Wānaka Primary School Newsletter for Term 1 Week 9

Newsletter Term 1 Week 9

26th March 2024

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

IMPORTANT DATES

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 - Piwakawaka Mufti Day
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)
Thursday 11th April - WPS Fun Run - wear tribe colours
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
Week 2
Friday 10th May - Pod 3 Assembly 2.15pm - Hall
Week 3
Tuesday 14th May - Clued Up Kids Y5&Y6

IMPORTANT NOTICES

COPSSA Athletics Cancelled

Unfortunately tomorow's COPSSA Athletics has been cancelled due to inclement weather.

Lost Property

We have a large amount of lost property in our pods and school office. Please come and claim your lost property before the end of term as we will be dropping off what is left at school to Wastebusters over the holiday break.

Leaving Wānaka Primary School?

If you and your family are leaving Wānaka Primary School at the end of this term and you have not yet notified our office, can you please do so as soon as possible. Thank you.

PB4L Mufti Day - Congratulations Piwakawaka Tribe

A big congratulations to Piwakawaka tribe for collecting the most PB4L tokens at the last count. (Runners up were Mohua and Kakariki). As a prize, all students who are in Piwakawaka tribe only are allowed to wear mufti to school on Friday 5th April.

The mufti is free and Piwakawaka students can wear their tribe colour or any school-appropriate clothing. No face paint please.

CURRICULUM COMMENT

What's On

I hope you enjoyed the long Otago Anniversary weekend. Now we get to enjoy two short weeks with the Easter break from Friday 29th March through to Tuesday 2nd April.

The Life Education Trust is here until the end of next week and Roshelle and Harold are offering a PARENT INFORMATION SESSION in the mobile classroom situated by our hall from 3.15 - 4.00pm today. Come along and hear about what their healthy eating programme looks like and Roshelle is happy to answer any questions you may have.

Next week we have the Top Bike completion in Alexandra on Wednesday 3rd April, the EPro8 Challenge WPS heats in the hall all week, and the GRIP student leaders training day (Friday 5th) as well as our winning Tribe only, Piwakawaka, mufti day.

Seasons for Growth

This is a fabulous programme for children suffering from loss or grief. The flyer is below and the application form is attached here, this is your last chance to enrol for our programme starting in Term 2. Please email coralp@wanaka.school.nz with any questions.

Please click here for a brochure

Wānaka Primary School Fun Run

This is being held on Thursday 11th April. It is a Tribe Day event so please wear your tribe colours! We are inviting children to gather sponsorship for their Fun Run. Sponsors can pledge per lap or make a single payment. Children will run as many laps as they can within a set time.

As always we are fundraising for special projects which this year include - equipment for our makerspaces (these are currently being prebuilt off site and will be placed into their new home beside each pod once they are completed), Garden to Table/ Enviro and some more landscaping at the Pod 2/3 end of the school.

Start Time 10.00am Years 1 & 2 will run for 15 minutes around a 200m course

Start Time 11.00am Years 3 & 4 will run for 20 minutes around a 300m course

Start Time 11.45am Years 5 & 6 will run for 25 minutes around a 400m course

We will remind children to only seek sponsorship from people they know...so watch out granny, grandpa and neighbours.

SCHOOL NOTICES

Tribe Day

We had a lot of children trying out for tribe leader this year which is awesome! The chanting has started in earnest and many of our Y6 children showed their leadership skills, and delivered some quality speeches about why they should be voted!

Pod 1's Visit to the Lake Wānaka Centre to Watch Kath Bee

Last Wednesday the children in Pod 1 visited the Lake Wānaka Centre for a performance by singer and storyteller Kath Bee. They got to listen, take part in action songs, dance and generally have lots of fun!

Steve Mushin Visit

We enjoyed a presentation from Steve Mushin last week. Steve is firstly an industrial designer and inventor but has recently published his first book called Ultra Wild. I encourage parents to buy this book as it's fantastic and a great way for children to learn not only creative/critical thinking but what we can do as a collective to re-green built up areas.

