Announcement : 

Term 2 starts Monday 29 April – Happy Holidays!

Newsletter 8 February 2024

Takapuna Primary
School Newsletter
Mā te pā ka taea te whakatipu te tamaiti
It takes a village to raise a child

Kia ora TPS families,

How lovely to see all our tamariki, happy and eager to return to school. I had the pleasure of visiting all the classes to see children settled and engaged. Remember, for a few of our children it will take longer to find new friendships and learn routines, this is okay. As you know, this is a very important life skill to develop.

New Staff

We are so excited to welcome our new staff to TPS: 

 Baljinder Kaur 5A Year 2

Phoenix Ataria Tui D Year 3 & 4

Jane Pinder Tui A Year 3 & 4

Tash Taylor Kereru E Year 5 & 6

Emily Ko ESOL Teacher

School Uniforms 

Thank you to all our families who have made sure the children are wearing the correct uniform. A reminder that the old sports uniform is not part of our school uniform and has never been part of the school uniform. The new sports uniform will only be needed if your child joins a Takapuna Primary School Sports team. I also wanted to clarify that children can wear any coloured socks with their shoes. During the cooler months, if children are wearing long socks/tights or leggings these need to be dark blue or black.

Parental Feedback: Strategic Planning 

During our 1:1 Parent Meetings, hopefully you had a chance to come and chat to myself and members of our staff. I really enjoyed listening to the amazing experience you and your children are having at Takapuna Primary School. It is so reassuring. So many of you mentioned feeling welcomed and being part of a community. We take pride in building a safe, and nurturing culture at our school so children can thrive. Here are a few things you shared:

Doing really well with…

Keep thinking about more…

  • Great communication via Hero
  • Teaching of values 
  • Pools and playground facilities are excellent 
  • Strength in bicultural approach, first name basis, empowering all the learners, teachers are approachable 
  • Great to have teachers for 2 years 
  • Continue on academic focus like STEM 
  • Find TPS a very good fit for our children 
  • Perfect
  • Fantastic – love this school 
  • Children are thriving and doing well 
  • Really enjoy the inclusive practices at TPS
  • Many parents think TPS is a great school and doing everything very well 
  • Production last year was amazing, do more such activities 
  • Incorporating the teaching of life skills e.g Financial skills, developing independence 
  • When teaching histories curriculum – ensuring we reflect a wide range of perspectives
  • Outside environment – keeping sand in the sandpit, maintaining gardens
  • Dogs on a leash if they are on school grounds 
  • Guidance on homework 
  • Mixing of younger and older students 
  • Sometimes too much on Hero
  • Building resilience with children 
  • Offering after school activities 
  • Uniform pricing 
  • Celebrate Chinese New Year
  • Teach children to problem solve and become more resilient 
  • More Science and Technology and let us know what we need to do to help 

We have 3 areas of focus for 2024, they are: 

  • Culture, Language and Identity – proud to be ourselves 
  • Learning through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
  • Parental Engagement – working with our families 

If you would like to add anything further, please email me – devikat@tps.school.nz 

Digital Safety Week 

The week of 19th – 23rd February, your children will be learning about how to keep safe and use digital resources responsibility. This is a very important week of learning! 

On Monday 19th February at 6:30 pm, Netsafe will run a FREE ONLINE presentation for parents and whānau. The session focuses on how we can all support children and young people as they navigate the digital world. Netsafe will explore:

  • Information to enhance your digital parenting knowledge 
  • Details about the online risks and challenges your child may face 
  • Advice about how you can help your child if something goes wrong online 
The session is for adults only. Please RSVP if you plan to attend using the link here. If you have any questions please email  saraho@tps.school.nz
 
You can join online through this link: http://tinyurl.com/mr4azftd 
 

Bike Track Update 

Unfortunately, the company that was supposed to build the bike track over the holidays could not get to us! Good news – we have scheduled them to come back during Term 1 school holidays, this means our children can use the field for the summer time. 

Pergola Update 

The Board funded an upgrade to the Pergola area (outside our junior classes) and you will notice a wonderful improvement. There is still the roofing to complete, however there are now plenty more options for seating. We can see that families and children are enjoying this lovely space. 

Regards, Devika and the TPS team

Congratulations! Winners of the hamper giveaway was Siosaia’s family.

New & Preloved Uniform:

You can only purchase new and preloved uniform online.  We no longer stock second hand uniform at the office. Please go to www.tps.school.nz, click on “information”, scroll to “uniform” and click on “shop”. (as below)

*You can still buy hats and sunglasses at the office.

 

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/

 

Friday 9 February        Mihi Whakatau  (9:15am Hall)

Monday 19 February  Netsafe Parent Evening (ONLINE @ 6:30pm)

Friday 12 April             End of Term 1 (3:00pm)

Click here for School Calendar

TPS SPORTS:

Link to school website here:  click here

 

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 and classes run from 3:30pm – 4:30pm.

No full term bookings are required, all abilities are welcome and spare skateboards and helmets provided. Tech Deck prizes to be won at all classes.

For all bookings and information visit www.younggunsskateschool.co.nz.

2024 Term Dates

Term 1: Friday 2 February – Friday 12 April
Term 2: Monday 29 April – Friday 5 July
Term 3: Monday 22 July – Friday 27 Septemer
Term 4: Monday 14 October – Wednesday 18 December

COMMUNITY NOTICES:

Is your child struggling at school? Or do they just need a confidence boost?
Extraordinary Kids provides extra help with Maths, reading, writing and spelling in Browns Bay for students 7 to 17 years old.

  • Homework Help
  • Structured Learning Environment
  • Programmes for Dyslexia and Learning Difficulties and Extension
  • Warm and Friendly
  • Individualised Work
  • Spaces Available now

Email: office@extraordinarykids.co.nz
Website: www.extraordinarykids.co.nz

DRAMA – DANCE – SINGING                

Accelerate Confidence and Communication Skills

Enrol in February to be in the draw to win 1 of 10 April Holiday programs with a bestie.                    

“ Pform.nz classes provide the most fun of our son’s week”

There is a Pform venue on Tuesday near you!

It’s the perfect activity to  join with school friends and get the most from this unique and fun learning experience. Free Trials available for a limited time.  

www.pform.nz/free-trial 

www.pform.nz     

Info@Pform.nz      

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