Term 1

Week 11

14 April 2024

Kia ora, EBIS Whānau

Term one done and dusted, and what a term it was.

This message is all about recognising the contributions of a wide range of people whom make important contributions to different aspects of what makes Evans Bay Intermediate School a great place for learning and thriving.

A huge thank you to those attached to sports teams. Whether it is as a coach, manager, or supporter all our teams are powered to success due to your dedication, support and hard work. A special mention to Riley Barrett, Pete Soldini and Adam Hart for their support coordination. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes in what is often a thankless role.

Equally we have to thank and acknowledge those family members who have supported us on outings. Even something as small as picking students up from the venue is a massive help and we are grateful for this.

There are a couple of staff groups we’d like to acknowledge the first is the wider support staff. These people have a huge impact whether it is greeting arrivals at the office (Sonia), keeping on top of property issue (Alan), handling the finances (Noralyne) or keeping the grounds looking spectacular (Paul). We are deeply appreciative.

The second group is our amazing group of Kaiāwhina Kaiako: Ezra, Vic, Jesse, Haley, Bere and Sue. The enthusiasm and passion you each demonstrate in your roles has a huge impact on the lives and learning experiences of the students with whom you work.

Over the last term there has been a lot of work put into organising our term two camps at El Racho in Waikanae. In the next week there will be an email sent to all families regarding camp. This will include details of the cost, programme and expectations. Payments will be loaded on Kindo ready for the start of term two.

Finally thank you to all the students for their efforts this term. Take the time to recharge the batteries over the next fortnight. You deserve a break.

Ngā mihi

EBIS staff

School News

Behaviour

Throughout the term we have updated the community on what types of behaviours are on top. This has come with some wonderful feedback, and made it a lot easier for our staff to work with the students to make positive changes, knowing that your support is there at home.

The latest update to round out Term 1 is an observation that many of us have noticed over the last few weeks. However, there is the potential for this to change later in the year if we don't have the necessary discussions now based on the second part outlined below.

Firstly, we have noticed an increase in the number of students talking about the idea of boyfriends and girlfriends, discussing who is dating whom and who likes who. As far as we are aware, no student has been intentionally hurt by this behaviour, but there have been some that have become upset when relationships change, or the idea of someone not "liking" an individual has been misinterpreted. With this behaviour, we are simply asking if families can check in with their children where required. Many students won't have a clue about this, or are not impacted negatively. However, it is an excellent opportunity to discuss what the word relationship means and what constitutes a healthy friendship.

The second behaviour is the very small percentage of the above that has taken quite a negative turn. In very isolated circumstances, the discussions around relationships and students liking each other has touched on some very concerning language. There have been hints at overly sexualised ideas which raises concerns over where this is coming from. Staff have been very quick to shut these conversations down, but we are aware that some students have been quite shocked by these ideas and the language used.

The only thing that we recommend at this stage with the second point is that families discuss their digital expectations together at home. A lot of this language and the ideas are coming from digital content. Some students may be accessing this themselves, but a lot of it may have been shared with them through different Social Media applications. The problem here is that many students might be getting this material sent to them without any request for it or no idea who it is coming from, both direct messaging or in group chats.

Protecting our ākonga is the most important role for us as a school. Only within a safe environment can we hope for our students to achieve their full potential as learners and individuals. Social Media is a difficult space which we have very limited control over. Only by monitoring this at home with systems and routines in place can we hope to work together in this digital age.

For this reason, we have again attached the Social Media Support slides for families who require help in managing, blocking, reporting and deleting content across the main applications. The other space to watch out for is Discord which is not included in these slides, but we are seeking more support from Netsafe to pass on to you as a community.

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and the students all enjoy their two week break.

Parent Support on Social Media.pdf

Ms Ryan

The bad news is Ms Ryan’s leaving.

The good news is the reason, and she plans on being back at EBIS in 2025!

The end of Term 1, also represents the start of Ms Ryan’s maternity leave. While everyone is hugely excited for her, we will miss her over the upcoming three terms.

Everyday she makes an immense impact on the school through her work as Uru team leader, Teacher responsible for PB4L (Positive Behaviour 4 Learning) and the day to day support she offers to both students and staff.

It’s exciting to know that sometime in March the EBIS Whānau grows a little bit bigger and we’re all looking forward to meeting her new arrival at some point in the near future.

He kākano ahau i ruia mai i Rangiātea

I am a seed which was sewn in the heavens of Rangiatea

Maths Madness

On June 20 EBIS will be hosting our second Maths Madness event for Year 5 to 8 students in the Eastern Suburbs, with the possibility of guest teams attending as well.

Last year we filled the library with teams and eager supporters, and this year we’re aiming bigger with the aim to be to fill the hall.

Early in term 2 we will be running internal trials for our school teams while event information is being sent out to our local schools.

To help us make this event a special occasion for all competitors we are looking for sponsorship.

We’ll ensure your brand gets the maximum exposure we can generate through this event and you’ll be connected to positive mathematics learning experiences for the students of not just Evans Bay Intermediate, but other local schools.

If you are interested in offering sponsorship for this event please contact Howard on hyoung@ebis.school.nz

40 Hour Challenge

40 hr challenge sign up steps.pdf

Sport at EBIS

You can find information on all sports offered at EBIS at https://www.ebis.school.nz/sport-at-ebis

WRISSA Sevens

Please take a look at the EBIS calendar for upcoming events and click on the below button for the EBIS facebook and instagram page.

https://www.facebook.com/ebis.school.nz

https://www.instagram.com/evansbay_int/

Community Links

In the Wings: Afterschool Drama classes for students 10-14 years old (*will consider students outside this age so please enquire), Wednesday, 4-5pm, Hataitai Centre. Term 2 classes start on the 1st May. Free trials available.

Email katie@inthewings.co.nz or check out www.inthewings.co.nz

We know that there are many reasons why a boy might not have his father in his life and this absence can strongly impact them. Research shows that boys growing up without a male role model are more likely to struggle with anxiety, feelings of abandonment and reduced emotional security. Sadly, this can lead to mental health and behavioural issues.

Big Buddy doesn’t wait for boys to become statistics, we focus on prevention and work on the simple philosophy that all boys develop more courage and confidence when they have a positive male role model. Big Buddy can provide that.

Big Buddy makes a positive difference to boys without a dad in their lives. We do this by matching volunteers, good guys from the community, with boys aged between 7 and 14. The Big Buddy relationship offers friendship, support and a good male role model. Big Buddies turn up, spend time with their Little Buddy and come back again and again, it's simple and it works.

We’re looking for new Little Buddies now.

We have several trusted Big Buddies available in your community now and we are keen to match them to boys who could benefit from a positive male role model.

We are able to support boys who:

Are 7-14 years old
Have no contact with their natural father, or other significant males
Have no significant mental/emotional/physical health issues

If you or any of your staff are aware of any female caregivers who may be interested in this support for their boy please let them know about Big Buddy and direct them to our website bigbuddy.org.nz Thank you for taking the time to think about how Big Buddy can help your community.