Newsletter 10/05/2023

Welcome – Nau mai haere mai

Term 2  Week 3 – Wednesday 10th May 2023

Week 3 already! With the onset of wet and almost wintery weather please remember to check your child has their warm polar fleece or jacket each day. Children will be issued with a school beanie later in the term to wear outside on colder days. 

After King’s Birthday Monday we will be back to Hot Food Tuesday. Children may bring something wrapped in tin foil and clearly named to put in the pie warmer which will be delivered back to them at lunchtime. 

We do not offer school lunches, but if you are struggling with school lunch for your child/ren, please contact the school office to talk confidentially with either myself or Karen in the office. We have options available to enable us to provide food for those who need it. 

We want to reiterate that you don’t have to wait until the school-wide parent-teacher interviews later this term to discuss your child’s learning progress with their teacher.  You’re welcome to request a meeting at any point throughout the year to address any concerns or questions you may have.  This helps ensure that any issues are resolved promptly. 

Improving student attendance and engagement is politically a big priority across New Zealand at the moment. Last week we received our latest attendance summary from the Ministry of Education and I am pleased to report that our average attendance rate for term 1 was 90%. The Ministry consider 90% to be the statistical rate of ‘regular’ attendance, which is the equivalent of children attending at least 9 out of every 10 days at school BUT analysis shows that every day has a cumulative impact on student learning, meaning there is NO safe level of non-attendance.

As a school we are revisiting the school values of RESPECT. This includes the 5 Signpost: Respect for Self, Respect for Others, Respect for Learning, Respect for Property, and Respect for the Environment. We appreciate your support in this.

I am away next week attending a Lions Convention in Medan, Indonesia which is an experience I am looking forward to. Then my role as Council Chair of Lions Clubs New Zealand is almost complete. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Ngaere School Board for their support in allowing me to follow my passion for leadership within the Lions organisation over the past 12 months which has necessitated trips and days out of school.

Nga mihi

Megan

STUDENT COUNCIL PINK MUFTI DAY:  Friday 19th May children are invited to dress in pink to join others around New Zealand as part of a powerful movement to spread aroha and kindness and end bullying. 

What is bullying?
It isn’t uncommon to hear someone say something insensitive or mean to someone else. Although these comments or actions are not okay, bullying has some specific features that make it much more serious and harmful.
• Bullying is deliberate – harming another person intentionally
• Bullying involves a misuse of power in a relationship
• Bullying is usually not a one-off – it is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated over time
• Bullying involves behaviour that can cause harm – it is not a normal part of growing up 

KEEP SATURDAY 01st JULY 2023 FREE FOR THE NGAERE SCHOOL PTA

QUIZ NIGHT

(More details to follow)

A huge thank you to Finer Spraying Services & Lloyd Gernhoefer Agricultural Contracting for all of their support with the Maize paddock.  They donated their time and services to cut the maize, spray the paddock and regrass the paddock.  Their support is very much appreciated. 

CANTERBURY FUNDRAISER: The PTA are running their popular Canterbury Gear fundraiser.  Order forms were sent home with your children last Friday.  If you did not receive an order form, please call into the school office or please find one attached below. Money and orders are due back Wednesday 17th May.

Rooms 1, 2, 3 and 4 made the decision to dress up in royal regalia ahead of King Charles III’s coronation.   The Queen and Princess of Hearts (a.k.a. Mrs Henderson and Charlotte) made a surprise appearance, leaving behind the orb and sceptre.  The children then enjoyed a photo shoot on the throne with the Queen of Hearts’ orb and sceptre.  We celebrated by making, and then eating, scones with jam and cream. The coronation was the topic of some math work and enquiry in Rooms 3 and 4.  

PARENTS CYBER SAFETY EVENING

Because of the rapidly changing times, our tamariki are growing up in and, the mounting challenges and harms they are facing online we need to start talking about and tackling this as a community.

As such, we have organised Author, Filmmaker and Speaker Rob Cope, producer of the documentary “Our Kids Online” to come and give what promises to be a humorous and eye-opening evening talk to our parent community.

His talk will cover

• Cyberbullying – How cyberbullies can reach our kids 24/7
• Social media – The pressure for kids to build an online brand that is often far removed from their authentic selves. FOMO, Highlight Reels 
• Gaming and the developing brain – An oversupply of dopamine leading to dopamine deficiency, synaptic pruning, and the underdevelopment of social skills and empathy
• Naked Selfies – The pressure to send nudes from intermediate up through high school 
• Online predators – The methods they use, how to spot them, and how to get out from under their control if your child has been trapped
• Online porn vs healthy sexuality – How consuming online pornography as a child or teen can create a sexual template where violence, aggression, and dominance are seen as normal and consent can become very blurry

Solutions

• Filters – Which filters are best and how to install them
• Smartphones – How to lock down a smartphone to make it a safe phone
• Boundaries – How to put good boundaries in place around device use 
• 3 golden rules – The 3 golden rules that will keep your kids safe
• Talking to your kids – How to have difficult conversations with your kids
• Challenging our own phone and device usage – Reconnecting as a family.

Here is a promotional video for you to watch Our Kids Online Parent Evening.

The talk will be held in our school hall on Thursday June 8th from 7-9pm.

UNIFORM:   With the weather turning cooler it is important that your child has a warm outer layer. Our school uniform is either the blue polar fleece or the black jacket. Non uniform jerseys or jackets should not be worn. Please ensure all items of clothing are clearly named.  There is also a small selection of secondhand thermals available from the school office which may be worn under the school polo shirts.

To add to your Diaries:

• Wednesday 17th May – Canterbury Orders due
• Wednesday 17th May – SHS Principal Visit 9.30am
• Friday 19th May – Pink Mufti Day
• Wednesday 24th May – BOT Meeting 6.30pm
• Friday 26th May –  9.30am Restoration Planting at Soldiers Park, Eltham
• Monday 5th June – School closed for King’s Birthday weekend
• Thursday 8th June – ‘Empowered Online’ parent presentation (SPS)
• Friday 09th June – Book Club Due
• Thursday 15th June – Play Day, Midhirst (Rm 1&2 only)
• Monday 19th June – Jones Cup, Toko (Yrs 5-8 only)
• Monday 19th June – PTA Meeting
• Friday 30th June – End Term 1
• Saturday 1st July – PTA Quiz 
• Start Back Term 3 Monday 17th July

COMMUNITY NOTICES: