Newsletter 21 July 2023

Kia ora koutou e te whānau,

Welcome back everybody! We can’t believe it is half way through the year and we have another exciting term ahead. Each whānau team will send out their termly newsletter to let you know what is happening in each team. Please see key information below. 

Learner-led Conferences 

As part of reporting to parents, students are asked to lead and demonstrate their learning to their families. This will happen on Week 3, Term 3 on Tuesday 1 August. Please see the details below. Children will show you the progress they are making in key learning areas. 

School Production: Slice of Aotearoa 

Teachers will begin communicating with you regarding their class items. Please keep checking your child’s Hero messages from the school. On the Production evening:

• Date: Thursday 31 August 2023
• Drop off to Bruce Mason Centre: 5:30pm
• Performance begins: 6:30pm 
• Pick up children from around 8:15pm 

Exact details to follow closer to the time 

Tickets: will be available for purchase through Bruce Mason Centre. Costs and details will be available closer to the time. The cost of the tickets will make a contribution towards hiring this venue. 

Car parking at Takapuna Primary – UPDATE

As mentioned before, the Board is undertaking a Health and Safety review around the car parking situation during pick up and drop off times. After receiving feedback from parents and teachers, the Board has made a few decisions and amendments to the guidelines on how parents are using the carparks. We will let you know when this will be in place, in the meantime, I encourage you to practise safe parking. We are hopeful this will help minimise risk to our tamariki. Please note a few of the changes planned: 

Killarney Street: The small gate (closest to Room 6e) leading out to Killarney car park will be closed and all students and parents will need to use the taller gate (by the clothing bin). This will give a safer exit and entry for children so they are not crossing the car park. We will put up the signs and show the children before this comes into effect. 

Collins Street: This is for staff ONLY and a chain will be put up during peak times to remind families. The gate coming in from Collins Street will be locked. Parents who are walking using Collins Street will still be able to walk/enter by the gate on the field. 

Anzac Street: The staff car park (to the left as you come through the red gates) will be closed with chains and signs during drop off and pick up times. The main car park will be open, new signs showing children where to walk along (the pedestrian marking). Parents will not be able to double park and leave their cars unattended as new no parking signs will be placed along these areas. 

Mānawatia a Matariki

This week our tamariki have been celebrating and learning more about Matariki. We started the week together with a special Matariki assembly and will finish the same way on Friday afternoon (2:15pm). On Wednesday, it was a wonderful event seeing families, teachers and children engaged in Matariki activities. On Thursday this week (20th) as part of our Matariki celebrations, we are having a Campfire Cooking experience with Om from Craft Lab. This is in place of the hāngī that we were going to have, as unfortunately the ground is just too cold and wet to retain the heat needed to cook the kai. 

We had a campfire cooked vegetable soup, and camp oven bread. On the day, the tamariki were in groups helping to prepare the kai and fires for the cooking.

Devika Tagg

Principal

Student Led Conferences

On Tuesday 1st August we will be holding Student-Led Conferences. This is an opportunity for your child to share with you their learning and progress so far this year. The conferences are of 30 minutes duration and four slots are available for each session (so four families can attend at once.

To make a booking, please click on this link: https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code/gzx4s

Alternatively you can go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and enter the code gzx4s

You must use the email address that is linked to your Hero account to be able to book. If you have any issues please call the school office 489 6339 or email: office@tps.school.nz.

ESOL Student Led Conferences

In addition to the class based Student-Led Conferences, Tash will also be running ESOL Learner Led Conferences. Time slots will be available between 9:00am – 7:00pm. Parents will need to collect their children from their classrooms before their booking.

How to book: click on this link: https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code/9c7te

or go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and enter the code 9c7te

You must use the email address that is linked to your Hero account to be able to book. If you have any issues, we can help you. Please call the school office 489 6339 or email: office@tps.school.nz 

General Reminders

Reporting Absences

If your child is absent from school, this MUST be reported, along with the reason, BEFORE 9:00 am. Please note that an absence notice is a requirement of the Ministry of Education. If we do not receive confirmation of absence AND the reason, your child will be marked as “truant”. 

Picking up your child from school

Could we also be mindful of the school policy with regards to picking up your child promptly at 3:00pm. Children who have not been picked up by 3:15pm will need to be placed in After School Care, where they can be supervised. We do not want to have to do this, as this will be at a cost to parents.

