Principal's Message
Kia ora koutou
Hooray, our School Picnic and FUN RUN is just three sleeps away! These are always well-attended, feel-good events. The kids will need spare clothes though as there will be slime, water and colour galore!
There are more details later in this newsletter but I hope that you and your whānau are able to come along and experience that sense of community we enjoy. At our school picnic (from 4pm – 7.30pm) there will be a bouncy obstacle course, jump jam performances, a lolly scramble, slip n slide and hot and cold food items to purchase (please bring cash – we do not have eftpos facilities).
EDUCATION IN THE NEWS: You know it’s an election year when Education Policy proposals are in the news daily. Many principals feel like education becomes a political football at election time, as we get kicked back and forth by parties trying to score votes. This is not how education policy should be decided!
Regardless of who you end up voting for, because that’s none of my business, I would like you to consider this and maybe somewhere along the way you might like to contribute your voice to the conversation. What we need in NZ to strengthen our schools further are bi-partisal (non political) education policies. Countries that have excellent education systems have such bipartisan agreements. This means education policies are based on best-evidence practice, provide greater stability for schools and are therefore more likely to result in positive outcomes for students. Quite simply, left, right or in the middle, education should not be decided on the whim of political ideologies. Thanks for considering my thoughts on this.
Dates for your Diary:
School Fun Run this Friday from 10am – Parents feel free to come along and watch the hilarity!
School Picnic this Friday from 4pm – We hope to see lots of parents, kids and whānau members at this fun event. Such events build a sense of belonging and community for our students, so even if you only have an hour to spare we would love to see you there.
Term 1 ends on Thursday, 6 April (next week)
Term 2 starts on Wednesday, 26 April
Parent Education Evening on Cyber Safety – Thursday, 4 May at 7pm (more details below)
PRINCIPAL’S GREAT NEWS CORNER:
Sharing good news spreads positivity, changes attitudes and ultimately leads to more people feeling encouraged and happy
We loved the NZ Opera’s performance of “Sleeping Beauty” last week. The fact Sleeping Beauty was a prince rather than a princess was also a fun twist. It was great for our students to experience some operatic singing and see a diverse cast – Opera can be for anyone! Maybe it will inspire some future singers and performers. Thanks again to Stanley Goodright for the funds which enabled all our students to attend this show.
Ngā mihi nui,
Jess Ward
Principal ~ Tumuaki
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
Sophie – Rm 13
Kaitlyn – Rm 13
Aineias – Rm 18
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/
Reflections From the Opera
I found something that was unexpected and cool!
A rather large man oddly wearing camo pants that made a gender change role-playing Sleeping Beauty!
I was frozen in my seat as the evil witch came rushing into the opera stage
I saw a person that was having a puppet cat and another person with a puppet tui!
It was not a regular Wednesday instead it was an exciting Wednesday
The opera was cool and Ahhhh! went the fairy and Sleeping Beauty was snoring loudly
There was lots of loud applause and there was a potion of something too
My favourite part was when the cat puppet was chasing the character that was allergic to cats
By Angus Wilson Rm 4
SNORING* Went the sleeping beauty
But just listen, this isn’t your average Sleeping Beauty because in this the beauty is a man instead of a Woman
There was even a VILLAINOUS Witch that cursed him FOR LIFE until a true love’s kiss wakes him
Today the NZ Opera Team performed sleeping beauty with a twist the gender roles were SWAPPED
It was an absolutely marvellous show and there were so many props
One of the best parts is the fact that they doubled up on using the props
During this Opera, I was utterly amazed by the effort put into it
By James Fenwick
Adult Classes in Te Reo Māori
Are you interested in learning te reo Māori? PBS could have a free opportunity for you!
In last week’s newsletter I let you know about the opportunity for adult night classes in te reo. Our mini survey showed that the most popular time for these classes would be 6.30-8.30pm on Wednesdays (starting in Term 2).
Today I will send out an email with registration details, so if you are interested take a look! NB: There are limited spaces available.
