Principal's Message
Kia ora e te whānau,
As I write this newsletter I think
we’ve missed the worst of the cyclone. My thoughts are with those in Auckland, Northland and East Coast towns whose residents, schools and communities have been badly affected by terrible weather related events. I am grateful that this is not our reality here in Kapiti. However, it is a timely reminder for our parent community to ensure you know the ways to keep up to date with what’s going on at school.
We use a number of communication channels at PBS to get messages out;
- Emails, Skool Loop (download the app and find our school name) and Facebook are used to deliver quick updates and messages
- Our website is a source of general information but it also has the PBS Facebook stream embedded on the landing page (just scroll down to locate it) https://www.pbs.school.nz/
- Our weekly newsletter is published every Tuesday providing updates on news and events.
SCHOOL’S RESPONSIBILITY: As a school we will do our very best to keep you informed through these channels. Your feedback on how well we do this is always welcome.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY: As parents and caregivers we need you to actively read newsletters and notices, note down dates, and prepare your kids for any events or changes that may involve them. Thank you in advance. Please also remember to advise the office of any changes to your emergency contacts.
In other news, Leonie Ware, head coach at Paraparaumu Beach Tennis Club has organised funding so that PBS kids can all experience the Tennis Hot Shots programme! This means that every class will receive 4 x 30 minute sessions of tennis over the next 4 weeks for free. Hot Shots is a game based approach to tennis. The students use smaller courts, shorter racquets (provided) and softer balls. This makes it easier for students to play tennis from their first lesson. Thank you Leonie, this is a fantastic opportunity for our students!
Dates to remember:
- NEXT WEEK: Tues 28 Feb – School closes at 12.30pm – Teachers Paid Union Meeting
- Fri 3 March – School closed – Teacher Only day
- Fri 31 March – School Fun Run (PTA) and evening picnic
PRINCIPAL’S GREAT NEWS CORNER:
Sharing good news spreads positivity, changes attitudes and ultimately leads to more people feeling encouraged and happy
Here’s some bright, cheery artwork to take your mind off the stormy weather. These, and more, were created by the clever Year 2 kids of Room 20. I think you’ll agree that they are true artists! The students were inspired by the illustrations of Eric Carle, who wrote more than just “The Hungry Caterpillar”.
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
Ada – Rm 18
Aliyah – Rm 29
Luka – Rm15
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/
Teachers and Principals are Worth it!
Currently teachers and principals countrywide are re-negotiating their collective contracts. Like many professions, staying up with the rate of inflation and being valued for the hard yards we put in seems to be an ongoing battle.
We love working with your kids, but not enough funding for schools means that we don’t have the time we would like to support all kids to thrive. However, this can be addressed. Our union NZEI Te Riu Roa wants to see smaller class sizes, more time for individual students and more specialist learning support staffing.
Keeping and retaining teachers is top of mind right now, and this term, our teachers will also be meeting to consider a pay offer – and assessing if it’s enough to make sure that teaching is valued and is an attractive profession. That is why myself and teachers at PBS will be attending paid union meetings on Tuesday, 28 February. PBS will close at 12.30pm on this day.
When we support our children to learn and succeed, we are supporting whānau and communities to thrive. We look forward to another great year in 2023 – and together with your support building the case for better investment in our tamariki.
Kid's Quote
A Year 2 student who was made ‘star student’ for the day announced to the class “I’m the teacher, now sit down. I’ve got this!”
Attendance and Absences
To make it super easy, we have a variety of ways that you can contact us if your child will be absent from school (refer to the list below). It is important that you make contact and include an explanation as to why your child is away from school. Firstly, for safety and wellbeing purposes and secondly, as we are required to code absenteeism for the Ministry of Education. If you choose to email your child’s teacher, please copy the office in on the email so that everyone is kept in the loop and the correct code can be applied.
If your child is going to be absent during term time, for a family event or trip, parents/ caregivers need to complete a ‘Student Leave form’. Forms are available from the school office or available on our website under the Information tab https://www.pbs.school.nz/student-leave-form/
List of contact information for PBS
- To ring the school office: (04) 2985775
- To text the school cell phone: 027 7557915
- Email: office@pbs.school.nz
- Message via the Absence icon on the @school app
Using Māori Language at Home
Learning another language provides many benefits including greater academic achievement, greater cognitive development, and more positive attitudes towards other languages and cultures. So, let’s give it a go and help to revitalise this unique language to Aotearoa for our tamariki. Each week our newsletter will include words or phrases that you might like to try out at your kāinga/home.
Paraparaumu Beach School Pepeha
Ko Maungakōtukutuku te Maunga
Ko Wharemauku te Awa
Ko Te Rau o Te Rangi te Moana
Ko Kapiti te Motu
Ko Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai te marae
Ko _________ ahau.
The mountain is Maungakōtukutuku
The river is Wharemauku
The sea is Te Rau o Te Rangi
The island is Kapiti
The marae is Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai
My name is ________.
Digi Corner
Being a good digital citizen at PBS
Students are responsible for ensuring their own behaviour is safe, friendly and fair. This means following our school’s values when online or using digital tools. We have 7 key student responsibilities as part of our being a good digital citizen at PBS. Last week we shared the first 3 of these with you. The final 4 are listed below.
- Keep it real: Not everything you see online is real. It might look or sound real, but some things are made up or fake, so be careful to check or ask an adult if you’re not sure
- Keep it honest: When we copy or use words, pictures and ideas from the internet, we need to make sure we share these things in the right way and follow the rules for sharing things that don’t belong to us
- Keep it fair: Make sure you check with others if it is okay to record them, or share photos or videos they are in. They should have a say in what happens to things which include them
- Keep it responsible: If you bring your own device or use a school device, use it in ways and at the times that your teacher says it is okay. If you bring your own device, make sure you have charged it at home
PTA AGM
The school PTA is holding its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 2 March at 7.30pm in the School Staffroom.
If you want to come and be part of a fantastic team of parents who work towards raising funds for all the tamariki at Paraparaumu Beach kura and the kura we would love to have you join us.
(As an aside from the Principal, I must say that the school is so grateful for our PTA. From the outside it looks like a very fun and motivated group to be a part of. Your teamwork, your positive energy and the benefits for our kids are incredible. I also hear your meetings are full of delicious nibbles! Thank you all, Jess)
Let's Get Movin' in March
We’re a Movin’March school and counting down to Wednesday, 1 March when Sports Ambassadors will start stamping passports at the gate as part of the Walk or Wheel Passport Challenge all through March. Walking or wheeling to school is a great way to get active, know your neighbourhood, kick start learning for the day AND take care of the environment. Remember students don’t have to complete their passports to go in the draw to win a $400 MYRIDE voucher at the end of March!
Parents who take part in the Movin’ March Whānau photo competition on Facebook or Instagram will be in to win 1 of 5 adult or child Micro Scooters or a Family Pass to a fun destination. Check out the Movin’March website for more on these competitions and how you can take part.
Movin’ March at PBS ties in with our Term 1 Inquiry topic about how we can look after ourselves, with a Health and PE theme, and we are planning to have lots of fun!
Touch Rugby 2022-23 Season Re-Start
Touch rugby will be starting again this week (weather permitting). The teams and days remain the same as last year and the coaches should have been in touch. Have fun!
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
Win a Voucher with Ezlunch
