Week 7 NEWSLETTER

Half a day a term more release sounds good...but is it? So 2.5 hours - spread over 10 weeks. 15 minutes a week - or 3 minutes a day - what possible difference will that make? This now gives teachers the equivalent of 1 hour and 15mins a week release (compared to a day, or 5 hours a week, release for secondary teachers). The offer also effectively removes pay parity with secondary teachers...the very thing the last set of teacher strikes in the early 1990’s was over. Basically, primary teachers will fall close to 4% behind their secondary colleagues in terms of pay. And, perhaps the last bit of salt in the wound, teachers are being offered a one-time payment of $500 which doesn’t even cover the two days of strike action (in comparison it is reported that secondary teachers got offered $1000). I’m not looking to compare us to secondary as that isn’t healthy...we are one profession...but I can’t help feeling that the MOE is trying a clever divide and conquer technique here.

The offer also includes nothing to provide support for our students with very high and complex needs. The level of support is pitiful - hard to get - and often gets taken away. Those students and their families get nothing from this offer - no time for teachers to plan, meet with caregivers, complete PLD - or spend extra time with those children.

So what next? Who knows to be honest, but I do know that many teachers feel like this latest offer is a bit of a kick in the guts. It is disheartening, and a general sense of being undervalued by our government is a common theme. We do appreciate the support that you have given, I’ve had many conversations now on road patrol, at sports, or afterschool during pickup where parents have expressed that they back us.

Whatever comes of our Union Meeting in a few weeks (where we get to accept or reject the offer), and despite what may be portrayed in the media, please know that we want the very best for our children, your kids, the system as a whole and for the profession.

Paid Union Meeting - Students home 12.30pm Thursday 21st March - Thanks for your support

School Donations

Great response over the last few weeks with payments of donations. Any child fully or partially paid up by Thursday next week will be in the draw for one of 3 $20 Warehouse vouchers. The school is super appreciative of the financial support from parents, and the money is put to good use. As an example...the children have had a great 6 weeks worth of swimming in the pool, and got to show off their skills last week in our swimming sports/demonstrations. In the lead up part of the electronic testing, controls broke and needed to be replaced...over $1000 to get the new part to keep the pool running. Ministry money doesn’t allow for that kind of unexpected expensive repair, but money coming in through your kind donations mean that we ordered and replaced the part right away to keep kids in the pool enjoying themselves.

Donations are set for the year at $50 per child ($12.50 a term) and can be paid to the office by eftpos, cash or cheque or through internet banking at 030 687 0310653 00

Book Fair & Book Character Day

Last chance today and tomorrow to grab yourself a bargain at the book fair. It has been a busy place in our library, so awesome to see the kids excited about books. The school receives rewards from Scholastic based on sales..so we are able to buy books for our own library. Thanks again.

Looking forward to seeing everyone dressed up on Friday as their favourite book character...no doubt a few Hermione’s, Harry Potters, Tintin’s, Red Riding Hoods, wolves and witches will be prowling the school!

Tomorrows Schools Meeting

I wrote a bout this a fortnight ago...very quickly, the government’s independent taskforce has a set of 8 recommendations to change how schools are governed and run.

• This article captures some of the Pro’s and Con’s and it is worth a read to inform yourself.
• Information from the Ministry/Government can be found here (the video is excellent)
• A summary of the 8 key issues is here
• Have your Say, share your thoughts, be a part of the change...click the link to take the survey

Reminder that you can have your say in person tonight. The link to register is here

Movin’March 2019

This week and next we would like you and your family/ whānau to accept the challenge of active travel to school come rain or shine!

The Movin’March team have sent us a stack of WOW (walk or wheel) passport cards which we will stamp each day your tamariki walk or wheel to OR from school.

Students will be given a Walk or Wheel Passport Card on Friday that can be stamped when they Walk or Wheel to school from home or from one of our Travel Pou.

These will be stamped at the pedestrian crossing on Pownall St, the Kiwi crossing on Cole St if students have Walked or Wheeled from the Travel Pou and at the School Pou inside the gate by the hall if they have Walked or Wheeled from home.

There will be a box in the Office Foyer to post completed passports and a second passport may be collected from your home class teacher.

All entries will go in the draw to win one of six $300 AVANTI vouchers. The school with the highest percentage of walk or wheel trips in each district will win a $100 Prezzy card – so help us take out the district prize by encouraging your kids to walk or wheel to school!

Parents

On your way to work instead of dropping your tamariki/ children outside school, drop them at one of the Travel Pou or marker posts.

There are three. They can be found beside the new red brick wall in Cole St, “The Crossing” in Essex St and next to Douglas Park Grounds in Essex St.

Arrange to meet your child at the pou after school.

This will give children opportunities to

· Gain agency or independence

· Assess risk

· Make decisions

· Gain confidence

· Improve Physical fitness

· Gain a sense of community by travelling with their school mates.

On Thursday 21st March we will celebrate Movin’March with……

“Fancy Wheels Fancy Feet”

A chance to dress up their wheels and feet and show them off in a “Grand Parade”.

Student Art Challenge

Our students will be participating in the Movin’March Art Challenge! A street scene template of Jack the Kākā’s journey to school has been designed for our tamariki to colour in – there’s also space to get extra creative by adding in elements of their own journey to school. Vouchers & Prezzy cards are up for grabs. Full details are here.

Parents also win

Snap a photo of your family’s journey to school during Movin’March and win. It might highlight a small adventure or wonder discovered along the way, or simply capture a moment in your journey. Post your photo publicly on Facebook or Instagram with #movinmarch. All entries will go in the daily draw to win a family pass to a fun destination in the Wellington region. T&C’s are here.

Once upon a time there was a black wolf. It lived in a dark cave. It’s special talent is silence. The problem was he could not defeat a tiger. He feels sad and angry. So he made a pack and defeated the tiger.

By Lachie B.

Once upon a time there was a red fox. It lived in a gigantic dark cave. It has sharp claws to climb big trees and it couldn’t get down. It was feeling scared. A cherry picker came to rescue it.

By Connor

Once upon a time there was a soft grey koala. My koala lives in a hot burning house. It can do a backflip when it wants to get off the tree. The koala ate too much, it got so fat. The koala was feeling so, so, yucky in his tummy.

The koala did not eat for one hundred days even though it was hungry. So then it went back to skinny again.

By Julie

Once upon a time there was a very tall giraffe. She lived in a unique forest. She was great at spotting danger from miles away, for her family.

One day she was distracted and thought the family had died from danger. She was so sad that she had no family. But she thought wrong. They just got lost and she found them again.

By Madi L

Once upon a time there was a gigantic megalodon. It lived in an underwater cave under Australia by the Atlantic Ocean.

The megalodon can rip and bite whales in half. But it had no mum and dad. The megalodon was so, so sad. But the megalodon found his parents. After that the megalodon bit and ripped and ate a blue whale.

By Ashton

Once upon a time there was a white tiger. It lived in the frosty blue Arctic. It can run so fast it can run on water. The ice shifted into the Pacific. . It got frightened. It moved to a bigger frosty blue chryslel Antarctica.

By Amelia

Once upon a time there was a huge white tiger. She lived in a lovely green paddock. She could roar really loud. People kept on cutting down the apple trees. The white tiger felt hungry, so, the white tiger scared everyone away.

By Sylvie

REGISTER HERE: www.funrun.plunket.org.nz