Kia ora e te whānau

What a great start with settled weather and lots of opportunities for the children to play outside. February is a very busy month in the learning spaces with Teachers getting to know the children, settling into learning routines and taking part in a number of testing situations.

We hope you all had an enjoyable summer break and had some time to rest, relax and enjoy time with friends and family. It has been great connecting with many of you and seeing so many happy children around the school. We have had a great start to the year and it has been wonderful seeing students playing nicely in the playground together, sharing holiday adventures and engaging really well with what the staff have prepared in the learning spaces.

As a staff, we are looking forward to having the opportunity to educate your child. We feel that this is a privilege and don't take it lightly.

Our staff is very proud and committed to our school's vision - Learning together - Soaring to new heights. To achieve this, we need a strong partnership between home and school. Thank you to all the parents who made Ako meetings last week. The information that you shared about your child with the staff is very valuable and supports staff with great insights to teach your child. It is our desire for your child to feel happy and safe at school. We know that when this is in place, children learn and make progress in their learning.

I am very grateful for a dedicated group of staff that work at Wigram and want to assure you that our staff is very committed to achieving success for your child.

Being ready to learn is a focus in all of our classrooms. Our learning day starts at 8:55am. Yes straight into learning with a focus on knowing where to be at various points of the day. Learning groups will be up and running over the next few weeks. As a parent we ask that you have your child at school ready to take part in learning by 8:55am. This means allow time for your child to get their bag unpacked, and touch base with their friends.

Children often get very upset arriving into the class, or group learning, after a lesson is underway - please organise your home routine to allow your child to settle well to their daily learning.

Board of Trustees Election

Please read the article in this Newsletter. Nomination papers will be sent out tomorrow.

Farewell

At the end of 2023 we received the resignation of Miss Amelia Ryman. Amelia has taken a role with Dog Watch to support them with fundraising. We thank Amelia for her work in the classroom and dedication, and support, for the school choir. We wish her the best of luck with her new role.

Welcome to Elsie

Alicia Bell and her partner Reece welcomed baby Elsie on 10 January 2024. Mum and baby surviving and finding a new normal in their lives. Congratulations from us all.

Sunhats - these are required to be worn in Term 1 & Term 4. Sunhats are the bucket type and can be purchased from the school Office for $18. Please make sure the hat is named so if it gets misplaced it can be returned to the owner.

School Carpark & Driveway - To keep all of our students safe, please do not use the carpark for a drop off, pick up or parking spot. The carpark is for school staff only.

Should you be called to pick up your child from school during the school hours, you are able to use the parking space closest to the Office.

Here are some important dates for you to be aware of:

- Wednesday 14th February = Mihi whakatau - this is an opportunity to welcome our new tamariki, whānau and kaiako to our school. New families are welcome to join us. It will start at 9.15 am and you are welcome to stay for a hot drink and a chat afterwards.

- Friday 17th February = Our first assembly for the term. Assembly will be every second Friday and you are very welcome to join us. It will start at 11.30 am in the hall.

- Thursday 22rd February = Whānau picnic - please bring your own picnic and join us for a time of connecting, getting to know each other, and having the opportunity to have a walk through the learning spaces. This will start at 5 pm and we aim to finish at 6.30 pm.

- Learning space newsletters - This was shared with you at the end of last week. Each learning space had important information related to that learning space. This was shared through Hero.

- Our school website - we are currently in the process of updating some of the information on our school website such as learning space bios, teacher email addresses and photos.

Whanau Information Handbook - this updated handbook will be shared separately through Hero.

Ngā mihi nui

Heather Walkinshaw

Principal

Chinese New Year - The year of the Dragon