Principal's Message
Kon’nichiwa, genkidesuka?
I’ve chosen a greeting from
Japan this week as PBS has seven students with Japanese heritage. I traveled to Japan about 5 years ago and found the people there to be some of the kindest around; I would go back there again in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, the Deputy Principal and I were made aware of some online bullying that occurred over the weekend, via SnapChat, amongst some of our Year 5-8 students. Although this has happened outside of school hours, the hurt and residue unease it caused has now been brought back into school. This is not the first time this has occurred, so therefore we are asking all parents and caregivers to take extra responsibility in limiting/monitoring such activity.
SnapChat and most other social online platforms have a minimum age limit of 13 to join. If you are allowing your children to have devices and join social media when they are under this age limit, that’s your choice, however, as parents you have a responsibility to monitor your child’s online behaviour. It is an additional unnecessary challenge for teachers to have to deal with the after effects of negative weekend online activity. Yes, we want to keep kids safe too but dealing with such issues takes my teachers away from their core business.
We encourage our students to demonstrate our school CREST values in all areas of their life, but we need your help to reinforce this message. Thank you for reading this message. Your ongoing support is called for.
NB: Netsafe New Zealand has a lot of really good advice and guidance for parents about all things related to young people and the internet. Click on the link to access the parent toolkit: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/parenttoolkit/
PRINCIPAL’S GREAT NEWS CORNER:
Sharing good news spreads positivity, changes attitudes and ultimately leads to more people feeling encouraged and happy
I came back from gate duty this morning to find kids from the Student Council using my office as a film set! Watching from the sidelines I was so impressed with the technical skills they were using and I can’t wait to see the finished advertisement for Onesie Day (fundraiser for Wellington Free Ambulance). See their message below 🙂
Have a great week,
Jess Ward
Tumuaki ~ Principal
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
Dakoda – Rm 19
From the Student Council
Onesie Appeal
Last term we gathered student voice around which charity we could support this year. There are so many deserving charities that could do with our help. Wellington Free Ambulance took out the majority vote.
So, on Wednesday, 7 September PBS will be supporting Onesie Day. We hope to raise some valuable funds for this essential service to our region by bringing along a gold coin donation. No onesie? All good, you could rock your pjs or Oodie to show your support!
Mask Wearing
Thank you for the messages of support and understanding around our decision to keep wearing masks. As outlined in my email to all parents/caregivers, PBS Staff and Year 5-8 students will continue to wear masks indoors for the remainder of Term 3.
Why have we made this decision? During these past 4 weeks of mask wearing, our school has experienced higher levels of attendance and decreased levels of sickness in both students and staff. In the older age level classes, where students have been required to wear a mask, attendance stats have risen to levels higher than in terms 1 and 2.
• Year 5 has increased from 83% attendance to 89%
• Year 6 has increased from 82% attendance to 89%
• Year 7 has increased from 76% attendance to 82%
• Year 8 has increased from 74% attendance to 81%
Whilst this decision will not make everyone jump for joy, this measure is providing a layer of protection and confidence amongst us. With 30-40% less relief teachers in our district this year, we struggle to get staff when a teacher or teacher aide gets sick. As you’ll know, I dislike splitting classes as this puts an extra workload on teachers and it’s not ideal for students either. So mask wearing is the best I can do until the warmer weather arrives and we can ventilate classrooms better.
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.
Kīwaha are colloquial sayings and they are great phrases to drop into your everyday conversation even if you are speaking English.
Kua taka te kapa = To express when something makes sense or I get it now.
Kua eke = To express when there is no more to be said in a conversation or I’ve had enough to eat.
@School App
Student Work
Check out Emilie and Ruby’s sustainable house model! It’s on stilts, has a mechanism for collecting rainwater, and on the other side it has water wheels to catch water from the roof to generate power. A lot of time, thought and creation has gone into this project. Great work team!
Zones of Regulation
This term many of our classes are exploring the strategies or tools that they can use that will influence their Zones. Students are learning a number of strategies that they find calming and help them to be alert and ready to learn. They are also recognising that different tools affect each person differently and they’ll have to practise them to figure out which tools are the most effective for them.
A few weeks ago we shared the Lazy 8 Breathing strategy. Another example is the Calming sequence. This is a meditative routine to follow that repeats steps consisting of muscle contraction and deep pressure input. In the diagram below, the sequence goes like this: Squeeze your hands together; close your eyes and rub your head; then rub your legs. Repeat the sequence five times, bringing your stress down.
