Kia ora e te whānau - Welcome to Te Hāpua 2024
We hope you had a wonderful break and that the children are ready for a great year of learning. The following newsletter contains some information to support the start of the new year in Te Hāpua.
We are super excited to see you all and can not wait to begin the next stage of your child’s learning journey! The team has been busy preparing spaces and fun experiences ready for their return. We will see you on our first day of school on Wednesday 31st January.
Our Team and Learning Environment
Te Hāpua (The lagoon) represents the safe, shallow waters that support tamariki at the beginning of their learning journey. At Woodend, students start as a new entrant in Te Kete (the basket) where they gather and grow for their introduction to school. They move through Te Hāpua for years 1-2. Te Kete and Te Hāpua are rich in nutrients as families join and bring new life to our community.
Te Hāpua is made up of 5 Kaiako which includes 4 classroom teachers; Jo Bartlett (Team Leader), Adelle Thompson, Logan Moore and Ainslee Adamson. We are also supported by Ana Martins our Teaching Assistant and Michelle Wilson our Learning Support Coordinator.
Each child has been provided a home room teacher who is their point of contact when needed. Throughout the year a number of adults in Te Hāpua might work alongside your child so our focus in term 1 is on building relationships and developing connections with all tamariki. Here is a little more about our team.
Our Team
Our Learning Spaces
In Te Hāpua we have four learning spaces. The names of these spaces are:
Te Hāpua 1 - Learning space for Miss Thompson
Te Hāpua 2 - Learning space for Miss Adamson
Te Hāpua 3 - Learning space for Mr Moore
Te Hāpua 4 - Learning space for Mrs Bartlett
General Information
We will start the year getting to know your child and settling them into their new spaces. In the first two weeks we have planned a number of activities to introduce schoolwide expectations with creativity and team playing skills at the forefront. Our Literacy and Numeracy learning programmes will begin in Week 3.
Stationery
Please send all named stationery to school on Wednesday in a bag for us to keep at school. Children are required to have a reading folder (or book bag) as this helps to protect library books and is required to be able to take library books home.
Sun Hats and Uniform
As part of our Sun Safety plan we require all children to wear a brimmed sun hat throughout Term 1. These can be purchased from The Warehouse or school office. They can be kept in the child's cubby or on their hook but please ensure they are clearly named. Please remember to name all clothing. If your child loses an item, lost property is kept in the classrooms. However if it is not named it will be sent to the office.
Whare Manu Groups
At Woodend School, all students are placed into a whare manu (house bird) group. The whare manu groups are also connected to a colour and are called Tūī (black), Weka (red), Korimako (yellow), Kererū (white) Tauhou (green) and Kōtare (blue). In the first few weeks of the year the students will be getting to know their house names and colours. We will be holding regular whare manu days where the students across the school will get to know each other as well as the teachers in their house. Further information about these days will follow.
Lunch Boxes and Eating Breaks
Healthy food is vital for our busy children. Each child needs at least 6 separate items in their lunchbox. This is because we have 3 different eating times throughout the day. They are likely to eat more, if their lunches are cut into smaller pieces. We are encouraging the children to take home all rubbish, so that you can monitor what your child is eating or not eating. Please encourage your children to have a named drink bottle of water. Only water will be available in the classroom and is encouraged during kai and when required during learning sessions.
Cell phones and smart watches
In a world with expanding forms of communication, we have noticed a number of students coming to school with smartwatches and cellphones. Our policy for cell phones and smartwatches is that they are handed in to the office before school. If the child needs to make contact with you during the day, they have access to do so via the office.
Fitness and Sport Canterbury
Te Hāpua children will break for physical activities between 12 and 12.20pm every day. The focus will be on fun activities to develop gross and fine motor skills. Tutors from North Canterbury Sport are at school every fortnight and will also teach fundamental sport skills.
Morning Routines
It is important that children are at school before the 8.55 am bell (children are not permitted in the school grounds before 8.30am). After the 8.55am bell has gone, it is helpful if parents leave the class so children can start the day alongside their peers and teachers.
Toys and Scooters at School
Please remember that toys need to stay at home. Each child will be invited by their teacher to share a toy at some point during the year and this needs to be given to the teacher before school for safe keeping. Scooters, skate boards and skates can be used during the break times at school as we provide scooting areas. Students must have a helmet to use their scooter or skates during breaks. Before and after school, when entering and exiting, all scooters and bikes must be walked.
School Blogs
Check out and bookmark our Blogs which will hold all our newsletters
Communication
Communication from our team will be done electronically so it is important that we have the correct details for all parents and caregivers of our children. If your details have changed, please contact the office. If you need to talk to your child’s teacher, we are available most days from 8.30-8.50am and 3.00-3.15pm. If either of these times don’t suit you please email us to arrange another time.
We hope this has explained a few things as you and your child enter a year of learning in the Te Hapua team. You can always contact your child’s home room teacher by email if you have any questions.
We look forward to getting to know you all throughout the year.
Kind regards,
Te Hāpua Team
