| | | | | | IMPORTANT DATES Term 1 2024
Week 6
Pod 7 - Swimming all week
Thursday 7th March - Upper Clutha Athletics
Thursday 7th March - PTA Social Meeting - 6.30pm - Pembroke Wines
Friday 8th March - Ballet Workshops with RNZ Ballet - Pods 3&4
Week 7
Thursday 14th March - Little Heart Day - wear red and bring a gold coin donation
Friday 15th March - Pod 7 Assembly 2.15pm - Hall
Week 8
Monday 18th March - Life Education Trust with Harold the Giraffe here until 5th April
Monday 18th March - Board of Trustees Meeting - 5pm - Staffroom
Wednesday 20th March - Author Visit - Steve Mushin - 1.30pm
Week 9
Monday 25th March - Otago Anniversary - School Closed
Wednesday 27th March - COPSSA Athletics (Years 5&6)
Friday 29th March - Good Friday - School Closed
Week 10
Monday 1st April - Easter Monday - School Closed
Tuesday 2nd April - Easter Tuesday - School Closed
Wednesday 3rd April - Top Bike (Year 6)
Friday 5th April - Life Education Trust with Harold the Giraffe last day
Friday 5th April - GRIP Student Leadership Training
Week 11
Tuesday 9th April - Junior Athletics (Y1 &Y2)
Friday 12th April - Pod 4 Assembly 2.15pm - Hall
Friday 12th April - Last Day of Term 1 - School Finishes at 3pm
Term 2
Week 1
Monday 29th April - First Day of Term 2
Monday 29th April - School Photos
Tuesday 30th April - Thursday 2nd May - EPro8 Challenge
IMPORTANT NOTICES Pod 6 Assembly This has been postponed due to the impact of other school activities. We will advise you of the new date in next week's newsletter.
Pod 7 assembly is still next Friday 15th March Little Heart Day  Come to school dressed in red for Little Heart Day! Who: Everyone! When: Thursday 14th March 2024 What: Raising money for Heart Kids NZ How: Bring a gold coin and dress in red for the day :)
Selectrix Wānaka WPS BYOD Deal - LENOVO - 100E G3 11.6" HD INTEL N4500 4GB 32GB SSD CHROME OS MAORI KB ZTE 1YR WTY 82V00000NZ - $419 RRP (Special Price = $356 inc GST)
- Targus - Work-in Essentials Carrying Case (Slipcase) for 29.5 cm (11.6") Google Chromebook, Notebook - Black, Grey - Scuff Resistant - Elastic Body - 25 mm Height x 320 mm Width x 220 mm Depth – Unisex TED006GL-71 - $49 RRP
- Belkin - SoundForm Mini Wired On-Ear Headphones for Kids – Black / Blue / Pink AUD004BT - $39 RRP
      TOTAL PACKAGE PRICE = $415 inc GST 
QLDC Roundabout Projects Update
Please click here for the latest on progress with the Mt Iron roundabout (NZTA Waka Kotahi) and Ballantyne Road Roundabout (QLDC), including information about changes to the road layouts to help things run smoothly over the Wānaka A&P show and Easter weekends. |
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Well, we have reached Week 6 of an 11 week term and things are humming along very nicely. We have lots on (what's new?) and our children have been engaged, happy in their learning and play and teachers are ploughing through the hour of week, writing, reading and maths (including integration with other curriculum areas) that we have always done...so nothing new there either.
Athletics The WPS Run, Jump and Throw athletics was fabulously organised by the team, the children all gave their all and obviously had a lot of fun at the same time. What a great feel the event had. We had some great results and the athletes who qualified for the UC zone athletics will take part in that event on Thursday this week. Qualifiers from the UC sports go on to the Central Otago Primary Schools athletics champs (COPSSA) on Wednesday 27th March in Alexandra. Here are some photos from our WPS athletics day.
Thanks to the PTA and the parents who helped with our sausage sizzle, and also to those who helped at an activity on the day. We cannot hold these events without your wonderful support.
Attendance Data As it is early in the year I thought I would include some information about student attendance. You will have heard in the news the Government/Ministry is focusing on improving attendance in schools. All schools are now required to have an attendance management policy and procedures to be followed for all student absences. The Ministry stipulate it is the school's responsibility (and their Board) to take reasonable steps to ensure enrolled students attend whenever the school is open. It is expected that all absences are recorded and reported to the Ministry. As part of this the Ministry is requiring that schools provide more accurate attendance data, supposedly to help schools intervene quickly where student attendance patterns change. As such, schools are required to record and provide information on additional attendance indicators: - Learners with 5 or more full days of an unjustified absence
- If action has been taken for learners unjustifiably absent for 5 or more full days
- Absences remaining unexplained at the end of each week
By gathering this data the Ministry hopes to understand the actions taken by school to respond to student absences and the timelines to address this balance.
