Principal's Message
Kia Ora parents, caregivers and whānau
Wow, it’s June tomorrow! This year seems to be flying by. Please remember that this weekend is Queen’s Birthday and we have tagged a teacher only day onto the end of it. This means school will be closed on Monday and Tuesday next week.
On Tuesday our teachers will be covering a number of development items, working both as a whole staff and in syndicate teams. One focus for this day is to complete collaborative Maths planning based on the professional development we are undertaking with Cognition Education. Teachers will also be working on elements of the Professional Growth Cycle.
Continuing our own professional learning is a priority as educators. Whilst some aspects of teaching and learning have stayed the same over time, there are many more curriculum and research developments to keep up with. Educators now know much more about brain development and this impacts on how we teach. Research is helping teachers be more responsive to children’s’ developmental pathways, which is why our school adopted Learning Through Play and Structured Literacy in the early years. The career landscape of our world has also evolved which means preparing students in different ways for their years beyond school.
In essence, learning is as important for teachers and support staff, as it is for our students. So thank you for understanding why teachers need Teacher Only days during the year to absorb knowledge, learn and collaborate.
Some key dates for your Term 2 diary include:
Mon, 6 June – SCHOOL CLOSED for Queen’s Birthday (Nationwide holiday)
Tues, 7 June – SCHOOL CLOSED for Staff Only day
Wed, 8 June – Interschool Cross Country event
Wed, 22 June – School celebration of Matariki – day time and evening events at school
Fri, 24 June – SCHOOL CLOSED for Matariki (Nationwide holiday)
PRINCIPAL’S GREAT NEWS CORNER:
Sharing good news spreads positivity, changes attitudes and ultimately leads to more people feeling encouraged and happy
I recently spied eye-catching artworks in Room 4 inspired by Katsushika Hokusai’s famous artwork “The Great Wave”. I was captivated by the water colours, the movement and the bold statement they each made.
Ngā mihi nui
Jess Ward
Tumuaki ~ Principal
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
There were no new students this week
Te ara o ngā whetū o Matariki - Follow the stars of Matariki
This week’s competition was to name tikanga activities around Matariki. Congratulations to Bailey, Madi, Emilie, Monty and Noah who were able to list some of these activities that included kite and lantern making, sharing kai, singing, goal setting and spending time with whanau.
Our Matariki Whanau Celebration is creeping up very quickly. This year’s theme is: ‘Te ara o ngā whetū o Matariki – Follow the stars of Matariki’. We have lots of activities planned around the significance of each of the 9 stars of Matariki.
After you have explored each star, come along to our entertainment performed by our ākonga. There will be lots of amazing performances from our Kapa Haka group to dances and songs from different classes. As this will be an outside event, we have a bonfire to keep you all warm alongside free milos for our tamariki. No need to worry about cooking dinner as there will be lots of kai to purchase to raise money for school camps.
Join us on Wednesday, 22 June (postponement date 27 June) from 5pm to explore each of these stars and their cultural values and to celebrate Matariki, the Māori New Year.
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.
Here’s a couple of phrases you could use at home:
Kei te pai koe. You’re okay.
Kei te whakarongo au. I’m listening.
Kōrero mai ki a au. Speak to me.
From the Student Council
Last Tuesday the Student Councillors of PBS were lucky enough to go to NYLD, which stands for National Young Leaders Day. There were lots of other students and teachers from other schools there. The event was held in Porirua. Some cool speakers came to talk about resilience and leadership. They had a lot of great advice for us. We also got to do some fun games, and one involved a giant volleyball!
The amazing speakers were:
- Sam Johnson who started the Student Volunteer Army and has helped out the community heaps. He solves tons of problems with his team, like in lockdown his team helped out people who were high risk to covid by doing their shopping
- Brylee Mills is a dancer, who was in two major car crashes and in one had to have her left arm amputated. She had to learn to walk again due to severe damage to her right leg, she was super inspiring about the way she never gave up to follow her dreams
- Georgia Latu, the creator of Pōtiki Poi. She made the first poi hip hop studio. She spoke a lot about the importance of her whānau supporting her
- Erin Roxburgh is the NZ Beach Handball Captain. She had to try lots of sports until she found the one that she liked. She was also studying towards her PHD
- Georgia Lines is a singer and a songwriter. She did a concert at the end of NYLD which was super cool as well
We loved the day and had great fun, we learnt a lot about resilience.
By Bailey, Kayla T & Alex
Kid's Quote
A junior student asked a staff member …
“What year were you birthed?”
