Principal's Message
Kia ora
Paraparaumu Beach School is lucky to be fully staffed for 2023. Whilst there are lots of vacancies around it’s sometimes hard to get the perfect people, but at PBS we have been fortunate to fill our positions with the ideal candidates.
We are, however, losing one fantastic member at the end of this year. Jon McCormick is heading overseas to teach after 18 years with us. Jon has taught from Year 3 – Year 8 at PBS. He has built great rapport with students, staff and parents during his time here. We will all miss his sense of humour, his basketball coaching, his creativity and his positivity. Jon assisted students in making the Matariki murals and new welcome signs at the front gate this year and these will remain as reminders for us of his time at PBS. Best wishes and stay in touch Mr Mac!
Last night, as I was drafting my blurb for the Year 8 magazine, I realised just how many special achievements our students have attained this year. From our Tournament of Minds win, success in Netball, Hockey, Touch Rugby, Interschool Golf, Interschool/Regional/National Cross Country, to our EPro 8 success this week! These are just a few of our students’ outstanding successes in school this year, however multiple students have also had incredible success in cultural and sporting success outside of school this year as well.
I know you will share my pride in these students’ achievements. I also want to mention the multitude of individual students and teams who have entered competitions, who may not have won an award, but stood out for their exemplary behaviour, teamwork and efforts. PBS Kids – you simply ROCK!
Congratulations to our “Technically Cool” Year 7 -8 EPro8 team, consisting of Ruby, Mackenzie, Bailey and Monty, who won their heat last night. They are through to the Interschool’s semi-finals. The “Fabulous Four” team, Sakura, Vienna, Abbey and Ayla, narrowly missed a slot in the semi-finals – it all came down to one loose nut and bolt! (See pics below)
PRINCIPAL’S GREAT NEWS CORNER
Sharing good news spreads positivity, changes attitudes and ultimately leads to more people feeling encouraged and happy
And more success …. Congratulations to Emily in Room 4. Emily received the top results in the Canterbury University Spelling Bee for PBS and she achieved EXCELLENCE in the nationwide competition! Wonderful news Emily!
Jess Ward
Tumuaki ~ Principal
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
There were no new students this week
Out-of-Zone Applications - Terms 1 & 2 2023 For Years 0-4 Students
We are currently advertising again for Out of Zone Applications for Terms 1 and 2 2023 for the following:
5 places for Year 0-1 students
4 places for Year 2 students
7 places for Year 3 students
4 places for Year 4 students
Applications close on Monday, 28 November at 4pm and are available from the school office or by emailing mbarfoote@pbs.school.nz.
Invention & Innovation Inquiry Afternoon
Tuesday, 15 November from 2.30 p.m – 3.30 p.m
As part of our Inquiry learning during terms 3 and 4, our akonga have been exploring ideas around the power of invention and technology; from the inception of new ideas to how technologies have evolved over time and the impacts of these on nature and society.
To allow your child to share with you some of their key discoveries, and maybe even some inventions of their own, we will be holding an Invention and Innovation Inquiry Afternoon this coming Tuesday, 15 November, between 2.30 – 3.30pm. We warmly invite you to join us!
During this time, classrooms will be open for PBS Whānau to explore. Here, your child will be able to talk you through their own Inquiry learning journey and show you some examples of their work. We anticipate this may take around 10-15 minutes.
We hope to see you there!
Paid Union Meeting - School Closing Early on Tuesday, 22 November
We have recently been alerted to a Teachers’ paid union meeting on Tuesday, 22 November. As all our teachers will be attending this 2pm meeting we will need to close the school at 1.30pm on this day. This meeting is still 4 weeks away, but I wanted to give you all as much notice as possible, so that you can make alternative child care arrangements for the afternoon.
If you find yourself stuck for child care I will be remaining at school with a handful of support staff so we will be able to accommodate a small number of kids. Just let the office know if your child falls into this category.
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.
The following phrases might be handy to add to your kete of knowledge with the arrival of warmer weather:
It’s so hot today. Te wera hoki o tēnei rā.
