News from the Principal - Week 9
Your children will be bringing home an envelope today with their mid year student report and their student self assessment. Please take the time to read the reports and share them with your child, talk about their successes and the next steps suggested by their teacher for their learning. Please appreciate the time and effort that goes into our comprehensive reporting process twice a year. I wish to sincerely thank our teachers for all the extra time they have spent at night and on the weekend compiling the information and writing the reports, which are then checked by colleagues, Hāpori Leaders, Senior Leaders and then finally myself. The children spend time in class writing their self assessments and making their own assessments.
Student - Parent - Teacher Learning Conferences next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
School finishes at the normal time next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and the Learning Conferences begin at 3.15pm.
It would be great if you can ensure that you are ready to discuss any concerns you have with the Class Teacher as well as the learning goals for Reading, Writing, Maths and any social, behaviour, attendance or punctuality goals.
Staffing News
- Both Mrs Crean and Miss Ioane have been granted extensions to their parental leave.
- Mrs Crean will now return to teach at Whītau School in Term 1, 2024; although she is happy to be a Guest Teacher this year. The children have been so excited to welcome her back recently
- Mrs Fiona Laird will continue her fixed-term teaching role in Room 7 until the end of the year.
- Miss Ioane is enjoying being home with baby Aseri and will return to teach Room 10 at the beginning of Term 4.
- Miss Kelsey Blokland will continue to teach Room 10 for all of Term 3, supported by Mr Tim Betts as her release teacher on Thursdays from 11.45am.
ERO Review
On Tuesday, Robert Woodward, our Presiding Member and I met with Carole Clark from the Education Review Office to complete the review of our Board Assurance Self Audit Statement of school compliance. This includes all legal compliance and such areas as Board Administration, Curriculum, Health, Safety, and Welfare, Personnel, Finance, Asset Management and Student Attendance. I am delighted that we achieved 100% compliance in all areas.
Congratulations to 'The Flying Axolotls' Inventionator Team
Our school is so very proud to have one first place overall out of 21 teams who competed in the Core Education Inventionator 'Play, think, dream big ' online Learning event last Monday and Tuesday.
Hearty congratulations to our year 5 students Charlotte Hoogervorst, Rayyan Ali, Samuel Cave and Zayden Arps for your outstanding online teamwork, creative thinking and research about harnessing water from the clouds in dry countries. Please see the photos of their presentation below.
Congratulations to the School Chess Team
Congratulations to Anna Kumar, Evie McGregor, Samuel Cave and Tāne Norton who were selected to participate in the Interschools Chess Tournament at the Halswell Community Centre on Tuesday. Although we finished 13th out of 17 teams, several of the children won their games and we managed to draw two games with St Andrews College! I am so proud that Whītau School can take part in such a wide variety of interschool activities.
If you have any suggestions or concerns, 'brick bats or bouquets' to share about our school, please do come to the School Office and see me. Unfortunately, you won't see me out and about the school currently, as I am incapacitated using a crutch to walk with a very sore arthritic knee.
Ngā mihi nui
Sandra Dentice
Principal | Tumuaki
sandra@whitau.school.nz