Fun Run and School Picnic
Fun Run
The Fun Run will start at 10.00am for all tamariki.
The school will use a tuakana/teina model and will be going around with their buddy classes starting with the Year 7/8s and Year 3/4s going first with the Year 5/6s and Year 0/1/2s following.
Please remember all tamariki will need to bring a change of clothes as they will get wet and colour on them!
School Picnic
The School Picnic will start at 4.00pm.
There will be some Fun Run activities still up for the parents and children to go through, along with a jump jam dance off and a Bouncy Castle Obstacle Run.
There will also be lots of food to purchase if you don’t want to bring your own picnic, including; sausages, hot chips, coffee, muffins/cup cakes, fizzy spiders, candyfloss, lolly lei’s and ice blocks.
See you there!
Cyber Safety Parent Evening - Thursday, 4 May at 7pm
Attention all PBS Parents
We want our school community to be as safe as possible for kids
Times have changed so much since we were all children. Today our tamariki face challenges and harm online that we need to talk about and tackle together. As such, we have organised Author, Filmmaker and Speaker Rob Cope, producer of the documentary “Our Kids Online” to come and give what promises to be a humorous and eye-opening evening talk to our parent community.
His 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
Solutions
- Filters – Which filters are best and how to install them
- Smartphones – How to lock down a smartphone to make it a safe phone
- Boundaries – How to put good boundaries in place around device use
- 3 golden rules – The 3 golden rules that will keep your kids safe
- Talking to your kids – How to have difficult conversations with your kids
- Challenging our own phone and device usage – Reconnecting as a family
Here is a promotional video for you to watch Our Kids Online Parent Evening.
The talk will be held in our school hall on Thursday, 4 May from 7-9pm. Gold Coin entry.
We would request that at least one adult from each family attend, this topic is too big for us not to pay attention.
Thank you – Jess Ward
Kid's Quote
Someone’s big sister was away at camp last week “I miss my big sister’s annoyingness; it’s a big part of my life”.
Digitech Corner
How well do you know the games that your child/ren are playing online? Below is some great advice from the Safe on Social team regarding the online platform Roblox https://www.safeonsocial.com/
Children often see their online and offline lives as the same, and their avatars in platforms like Roblox can be viewed as an extension of themselves. We need to help children understand what the metaverse may look like and that Roblox is one of the first of these games/places.
Roblox prioritises creating metaverse experiences that are both immersive and social, transporting players into the virtual world while providing opportunities to explore these worlds with friends.
We need to treat and speak about Roblox like it is a place children go (because it is), not just a game they play. Children see their avatars as an extension of themselves, and we need to understand that. The best way to educate children on safety online is to draw parallels between real-life situations and their online experiences directly.
Maintaining a safe environment within Roblox, which offers over 24 million experiences for players, poses challenges. Moderation is difficult for any online community, and Roblox is no exception. This issue can be exacerbated when players are exposed to graphic violence or explicit content, especially since the platform is heavily marketed to children.
Remind children that interacting with strangers on Roblox is similar to meeting an unknown person at a shopping centre. They would naturally feel uneasy if a stranger approached them with a request to be their boyfriend or girlfriend or to play the Mum or the Dad in a role play game. Encourage children to apply the same level of caution in their online interactions, avoiding conversations or accepting friend requests from individuals that they do not know.
Parents should discuss with children the importance of not accepting offers of free virtual items, like Robux (the in-game currency), in exchange for performing tasks (that are sometimes inappropriate) or sharing personal information. Just as they would be suspicious of a stranger offering gifts in the real world, children should be taught to recognise that similar offers in Roblox are equally dubious and potentially harmful.
Coffee Cart - Wednesdays
You may have noticed that the Coffee Cruizers visit us on Wednesdays before school. The staff love this mid-week coffee fix and I know some parents line up to indulge as well. Although this service is adult-driven, we have not stopped the odd student buying a hot chocolate (kids will not be served coffee). However, we just wanted to signal a few issues we’re experiencing with the kids. At this stage we’d like to try and navigate these rather than banning kids.
