Term 3 Week 1 Dance Week with Dance Curriculum Week 2 Monday 1st August - PTA Welcome Morning Tea - Hall Wednesday 3rd August - PTA Meeting - Online - 7pm Week 3 Thursday 11th August - EOTC/Ski Day 1 Week 4 Monday 15th August - Board of Trustees Meeting Thursday 18th August - EOTC/Ski Day 2 Week 5 Thursday 25th August - EOTC/Ski Day 3 Week 6 Thursday 1st September - EOTC/Ski Day 4 Week 7 Thursday 8th September - EOTC/Ski Day 5 Week 8 Monday 12th September - Board of Trustees Meeting Tuesday 13th September - UC Cross Country Thursday 15th September - EOTC/Ski Postponement Day Week 9 Pod 5 Swimming Lessons Week 10 Pod 4 Swimming Lessons
IMPORTANT NOTICES
Scholastic Orders
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 on Wednesday 10th August.
CURRICULUM COMMENT
Welcome To Our New Arrivals
We would like to welcome the 16 new entrants, and 24 other new enrolments. This brings our school roll to 557.
The PTA warmly invite all new mums and dads (and of course any other school parents who would like to join in the welcome) to a welcome cuppa and cake from 8:30am on Monday 1st August in the hall.
Attendance and Lateness
At the moment we are reviewing attendance percentages and analysing absences as nationwide there are huge concerns about the attendance rates of some children. With so much illness, and now families connecting with whanau (often incurring overseas trips) and the ski season in full flow, we urge you to look at your own child's attendance rates recorded on their end of term 2 report sent home. If your child's attendance is below 85% (the national expectation for regular attendance is 90% i.e. 9 weeks out of 10 each term) then please try and have them at school as much as possible except when they are unwell. We notice also this term a lot of lateness with students arriving in the morning. Please have children here well before the 8:55am bell. Lateness is required to be recorded on our attendance system.
Masks, Physical Distancing
Well done to the 99% of children (and of course their mums and dads) who turned up wearing masks and supporting our bid to minimise any bugs that may be floating around. Teachers talked with children about why the decision has been made about wearing masks, and using mask wearing when working up close to others and to use physical distancing when masks are not being worn. Children were happy to be back and school and not worried at all about wearing masks. Many reported feeling safer with having the majority wearing masks again.
We had 10 classes with 100% of children wearing masks and only 1 or 2 in the other 9 classes not wearing a mask. The 1 or 2 children not wearing masks showed that they could use physical distancing today as an alternative safety measure.
We appreciate that parents have their own reasons for not wanting their children to wear masks when working in close contact situations at school. Despite what you hear on the media there is no way we would 'punish' a child for not wearing a mask. We all have to learn and live together despite people's different thinking around issues, and respect these.
I would however like to remind you that if a child says 'I don't want to' that is not a valid reason. There are many things that children may not want to do, but when working and living with others in a community such as a school, there are things they need to do for the good of themselves and others. Please don't leave decisions about issues such as mask wearing or other health and wellbeing, or moral decisions to children - sometimes they need to be guided or in fact required to follow the guidance of you the parents. Please don't offer us the reason 'if my child doesn't want to wear a mask they shouldn't have to'. That makes me think of 'if my child doesn't want to behave at school they shouldn't have to'. Actually, they do.
We can tell by the amazing turn out of mask wearing learners that most of you support mask wearing so that we can minimise infections from a variety of bugs. We are making sure that children do have many times where they can work away from others inside and lower their mask. In dance today for example, whilst listening to Mark the dance teacher, children sat with their masks on, but when up dancing and not up close to each other, they lowered their masks. If they preferred to leave them on, that was okay too. Mark was relieved to see the children with masks on or physical distancing as he felt safer working within the school as well. He danced and talked to the children with his mask on most of the time, but when instructing from up the front lowered his mask so he could be heard, just like our teachers do.
Dance Performance - This Friday 29th July
We have worked out a way we can invite parents along to our performances on Friday, ensuring we are not all crammed together as in other years, as we always want to accommodate anyone who wants to come.
We will have 3 dance performance sessions instead of the 2:
Please could parents move into the hall for their child's sessions only and move out for any session their child is not involved in to allow other parents room to move in. Please be there on time as sessions will start promptly and we don't want you to miss out. PLEASE WEAR MASKS if you are intending to watch from inside the hall. If you are not going to wear a mask please use physical distancing and watch from outside of the hall.
We do want activities planned this term to happen and so we would appreciate you following the mask wearing/physical distancing protocols as well and please do not come to watch if you have any symptoms or feel unwell.
I know the children are very excited about their work in dance this week and are looking forward to performing for you.
Irrigation and Landscaping Upgrade Has Begun
Dave Spedding and his amazing team of workers have been as busy as bees around the staff carpark area removing all the sprawly and half dead looking plantings, removing the old irrigation system which has never worked properly, brought in some new topsoil and have now planted much more sensible plants in this area and it looks great!
Next Dave will be upgrading the entranceway areas around the hall, and leading up to Koru Way and the courtyard and areas away from the pods will be worked on as well.
