IN THIS NEWSLETTER

IMPORTANT DATES

Term 1
Week 1
Harold and Pip from the Life Trust Mobile Classroom - all week
Thursday 6th February – Waitangi Day – School Closed
Friday 7th February – Registrations close for the Wānaka Primary School Triathlon
Week 2
Harold and Pip from the Life Trust Mobile Classroom - all week
Wednesday 12th February – Open afternoon for parents with Pip from the Life Trust Mobile Classroom to give you a glimpse of what she covers at school 3-3.30pm
Wednesday 12th February – PTA Meeting – 7pm School Staffroom
Friday 14th February – Wānaka Primary School Triathlon held in conjunction with the Puzzling World Junior Challenge Triathlon (info below)
Week 3
Wednesday 19th February – Waste Free Wānaka Show in the Hall – 1.30pm
Thursday 20th February – Welcome Back to School Picnic – 5-7pm
Week 4
Pod 8 Swim Week
Monday 24th February – BOT Meeting – 5pm School Staffroom
Friday 28th February – El Gregoe Performance 9.15am and 11.15am
Friday 28th February – Pod 5 Assembly – 2.15pm – School Hall

IMPORTANT NOTICES

Teacher Only Days – Term 1 and 2

Term 1 – Monday 16th March
Term 2 – Monday 18th May

As part of the primary teacher’s award, four Teacher Only Days have been allocated to schools to use for curriculum development purposes. These Teacher Only Days do not have to be made up over the year but are taken off the required number of days schools should be open.

Term 1 Teacher Only Day is on Monday 16th March. This is a day for teachers to work with facilitators from CORE education on New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL). School is closed for instruction so please arrange alternative arrangements for your children.

Term 2 Teacher Only Day is Monday 18th May. We will be working on Play is the Way with guru Wilson McAskill. His workshops are part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L). School is closed for instruction so please plan for this day as well.

We will inform you re a date for the Term 3 and 4 Teacher Only Days as soon as we have confirmed the presenters and content of these days.

School Activity Fee

2020 Annual School Activity Fee

The annual activity fee is $40.00 per child for 2020. This is a compulsory fee which covers extra-curricular costs, such as those incurred by bringing visiting performers/specialists to Wānaka, for example, sports coaching, dance/music/drama performances and special events. Collecting this annual fee avoids the time-consuming exercise of collecting 600 plus entry fees each time there is a performance or activity. The $40.00 payment is required by Wednesday 26th February 2020. Please make your payment as soon as possible, as our first performance is on Friday 28th February, with El Gregoe performing a comical performance getting the message across about our values using laughter and magic. We would appreciate school fees being paid BEFORE this date so all children can benefit from this performance.

Payments can be made by:
Direct credit to Wānaka Primary School - account 02-0673-0023784-001
Eftpos - available at the school office
Cheque - please make payable to Wānaka Primary School
Cash - please ensure you provide your child's name and room number with payment.

School Donations for 2020

This year, the government has introduced a new donations scheme – the initiative will see decile 1 – 7 schools receive their additional funding in January 2020, alongside their regular operational funding, if the Boards agree not to ask parents and caregivers to pay donations. Unfortunately, as a decile 10 school, Wānaka Primary School does not qualify for this funding and this has increased the reliance on receiving a donation from parents to adequately staff and resource the school, so please consider donating this year.

The suggested school donation is $150.00. The BOT requests the donation annually to assist with costs (not covered by the MOE operations grant), these include providing specialist teaching tutors (eg. Maori and Music), extra resources and teaching / learning enrichment and extension programmes, as well as employing extra staff to address teacher / student ratios.

Tax deductible receipts are issued for all donations.

Bus Standing Orders

Thank you to the parents who have updated their children’s bus standing orders.

For those that still need to update their children’s bus standing order please contact the office as soon as possible.

Wānaka Primary School Triathlon – Friday 14th February

The Wānaka Primary School Triathlon is going to be held in conjunction with the Puzzling World Junior Challenge Triathlon. This event will provide a fun and safe opportunity for all Wānaka Primary School students to challenge and compete individually against their peers in a fun and safe environment.

Swim in Lake Wānaka (years 4, 5 and 6 competitors), bike ride along the Wānaka lake front and run around Pembroke Park onto the red carpet and through the Challenge Wānaka finish chute!

A simple and achievable duathlon format will be offered for the Year 1, 2 and 3 students.
Age Group Run Bike Run
Year 1 250m 1km 250m
Year 2 250m 1km 250m
Year 3 250m 3km 1km (1 lap)

For Years 4, 5 and 6 all students will have the opportunity to compete in a triathlon.
Age Group Swim Bike Run
Year 4 50m 3km (3 laps) 1km (1 lap)
Year 5 100m 3km (3 laps) 1km (1 lap)
Year 6 200m 3km (3 laps) 2km (2 laps)

Registration:

Registration is FREE and will be confirmed when you complete the Google form (click here) and give permission for your child to participate in the duathlon/triathlon. Your child must be registered by this Friday 7th February. A registration pack will be provided to the school for each registered child and distributed by the classroom teacher a few days before the event.

