Kia ora! Gosh it seems such a long time since we had a school newsletter! This term has certainly been unusual, and it is funny to think we are in Week 6 of Term 2 already. The term dates remain the same from now on, so we still finish on Friday 3 July. This means it is effectively a 12-week term, although only 7 weeks physically at school.

We had a great turnout at Gardening Club yesterday, our first day of Term 2 Gardening Club, after our lockdown period.

Due to the lockdown, we have had to adjust the return date for the Milford School Pool keys. We now require these to be returned by Friday 29 May in order for us to process the refund of the bond. I have attached the return form. If you would prefer to send the key in with your child, please fill in the attached form and return it in a sealed envelope.

The contract tracing function in the Skool Loop app allows parents or visitors to schools to sign in and out before or after school via the app so the school can keep a log of visits should it be needed for contact tracing. This is a quick and easy way to check-in, rather than having to write your name on the clipboard.

Calling all scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians – we need your help!

Dear Families, Due to our recent events Scholastic will keep Issue 2 open for home delivery, while stocks last! We have created an online version of the Issue 2 Book Club catalogue, which will give you access to a wide selection of products that can be ordered from the comfort of your home. Please note: issue 4 will be coming out soon.

Yay - we are excited to announce that most music groups are back on for the remainder of this term. Please see the timetable for when your child's group is happening and where. Choirs need to be in the hall in level 2, with students spaced 1 metre apart and we will be ensuring this happens. APPA Choir and Kids for Kids Choir will rehearse this way, Junior choir will commence when restrictions are lifted. School orchestra will be in the hall also because of the high numbers in this group. I look forward to teaching your children in these music groups again - they are a highlight of my week!

As it was our first day back at school in a while, we thought it would be fun to get experimenting! Using water, oil, food colouring and Alka Seltzer tablets, we made our very own lava lamps. We made hypotheses about what would happen when we added the effervescent tab or when we added two different densities of liquid. There was the odd mishap and the Pouaka Room was decorated with a little more colour but in the end, we all came away with our own lamps to take home. Next time, we are going to look into adding UV paint to see if we can make it glow in the dark!

Rooms 16 and 17 had a fun first day back at school. We did "Window into our Lockdown" pictures, drawing the things that made us happy during lockdown. We drew our families, gardening, our pets, toys, ice cream, the beach, birthday cakes, Mother's Day, Easter eggs, and teddy bear hunts!

Thank you to all of our learners and families who will have been showing excellence in the PYP Learner Profile Attributes whilst at home for lockdown. We have a community full of wonderful people who are Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring Risk-Takers, Balanced and Reflective. I would like to especially thank two families who made some LP certificates for people in their families celebrating their successes! Pedro, Joshie and Siena, thank you! I really enjoyed seeing your photos!

In Room 9 we have been working on our Resilience Project books. We are practising the principles of The Resilience Project to boost our wellbeing: Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness!

Yesterday Netball North Harbour communicated that when the government gives the OK for sport to start again, primary netball will go ahead. It is planned that there will be a shortened season. It is intended that there will be five weeks of grading for Years 4 - 6 and then five weeks of round robin competition. This means that netball for all year groups will essentially last for the whole of the 10 week third term only. To date I cannot confirm the format for Years 2-3 but would assume that they too will play for the term.

The CAM Assessments will take place in the first three weeks of Term 3. The dates have been pushed out to accommodate lockdown measures. To date we do not have a cut off date for registrations. I am expecting to get information very soon. In the meantime, if you would like for your child to take part in any or all of the three competitions please complete the form and pay at the office as soon as you are able. Remember these are for Year 5 and Year 6 students only. Last day for CAM registrations will be June 5.

If you have yet to collect your silent auction items that you won at the school fair, please come in to the school office to do so.

Did you know you can order lunch for your child to be delivered to the school everyday?

Did you know, you can now buy fantastic Munch Products through your KINDO account?

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