Principal's News Term 3, Week 9, 2020

Teacher Only Days - Important Information

A couple of our expected teacher only days have not happened this year due to Covid restrictions.  We have two teacher only days in Term 4:

Monday 12th October 

(first day of term 4 - this was advertised at the start of the year), and

Monday 16th November.

School will be closed on both of these days.

Staff versus Students Netball Match

Next Tuesday 22 September at 2.15 pm we will be having our annual staff versus students netball game.  The staff and students will be competing for the largest trophy in the school.  This is the day we will celebrate Daffodil Day and we will be having a MUFTI day where students can wear YELLOW (a variation modelled here by Pippa) and bring a gold coin donation.  The donations will go towards Cancer support in North Otago.

Science

Well done to our students who are excelling in science.  Each year we do a science test which is normed against the rest of the country.  Over the past four years the percentage of our students who are at or above the norm has steadily risen.  In 2017, 76% of our students were at or above the norm and this year 90% of them are at or above.

We have put in place extra learning systems around our English Language Learners and in 2018 none of our English Language Learners achieved at or above the norm.  Last year it was 67% and this year it is 88% of our English Language Learners who are now at or above the norm in science.  

Well done to our students, teachers and learning support staff.

National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement 

We welcome visitors from the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement.  They have been working with our year 4 and 8 students this week and investigating their learning in Te Reo Maori and the Arts.  This information is used to inform national expectations of student achievement.  The teachers have remarked on how respectful, attentive and responsive our children have been.

Leah, Xiao Hui, Eva and Michael made a piece of music inspired by the composer Andrew Huang.  

Junior Swimming

Junior swimming will be happening next week on Wednesday and Thursday next week.  Children may come wearing PE kit on that day and bring togs, towel and goggles (if they have goggles).

Kiwi Class year 4's have already done swimming and activities are organised for them at school next week.

Our Year 8's leading the Gospel with Kakapo Class:

A humorous piece of persuasive writing

This piece of unedited writing needs to be read in a spirit of humour.  It is by Lachlan in year 8:

God Bless and Aroha

Lorraine Frances-Rees