If you decide to keep your child down at the event, or take them home after their race, you must sign them out with a Wānaka Primary School teacher.

Please ensure your child has sunblock, food, and a water bottle.

For Race Information please refer to the Puzzling World Junior Challenge Race Manual – CLICK HERE

For Course Map Click Here

Parents
This is a fantastic opportunity for all Wānaka Primary School students to participate in a fun and exciting duathlon or triathlon. It would be great to see as many parents/caregivers down at Pembroke Park to support and cheer on the students.

Please note no parents are allowed in the transition area. There will be marshals (in orange vests) inside the transition area to support children to locate their bikes and prepare for the bike or run leg of the course.

Volunteers
Also, parents if you can volunteer to assist with the event please contact Sally Currie - sally@challenge-wanaka.com.

CURRICULUM COMMENT

Welcome Back

Welcome back to school everyone.

It was great to catch up with new families at the PTA morning tea yesterday and to wander around and welcome back those returning. We have had an amazing start to the week with students glad to be back and staff excited about the year ahead. Over the next two weeks we have students working in Year levels on a variety of activities. We welcome Pip and Harold from the Heartland Trust mobile classroom who will be working with our students on building resilience, getting on with others, filling others' buckets and coping with change and conflict as part of our health and PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) programmes. Other experiences will be around Jump Jam, Triathlon prep, Run, Jump and Throw skills in readiness for our upcoming athletics events, Waitangi Day, Science work around Sunsafe, digitech and coding, as well as literacy and maths which are always embedded in learning experiences.

By the end of week 2 we will be working on class/homeroom groupings ready for classrooms to kick off on Monday 17th February. There will be an email going home to year 5 and 6 students re options with Pod 8 (Year 5 & 6), Pod 7 (Year 6) and Pod 6 (Year 5).

Next week, Wednesday 12th February 3.00-3.30pm, Pip from the Heartland Trust mobile classroom will have an open afternoon for any parents who would like to have a glimpse of what she covers in the mobile classroom over the two weeks she is with us here at school.

Holiday Happenings at School

A busy time was had over the holidays:

We have tar sealed behind the hall to tidy up this area - thanks to Kane Duncan for getting us a great deal to have this done.
Our two new minibuses have arrived and will be sign written over the next week or so.
A garage for the minibuses is being constructed between Pod 8 and the caretakers shed.
We have received funding from the Central Lakes Trust to supplement school fundraising (Fun Run), along with the PTA and Board funding to develop our Pod 8 Playscape. Irrigation will be installed in the hill area behind Pod 8, before the end of term, so we can plant our orchard and sanctuary area.
The ball wall in front of Pod 8 will be completed this week - watch out for seating, shade cloth, reading huts, outdoor chess area, etc that will be part of the Pod 8 Playscape developments over the next few months.
We have also applied to the Ministry of Education's sustainability fund to install solar panels on each of our pods. Because of funding limitations, we were unable to do this when we first built the school nearly ten years ago so fingers crossed we get the funding to at least start installing solar panels.

Welcome Back to School Picnic

Thursday 20th February 5-7pm

Our welcome back to school picnic is great way to start off the year. We invite all parents and students along dressed in tribe colours to enjoy some activities and a picnic. Activities will be planned as follows:

5.00pm: The staff and Kapahaka group will welcome everyone with a powhiri. Families are asked to gather by the hall where you will be met and led into the school.
5.15pm: Families will be invited to set up an area for a BYO picnic tea, or take-aways, whichever suits best.
5.30pm: JUMP OFF - we will have students in year levels show off the Jump Jam routines they have been working on. Families can eat their picnics whilst these are being performed.
6.00pm: Families will then be invited to join us for some games and activities such as t-ball, softball, parachute activities, fitness trail, playgrounds, etc. It will be fun.
Parents can also visit pods and meet the teachers and have a look around the rooms.

We look forward to having a fabulous turn out and celebration of the start of another year at Wānaka Primary School.

School Band

The School Band practices start next week. To those continuing from last year, please make sure you bring your instruments to school on Wednesday 12th February. For any students who would like to trial for the school band, please also ensure you bring your instruments to school on Wednesday 12th February so Pete and Helen can get organised. School music will start once pods have set their timetables, etc.

Kapahaka

Both the junior and senior Kapahaka groups will start next week. If you could remind your child to come along to the school hall on Tuesday 11th February at 12 midday for the senior group and 1-30pm for the junior group. We will put out a call over the speaker system to remind teachers to send children, but as a backup if you are keen to have your child take part please let the teachers in your child's Pod know.

Sunhats are Compulsory in Term 1

This term, SUNHATS are compulsory for any outside activities. Please also ensure you provide a water bottle for your child and we will prompt children to apply sunscreen if provided by parents.

SCHOOL NOTICES

Annual Kids Day Out Variety Show

Wednesday 19th February at the Lake Wānaka Centre, 6pm start. A special sponsored performance for children with additional needs, and their families, to enjoy. Check out info about the show by visiting www.kidsdayout.co.nz, and contact Leah, our SENCO (senco@wanaka.school.nz or 443 7687), if you would like to be allocated with free-of-charge tickets.

PTA NOTICES