Principal's Message
Kia Ora
Have you ever considered
how it feels to be a child who is regularly late to school? What if that child is your child? It may be just 5 minutes late or 10 minutes late but regardless it has a negative impact.
Our school vision is “Preparing our tamariki with the skills to shape their world”, and we need parent help with this. We need to prepare kids to be on time, to be reliable, to show up for commitments. Once they are out in the world of employment it would not be okay to turn up 10 minutes late for everyday.
Imagine you are the child who turns up 5 minutes after the bell. You come through the school gates, everyone else is inside their rooms and it’s quiet. You immediately start to wonder what your peers are up to.
Are they receiving instructions for the day?
Are they sharing news?
Is the teacher reading out the messages for sports groups and clubs at lunchtime today ?
You walk to the school office, as you know you have to sign in late. You wait while the office staff answer the phone and talk to new parents. You reach the front of the line and sign in. As you exit the office another five minutes have passed. You walk back to your classroom, trying not to make eye-contact with the class that is on the way to the library. You feel a little panicked – the day is already underway!
You try to enter your room quietly, hoping the door won’t squeak, so as not to disturb others or draw attention to yourself. You take your shoes off and hang up your bag. You open your bag and take out the things you need for the day. This all takes another 5 minutes. You are aware that your classmates are already well into the swing of the day – you’re the odd one out. Other kids stare at you, you know they’re wondering why you’re late again. Your teacher has just finished giving out the instructions, and you feel a sort of guilt that these now have to be repeated just for you.
The teacher asks another student to get you started. You feel two steps behind. It takes a couple of minutes to get focussed on the lesson requirements. You feel anxious. Other kids are chatting about the game they played before the bell and plan to continue it at playtime. They laugh about some incident that occurred; you feel on the outer. You want to be the same as everyone else.
Arriving before the school bell (at 8.55am) enables students to experience a little social time before school. Kids often play together, chat about the night before or what they have planned for afterschool that day. There’s also the opportunity to talk with the teacher, enabling them to get to know each student a little better. Teachers can feel a sense of frustration when students regularly arrive late, but teachers also feel sorry for these students – they know they are missing out on a better start to the day. The child is not to blame for being late, yet the child is the one who feels the gambit of emotions resulting from a late drop off. Please don’t let this be your child.
Ngā mihi,
Jess Ward – Tumuaki ~ Principal
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
Alexei – Rm 23
Luka – Rm 5
Wednesday Next Week - Teachers' Union Meeting
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 cannot arrange childcare and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
The purpose of this meeting is for teachers to discuss the priorities for the renegotiation of their collective agreement in 2022. Issues being discussed, such as school staffing levels, directly impact on the education of your children. These meetings are a critical component of the negotiation process and it is the legal right of all members to attend a meeting and have their say.
Lockdown Practice
Next Wednesday morning our school will be practising a lock down drill with all classes. Teachers will talk their students through this so that they know it is a drill.
Practising procedures for lockdown and ‘shelter in place’ scenarios enable the school staff to check and review the measures we have planned in the case of a chemical spill, unwanted trespasser on school grounds or another kind of safety hazard which would require students to stay indoors.
Reporting
I hope everyone is up to speed with the online reporting mechanisms we are using at PBS. If not, please refer to our school website or the last couple of newsletters. Many schools are moving or have already moved to online reporting and it’s a long learning process for students, parents and staff. Please be aware that teachers in Years 0-4 are especially new to this, this year.
Asthma Inhalers
If your child is prescribed an inhaler it is our preferred practice to store this (named) item in the medical room. Students who require their inhaler during school time can then come to the office to have a dose, which we record. However, we understand if you want your child to keep an inhaler in their school bag, but please be aware that the use of this cannot be monitored by the school – the responsibility would be on you and your child for self managing this.
Kid's Quote
Working in a senior class room yesterday, a student was asked to recall something the class had discussed at a previous session. He responded…
“Don’t ask me, I have the memory of a dead octopus!”
Were Your Ears Burning?
Staff Gratitude Section
This morning Vicki Wilson and I attended a road safety meeting with KCDC staff, councillors, the chair the Community board, police and some of our road patrollers. Vicki is dedicated to keeping roads safe for our kids at PBS. Thank you Vicki for ensuring our key messages were heard.
Thanks also to Sophie Grant, Jack Stephens, Greer Winter, Soren Chambers and Vienna McDowell for adding their experience of being a road patroller to this forum.
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.
Kia tūpato – Be careful
Student Achievement
Cheerleading: Congratulations to Dakota Bell who came 1st place in the Youth Novice section of the United Cheerleading competition at the weekend! Way to go Dakota!
Growth Mindset
New Entrant Parent Information Presentation - Tātahi Syndicate
A New Entrant Information Presentation will be held for all parents of new children this Friday, 25 June from 10.00-10.30am in the staffroom.
This session will :
· provide an overview of the ‘Transition to School’
· provide an overview of the New Entrant Programme in reading, writing and mathematics
· highlight how you can help at home with learning
In Tātahi Syndicate, we believe that successful partnerships between home and school are established when both parties have a shared expectation and knowledge of their child’s learning.
We would love to see you there.
Mid-Week Munchies Tomorrow
Midweek Munchies begin tomorrow. Bring some coins to buy a treat for morning tea. Baking will be priced between 50c and $2.
Come to Room 28 at morning tea!
PBS Hoodies
Te Moana Syndicate is fundraising for their school camp at the end of the year and is selling Paraparaumu Beach School Hoodies and Year 8 Leaver’s Hoodies. We have samples of sizes in the office if you wish your child to try one on.
Since last week, we now have added a new size – Adult XS. All hoodies are black. You can order them with or without a name at the back of the hoodie.
Payments and orders for these can be made on Kindo or put in the Money Box outside the staffroom. These are due on 2 July and are expected to be delivered in the first week of Term 3.
Matariki Whānau Day
A date for your diary: Wednesday, 7th July
This term our whole school inquiry has been based around Matariki. To celebrate our learning we would like to invite Whānau to come and share part of the day with us.
We will be holding a whole school assembly at 9.15am (weather permitting). Later in the day at 1.35pm, we would like to invite families to bring lunch to share with their own children. This is an opportunity for students to invite grandparents and family to school. Between lunch and home time, each syndicate will be sharing their learning for this term in a variety of ways.
Keep an eye out in the next newsletter for further details!