Issues and solutions:
- Kids need to buy hot drinks before 8.45am to give them time to drink it all before the bell (extra milk is always added so these are not overly hot)
- Kids need to consume drinks outside their class not inside
- Kids should only buy a drink for themselves. Adults should only buy a drink for their child. This eliminates pressure put on the purchaser and also ensures kids are not consuming things their own parent may not want them too.
Te Motu Camps
A huge shout out to all of the wonderful parents who joined us on our two camps to Bridge Valley Adventure Centre in Nelson over the past two weeks.
A fabulous time was had by all and many memories have been made. Super parents, fabulous kids and an awesome adventure!
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.
If you put ‘kai’ at the start of the ver it turns the verb into an ‘er’ eg:
Mahi = work Kaimahi = worker
Waiata = sing Kaiwaiata = singer
Āwhina = help Kaiāwhina = helper
Credit: Paora Trim
Office Temporary Relocation
Please be advised that the office will be having some refurbishments done during the upcoming holidays, so we will be temporarily moving down to the Takahe Room (old ICT suite behind the library). The temporary office will be signposted and can be accessed from the side door to your left just after coming through the Gray Ave gates.
This will be from Week 10 (3 April) until further notice.
Touch Rugby
The Touch Tournament was an amazing success with U8s competing for the first time. The U14s came 3rd in their grade while the U12s had a PBS v PBS final for 5th and 6th place. All the players had brilliant attitudes and gave it their best. Proud to watch the PBS kids once again represent our school CREST values out in the community.
Interschool Swimming
Congratulations to all our fantastic swimmers who competed at the Kapiti Primary Interschool Swimming Festival last Thursday. P.B.S. was extremely proud of your willingness to participate and the effort you put into your events, giving them your very best.
We had some outstanding results with placings from the following athletes:
Year 8 Girls: Tanaya Suri – 1st in freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly
Year 7 Girls: Holly McGregor – 3rd in breaststroke
Year 5 Girls: Lucie Thomson – 3rd in backstroke
Year 4 Boys: Nico Van Reenen – 1st in breaststroke and 2nd in freestyle
Year 4 Girls: Ella Quirke – 3rd in backstroke
PBS Hockey
Registrations are now open for Hockey. Hockey is a great game and PBS has a strong tradition of awesome players and coaches. There is Hockey available for all students from Years 1-8. Please follow this link to the Google Form to find out more and to register your child for Hockey, starting in Term 2. Contact Caty Spencer (cspencer@pbs.school.nz) with any questions or if you would like to get involved with coaching this year.
Netball
Year 7 – Year 8 netball teams have now been published. Congratulations to all players. I am sure you will all have a great season and will remember to use our CREST values at training and on game day.
Also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the three selectors Sally, Kim and Kat from the wider Kapiti Netball community and not connected with PBS who took the time out of their week to select the teams for us.
Any parent who has questions about the selection process please contact me directly at school.
Regards
Vicki Wilson
Lost Property
Lost property will be on display by the netball courts each fine day this week and next week. Anything un-named or un–claimed by the end of term will be donated to the Koha Shed.
Recent Student Achievements
Athletics: Congratulations to the following students who competed at the annual Manawatu – Whanganui Athletic Championships:
Phoebe Corin: 1st in shot put, race walk, and the discus with a huge throw of 31.04m, 2nd in the long jump and 3rd in 100m
Mia Thomson: 1st in 400m, 800m and 1500m
Mia and Phoebe also competed in the 12-year-old girl’s relay gaining 1st place
Frankie Houston-Manuel: 1st in 60m, 100m and 2nd in 200m and long jump
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
Please collect your yummy stickers and send them to your child’s class or to Ginny Hawke in Rm 4. The more stickers we collect the more sports gear we can purchase!
This runs until the end of Term 3.
