"Together we are lifelong CREST learners"
Principal's Message
Kia ora,
Firstly, a huge thank you to our amazing PTA for once again organising the New World Grocery Grab raffle. Your dedication—from arranging tickets and creating advertising, to distributing and collecting raffle books, and even spending evenings and weekends selling tickets outside New World—makes such a positive impact for PBS. We truly appreciate your mahi and all the effort you’ve put in!
Congratulations to this year’s winners: Karen Hill, Steve Whitfield, and Kane McGee. We can’t wait to hear all about your exciting grocery grab adventure this Friday! A special shoutout to PBS student Jayden O’Brien, who sold an incredible 90 tickets, earning himself a $200 Warehouse voucher. Ka pai, Jayden—what an impressive effort!
Thank you to everyone who supported this fundraiser. Your contributions help us achieve great things for our school community.
Don’t stop reading just yet – this newsletter contains information on:
- Student Council News – Can you put a present under our Xmas tree?
- Staffing Update
- Downloading/Printing off your child’s end of year report
- BIG CHANGE to Comms and Reporting changes for 2025 – We are acting on parent feedback!
- ‘Drop Off’ zone reminder
Ngā mihi nui,
Jess Ward
Principal – Tumuaki
P.S. Got a suggestion? Let us know through our online suggestion box.
PRINCIPAL’S C.R.E.S.T CORNER:
At PBS we champion our school C.R.E.S.T values in everything we do.
Curiosity. Respect. Excellence. Self Management. Teamwork
Yesterday, I had the privilege of teaching Room 15 for the day and was thoroughly impressed by their curiosity and teamwork. Having just completed their maths unit on algebra, I decided to challenge these senior students with a Mission Impossible-themed algebra activity.
It was fantastic to see them working in pairs to secretly tackle ten algebraic challenges before clocking in at the end. Their focus, collaboration, and problem-solving skills were a joy to watch.
A special shoutout to Mr. Siversen, whose excellent teaching of algebra concepts has clearly set the foundation for this success. Ka pai, Room 15!
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
There were no new students this week
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/
Student Council
The Student Council are holding Christmas CREST at PBS!
Next week there will be a tree set up in the office for anyone who would like to give a gift to PBS kids and their families in need. We want to share the love and bring some joy to others on Christmas Day. If this is something that you’d like to support, please bring a small gift to pop under our Christmas tree, which will be set up in the school office next week. Please label the gift with an age & gender the gift is targeted for. Your gift can be wrapped or we’ll wrap it! Or you might prefer to donate directly to the PBS Aroha fund via KINDO.
The last day for gift giving will finish on Friday, 13 December when we’re holding a whole school Christmassy dress up day, just for fun! Ngā mihi nui.
Staffing Update
As per my community email last week, we have a couple of staffing changes for 2025.
We have two fabulous teachers moving on to exciting new positions: Alice Graham and Vicki Howarth. Both of these talented educators will be greatly missed by our school community.
After 20 years at PBS, Alice has secured a position teaching English and Social Sciences at Paraparaumu College. This is a wonderful opportunity for her to share her expertise with older students, her care of students with additional needs and ‘can do’ attitude. We are immensely grateful for all Alice has contributed to the success of PBS over the years, as well as initiating our puppies in school project.
Vicki Howarth is also heading off to take on a teaching position at Discovery School in Whitby. This new role will significantly reduce her daily travel time and bring her closer to home—a change that we know will benefit both her and her family. Vicki has provided excellent leadership of the Ngaru team and added much to the literacy and arts spaces at PBS; Vicki you are going to be so missed!
On the replacement front, David Parr will be stepping in to teach in the Year 7-8 syndicate and we know he will be an asset to this team. Preparations are being made to replace Vicki at this time.
I know you will all join me in thanking Alice and Vicki for their incredible work, dedication, and care during their time at PBS. We will farewell them at the end of the year with our best wishes for the future.
Library Book Return
Library books need to be returned to school for the end of year stock take. Please check at home for any school library books and return them to the library return box this week. Thank you.
Pasifika Day at Paraparaumu College
On Friday, a group of our senior Pasifika students participated in a cultural exchange event at Paraparaumu College. The day involved engaging in games, dance and a shared meal. Paraparaumu College’s junior Pasifika students facilitated various activities, fostering new friendships and connections among the students.
We anticipate that these bonds will contribute to a stronger sense of community within our Pasifika families across our primary schools. Grateful thanks to our Kahui Ako Pasifika Steering Group for their guidance and efforts.
