Kanohi ki te kanohi

Face to Face

On the way to school this morning I heard the news that the last surviving member of the of the 28th Maori Battalion, Sir Robert "Bomb" Gillies died at the age of 99.

His passing is certainly sad for his whanau and for the memory of those soldiers who served in World War 2, what I found interesting was the the comment from Bayden Barber, chairperson of Ngati Kahungunu, about how the loss of the ability of face to face with Sir Robert, also was a loss in having face to face with all those others who served.

For all of us who have lost our loved ones, it does take time for us to get over the loss of face to face. The way to overcome this loss remains in keeping them alive through the stories we tell, the photos we look at and the way that we can keep their memory current.

We often strive for future success but at times like this it is good to look back at those who have come before and the legacy that they have left.

As happens every year in schools all over the country, children will be moving on to new schools and we will lose the regular face to face time with them that we have had over many years. We hope that we will see them from time to and find out about their adventures and sucesses. As well as the legacies they have left in our school.

As for Sir Robert and all the others who served our country during World War 2, Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou - We will remember them.

We can only do this if we take the time to do so.

Important Dates

Teacher Only Day - Thursday 14th November

Canterbury Anniversary Day - Friday 15th November

Prize Giving - Thursday 12th December

Ham Night - Tuesday 17th December

Last Day for Term 4 - Wednesday 18th December

Whanau Hui - Monday 3rd February

Term 1 Begins - Tuesday 4th February

Lincoln Zone Athletics

We took a team of 20 Year 5 to 8 children to Nga Puna Wai sports complex yesterday to compete in the Lincoln Zone Athletics. It was great to see our Ladbrooks children giving it their all and we look forward to hearing which children have made it to the Canterbury Primary Athletics event on the 21st of November.

Road Patrol

Constable Brad will be at school in the next few weeks to train the new road patrollers for 2025. We will also be looking for parents to help us out with road patrol supervision for next year. If you have a morning or afternoon that you are available for about 25 minutes, please talk with Sarah about a day that might suit.

School Roll Size

It is fantastic to see all the new faces on school visits in the TLC as we prepare for Term 1 2025. Some of these children are the younger siblings of children already at our school and some are brand new to the Ladbrooks Whānau. Amy and the TLC team are doing a terrific job of welcoming them into our school.

Our aim is to keep our school roll at a level that ensures that we are a viable size for Ministry funding but not so big that our classes are very full of children.

We have actively reduced our roll since 2022, when it was well over 150, to a number close to 131. This number allows us to maintain staffing at the level we currently have as well as the number of teaching spaces. While we may go slightly over 131 we do not want to return to the position of having too many children in our learning communities.

From time to time we do have to ballot for new children in order to meet our target but we do not do this every term. In fact for Term 1, 2025 we have only offered places to 2 children. This was from a pool of 18 families who were keen for their children to come to our school and have no prior connection to our school. The ballot draw is carried out by a local JP and all families involved in the ballot are notified of the outcome.

One of the themes that came through the recent community survey from families is that they want our school to maintain the small school feel. The Board and staff are also keen for that to continue. It is clear from the rapid growth in schools nearby to us, that we do not want our children to attend a big school. We all value the close connections we have in our school and our knowledge of each other's special characters.

2025 School Dates. 

At the end of last term, the Ministry of Education informed Primary Schools that they were required to hold two teacher-only days in 2025. These days are part of the implementation of the new curriculum documents for Maths and English.

Term 1: Mon 3 Feb - Fri 11 April 

• Thursday, 6 February- Waitangi Day

• Friday 7 February- Teacher-only day- Ministry Requirement 

Term 2: Mon 28 April - Fri 27 June 

• Friday 30 May Teacher-only day- Ministry Requirement

• Monday 2 June - King’s Birthday,

• June 20 Matariki

Term 3: Mon 14 July  - Fri 19 Sept 

• Monday 11 August- Kahui Ako Teacher only day (TBC)

Term 4: 6 October - 18 December 

• Monday 27 October-Labour Day

• Friday 14 November Canterbury Anniversary Day 

• Thursday, 18 December last day

Assembly Dates

As we have lots happening on a Thursday at school over the term, there is only one more regular assembly for the year on Thursday 21st of November.

Break In

You will be aware that the PALS shed was broken into during the week and food was stolen from the freezers. This has had a significant impact on PALS ability to provide Friday lunches today and will likely have an impact over the coming weeks.

We have footage of the suspected individual and this has been passed onto the Police.

If you have any further information please pass it onto the Lincoln Police or to Sean

Final Teacher Only Day 2024

Thursday 14th of November is the final teacher only day for the year. On this day teachers will be looking at and understanding better the updated maths and english curriculums which have been recently published. There will also be time spent on understanding which of the Government's choice of maths book resources will best fit our school as well as understanding how to use the Ministry of Educations online hub, Tahurangi, effectively.

Prize Giving

Our intention is that we will hold prize giving on the evening of Thursday 12th of December at 6pm on the back field utilising the stage. As we did in 2022, families can bring a picnic tea and celebrate with us the end of the academic year.

Like last year, however, if the weather is not suitable we will hold a junior and senior prize giving in the Ladbrooks hall during the day. This is not our prefered option and we will be aiming for the evening event.

Ham Night

The annual ham night pick up is on Tuesday 17th of December here at school.

Pool Opening

We are planning to open the pool on Monday 18th of November for use during school time. It will also be available from then to use for key holders. Thank you to Emma Cooper and Michaela McLeod who will test and manage the water quality during weekends and over the Summer break. This is a role they have taken on over the past 2 years and it is very appreciated.

I maintain the pool during the school week. Our contact details are on the board outside the pool. Please contact one of us if you find any issues with the pool when you are using it.