Road Safety at PBS
Our School Community Police Officer has offered some suggestions to help reduce the parking congestion on Gray Ave, these are:
- To take advantage of the drop off zone, get your child(ren) to wait beside it so you can drive in, pick up and drive on with no delays. If they are not there waiting for you, drive further down the road and park or drive back around
- Get your child(ren) to wait in school for 5 – 10 minutes so you pick them up at 3.10 pm.
- Drop off/pick up your child(ren) on Martin Road by the other road patrol crossing. There are more parking areas there
- Park well away from the Gray Ave gate and allow your child(ren) to walk the last metres to/from school
Te Moana's 2022 Cross-Country Championships
Well done to the Te Moana syndicate for an outstanding cross-country championship. Students painted bright banners, enthusiastically danced and sang class chants and wore bright running outfits in unison with their class. Throughout the event, they ran with pride and supported each other to the end. Te Moana syndicate showed their courage, and perseverance and showed great sportsmanship.
Pango won the overall top syndicate winning the Golden Shoe for earning the most points to become the 2022 Te Moana Syndicate Champions.
Congratulations to the outstanding results of our top placers:
Year 5 Boys: 1st Mason Morrison, 2nd Hosheia Bolton-Smithson, 3rd Noah Hunt
Year 5 Girls: 1st Kaya O’Brien, 2nd Zoe Gee, 3rd Angelica Bonner
Year 6 Boys: 1st Max Wood, 2nd Juvan Scholtz, 3rd William Hamdan
Year 6 Girls: 1st Mia Thomson, 2nd Holly McCullagh, 3rd Quin Steinmetz
Congratulations to the following students who have also qualified to compete at the Kapiti Interschool Championships on 8 June (postponement date 9 June):
Kade Gardiner, Brodin Davis, Xavier Marshall, Leo Johnstone, Isaac Murphy, James Crabb, Braxton Pearce-Humpherson, Angus Wilson, Ripeka Walker, Sophie Stevens, Eden Kavakura, Lilly James, Sophia Cartmer-Strauss, Libby Ryan, Sapphire Tiata, Mitchell Moloney, Corey Whitfield, Matthew Livingston, Shion Tavendale, Zach Leeksma, Sonny Rehal, Thomas Johnstone, Harlyn Gardiner, Lucas Yeoman, Phoebe Corin, Joy Ransfield, Vienna Weir, Karli Potgieter, Indy Dinou, Emily Hamden and Isla Kirton.
Te Motu's Cross-Country Results
The Te Motu cross country was held at Mazengarb Park on Friday on a chilly, but sunny winter’s morning. Lots of the senior students had trained hard over the last few weeks in preparation for this event. The races were fiercely contested, and the rest of the syndicate provided great support.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the competitive event. Many have qualified for interschools, and the top placings were as follows:
Year 7 Girls
Anika Rehal
Emily Johnstone
Lucy Gestro
Year 7 Boys
Zach Chandler
Matthew Byrne
Raegan McGregor
Year 8 Girls
Alex Kenny-Schlup
Sakura Foulds
Natalia Gardiner
Year 8 Boys
Fletcher Cooper
Luca Steinmetz
Zach Weir
In the afternoon, everyone had the chance to take part in a fun relay, in whanau colours, back at school.
PTA AGM
The PTA is holding their Annual General Meeting tomorrow night – Wednesday, 1 June 2022 at 7.00pm in the School Staffroom.
We welcome all new members to join our small but amazing PTA.
Fairy Lights Wanted
Do you have any old fairy lights you no longer use? Are they broken, in a tangle or simply not needed anymore? We would like them! Mr Parr and Room 29 are collecting these to use for our Matariki celebrations. We would appreciate any LED-based lights you no longer want. Mains, solar or battery and in any condition – working or not.
Please deliver to the box outside Room 29 or take them to the office.
Thank you.
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
Winter Sheets Available
We have had two pairs of new, unopened winter sheets donated. If you know of any families in need, we have one pair of Queen size and one pair of King size to give away. Please contact the office or Jess Ward if you are interested.
Advertise in our Community Directory
Do you have a business and want to support PBS through advertising?
Check out the Community Directory on our website https://kapiti.pbs.school.nz/ You can advertise your business here for a small contribution. Businesses can list their services, events and opportunities all here for others in our large school community to see and access. This helps us support local businesses, encouraging PBS parents to support your business, and keeps all listings in one easy to find spot. Below are a few screen shots of what you can find. Click on a listing and explore the content!
