Principal's Message
Kia Ora
Look at the vibrant self portraits from Room
19 below! I just love kids’ artwork; creativity like this stretches the brain, develops fine motor skills and produces positive endorphins. Check out the Kiwi collages later in this newsletter too!
With the weather getting colder and colder, the cold and flu season is upon us. Due to strict Covid rules last year, most schools had the healthiest year ever. This was because parents and caregivers were vigilant in keeping sick kids at home, whether they had a cold, cough, sore throat, runny nose or upset tummy. We ask that this practice continues this winter too so that the students and staff attending school stay as healthy as possible.
I know kids don’t tend to feel the cold as much, but I also encourage parents to ensure children are dressed appropriately for the weather conditions. At the very least students should have warm items in their school bags to put on if a southerly develops. Students are also welcome to bring a pair of slippers to school to keep their toes toasty.
Keep well everyone!
Ngā mihi,
Jess Ward – Tumuaki ~ Principal
PS – Best of luck to all our Interschool Cross Country runners this week. You’ve got this! Me karawhiu!
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
Rabhya – Rm 11
Online Reporting at PBS
NB: Further to last week’s blurb on reporting (repeated below) the @Schoolapp has just changed its name to @school Mobile.
Over the last two years PBS has been gradually moving to online reporting. We are now ready to move away from paper reports, twice a year, altogether. From now on you will be able to access your child’s learning via “Spotlight” if your child is in Years 3 – 8 and via “SeeSaw” if your child is in Years 0 – 2.
What we need parents to do: We require every parent to register for the @Schoolapp (now called @school Mobile on the App Store) regardless of the age of your child. Although the Spotlight portal is accessed through the @Schoolapp so are many other functions we would like parents to be aware of e.g. checking your child’s attendance, checking how often your child visits the medical room and general notices. It’s highly likely that we will use this app to replace Skool Loop from 2022 onwards. So please make sure you have downloaded this app and click ‘notifications’. If you have attended one of our parent education evenings on this tool you will have a better understanding of how this portal works.
What will parents see?: Online reporting, via Spotlight and Seesaw, gives parents the opportunity to log in and view their child’s progress and evidence of their learning at any time during the school year. Throughout the year teachers will upload progress on your child’s reading, writing and maths (termly), as well as general comments on learning, attitude and behaviour (in Terms 2 and 4).
When you are viewing curriculum comments about your child, via these portals, you will notice a reference to the NZ Curriculum level your child is working at, at the beginning of the comment.
For example EL1 = Early Level 1, L1 =Level 1, EL2 = Early Level 2, L2 = Level 2 and so on.
NB: Typically students in Years 0-2 are working at NZ Curriculum Level 1, Years 3-4 students are working at NZ Curriculum Level 2, Years 5-6 students are working at NZ Curriculum Level 3, Years 7-8 students are working at NZ Curriculum Level 4
What are the benefits of online reporting?: The benefits of reporting online mean that the information parents are receiving about their child’s progress is more timely and accessible. We recognised that by the time the old paper copies of reports were sent home at mid and end of each year, the assessments and comments were already outdated due to the 6-8 weeks it takes to compile them. This new way of reporting also enables teachers to support students with individual goals throughout the year as opposed to sitting and writing reports for blocks of time which have all passed by. With Spotlight and SeeSaw students have greater ownership of their learning, especially when they can upload evidence to show their achievements. Furthermore, parents have the ability to comment on their child’s progress, which helps to encourage and reinforce the gains they are making.
Why are we using SeeSaw for Years 0-2?: We have assessed the Spotlight tool for use with Year 0-2 students and feel it does not yet cater well enough for their needs. Therefore, we have made the decision to broaden the Junior team’s use of Seesaw to include reporting.
Were Your Ears Burning?
Staff Gratitude Section
Thanks this week goes to Cherie Parker who started up our latest New Entrants classroom at the beginning of Term 2. Thank you Cherie for enabling our brand new five year olds to settle quickly into school life this term. Your students are very happy and engaged in their new routines. It’s obvious that you have put in a lot of work behind the scenes. Tino pai!
Kid's Quote
The crafty students of Room 21 were making cool Kiwi collages when I visited their room last week. The class had been reading “The Little Kiwi’s Matariki”. I remarked that when I stayed the night on Kapiti Island I had seen some kiwi.
A curious young student asked “Was it a glow in the dark one?”
Teachers' Union Meeting - Reminder
Our Teachers’ Union has recently signalled a paid union meeting for teachers on 30, June from 1.30pm. This means our school will finish at the earlier time of 12.50pm on this day.
However, if you cannot pick your child/ren up earlier we will have two staff remaining on site who can provide limited supervision. Please contact the school office if you can not arrange childcare and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Many thanks.
Using Māori Language at Home
It’s important for all Kiwi to learn te reo. Each week our newsletter will include phrases that you might like to try out at your place. After all, it will take the whole nation to keep this unique language alive.
I pēhea tō moe? How did you sleep?
