| | | | | | IMPORTANT DATES Term 2
Week 8 - Book Week
Wednesday 22nd June - Authors' Visit
Wednesday 22nd June - Matariki Celebration for Rooms 9, 11 and 12
Wednesday 22nd June - STAR One Day School Meeting - 7pm - Staffroom
Thursday 23rd June - Dress Up Day for Book Week
Friday 24th June - Matariki Holiday - School Closed
Week 9
Tuesday 28th June - UC Swimming Sports
Week 10
Tuesday 5th July - Garden to Table Bake Sale - Pods 1 and 3
Wednesday 6th July - Garden to Table Bake Sale - Pods 4 and 5
Thursday 7th July - Garden to Table Bake Sale - Pods 7 and 8
Friday 8th July - Last Day of Term
Term 3
Week 1
Monday 25th July - First Day of Term 3
Week 3
Thursday 11th August - EOTC Day 1
Week 4
Monday 15th August - Board of Trustees Meeting
Thursday 18th August - EOTC Day 2
Week 5
Thursday 25th August - EOTC Day 3
Week 6
Thursday 1st September - EOTC Day 4
Week 7
Thursday 8th September - EOTC Day 5
Week 8
Monday 12th September - Board of Trustees Meeting
Tuesday 13th September - UC Cross Country
Thursday 15th September - EOTC Postponement Day
Week 9
Pod 5 Swimming Lessons
Week 10
Pod 4 Swimming Lessons IMPORTANT NOTICES
Leaving WPS?
If you and your family are leaving Wānaka Primary School at the end of the term and you haven't notified the office, can you please do so as soon as possible. Thank you.
Scholastic NZ Brochure 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 3pm tomorrow - Wednesday 22nd June. |
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This Week is Book Week  DRESS UP DAY THURSDAY 23rd JUNE On Thursday 23rd we have a school wide dress up day and parade. Children can come dressed as their favourite book character (or super hero or just in their favourite dress up). It is not meant to be stressful, it is just for fun. We have 2 wonderful authors (Juliette MacIver and Ruth Paul) coming to perform on Wednesday and we will also be having a second hand book sale in the library courtyard all week - lots of good bargains! |
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Hot Chocolate on Dress up Day What’s better than hot chocolate and marshmallows on these cold winter days!
The Wānaka Primary PTA will be at school on Thursday morning making hot chocolates for the children in their pods before morning tea.
We would like to invite all children to bring a gold coin donation and their own mug if they would like a hot chocolate with marshmallows.
We look forward to seeing all the great costumes and if there are any parents that would like to come along to help with making and serving the hot chocolate please contact Adele on 0273484436. |
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Student to Parent Reporting Sessions ...after being cancelled because of Covid last year they are back...and it is all happening next week.
Next Wednesday 29th June we invite all parents to spend time with their child during class time who will share with them their work, progress, achievements and challenges over the last 2 terms. You just need to drop in to your child's class during one of these slots (9:30am-10:30am, 11:00am-12:30pm, 1:30pm-3:00pm) spend 20 or so minutes with each child with them showing and telling you about their learning and achievements etc.
Given the number of bugs and coughs and colds still hanging around we would prefer parents to wear masks as physical distancing may be a challenge. We would love to have you back in school meeting with your child and sharing their learning.
Written reports will be sent to you in the last week of the term (Thursday 7th July) and we encourage you to make an appointment via email to your child's teacher if you would also like a parent/teacher interview in the first week or so of term 3. We will not be setting up a formal appointment process.
Emergency Drills Every term we practice the emergency drills to be ready for a major event should one occur whilst children are at school. Last Wednesday, we held a lockdown drill which necessitates everyone in the school, whether that be students, staff or visitors, to move indoors and secure the buildings. I was very impressed with how quickly and calmly this occurred last week.
We practiced a fire evacuation drill today and that required, on the sounding of the evacuation alert, everyone on site to either assemble on the playing field (Pods 4-8) or down the hill by the dental clinic carpark (Pods 1-3). The rolls are taken and students wait there until the all clear is given. We can do these within 3 minutes which is pretty good.
The third drill is an earthquake drill which sees everyone drop and cover on a signal. We also take part in the Great Shake Up which is a drill done at the same time and on the same day across NZ in schools and businesses.
We not only practice these drills during class time but also at morning tea and lunchtime. Also remember these drills could happen shortly before and after the school bell as well.
It is important that if parents or visitors are in school (and we hope to see you all, more and more once the current illnesses and bugs abate), or come into school to drop off something to your child, whilst we are carrying out one of these drills, you follow the directions of staff at all times. We have had a parent disregard a request to not leave reception during a lockdown and instead wander off to put a lunch in a bag!
It is also crucial that parents do not come into school or do anything to compromise a situation if the real thing happens as well. With social media etc news spreads quickly and the last thing we need are more people flooding onto campus during an emergency event. We will make sure we communicate when it is safe and appropriate for parents to come on campus after a major event.
In light of that please find a link to the relevant policies on SchoolDocs: - Visit the website http://wanaka.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
- Enter the username (wanaka) and password (wanakaprimary).
If you have any queries or questions about our policies or procedures at any time please just get in touch.
