Principal's Message
Kia ora koutou
Today’s newsletter is packed
with useful information for our whānau, with a few highlights being:
- Follow up from Rob Cope’s talk ‘Our Kids Online’
- Information about our upcoming Pink Shirt Day, and
- Mid-year learning conferences – Tuesday, 20 June
OUR KIDS ONLINE – If you attended the hard-hitting talk given by Rob Cope last Thursday evening you will understand how heavy I felt. When I locked up the hall at the end of the evening all I could think was ‘every parent needs to watch this presentation’.
Whilst the online issues kids face are confronting, the advice Rob gave to parents was clear and helpful. I have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents who attended, saying that it was the most informative talk they have ever attended. As part of this presentation the school receives a video which we will be allowed to show parents. The video presentation is copyrighted so we cannot send the link home, it must be shown on the school site. Therefore, in the coming weeks we will set up some different opportunities/times to screen this. We will inform you as soon as we have decided on the dates.
For those who couldn’t attend, I encourage you to have an awareness of the array of online dangers and what measures you can put in place at home to better protect children. Filters are a great starting point for parents. Below is a link to their website page that includes recommended products and practical resources https://www.ourkidsonline.info/filters
Thanks again to everyone who came along.
PRINCIPAL’S GREAT NEWS CORNER
Sharing good news spreads positivity, changes attitudes and ultimately leads to more people feeling encouraged and happy
The self portraits Room 19 kids shared at our school assembly last week were simply fantastic!
Ngā mihi nui,
Jess Ward
Principal ~ Tumuak
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
Krishna – Rm 15
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/
From the Student Council
Friday, May 19 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.
Tuesday, 20 June Learning Conferences - Don’t forget to bring your child along!
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 in for an interview slot and bring their child/children along at that time. Normal teaching will not occur on this day. Please put this date in your diary and book yourselves in on the Skool Loop App. Download the app now on Google Play or the App Store (bookings will be available shortly).
Ten minute conference time slots will go through the day until 6pm. Whilst we prefer face to face, zoom slots can be offered.
- 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 will be 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.
Kid's Quote
When you go past the sandpit and you hear kids talking to each other you don’t expect to hear “Who wants a flat white?”
These creative minds even made the Principal a large mocha!
Jars & Tea Light Candles Wanted
We are collecting up large jars (bigger than the normal jam jar size) and new or used tea lights candles. If you have any to donate please drop them into the school office. Thank you so much!
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.
Hanawiti = Sandwich
He hanawiti reka tēnā.
That sandwich (you have/by you) is delicious.
Learning Diversity Within our School
Children learn in different ways. Some of our tamariki have learning challenges or needs that can hamper their ability to easily grasp new skills or concepts.
Dyscalculia is one such condition that makes it hard to do mathematics and tasks that involve mathematics. It’s not as well known and understood as dyslexia, but there are experts that believe that it’s just as common, estimating that 5-10 percent of people might have dyscalculia. Researchers don’t know what causes dyscalculia, but they believe it’s at least partly due to differences in how the brain is structured and how it functions. Dyscalulia tends to run in families.
Dyscalculia can be referred to by other terms such as Mathematics learning disability or Mathematics learning disorder. Both boys and girls can have this condition and it is not a condition that you can outgrow. An educational psychologist can complete an evaluation to diagnose this condition.
Common signs of dyscalculia include trouble:
- Grasping the meaning of quantities or concepts like biggest vs. smallest
- Understanding that the numeral 5 is the same as the word five, and that these both mean five items
- Remembering mathematics facts in school, like times tables
- Counting money or making change
- Estimating time
- Judging speed or distance
- Understanding the logic behind mathematics
- Holding numbers in their head while solving problems
Below are some suggested strategies for supporting students with dyscalulia. Additional strategies to support individuals with dyscalculia can include:
- Allowing the ongoing use of manipulatives
- Explicit instruction in effective counting and calculation techniques
- Allow the use of calculators when mental maths is not the objective of the lesson
- Utilise number fact charts and times table charts to assist with recall
- Use graph paper to assist with lining up written work appropriately
- Focus on a few maths facts at a time and ensure mastery before introducing new facts
- Allow additional time to complete maths activities or reduce the number of questions students need to complete in class
- Play games that reinforce the maths concept
- Make numbers friendlier (for example, 500 – 27 can be difficult for students with dyscalculia to complete due to the requirement to work across place value. Encourage them to minus one from each number to make the calculation easier – 499 – 26)
For further information follow the links
https://www.speld.org.nz/specific-learning-disability-definitions/dyscalculia
Te Moana Trip - Friday, 28 April
From the Te Moana teachers to all the parents who helped with transport by taking our students to the Hutt Indoor Sports Complex in Lower Hutt, we would like to express our gratitude and send out a HUGE thankyou to you all. Your support was very much appreciated.
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 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 are currently being advertised in the Kapiti Observer.
Applications close at 12 noon on Monday, 29 May.
School Photos - Yrs 3-8 Classes and Touch Rugby Teams
Order forms for photos recently taken have been distributed to classes. 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.
Wood Donations for Matariki Hāngī
We’ve got some lovely Manuka drying in preparation for our hāngī thanks to the Miratana family but we are also looking for other dry wood to get the fire super hot.
If you have any odd dry rounds, oddly shaped pieces or just some dry firewood at home that you’d like to donate, please contact Ginny Hawke on ghawke@pbs.school.nz
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!
