausage sizzle and we hope to open up the pool at 6pm (if the weather is warm enough). A brief Camp meeting for Yr 6 parents will be held in Rm 15 at 6pm. 

Hero: We hope all caregivers have been able to log in to Hero.  We are now using this as our main communication channel. If you are having any issues with setting Hero up on your device, please pop in to see your class teacher or come and see Mrs Williams at Connect Night and she will be able to help you. There is also a list of instructions on our school website: https://hampsteadschool.co.nz/a/VCzdY7c

Cellphones: You will have seen the government announcement to ban all cellphones in schools.  We understand some students need a cellphone before and after school.  If you do require your child to have a cell phone for before and after school use, please let the class teacher know so we can ensure we are keeping these adequately secure during the day.  A list of staff contacts is on our school website: https://hampsteadschool.co.nz/a/11GgShc

Swimming: Classes have been enjoying daily swimming lessons at the pool.  Please ensure you bring named togs and a towel each day, even if the weather is a bit iffy as sometimes the weather improves during the day. Thanks to our fab pool committee for keep this amazing asset clean and chlorinated throughout the season. 

School Vege Gardens: The school gardens have grown well over the summer! Last Friday Mrs Eaton and some keen gardener harvested one lot of potatoes. We were surprised with how many potatoes were under each plant. We sent the potatoes back with Kai for Kids to use in our lunches this week.

The children have also been taking home some vegetables as they are ready, this has included beetroot, peas, lettuces, and courgettes.

We will keep having a look each Friday lunchtime to see what needs to be done. Next week we will plant some vegetables that we can harvest in the Autumn.  

Student Council 2024: Congratulations to the following students that will represent their classes on the Student Council this year: Kora-Lee, Maddix K, Malaaika, Hunter M, Ashton, Kordel and Mele. They will be presented with their badges at whole school assembly.  These students act as ambassadors for our school by welcoming visitors, planning events and supporting fundraisers, communicating with classes and coming up with innovative new ideas.  They will meet with Mrs Eaton and myself regularly to provide student voice to make our school the very best it can be. 

Thank you Errol: We are forever grateful to Errol who built and donated a beautiful playhouse for the Puawai verandah.  The children love it and it looks fantastic.  

Student of the Week: Last week, we celebrated Jack of Rm 8. Jack is a kind, caring and thoughtful member of the class. He listens carefully to instructions and has good ideas and opinions to share with the class.He is always helpful to others. Jack works hard and makes good choices about his learning. He is always willing to give everything a go. We feel very lucky to have Jack as a member of Ruma Waru. This week, we celebrated Ted of Rm 5. Ted is a happy and friendly member of the classroom. He is a good listener and he enjoys learning. Ted plays and works nicely with his peers and always makes positive choices. He has lovely manners. We enjoy having Ted as part of Room 5 and feel very lucky.

Upcoming Dates:

Connect Night: 13 February
Yr 6 Camp: 21-23 February

Kind Regards,

Claudine Campbell (Principal)