Growth Mindset
It was wonderful to receive parent feedback about the section on Growth Mindset in last week’s newsletter, especially the story of George Danzig. Wasn’t that incredible!
Education of the past reinforced the thinking that an IQ score told the whole story of a person. People of my generation and older can probably relate to this. We were brought up with the mindset that such intelligence tests highlighted those who would always be ahead of us and those who would always be behind us in the ‘smarts’ department. This fixed mindset crushed potential and still does. We need to teach kids today to reach for their goals, put in the effort, persevere and have self belief.
As the old saying goes “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”.
Camp Donations
Everytime we hold a school camp (which is every two years) we have a handful of families who can’t afford the payment. At PBS we will never let a child miss out for financial reasons and so we work hard to find a way to cover these costs. If you or a company you know would like to sponsor a child please get in touch with me on jward@pbs.school.nz
Thank you – Jess Ward
Te Moana Syndicate Cross Country Results
The Te Moana Syndicate came to their cross-country championships with high spirits, parading their class pride with class colours, banners and chanting songs in support. Who would be crowned the 2021 syndicate winner for the Golden Shoe? It was fantastic to see all of our tamariki run with pride and run their best race.
The Te Moana staff were very proud of the effort that our students put into making this an awesome event.
Best Chant: Room 29
Best Dressed Class: Room 29
Best Banner: Room 3
Class Relay Winners: Room 2
Individual Results:
Year 5 Girls
1st: Mia Thomson
2nd: Holly McCullagh
3rd: Karli Potgieter
Year 5 Boys
1st: Corey Whitfield
2nd: Juvan Scholtz
3rd: Mitchell Moloney
Year 6 Girls
1st: Emily Johnstone
2nd: Anika Rehal
3rd: Renae Vertongen
Year 6 Boys
1st: Makana McEwan
2nd: Matthew Byrne
3rd: Linkin Kerr
Winner of the Golden Shoe: Room 28.
Congratulations to all our students who have qualified for the Interschool Cross-Country Championships being held on Wednesday, 9th June (PPD Thursday, 10th June) at Waikanae Park.
Te Motu Cross Country Results
Congratulations to the following Year 7/8 students who gained places in the cross country last week:
Year 7 Girls
1st – Natalia Gardiner
2nd – Jasmin Eagle
3rd – Eva Thorn
4th – Sakura Foulds
Year 7 Boys
1st – Fletcher Cooper
2nd – Luca Steinmetz
3rd – Jack Dell
4th – Cael Leeksma-Redmond
Year 8 Girls
1st – Ciara King
2nd – Kayleigh McGregor
3rd – Jess McCullagh
4th – Annabelle Connelly
Year 8 Boys
1st – Keenan Husmann
2nd – Micah Steinmetz
3rd – Dayne McInnes
4th – Noah Robertson
Visiting Speaker
Te Motu Syndicate are delighted to be hosting Marcelle Bernard who is coming to talk to our syndicate about public speaking. She is extremely entertaining and very motivating. Our students will enjoy her!
We ask for a small donation of $2 to help cover her fees. This can be paid through Kindo.
Many thanks.
Mid-Week Munchies
Mid-Week Munchies are returning on Wednesdays starting in Week 8 to help Te Moana Syndicate with their camp fundraising. Prices will vary from 50 cents to $2.
Keep an eye on the notices to see which Te Moana class is hosting each week. Start saving your coins now!
School Calendar
Don’t forget to check our school calendar for upcoming events (under the “What’s On” tab and click on “Calendar”). You will find important information here such as trips, sports events, school closures, term dates etc. If you are looking for a certain event and don’t know the date, you can try using the search bar. Click here to access the school calendar.
Student Leave Forms
Please remember that if you are keeping your child out of school for reasons other than sickness, you must complete a student leave form. This form is available on our school website under under the “Information” tab or from the school office. If you do not complete this form, then your child will be coded incorrectly for Ministry of Education purposes. Click here to access the Student Leave Form
Thank you.
Found Scooter
Unclaimed scooter found last month by Mr Trask. If you lost your scooter last month, please see the office.
Win a Lunch Shout With Ezlunch
To brighten up these winter days … we’re excited to be running the Lunch Shout giveaway! Order lunch to be delivered between Tuesday, 8 June and Friday, 18 June and go in the draw to win. Every order gets you another entry. Three winners will be drawn.
Each winner will receive a $50 ezlunch credit and a $10 ezlunch voucher for their teacher.
T&C’s – Winners will be selected randomly and notified by phone or email. Open to NZ
residents only. Competition ends and will be drawn on Friday, 18th June 2021 at 10am
Order On the Go With The Mykindo App...
Are you ordering lunch the easy way? Search ‘myKindo’ in your app store or click the link
below. WHY? Because the app is faster to use – and you don’t need to remember your
login!
myKindo App on Google Play
myKindo App on App Store
Just set up a PIN or use the Face ID or Touch ID. You can also use the calendar to easily select multiple dates… then one-click will add the same meal to all of the dates, instantly. Just think … every Friday lunch order sorted, in less than 1 minute! Check it out on YouTube…