We are required to code absences in this way: - P - present and they are physically present in class when the roll is taken
- Q - for a school organised off-site activity such as our WPS ski programme or camp
- L - for lateness, anytime after the roll is taken at 9.05. We ask children to be at school earlier than 8.55 bell so they can unpack and be ready for learning when the 9am bell rings
- J - a justified absence, that is a reasonable reason such as for a family bereavement, an unwell parent/family member, and other exceptional circumstances (doesn't include having a week with grandparents for example...sadly for us grandparents!)
- U - an unjustified absence is when there is no information or a throw-away excuse, explained but not within the school policy, absence due to birthdays, extracurricular activities not organised by school like sports, dance, music or hobbies.
- M - for a medical absence (at times we are required to ask for a medical certificate or note from the GP). D is the code for a medical appointment.
- E - an explained absence, is used when an explanation has been accepted by the school as an authentic reason for the student's absence, however that explanation is not a justified reason for being absent. This means the E code absence counts towards the 5 day threshold for intervention. School holidays taken during the school term do not count as an explained absence, they are coded as a G.
- T - for truant, which is an absence that has not been notified to us, or no reason is given.
All of us at Wānaka Primary School want our children to 'grow and thrive' and be active, resilient members of our learning community. To achieve this, attendance does matter. Our staff care about your kids and we hope you all see WPS as a school where you are welcomed and valued as part of our school community; that is what we work hard to achieve at all times.
So what is expected from you as parents? - Your child must come to school every day that school is open for instruction (Education and Training Act, 2020)
- It is the parents/caregivers responsibility to contact school if your child is absent and to give the authentic reason for the absence (will not be at school for a whole day or part of a day)
- Missing one week of school each term means missing a whole year of learning by the time your child turns 16
- The more time your child is away from the school, the harder it is to catch up on missed learning
- Setting clear expectations with your child about why attending school every day is important
- Be positive about school and set good habits from day one
- Prepare your children the night before school - get them to pack their bag, prepare lunchboxes etc.
- Set a good morning routine to get them to school on time and relaxed with everything they need
- Ask what they did at school and praise them for their efforts
And please talk to us if you are having any issues around getting your children to school on time and ready for learning. There are many ways we can help. And please do not be offended if you get an email from the class teacher, or a phone call from a DP or myself about attendance - we are required to follow up on any attendance issues showing up on our attendance system. It is only to offer a helping hand and to get support in place for families if needed. You can keep a regular eye on your child's attendance through the Edge Caregiver Portal. Edge is our student management system though which attendance is processed and data sent to the Ministry of Education.
Being at school on time, every day does matter!
A Couple of NO NOs A reminder to parents that no trading cards, such as Pokemon cards, are allowed at school and these will be confiscated if brought to school. We do not want issues with trading, cash deals, or conflicts that these cards bring about. Please make this clear to your children. Also we have never allowed mobile phones at school, just a reminder that this is now law - no mobile phones please. Our office are only too pleased to receive messages from you to be passed to your children and the children to contact you if necessary from our school phones.
Tutus on Tour Today one hundred students from Pod 6 and 7 got to enjoy the performance at the Lake Wānaka Centre. Thanks to the parents who helped supervise.
On Friday most of the students in Pods 3 and 4 are involved in ballet workshops, with a ballet dancer from the RNZ Ballet demonstrating the arts of her craft. Last time these workshops were held the children loved them. Thanks to the RNZ Ballet Company for these opportunities here in our own area.
POD 4 - Learning outside the classroom at Albert Town Lagoon Pod 4 students are off to the Albert Town Lagoon next week Wednesday 14th March to learn more about the history of our local area. Damian from Enviro Schools will be there to talk to us about how early Maori used our local environment and resources. They will also be having Te Kākano talk about native planting. The backyard trapping group will be there to discuss why they are trapping to protect our native birdlife. Southern Lakes Sanctuary will be talking to the children about native birds. It should be a day full of learning and fun.
