Kia ora and welcome to all our new tamariki and their whānau. We look forward to working with you and your children to support their journey at Te Rehu|Westmere School.

Starting back at school or beginning school for the first day can be both an exciting and anxious time for both children and carers. The following information could help support your child to have a smooth start to school.

Our Studio doors will open each morning at 8:30. Please feel free to drop your child off at school anytime from then. The teachers will be in the studios so you can either drop your child off at the school gate or bring your child to their studio and say goodbye there. Teresa, is on hand at the main school gate to support if you need it also. 

Children feel more confident when they have all the things they need for the day. Being prepared can really help them have a smooth start. 

We are encouraging all our tamariki to wear their pōtae (bucket hat) to school so that they know they have one for the day. The sun is so strong at this time of year, to keep them safe we ask that they play under the super top if they do not have a bucket hat. 

We would love to see the children bring their book bag into the studio each day also. This way they will know that they have it at school.

School Values

Over the next few weeks as we settle into the new school year we will be going over the school values with the children and unpacking them in detail. We will go over these throughout the year. I have attached an image of our values so that you can see what we will be covering. 

At Te Rehu we use the Zones of Regulation programme to support children to identify and talk about how they are feeling. 

Name everything!

Santa has been and there are many new drink bottles, lunch boxes, school bags and shoes. Please help us by naming these clearly. We work hard with the children to ensure they look after their belongings but there are times when items go missing. Having a name on them helps us as a school find the owner and return the item.

Spare clothes

All children need to have a set of spare clothes in a waterproof bag. The children would much rather put their own clothing on if they have spilt something or have a toileting accident.

Talk positively about school

Children pick up on our worries no matter how careful we try to be. Please remember to talk positively about school and the experiences they will have. You can use positive forecasting as a tool i.e. I know you are going to have a great day etc.

If you do have any concerns please let us know. We are here to help and support your child and want them to have the best time at school. You can contact us on our emails below or talk with us at school.

LS1 Teacher and Junior School Team Leader

Kylie - kylie@westmere.school.nz

LS2 teachers

Linda- lindab@westmere.school.nz

Rowan- rowan@westmere.school.nz

LS3 Teachers

Robyn - robynh@westmere.school.nz

Linda- lindap@westmere.school.nz

Encourage independence

One of the main areas we work on with our children during their time in the Junior School is encouraging them to be independent. You can help us with this by letting your child carry their school bag and put their book bags etc away each day. 

Lunchboxes

Yes, it is back to making lunches! We are a rubbish free school so please unwrap any packaged food where possible, use honey wraps or lunchboxes with sections rather than cling film, foil etc. We encourage the children to put their wrappers and leftover food back in their lunchboxes to take home so that you can see what they have eaten. Top tips for lunches is to vary the food you put in. Sandwiches, rolls, wraps, leftover dinner like pasta give children lots of energy for the day. Ask your child to have a look at other lunches and to tell you what they would like to try. In LS2 and 3 there are children who have severe nut and raw egg yolk allergies. We ask that you avoid putting these in your child's lunch box.

All the junior school eat lunch and morning tea together in the junior courtyard in between LS1 and LS2. This way we can support them to eat their lunch as well as giving them the opportunity to connect with friends in other studios.

Stationery

We have your child's stationery in our Studios and will unpack and name the books. If you would like to cover your child's books you are welcome to collect them on a Friday and return them the next Monday. The children can show you where their books are or please see one of the teachers. Check out the recyclable covering that is available through Ez covers. Make sure you select Westmere at the check out as we receive a small donation from each purchase.

Important dates for the diary

8th February - Waitangi Day observed

16th February - Meet the Studio (parent information evening)

22nd February - Auckland Museum Trip (More information to come)

9th March - Family maths games night (tbc)

24-25th March - Whānau Forum

What we are collecting...

Small boxes like toothpaste boxes and cardboard rolls. No egg cartons, please.

We would love help with...

Parent reading - See your Child's Studio teachers

Putting readers away

Cutting and glueing

If you can help please let us know we have a range of jobs available.