Kia ora koutou e te whānau

It’s wonderful to see the mornings and evenings getting lighter and to welcome some warmer Spring days…Although I have to say I am finding it hard to believe we are already past the midway point of Term 3!

We would like to extend a very warm Lyttelton Primary School welcome to the following new tamariki and their whānau. We are thrilled to see you settling in and making new friends here at Lyttelton Primary School.

Harakeke - Otis

It’s been another busy fortnight at school as our tamariki have taken part in a huge range of opportunities including; Years 5-8 Zones Winter Tournament, CSO Visit, LPC Waiata Session, Young Writers Masterclasses, Daffodil Day, Canterbury Cricket sessions, Aupaki Rocks, Port Hills Planting and Sculpting Penguins. As always, make sure you keep a close eye on our Events Calendar to make sure you don’t miss anything!

This week (and next) I am enjoyed taking groups of students to participate in the Sculpting a Kororā (White-flippered Penguin) workshops as part of range of Art projects highlighting pro-environmental initiatives in and around Lyttelton Harbour. The students get to work with ceramic artist Nikki Wallace-Bell to make their own kororā using simple clay hand building techniques, while also learning about the story of the Kororā and the ecosystems and habitats necessary for its recovery as a species in our local area. The clay models produced will be part of a large-scale outdoor penguin display in November in and around Naval Point which will include a guided walking tour. This project hopes to raise awareness of these penguins in our back yard and encourage a sense of guardianship for their wellbeing. LPC has recently installed a number of breeding boxes to help boost numbers and there are a range of initiatives underway to increase their numbers as they return to breed in the coastal headlands.

Term 3 Learning Celebrating - Friday 13th September. This term, tamariki have been working to answer the question 'How can I contribute to my community?' by exploring each aspect of our Wellbeing Model through an Aotearoa Histories and Technology lens. They have been exploring reciprocal relationships through a New Zealand Histories lens and using technological practices to develop products for market stalls. They have also explored the idea of trading and business in preparation for our learning celebration this term. This will be in the form of a School Market Day on Friday 13th September, starting at 1.30pm. We look forward to seeing you there.

Planning for 2025… As we head towards the end of term 3, my focus turns to planning ahead to the next school year. Part of this process is beginning to look at the number of tamariki within the school and developing our school structure (how many classes within each learning team) for the year. To help us with this process it is a great help if we have an accurate idea of the number of new entrants likely to enrol throughout 2025. If you have a child turning 5 during the remainder of 2024 or throughout 2025 could you please check with the school office that they are on our pre enrolment list. If enrolment has slipped from your mind, you can do this easily online via this link on our school website. If you have any questions please contact the School Office.

Our PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) focus for the next fortnight is on our school value of Manawanui (Perseverance) in particular 'View mistakes as Learning Opportunities'. Everyone makes them, regardless of their expertise or experience. However, rather than viewing mistakes as failures, seeing them as valuable learning opportunities is essential. Embracing mistakes can lead to personal growth, improved problem-solving skills, and greater resilience.

Upcoming events:
Year 7 & 8 Languages - continues each Monday
Year 7 & 8 Voice to Voice - continues each Wednesday

Year 5 & 6 Canterbury Cricket sessions - Tuesday 10th August

Market Day - Friday 13th September, 1.30-2.30pm

Aupaki Cultural Festival - Tuesday 17th September @ Te Aratai

Whānau Support - We continue to have the support of the Mana Ake service so please contact Emily or your child's teacher if you require additional support.

Professional Development - Staff are learners too! 

On Monday, teaching staff reflected on their Professional Growth Cycle goals for 2024. Monitoring and review of these goals will take place at regular intervals throughout the year as teachers grow their teaching and learning practices.

We continue to work collaboratively with our Aupaki Kahui Schools to grow our culturally responsive practices. Last week, Emily, Nikeisha and I attended a Pūrākau Project workshop. We have been gifted six Pūrākau stories by Ngāti Wheke and were lucky to have time together to plan for how each of our schools will be incorporating these into our localised curriculum teaching and learning programmes.

Have a wonderful weekend with your whānau.

Ngā mihi nui,

Jenny

Tumuaki / Principal