Lost Scooter
About 2 weeks ago one of our junior students had their scooter go missing from the scooter rack. It is a red and black Madd/carve scooter (similar to the one pictured below). If found, please bring it to the school office so it can be returned to the student. Thanks.
Using the @School App
I will regularly highlight a button on the @school app. This week it is:
The Blog is where a student has published a piece of work they wish to share with the family. The number in the red bubble shows you how many blog posts have been published but have not yet been read. If you have not yet checked this feature out have a look.
On the caregiver app under each entry, there is an icon to download that blog. Caregivers can download these and print your child’s blog.
Did you know you are able to print down and keep your child/ren’s previous Learning Summaries to keep in paper format? Just follow the instructions below.
And the:
The red notification button shows how many items have been added to this link.
Once you push the link you will be sent to this page:
You then push which learning summary you would like to see – End of Year or Mid Year. Once you push the button it takes you to another screen and you will see this selection (there will be a 2024 once the learning summary has been published):
You then push on the year you wish to view. This will then download a PDF which you need to open. This is what you will then see. Once you have those:
Then push the print icon on the top right of your screen 
Comms & Reporting Changes for 2025
Over the last few years we have been listening to parent dissatisfaction regarding communication and reporting. We have worked hard to address these issues, however it has become apparent that a bigger change is needed. Therefore, from the start of 2025 PBS will be moving to the HERO platform.
WHY?
- You told us that you want us to streamline our communications. So we will be removing Skool Loop, eTAP and the @school App. The new HERO system will enable us to communicate more effectively with you, with less ‘channels’ involved
- You have told us that your child’s reports are difficult to access, not user-friendly and not as detailed as you would like. Therefore, we will be removing eTAP and the @school App (often called “Spotlight” by the kids) and changing to HERO which we believe will be more effective for our needs
Here’s some more information for you:
Kia ora Whānau,
We are delighted to launch our new communication and reporting system, Hero. An online sharing platform with a complementary parent app.
Hero allows schools to customise an online environment that enables teachers, students, and parents to view and share content anytime, anywhere on any device. The software is secure, easy to use and brings together all school-related information in one place.
With Hero, you can:
- Read and comment on posts relating to your child’s learning
- View information on your child’s progress and goals
- Read and comment on school notices sent to the class or groups your child is part of
- Respond to school notices such as surveys and trip permission requests
- View school term dates
- View a school calendar of events
- Notify the school if your child is absent or late
- Book your school interviews
- Navigate to other school-related web pages
- Customise your account by adding a profile image
- Select how you wish to receive notifications
- Access Kindo for school related payments
Learning posts combined with curriculum information and goal-setting will form an online report designed to build year-on-year so that over time you will have access to written posts, images, videos, work samples, and helpful resources all in one place.
Over the coming year, staff at Paraparaumu Beach School will be upskilling themselves on the use of our software so please be patient whilst we embrace this change together.
More information will be coming your way so please keep reading school emails and newsletters.
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.
Here are some essential kupu that you may hear ia ra (everyday)
Kīwaha (idiom)
A super simple saying that you can use in your everyday conversations.
Pae kare! (by golly!)
Drop Off Zone Reminder
We need your help to ensure the drop-off zones on Gray Ave run smoothly for everyone. These zones are designed to be a quick and congestion-free area, where cars pull in briefly, children exit the vehicle promptly, and the car drives away (no need to turn off the engine).
Lately, some drivers have stopped to unpack numerous items, parked to come into school, and held conversations with others on the footpath, which is causing frustration for those parents who are trying to use the zones correctly.
Please remember to:
✔️ Stay in your car
✔️ Ensure your child is ready to exit quickly
✔️ Move on promptly after dropping off
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
Join the PBS Whānau Rōpu
Travelling Overseas Soon? NZ Traveller Declaration
Going overseas this summer? Everyone travelling into, or returning to, New Zealand must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration.
The New Zealand Traveller Declaration collects travel, customs, immigration and biosecurity information and aims to improve the safety and security of New Zealand. It replaces the paper card you used to fill out on the plane.
To make your arrival easier, do your digital declaration before your flight to New Zealand. It’s free to complete. If you’re travelling as a family or group and completing multiple declarations, the NZTD app allows you to copy your travel details into another declaration, making it easier to complete multiple declarations for the same journey. The submitted declarations are then all easy to see within the app.
Head to travellerdeclaration.govt.nz today!