Many thanks for your cooperation with this. 

Congratulations

Arfa took part in a national New Zealand Abacus Competition(mental maths) over the holidays. She is one of three chosen to represent New Zealand in the International Abacus Competition held in Sri Lanka in October.

Environment Monitors

Some of the environment monitors put together some tracking tunnels to see what pests (if any) we had at our school. We used peanut butter as bait. It was only 2 days later that we saw pawprints (we have been told these are mice and hedgehogs). Our next step is to now set traps to try and catch these pests so we can do our bit to help native birds and wildlife flourish.

Kindo & ezlunch are excited to share the arrival of a fresh new look in Term 3!

So what can you expect from the new and improved versions of Kindo & ezlunch?

• A fresh, new look with better navigation and clear student selection
• Clearer cart layout showing what has been purchased for each person
• Faster and easier checkout flow for a better shopping experience
• Better visibility of which items are available and which aren’t 
• New item search & sort function e.g. sort lunch by dietary requirement
• Easier process for ordering lunches for ‘multiple days’

Mitey – Mental Health Education:

Mitey is a New Zealand specific, Years 1-8 approach to embedding mental health education in both teaching and learning. It was developed by the Sir John Kirwan Foundation. Our kura is now in the second year on our Mitey journey.

Children will learn how to recognise and respond to their own mental health and those of others. Cultivating good mental health helps us cope with life’s ups and downs, and to feel comfortable asking for help from others when we need it.

All the teachers at Takapuna Primary are engaging with Professional Development from our expert coaches working for Mitey. 

For more information visit the website: https://www.mitey.org.nz/

IMPORTANT DATES:

Tuesday 1st August          Student-Led Conferences 

Click here for School Calendar

TPS SPORTS:

Registrations 2023

To register your child please head along to our school website, located under the sports section (“our learning”) you will find the registration forms tab.

This is where ALL permissions and registrations will take place in 2023. 

FANTAILS is coming to North Shore United Soccer Club
Fantails is a programme to attract 4–12 years old girls to the beautiful game of soccer.

Sessions are focused on making friends, having fun, improving skills and being active through playing soccer in a relaxed and safe environment.

North Shore United is running these affordable sessions in Term 3. Launching just as the FIFA Women’s World Cup comes to NZ and Australia. These hubs are the perfect opportunity for girls to give soccer a go. There are no weekend games or commitment to a team. These are girl only sessions run by friendly, local NZF qualified female coaches and role models.

TERM 3: DATES, TIMES, LOCATION & AGES:
 
Girls 4-6 yr old hub (school years 1-2 approx): Fridays @ Allen Hill Stadium – 3:45pm-4:30pm
Girls 7-8 yr old hub (school years 3-4 approx): Fridays @ Allen Hill Stadium – 4:35pm-5:20pm
Girls 9-10 yr old hub (school years 5-6 approx): Thursdays @ Bayswater Park – 4:00pm-5:00pm
Girls 11-12 yr old hub (school years 7-8 approx): Thursday @ Belmont Intermediate School – 7:30am-8:30am

How do I book a Fantails session?
Sign up at www.nsu.org.nz/join-now/girls-fantails

Skateboarding, Safety, Responsibility and Perseverance.

The Takapuna Skate School runs on Thursdays after school at Takapuna Primary School. Classes are taken by professional skateboarders from the Young Guns Skate School.

Students can come straight from school at 3:00pm. Classes run from 3:30pm – 4:30pm. No full term bookings are required, all abilities are welcome.

Spare skateboards and helmets provided. Tech Deck prizes to be won at all classes. 

COMMUNITY NOTICES:

3rd North Shore Girls’ Brigade

A truly awesome group for girls aged 5 years and over.
We are an International and Interdenominational Christian girls’ organisation.
We are an Organisation that helps girls’ to learn new skills and experience new challenges and
adventures, while working in a safe, caring environment. We encourage them to grow and discover their potential, providing an opportunity for them to meet new friends and have a whole lot of fun in the process.

We meet on Monday evenings at the Milford Baptist Church, Dodson Avenue, during school terms, from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.
Come along and see what we do. For further information please phone one of the following (after 6:00pm) Marion 444-9556 or Angela 09 420-3101

Speed Limits have changed