Principal's Message
Hi Everyone,
I hope you are well. 
OUR KIDS ONLINE:
Please don’t forget our insightful parent education evening THIS Thursday night at 7pm. Our guest speaker Rob Cope will be here to talk to us about Cyber Safety for children and give us all an in depth look into what kids are experiencing online. Whilst Rob mixes some humour into his talk, this topic is a serious one. It is not suitable for children or teenagers to attend. I highly recommend that at least one parent from each family attends. Please register your attendance here so we know how many seats to put out 🙂 https://forms.gle/46Pi6WHmSreoWkU77
NB: Gold coin entry. Our school car park will be available for additional parking on the night – gates will open when you pull up close to them.
TERM TWO LEARNING CONFERENCES:
On Tuesday, 20 June PBS will be having a teacher only day to run Mid-Year Learning Conferences with you and your child/children. Please put this date in your diary and read further details about this event later in this newsletter.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:
- Parent Education Evening on Cyber Safety – THIS THURSDAY NIGHT at 7pm in the Hall
- PINK SHIRT DAY – Friday, 19 May
Teacher only day for Mid-Year Learning Conferences – Tuesday, 20 June (sorry previously advertised as 21 June)
PRINCIPAL’S GREAT NEWS CORNER:
Sharing good news spreads positivity, changes attitudes and ultimately leads to more people feeling encouraged and happy
ADULT CLASSES IN TE REO MĀORI:
Wow! It was awesome to hear
adult learning is alive and well at PBS! Last week’s turnout was amazing. PBS won the highest number of enrolments for a new class and the vibe was so positive. No doubt if this first 20 week course goes well then we will be able to offer it again.
Kia ora Kāuru team!
Ngā mihi nui,
Jess Ward
Principal ~ Tumuaki
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
Akira – Rm 19
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/
PBS Warmly Welcomes ...
Jodie Nicholson, has joined our wonderful Teacher Aide team this week. Jodie hails from Glasgow and brings lots of experience in the field of supporting children with additional needs. We know you will make Jodie feel part of the PBS community if you happen to cross paths.
Term 2 Learning Conferences - Tuesday, 20 June (sorry previously advertised as 21 June)
Research shows when students develop the ability to talk about their own learning it makes a big difference to the progress they make. That’s why PBS kids are involved in mid year learning conferences with their parents.
This year we are bringing our mid year learning conferences forward, to hold them at the end of Term 2 rather than the start of Term 3. Our Board has granted us a Teacher-Only day to run these important conferences. This means parents will need to book an interview slot and bring their child/children along at that time. Normal teaching will not occur.
Conference time slots will go through the day until 6pm. Our booking system will be advertised closer to this time. Each learning conference will be 10 minutes in length and will be a conversation between the student, their teacher and their parents/whānau. This opportunity aims to strengthen partnerships between home and school, focusing on what the student has achieved so far this year and how we might support them moving forward.
- The role of the teacher is to facilitate and lead the conversation about the student’s learning. They may use supports such as Spotlight, Seesaw or other examples of learning within the classroom
- The role of the student is to share some of their learning and join in the discussion as they feel comfortable or as prompted by their teacher
- The role of the parent or whānau members is to listen, ask questions (of their child or the teacher) and encourage their child to participate
Involving students enables them to gain more confidence and ownership of their learning journey. Furthermore, we hope that student involvement will enable parents to gain a deeper understanding of their child’s strengths and needs.
The school playgrounds and library will be available for siblings to play or wait at this time. The library will have adult supervision during the conferences. These, or other alternative arrangements for siblings, mean that your child can have your full focus during their learning conference slot. NB: We are also investigating options for child care through the day for those parents who cannot arrange alternative care for their child – spaces maybe limited.
Please note that there will not be time to raise complex social issues or confidential matters, but you can arrange a time to do this with your child’s teacher at another time by emailing them.
Cybersafety Parent Evening - This Thursday, 4 May at 7pm
This talk will cover:
- Cyberbullying – How cyberbullies can reach our kids 24/7
- Social media – The pressure for kids to build an online brand that is often far removed from their authentic selves
- Gaming and the developing brain – An oversupply of dopamine leading to dopamine deficiency, synaptic pruning, and the underdevelopment of social skills and empathy
- Inappropriate Selfies – The pressure to send photos
- Online predators – The methods they use, how to spot them, and how to get out from under their control if your child has been trapped
- Online pornography
Kid's Quote
A student being signed out of school for an appointment said to their parent:
“I hope we’re not long. I want to get back to my learning!”
PBS encouraging a love of learning….TICK!
Out of Zone Applications Open
If you have any children due to start school soon that you have not let us know about, or if you have friends or neighbours who don’t currently have a child at PBS, but may be hoping to enrol a Yr 0-4 student here in Terms 3 or 4, please ask them to contact our school office asap. Thank you.
“Out of Zone” applications for Terms 3 and 4 Yr 0-4 students will be advertised in the Kapiti Observer on Thursday, 4 and 11 May. Applications close at 12 noon on Monday, 29 May.
From the Student Council
Friday, 19 May is PINK SHIRT DAY! We like to support this day because it is all about KINDNESS. Bullying is not okay and is the opposite of our school CREST values.
We’re planning some cool stuff like a scavenger hunt and a photo booth PBS style. Come wearing as much pink as you can to show your support for this kaupapa.
School Photos - Yrs 3-8 Classes and Touch Rugby Teams
Order forms for photos recently taken should have been distributed to classes by now. You can order photos online using the order code on the envelope. Orders close on Tuesday, 23 May. Please contact the office if you have lost your order code.
Order envelopes for family/siblings are stapled to the portrait/class form of the eldest sibling and order envelopes for teams are stapled to portrait/class forms.
Portrait and class photos can be previewed online before ordering. Team/group photos (where applicable) can be previewed online before ordering and have a proof on the order form.
Jars and Tea Light Candles
We are collecting up large jars (bigger than the normal jam jar size) and new or used tea light candles. If you have any to donate please drop them into the school office. Thank you so much!
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
Mothers Day Giveaway with Ezlunch
Order ezlunch for delivery between Wednesday, 26 April and Friday, 12 May 2023 and go in the draw to win a flower bouquet!
Every lunch order has one chance to win, the more lunches you order the more chances you have to WIN!