The gardens around the admin block and pods will have their irrigation and landscaping done after the recladding and makerspaces are completed. At this stage Pods 2 and 6 will be reclad and the makerspaces added on in term 4, the admin block over the Xmas break, Pods 1 and 3 in Term 1, 2023 and Pods 4 and 5 in term 2, 2023.
We hope to have all of the irrigation and landscaping project completed by the end of term 3, 2023. Our school will look brand new all over again.
Garden To Table Developments
We have applied to 4 different funders for funding support to build our garden site facilities and also our kitchen area (in one of the Board owned classrooms above Pod 3) and so far 2 have confirmed their funding which means we are now starting this with the purchase of tunnel houses, compost bins, erection of a fence and gate to protect the area.
We aim to have the whole development completed by the end of the year. So keep an eye on the space behind Pod 3 - it is a very exciting project led by Jo Roberts and Debbie Kaye.
Pirate Ship
Look at our completely refurbished and amazing looking pirate ship playground. +
SCHOOL NOTICES
Garden To Table
Do you want to be a part of establishing the school “Garden To Table” area?
Help is needed with weeding, donating plants, planting, and building garden structures.
Exciting news: our school application for funding from the QLDC to reduce waste was successful. This will enable us to purchase a carbon neutral compost system and a large worm farm composting system.
Pod 8 Bake Sale
Pod 8 would like to thank all the children who supported their bake sale in the last week of term 2. They raised over $500.
WPS Snow Sports School Programme - Term 3
Dates:
11th August
18th August
25th August
1st September
8th September
Weather day: 15th September
Programme options are:
Five Day Ski Programme at either TC or Cardrona
Treble Cone for Intermediate and Advanced Lessons ONLY
One day ski experience at Cardrona and four days in the School Programme
For further information about the snow programmes please visit our WPS webpage.
If you are not involved in the Snow Sports School Programme you will be placed in the At School Programme.
LIBRARY NEWS
Library News
Click here to view our wonderful Library Webapp. Feel free toemail Melissa at any time if you have any questions.
Welcome back "Readers"
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I read some grown up books for a change but I assure you I will be back to reading kids books this week
I will be using the EOTC days to do a makeover of our school library webapp (link above) and will be including recommended reading lists.
I welcome parents to come into our amazing library space which is well supported by Wendy and the Board of Trustees. I am here to help assist with your children's "reading for pleasure " needs.
I am not a teacher that teaches your child to read, I am a librarian who is here to nurture your child's love of reading. And I have a book for every child.
PTA NOTICES
PTA Meeting - Next Wednesday 7pm
Our next PTA meeting will be Wednesday 3rd August at 7pm online. If anyone is interested in joining please email Adele on pta@wanaka.school.nz and a link will be sent.
Welcome Morning Tea
The PTA Committee would like to welcome new and existing families to come and join us for a hot drink and some sweet treats on Monday morning the 1st of August in the school hall from 8:30am. If you are new to the area this can be a great way to meet some fellow WPS parents!
KEEPING HEALTHY
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
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Aspiring Young Musicians
"Get Your Zen On"
Dance Out Loud
Dance Wanaka
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Snow Farm Academy
Irrespective of age and ability, we have the program for you and your family:)
We have made some changes to our Snow Farm Academy program this year. Our Blue and Green groups are kicking off this Sunday!! If your children are keen, please follow the link below to book.
for beginners (but all levels welcome) For adults & children (aged 7+)
Join Jo Jago for a relaxed watercolour painting workshop where fun & relaxation is the main aim. You will create several greeting cards for to take home & you'll be surprised at what you can achieve after just one workshop.
LOCALS SUPPORTING LOCALS - Jo will make a $10 donation to the school for every ticket you purchase, just type Wanaka Primary School into "Special instructions for seller" when checking out.
Whanau Awhina Plunket Babysitting Course
Plunket Education in Schools’ Babysitting Course is available for teenagers all over Aotearoa.
This course is designed to give high school students the knowledge and skills to babysit children of all ages. It's written for first time babysitters; students don't need to have previous experience to enrol.
The course is ideal for students aged 14 and above and takes around 2-3 hours to complete.
Students work through nine sequential modules and on completion of the course and the final quiz will receive a certificate certified by Whanau Awhina Plunket to show employers that they have completed this course and are ready to babysit. As well as the certificate the students are sent a Babysitter's Manual that supports all the information they have learned in the course.
During the course the following topics are covered: • the role of the babysitter, including the expectations of the families you are working for • ages and stages of children from birth to school age, their basic needs and their care • professional behaviour including your presentation • how to engage with children of different ages, including activities for each age group and behavioural information • safety, including emergency situations, keeping yourself and the children safe, and basic first aid • how to get a babysitting job.
This course is presented using videos, quizzes and activities which are fun as well as informative. Click here for more information or to sign up or use the QR code below to go to our registration page.
Delicious, nutritious and popular with kids, Subway delivers school lunches every Friday. Order online at subwayexpress.co.nz by 9am.
