Healthy risk taking is important at KSS!

Kia ora KSS Whānau,

The bike track has been well used so far. All children are able to access the pump track if they can ride proficiently on the flat surface. Those that have shown exceptional skill will be approved by our bike coach John Jones to progress to the intermediate jump track. If children are bring bikes to school can parents please check these are in sound working condition. Helmets are also compulsory and should be fitted correctly. The track is a great place for children to take healthy risks, challenge themselves and get plenty of exercise.

The staff have just planned the overarching topics for term 4. Sustainability will be our main focus along with the Key Competency of Thinking, and our values of  Caring and Connectedness. We will incorporate the Māori value Tiakitanga - guarding, looking after, preserving, fostering, protecting and or sheltering something.

Now that we have been living on our new site for 3 terms we are taking the opportunity to work with the children to explore how we can make more sustainable choices. I am sure children might come up with some exciting ideas and projects that will be implemented next term and into the future. If you have any knowledge, skills or ideas in this area please share these with your child's whānau teacher.

I continue to show more new parents around the school each week, mainy those with new entrant children. Our junior school is expanding rapidly as we predicted. We will finish the year with over 150 students and most likely start with around 180 in 2020. We are starting to use the crystal ball now for planning numbers moving forward. Our Year 1 teaching position closes on Monday and we are excited to be interviewing some new Kaiako (teachers) to join our friendly team! 

Last week we held a Cultural Connections Hui. We only had one attendee! We are making some changes to when we hold parent/caregiver sessions and will ensure these are advertised well. We are still very keen to hear the perspectives of the diverse cultures at KSS. As of July here is the diverse range of cultures we have: Samoan 1, Latin 2,  African 2, Malaysian 1, Korean 2, Other Asian 2, Russian 2, Filipino 3, Fijian 3, British/Irish 3, Indian 5, Chinese 10. We will reschedule this hui for term 4 and we hope to meet with many of you then!

Good luck for those on the ski trip tomorrow! To those of us staying at school - let's have some fun too!

Matua Mike