Principal's Message
Kia Ora Parents, Caregivers and whānau
The first three days of our new school year
went really well last week. It’s always lovely to see the school grounds full of kids again; it truly brings this place to life!
I want to start by welcoming our new teacher, Diana Puati (in Room 1), our new students and their families. My time at Paraparaumu Beach School has been lengthy so I am seeing more and more parents who I actually taught as children! That doesn’t make me feel old; it makes me feel good that you want to bring your kids here and retain your association with the school. It really is a wonderful place to work, learn and play!
As part of the Paraparaumu Beach School (PBS) community I hope you have had time to familiarise yourself with the general information on the school’s website. You will see our C.R.E.S.T values on the website too, which stands for Curiosity (Pātaitai), Respect (Manaakitanga), Excellence (Hiranga), Self management (Rangatiratanga) and Teamwork (Mahi Tahi). These values apply to everyone in the school; students, staff, PTA members, Board members, parents and family members too. Respect and Teamwork stand out as especially important as we enter the third year of the global pandemic.
Our newsletters and communications will always try to keep you up to date with the school’s Covid-19 planning. This is an ever-changing space so please read any communication issued on this front. Just like every school in Aotearoa, parents in our community have differing views on Covid-19. As always I will endeavour to be respectful to different viewpoints, whilst following the frameworks issued by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health. All I ask is that your communications with me and my team are respectful too. Thank you.
I think it’s important to role-model calmness, resilience and positivity around children, even when we as adults may be feeling uncertainty, frustration, anxiety and/or annoyance. I am sure that just like 2020 and 2021, together we will navigate what the world throws at us next with flexibility and a positive mindset. At the moment I am finalising planning for managing cases of Covid-19 if and when we get these at PBS. I will share this planning with you when it’s completed.
Just a few important reminders to finish this newsletter:
- Under the RED setting only essential visitors are allowed on site
- Classrooms and cloakbays are ‘closed environments’ – please do not enter these at this time
- Parents – Teacher Interviews will not be held face to face this term. Your child’s teacher will email you during the next three weeks instead to set up another form of interview
- Read about misinformation on child vaccinations later in this newsletter
- If you want to read more of the detail around our school’s operation under the RED Setting you can find this on our school website https://www.pbs.school.nz/2022/02/micro-level-plans-under-red-setting/
Mā te wā,
Jess Ward – Tumuaki ~ Principal
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
Ivy Rm 23, Makena Rm 22, Fleur Rm 23, Cash Rm 22, Kayden Rm 23, Anna Rm 23, Isla Rm 22, Kaia Rm 22, Jackson Rm 20, Lucas Rm 9, Amelia Rm 23, Alice Rm 22, Jack Rm 23, Addisyn Rm 23, Finn Rm 6, Daniel Rm 23, Jordan, Rm 23, Akinihi Rm 9, Luke Rm 8, Fergus Rm22, Finley Rm 22, Sophie Rm 14, Ihaia Rm 23, Carrah Rm 15 and Steller Rm 16
Story of Our Syndicate Names
Tatahi are the fine grains of sand on the beach
TATAHI—Year 0-2 Syndicate is led by Rachel McDowell
Ngaru are the small waves that greet the sand
NGARU—Year 3-4 Syndicate is led by Vicki Howarth
Te Moana is the open ocean
TE MOANA—Year 5-6 Syndicate is led by Vanessa Brewer
Te Motu is the island
TE MOTU—Year 7-8 Syndicate is led by Cath Franks
Board Survey
Thank you to all the parents who participated in our Board Community Survey at the end of last year. We were pleased with the level of participation, which was up on previous surveys.
Congratulations once again to Zola Scholtz who won the prize draw for the $200 PREZZY card for participation.
The Board will be reviewing the information received from this survey and will report back to the school community later this term.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Parent – Teacher Interviews will not be held face to face this term. Your child’s teacher will email you during the next three weeks instead to set up another form of interview.
Misinformation on Covid-19 Vaccination in Schools
At present, there are no plans to run a Covid-19 vaccination programme for children at Paraparaumu Beach School.
- There is misinformation circulating that the government is organising a vaccination bus to turn up at schools and vaccinate all the children without parental permission. This is not true
- Any time the Public Health nurses visit our school to deliver any kind of vaccine (e.g. MMR, Gardasil etc) they have to have received (in advance) a formally signed consent form from parents. Children who do not have this consent are not called to the hall for a vaccination
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.
Mā wai au e āwhina? Who will help me?
Māku koe e āwhina. I will help you.
Were Your Ears Burning?
Staff Gratitude Section
A big thank you to all the PBS staff for their start of year preparations. We have had a very smooth and positive first week back as a result. You are awesome!
Kid's Quote
A young student told me a tale from their weekend.
“We had a power cut and we couldn’t fridge the food.”
Future Student Achievements
If your child has an achievement you would like us to share in our newsletter, then please send details (and a picture if you would like) to mbarfoote@pbs.school.nz
Claim Your School Donation Tax Rebates in myKindo This Year
When you make your school donations to Paraparaumu Beach School in myKindo for 2022, you’ll see the option to opt-in to Supergenerous when you pay.
Kindo and Supergenerous work together to lodge your donation rebate claim with the IRD. They do all the hard work for you and give you the option to regift your 33% tax rebate to our school as a new donation. It’s an awesome way to make your donation go further
Message from Wellington Region Emergency Management Office
We are encouraging all of NZ to make a self-isolation plan and do a little prep for omnicron now.
Regional Public Health have put out this great template on preparing to self-isolate in case you become sick with Covid-19.
Ordering Lunch with myKindo App
Did you know the app is faster to use when you’re on the go and you don’t need to remember your login! Search ‘myKindo’ in your app store and download now – App Store or Google Play.
PIN, Face ID, Touch ID are all supported to make ordering quick and easy.
Advertise in our Community Directory
PBS has launched an online community directory for the Kapiti Coast.
The Paraparaumu Beach School Community Directory is an online, user-maintained list of businesses, events, and opportunities in the Kapiti area and gives local businesses the opportunity to support PBS while promoting themselves and improving their search engine visibility. It has replaced the community notices section of our school newsletter.
To view the new community directory and for instructions on how to advertise, please click here