Wear your hat. Kuhuna tō pōtae.
Where are my sunglasses? Kei hea aku mōwhiti?
Diversity Within Our School
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
We have a number of students at PBS with ASD. ASD is thought to affect 1 in 100 New Zealanders. The following explanation is from Altogether Autism and is a great site to visit if you want to learn more about Autism https://www.altogetherautism.org.nz/what-is-autism/
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects how Autistic people perceive the world, think and behave, and communicate and interact with others.
Put simply, autistic people see, hear and feel the world differently to other people.
Autism is not an illness or disease and cannot be ‘cured’. Many autistic adults consider that being autistic is fundamental to their identity.
Autism is a spectrum. This means that some people are affected more than others. For example, some autistic people do not use verbal language, while others have excellent spoken language skills but may find it difficult to understand what other people mean.
While all autistic people share some common differences in the way they see, hear and feel the world, they all have different strengths and abilities and challenges which affect their lives in different ways at different ages and in different environments.
No two people on the spectrum are the same.
How can we support our tamariki at PBS with ASD? By being patient, kind, inclusive, empathetic and open to learning.
One of the thinking strategies that the Zones of Regulation teaches is how to determine the size of a problem. Students explore examples of problems and learn to rationalise how big a problem is. Students gain insight that the size of their reaction or expected response must match the size of the problem. This then helps them to regulate their emotional zone.
Kid's Quote
Kids have opinions…”What I’ve got for lunch today is too healthy for my own good!”
Te Motu Camp 2023
Just a reminder that the expressions of interest for being a camp parent in 2023 for current Yr 6/7 students are due back to Cath Franks in Rm 14 by 25 November.
If you do not have a form, please email Cath on cfranks@pbs.school.nz and she will get one to you asap.
Mid-Week Munchies
Yummy, scrummy mid-week munchies is on this Wednesday. Get yourself a morning tea treat from 50c – $2 each.
Plastic Lids Required
We are looking at creating a hungry caterpillar to go with the awesome apple creation outside the front of the office.
We would appreciate it if you could start collecting lids of milk bottles, spreads and any other plastic coloured lids that we could use (any colour).
Please send lids to the office – thank you 🙂
School Polo Shirts
Please be aware that you are required to purchase your own school polo shirt for sports events other than one off events. (We have a very limited supply of shirts for short-term loan and loan shirts cannot be guaranteed available). Polo shirts are available via Kindo or with correct cash at the office and cost $50 each.
Thank you.
Remote Car Keys Found
Last week we had a car key and remote fob handed in. If this is yours, please contact the office.
Recent Student Achievements
Hockey: Congratulations to Kyra Pulepule who was awarded Horowhenua Hockey Associations U11 girls most valuable player last week at Prize-giving. Well done!
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
Have You Checked Out Our Community Notices Directory?
Do you need to advertise your business, an upcoming event, need child care, or looking for a gift or new club to join? Check out the PBS Community Directory on our website https://kapiti.pbs.school.nz/
Below is an example of what you will find in the Art & Craft section:
Growth Mindset
At PBS we want students to embrace challenges with perseverance and resilience. They can achieve this by having a Growth Mindset rather than a Fixed Mindset. What’s the difference and why is it important?
Students with a Fixed Mindset believe that some people are simply born smart. They think that skills, talents and intelligence are reserved for some people and not for others. They may believe that they are not smart and there’s no way they can fix that. If a student thinks this way then they may resist learning, they may avoid tasks they think are too hard and give up easily, they may not have the drive to push through mistakes to learn a skill, and they may take teacher feedback as a personal criticism. These students may opt into or stick with tasks that they know they can be successful with, rather than pushing themselves that little bit further.
Students with a Growth Mindset believe that with practise, time and effort anyone can improve and develop new skills. They are open to teacher feedback because it gives them pointers for growth. They understand that sometimes we make mistakes but understand that mistakes also help us to learn. They attempt tasks with more positivity and confidence, and are more likely to try again after a set-back.
This video may help you and your child understand this concept more clearly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUJkbWNnNy4