Kid's Quote
A student who had jammed their finger came into the medical room crying and in pain. A younger student said “I can hear his finger screaming!”
PTA
Donations Wanted
We are having a Rock’n Bingo Fundraiser in September and would love to see you there. There will be lots of fun and laughter. Come along and bring a friend.
We are providing crackers, cheeses and condiments for snacks on the night and we would really appreciate it if you were able to donate anything that would be suitable and make our night successful. We will put a box outside the staffroom for any donations.
Thank you in anticipation.
PTA Committee
Rock'n Bingo
Te Motu Camp 2023
Hot Dog Fundraiser - Supporting Te Motu Camp 2023
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
Yummy Stickers
Thank you for all of the yummy stickers that have been sent in so far! The more we collect the more sports gear we will receive so please keep them coming. This runs until the end of the term. Please note that we get double points for the Sweet Tango, Lemonade and Ambrosia stickers, so please stick these ones to the appropriate collection sheet (the one with the trees). It makes collation so much easier for us.
Yummy apples are available from New World, Pak’n Save and participating Four Square stores.
Sticker collection sheets are available from the School Office or the Yummy Fruit Company’s website https://www.yummyfruit.co.nz/schools/
Winter Wellness Guide for Tamariki from the Ministry of Health
With a rise in COVID-19, seasonal colds, flu and other respiratory infections in our communities, this guidance is to help you manage your child’s illness.
KEY WELLNESS INDICATORS
• Healthy young children can have up to 8 to 12 colds or upper respiratory tract infections each year. These are a normal part of childhood.
• A child must stay at home if they appear unwell or if they develop any of these symptoms: new runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, they are off their food and drink or show signs of feeling miserable.
• If a child becomes increasingly unwell and/or you are concerned about them, call your GP or Healthline on 0800 611 116. A child who is refusing to drink anything is likely to be very unwell.
• If an in-person appointment is required, follow your GP’s processes, which will include everyone wearing a mask if they can safely and practically do so.
• If you or a child you are caring for develops difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, fainting or becomes unconscious, call 111 immediately.
Find reliable information on how to manage colds and flus on KidsHealth and Health Navigator:
Information about health and wellbeing of tamariki and rangatahi – KidsHealth
Health information for New Zealanders – Health Navigator
COVID-19 GUIDANCE
• If your child has COVID-19 symptoms, the child and anyone in their household with similar symptoms should be tested for COVID-19.
• If any household members are COVID-19 positive, other household members are at high risk of becoming infected. Everyone must isolate for at least seven days from the day that the first person receives their positive test result or becomes symptomatic (whichever is earliest).
• All household contacts, including children, need to take a rapid antigen test (RAT) on day three and day seven, or sooner if they develop symptoms. A person who has had COVID-19 in the past 90 days, does not need to isolate again as a household contact.
• Anyone who experiences symptoms 29 days or longer after previous COVID-19 infection should test and will need to isolate if they test positive.
If your child:
• has been isolating with COVID 19 and is feeling well after seven days, they can return to school
• continues to be unwell and/or has symptoms after their seven-day isolation period has ended, they should remain at home to recover until 24 hours after their symptoms end
• still feels unwell or their symptoms are worsening after ten days, they should not return to school. Call your GP or Healthline on 0800 611 116 for medical advice.
Find detailed information about COVID-19 symptoms on the Ministry of Health and Unite Against COVID-19 websites:
About COVID-19 – Ministry of Health
Information about COVID-19 – Unite Against COVID-19
HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR CHILD SHOULD STAY AT HOME
• If a child has been unwell with a respiratory illness other than COVID-19, they can return to their school 24 hours after they have significantly improved and are behaving/eating normally.
• Following vomiting or diarrhoea, a child should be symptom free for 48 hours before they can return.
Celebrate Dads this Father's Day!
Whether it’s a Dad, Uncle, Grandad or Poppa in your life, make them feel extra special this Father’s Day with our ezlunch giveaway. Every lunch order gets you a chance to win one of two $50 ‘Not Socks’ vouchers. Not Socks vouchers are a great way to let Dad choose the fun gift that they like best.
Order ezlunch for delivery from Mon, 22 August – Fri, 2 September to be in the draw to win. Two vouchers, two winners!
The winners will be drawn on Friday, 2 September.
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!
