Important start of year information and reminders

Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome to the start of the new school year. We hope that tamariki and their whānau have all made the most of the summer holidays to rest, relax and enjoy time with friends and family.

Our team is feeling refreshed and ready to go for the 2023 school year and can’t wait to welcome you all back to school. First day for tamariki is Monday 30 January.

We wish Brendan, our Principal, all the very best for his sabbatical this term. For Term 1, I (Jenny) will be Acting Principal, with Dinah and Rachel sharing the Acting Deputy Principal role. 

Below is important start of year information, as well as some general reminders, please read this through carefully.

Welcome Back Whānau Information Evening

Come and join us from 6:00pm on Thursday 2nd February to reconnect, enjoy some light refreshments, meet staff and find out more about the exciting school year ahead. All welcome!

• Learning Space Overview 6.00pm - 6.30pm
  
• Refreshments in the library - Meet the staff and hear from Jenny
• Learning Space Overview (repeat) 7:15pm - 7.45pm

Important dates to start term 1:

• School Reception Opens 8:30am to 4pm from Wednesday 25th January
• School Opens for Students - Monday 30th January
• Welcome Back Parent and Whānau Information Evening Thursday 2 February 6:30 to 8:30pm
• Waitangi Day - Monday 6th February
• Swimming Lessons Start (9 Lessons) 7 to 17 February
• First School Assembly – Friday 10 February, 9:15am
• Whānau Conferences - Monday 13 & Tuesday 14 February

HERO - One app to keep parents/whānau up to date!

At Lyttelton we use the Hero online platform as our communication and reporting system with parents/whānau. Please ensure you have downloaded the app Hero by LINC-ED. When you login, use the email address that you have provided to us at school as this will enable you to connect straight into your child/ren's profile. Refer to this article for 'How to' instructions. Attendance is also managed through Hero. You can notify us of your child's absence using the app or alternatively leave an absence message by phoning the school. If you have any problems downloading the app, logging in or finding your way through the app, please call by the office and we can help.

Pastoral Care

Please be in touch with me if you wish to discuss / make us aware of any needs for your child/ren that may impact their return to school. Mana Ake continues to be available to support tamariki and their whānau and the 'Parent Info' section of the school website contains plenty of support materials. 

Stationery

For you convenience we team up with Office Max My School to provide an online service for purchase and delivery of school stationery for your child/ren.  Please access https://www.myschool.co.nz/lyttelton directly. The stationery requirements are listed for each learning space and year level. 

Sunhats @ School

Reminder that our sun safe policy at Lyttelton Primary School is in place for terms 1 and 4 each year. Please ensure your child/ren bring to school a suitable named sun hat to wear while outside. 

School Hours

A friendly reminder as we start the new school year that all children need to be supervised by their parents or caregivers until the school opens for supervision at 8:30am. Learning programmes start at 9:00am each day. The school day finishes at 3pm. After school care is available through MASH Heathcote Valley.

Safety at the school gate

Please ensure you park appropriately outside the school gate and surrounding areas, observe the parking restriction timings, watch out for tamariki and support them to cross at the pedestrian crossings. Safety of our tamariki and whānau is so important!

We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday!

Ngā mihi nui,

Jenny 

Acting Principal