Healthy Eating Programmes with Harold Roshelle, Harold the giraffe and the Life Education Trust mobile classroom will arrive on site on Monday 18th March to begin working with all classes around healthy eating and healthy life skills as identified as a need in the parent survey last year. Please visit their website for more information about this programme. Roshelle and Harold will be with us for 3 weeks. We will be offering a parent information session whilst the mobile classroom is here so look out for that in upcoming newsletters. |
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Pod 7 Swimming Pod 7 have started their swimming sessions with great gusto. Life saving techniques are being taught and put into practise along with water survival skills and general swimming skills development. It's going to continue to be a busy week but rest assured all the students are loving it. |
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Tribe T-Shirts We had an amazing response to the Tribe t-shirts at Athletics Day! We have had lots of orders already and prompt payments. Thank you! Come into the office over the next 3 weeks to see the t-shirts, try on samples and place an order, $30 per t-shirt. The first batch will be ready to wear at the Cross Country. Another order will be made early next year.
We have had requests for adult sizes too, so will sort some samples and keep you posted!
Thanks, The PTA Crew. |
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PTA Social Meeting this Thursday - Are you bored now that the children are back at school?
- Do you need wine to fill the void?
- Then come on over to our PTA social! Join us for a drink (the first one is on us) and meet some new people.
- WHERE: Pembroke Wines and Spirits
- WHEN: This Thursday - 7th March @ 6.30pm
- We hope to see you there!
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WPS Netball 2024 - Registrations are Open Sign up now to play netball this year, open to Years 3-6.
Be quick – registrations close 14th March, 2024.
If you can help with coaching, please let us know! We are in urgent need of coaches for the season to go ahead. Plenty of coaching resources and online modules are available, and there will be a junior coaching clinic held in Wanaka. Email wpsnetballers@gmail.com to register your interest. |
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Fresh Herbs Available Please help yourself to fresh herbs they are in the garden between pod 5 and 6. Bring your own scissors  |
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Library News Click the image below to view our wonderful Library Webapp.  Please feel free to email me if you want to ask anything related to books and your child's reading interests in our school library. Digital and Audio Resources Borrow box is an amazing resource which you can have free access to for digital reading and audio resources for your children. Click on the image below to look at the amazing range. You need a QLDC library membership (which is free) to borrow.  BookHub BookHub is an relatively new NZ based website where you can search for books you want to buy online from NZ based booksellers rather than from overseas sites. Obviously I support local booksellers as well, but if you are an online shopper, I fully support supporting NZ businesses before the likes of Amazon, who charge exorbitant shipping fees. Click on the icon or this link: https://bookhub.co.nz/  Scholastic Loop  The latest Scholastic NZ Brochure is available from classrooms. If you wish to place an order, please follow the instructions on the inside back cover using Option 1 – Credit Card / LOOP. No cash / orders are accepted at school. If your order is a gift, please tick the ‘GIFT’ option, otherwise all orders are handed out to the children. Orders will close at 9am on Monday 18th March.
Quote of the Week  |
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Head Lice Head lice are (an unwelcome) part of life, and are easily spread between people, particularly children. The key to managing head lice is early detection: look through your child’s hair on a regular basis – nominate a certain night of the week so it becomes routine.
Use your fingers or a head lice comb, and look for little brown insects on the scalp. The eggs are almost invisible before they hatch, so by the time you spot the little white eggs on the hair shaft they are already hatched.
Do not treat your child unless you see live lice.
The best treatment is thorough combing with a head lice comb and lots of conditioner in the hair. This should be done every 2nd day for 10 days.
If you choose to use a head lice shampoo, you should still do the wet combing as described above. Shampoos do not kill eggs, and do not always kill all the live lice.
Do not use animal products on your child’s scalp. They are harmful to humans.
Tying hair up, especially long hair, is beneficial when trying to avoid catching headlice or spreading it.
For more information: www.healthed.govt.nz/resources/headlice-facts. |
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Barnados Early Learning Home Based Educators Want to earn while staying home looking after your little one?  Ditch the commute and be your own boss, join the Barnardos Early Learning whānau as a Home Based Educator today! 
Well established and trusted in Central Otago, we’re expanding in your area and are looking for enthusiastic, passionate people keen to inspire the next generation. Our Cromwell-based Visiting Teacher will support you every step of the way, and make sure you have all the resources you need to get started. |
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Harold at the Wānaka A&P Show |
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The Incredible Years Parenting Programme |
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Food For Love Charity Auction |
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Public Meeting - Healthcare Services Healthcare in the Upper Clutha is under strain, especially after hours care. We need to let decision makers know this is of utmost concern to us.
The Community Board is facilitating a panel discussion with a range of medical experts. Please join us in this call to action.
To RSVP and pose a question to the panel please click here. |
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Free Online Zoom Sessions on Individualised Funding |
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Upper Clutha Rugby Registrations |
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| Delicious, nutritious and popular with kids, Subway delivers school lunches every Friday. Order online at subwayexpress.co.nz by 9am. |
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