SNOW / EOTC Programme - School Based This year we have 5 options in the School Based EOTC Programme that all children will move around over the 5 Snow/EOTC days next term. This is similar to what we used to do. We are keeping to the school campus as we need to watch our costs, and also not involve extra parent support as this proved challenging other years with parents having to work. Our minivans are also being used for some ski days which has also limited our transport. Children will move around in pod groups, we predict in groups of 26-30 and move to a different option each week, which will be lead by 2 or more of our teachers. The activities will be based on an outside the classroom theme, which means they are relevant to the winter environment and/or physically taken outside.
The options are:
1. Garden to Table/Enviro projects led by Jo Roberts, Marj Cosgrove and Debbie Kaye
2. Science projects led by Karina Sharpe and Robyn Blennerhassett
3. Physical Pursuits led by Charlotte Lawrie and David Fitzgerald
4, Environmental Art projects led by Kath Nicholson, Kylie Brown and Anna Speak
5. Digital Technology projects led by Katie Anderson and Anne Jenkins
Please note, if your children are unable to ski for one reason or another on a particular Thursday, they cannot just turn up to school - they will need to stay home. We have just enough staff at school to manage the school-based programme. If skiing is cancelled because of the weather, then so is the school based programme and it is school as usual for everyone. You will be notified of this situation by the School App, School Website and Radio Wānaka.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to get in touch with either Jason or Wendy.
NELPS In January 2023 the statement of National Education Goals (NEGs) and National Administration Guidelines (NAGs) will be replaced by the National Education and Learning Priorities (the NELPs). The NELPs are Statutory Documents issued under the Education and Training Act 2020. These are priorities Boards and schools must include when developing their charters, strategic plans ensuring strategic goals align with the NELP priorities. This is not new to us in schools, we are actioning them every day, but are now more emphatic as part of the Ministry's priorities.
The NELPs and their objectives are as follows:
1. Learners at the Centre - ensure places of learning are safe, inclusive and free from racism, discrimination and bullying
- have high aspirations for every learner and support these by partnering with their whānau and communities to design and deliver education that responds to their needs and sustains their identities, languages and cultures
2. Barrier Free Access - Reduce barriers to education for all including Māori and Pacific learners/ākonga, disabled learners/ākonga, and those with learning support needs
- Ensure every learner/ākonga gains foundation skills, including language, literacy and numeracy
3. Quality Teaching and Leadership - Meaningfully incorporate te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into the everyday life of the place of learning
- Develop staff to strengthen teaching, leadership and learner support capability across the education workforce
4. Future of Learning and Work - Learning that is relevant to the lives of New Zealanders today and throughout their lives - collaborate with industries and employers to ensure learners/ākonga have the skills, knowledge and pathways to succeed in work
5. World Class Inclusive Public Education - Enhance the contribution of research and mātauranga Māori in addressing local and global challenges
My thoughts  - Schools already have been working on these goals and there is nothing new here. It's all very well highlighting these when they are the basis of all we do...let's just hope that the Ministry now provide the proper staffing ratios and funding so that we can address the needs of all children. Schools need more teachers, teachers need more non-class time to work with children on a one to one basis or in small groups - that is what will make the difference to an already stretched public education system.
Attendance Rates Thanks to the many responsible parents who have contacted us to ask if they should keep children with snotty noses and lingering coughs home, as they are concerned with the amount of days their kids have had away from school. Yes...please do keep them home. Your children need to be fit and healthy to avoid catching other bugs and to make the most of learning at school. We know that for most children, attendance rates for the last 2 terms will be more than that of other years, due to the number of bugs going around. As usual, on the midyear reports coming out in the last week of term, we include your child's attendance statistics for you - please be aware these may look horrific, but for good reasons. This is not a normal year!
Hot Chocolate Tomorrow for Book Week and so we can STOP DROP and READ...YAY...Go the PTA Please send along a named cup to school tomorrow or Thursday morning so your child can enjoy a hot chocolate, whilst reading as part of our Book Week activities, 'Stop, Drop and Read'. This will be happening after the parade of all of our Book Characters about 10:15am. There is nothing I like better than a cuppa and a good book! Thanks PTA. |
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Star One Day School Community Meeting Tomorrow Night |
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Matariki Matariki: The Māori New Year
Matariki: Te Tau Hou Māori
Kua tae te wa. It is time. Matariki is a time to gather with family and friends to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future. The first public holiday to recognise
Te Ao Māori will be on Friday 24th June 2022.
Come and watch our Kapa haka group perform on Saturday 25th of June at 3:30pm as part of our local Matariki celebrations at the dinosaur park. |
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Garden to Table Bake Sale |
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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 take ownership of our learning and behaviour'. |
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Library News 
Ebooks and Audio Books The Wānaka Public Library has 2 fantastic Ebook Platforms which are highly recommended. All you need is a library membership which is free. Click on the image below to find out more and browse to see what is available: 
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Contact for our local Public Health Nurse Pip McLean is our local Public Health Nurse - should you wish to get in contact with Pip her contact details are: 03 440 4309 or 0272 839 395 or email Pip.McLean@southerndhb.govt.nz |
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Bedtime Stories at the Library |
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Hāwea Flat School Art Exhibition |
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Crafternoon - Kids Art and Craft Workshop |
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Aspiring Basketball Academy - Winter Camp |
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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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