His enthusiastic energy for drawing, design and critical thinking was outstanding and the children brought with them a book and pencil to engage in the design process. They were queuing up after the presentation to show Steve their creations. Unfortunately due to an unexpected hiccup the children didn't get as much time as hoped to spend drawing but I am planning on getting him back to school to do workshops with the children. Many of the teachers have said that the children are drawing what Steve was advocating in his presentation - lots of fantastic inventions and creations.

Check out his website https://stephenmushin.com/

PB4L SCHOOL-WIDE GOAL

Positive Behaviour For Learning - PB4L

PB4L School-Wide looks at behaviour and learning from a whole-of-school as well as an individual child perspective. The framework is based on international evidence and is helping New Zealand schools build a culture where positive behaviour and learning is a way of life.

Each fortnight we focus on a school wide goal to encourage positive behaviours. The current goal is: 'We leave and enter areas in a respectful way'.

PTA NOTICES

Tribe T-Shirts

Orders are still open for tribe t-shirts until the end of term (12th April). Come in and have a look at the designs in the office and place your order or email through to the office. If you want to use the navy blue Wānaka Primary uniform top as a guideline, the body lengths are as follows:

WPS uniform
Size 8 - length 52cm
Size 10 - length 55.5cm
Size 12 - length 58cm
Tribe t-shirts
Size 6 - length 51cm
Size 8 - length 56cm
Size 10 - length 60cm
Size 12 - length 64cm

$30 per t-shirt. Sizes 6, 8, 10 & 12. The first batch will be ready in time for the cross country on 13th June. We have had lots of requests for a small design to be on the front as well as the back, so have updated the designs to include this. Thanks for your support.
PTA crew.

Payment to be made to WPS PTA Account: 02-0673-0024330-00 - please use surname as a reference.

SPORT NOTICES

Congratulations to Sam Morris - New Otago Record

Congratulations to Sam Morris for breaking an Otago Record at the Otago Junior Long Course Championships in Dunedin over the weekend.

Sam smashed the Male 9 & Under 200M Backstroke record by more than 10 seconds, with a time of 3:04:19. The previous record had remained unbeaten for 8 years.

We are so proud of him.

ENVIRO SCHOOLS

Garden to Table

Who knew gardening could be so exciting? Here is our Garden to Table lead teacher, Danielle doing some on the spot PLD with staff at morning tea break. What I thought was some kind of dried flower is in fact seeds on an onion, which our students and teachers will be harvesting and putting into their seed packets they have made to go on sale in our vege cart. Go Danielle - learning happens everywhere at anytime at WPS, even for the staff.

LIBRARY NEWS

Library News

Click the image below to view our wonderful Library Webapp.

Feel free to email Melissa at any time if you have any questions.

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/

Quote of the Week

HEALTH SNIPPETS

Lunchbox Tips for Top Teeth from Te Whatu Ora

No eggs or nuts at school please!

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Wai Wānaka - Lakefront Cleanup

QLDC Libraries Bookmark Contest

Click here for an entry form

Wānaka Swim Club Have-A-Go Event

Central Otago Regional Orchestra Performance

HOLIDAY PROGRAMMES

Wānaka Kids Club

QLDC Libraries School Holiday Programme

Wild Dunedin Festival 19 - 28 April

This year's festival has 140 events and activities about nature for all ages all over the city. With discounted deals on albatross, penguin and boat trip, kids go free at Orokonui Ecosanctuary and Larnach Castle, films, crafts, scientific talks, garden tours, a walk around Sutton Salt Lake and guest Suzy Cato, there's a lot happening. Full programme and bookings here http://www.wilddunedin.nz

OUT OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Funkey Hockey

Delicious, nutritious and popular with kids, Subway delivers school lunches every Friday. Order online at subwayexpress.co.nz by 9am.

Wānaka Primary School

7 Ironside Drive

Wānaka, Otago 9350

New Zealand

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