Newsletter

19 February
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Information	Parent Teacher Evening The first Parent / Teacher Meeting for the year will be held: Middle/Senior Teams Monday 22nd February at 7pm (for parents with children in Rooms 15, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) New Entrant/Junior Teams Tuesday 23rd February at 7pm (for parents with children in Rooms 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17 ) We would really appreciate a parent from each family being present. Each evening will start in the Hall with general information about the school and student achievement. Following this session parents will move to the respective classrooms to meet the children’s teachers, where the scene for the year will be set, expectations will be outlined and general parent questions will be answered. Parents who are attending both evenings may wish to arrive to one closer to 7.30pm as both will start with the same information about student achievement and National Standards. Thank you in anticipation of your attendance. Have your considered becoming a board member? READ below!! Board elections will be held this term, and parents/caregivers are encouraged to consider standing for election as a trustee. The board has a critical role to play in the governance and development of the school. Portfolios are held by trustees for finance, property, personnel, curriculum, health and safety, self review and administration. The time line for the elections is as follows: March 13th Roll of eligible voters closes March 15th Call for nominations March 21st Supplementary roll closes March 23rd Nominations close March 28th Voting papers issued May 7th Polls close May 13th Results declared May 14th Boards take office If you would like more information you could talk with our current BOT Chairperson, Stuart Mackintosh 348 7722, Annette Parkinson, Board Secretary or myself 349 1750 or any of the other BOT members listed in the last newsletter or on our website www.stjohnshillschool.info Nominations are invited for the election of five parent representatives to the board of trustees. A nomination form and a copy of this notice will be posted to all eligible voters. Additional nomination forms can be obtained from the school office. Nominations close at noon on 23rd March and may be accompanied by a candidate statement. The voting roll will be open for inspection at the school and can be viewed during normal school hours. There will also be a list of candidate’s names, as they come to hand, for inspection at the school. Cathy McIntyre Returning Officer Board of Trustees—Get Involved! ¨ Do you want to be actively engaged in the governance of our school? ¨ Can you work well in a team? ¨ Are you willing to listen and learn? ¨ Are you able to ask challenging questions? ¨ Are you passionate about student achievement? St Johns Hill School is seeking nominations for five parent representative positions on its Board of Trustees for the next 3 year term. Nominations close noon March 23rd. I have thoroughly enjoyed my past 6 years on the board responsible for the Property and Finance portfolios, then as Chairperson. These roles have provided an opportunity to contribute, as part of a committed team, to the planning and direction of our school. It has been a privilege to participate in such a well run, progressive school which continually strives to provide the best opportunities and education for our children. I am happy to answer questions from anyone interested in standing for the Board Elections. Stuart Mackintosh BOT Chairperson (348 7722) Thank You Pool Volunteers A big thank you to Cherie Selby and Sharyn Pearce who helped maintain the pool over the holiday period. Your assistance was much appreciated. PTA Annual General Meeting will be held on the 9th March at 7pm (note the change of date) in the Staff Room. This will be followed by the monthly PTA meeting. All parents most welcome. Lisa O’Neill Fashion Stylist “What Not To Wear” Wednesday March 17th at 7pm Tickets $20 available from the office. · Get a group together for this fabulous fundraiser- family, friends and work colleagues. · Thank you to those who have offered to help by supplying a plate. If willing and able to assist with this please return your slip. Much appreciated. · Mufti/Wheels Day Friday 26th February Gold Coin donation. Proceeds will be used to purchase items required for the Lisa O’Neil “What Not to Wear” fundraiser. Summer Sports All sports teams have now been organised. If your child is playing any of the two sports that were available to play, (T-ball or Cricket), they have now been given a team list outlining details of the team. Please check practice times, and if there are any problems please ring the coaches concerned. (We are still looking for a coach for the Under 9 T-ball team. If you can help, please contact Mr Howells in Room 4). My apologies to students who wanted to play either Volleyball or Flippa-ball. These two sports didn’t end up happening for a number of reasons. We are hoping that Volleyball will be available to play in Term 4. Senior School Swimming Sports This years swimming sports are on Monday the 15^th of March, at the Splash Centre. It will be starting at 12:30, and we hope to be finished by 2:30. There is a change in format to this year’s event. We have done away with the “Championship / Non Championship” sections where students could choose where they wanted to swim. Before the swimming sports day, all students will have been given an opportunity to swim a length of the Splash Centre in the three stokes we race. Students will then be grouped with others of similar ability for the swimming sports races, much the same as our athletics sports format, (graded finals). Students who have difficulty in confidently swimming a length of the Splash Centre pool will participate in an alternative swimming programme. We will all walk to the pool, leaving school promptly at 11:45 and returning by 3:00pm. We invite all who are able to walk with us. Children will need all swimming gear and sunhats. Triathlon As part of our physical education programme, all Year 4, 5 and 6 students have been taking part in our school triathlon. This will continue for the next 3 weeks. On Wednesday the 10^th of March, (Week 6), at 1:00pm we will be holding the final. In the final students will be competing against others with similar times, (regardless of their year level). To compete on this day, students will have to be doing all three sections, (swimming, biking and running). We will welcome any one who wants to come along and cheer the children along. Reminder Students are to wear the correct regulation uniform to and from school including black sandals in the summer and shoes in the winter. If collecting your child please insist they put there footwear on prior to leaving. Thank you. Swimming In 2008, only 1 in 5 ten year olds in New Zealand children could swim 200m freestyle breathing correctly - the benchmark for being able to swim and survive - and only half could swim 25m. For twelve year olds, only 2 in 5 could swim 200m and 30% couldn’t swim 25m. Source: AC Nielsen, Investigating Issues Relating to School Student Swimming & Water Safety Skills, 2008/AC Nielsen, Assessing Student Swimming and Aquatic Skills, 2002. Drowning is the third highest cause of unintentional death in New Zealand. Source: DrownBase; Water Safety New Zealand. If your child is having difficulty, extra help and support is offered through the Splash Centre. Teachers Attending Stop Work Meeting - 9th March The teachers union, the NZEI has a Stop Work meeting on Tuesday 9th March. By law teachers who are members are entitled to attend. All our teachers are members. Parents are asked to collect their child/ren at 12.30pm on this day to allow teaching staff to attend this stop work meeting. At this meeting teachers will be involved in discussing clauses for their upcoming negotiations. Senior Team Camps Wishing Rooms 15, 1, 2, and 3 teachers and parent helpers an excellent time at their respective camps during Week 4. Room 15 are “Up the Creek” on the Collins farm in the Mangamahu Valley, Room 1 are at Mangatepopo Camp at the foot of Mount Ruapehu and Rooms 2 and 3 at Raukawa Falls YMCA Camp -Parapara Highway (SH4). A big thank you to the staff for all their effort in organising these experiences and for the parent support. House Leaders Retreat The Year 6 house leaders had the opportunity to go away for two days to a leadership retreat in Ohakune. It was a wonderful two days away and we are once again grateful for the parental support given. A big thank you to: Mr Hazelhurst, Mr Russell and Mrs Rowe. The children were asked to focus on using the key competencies while they were away during this time. Over the course of the two days the children participated in planning and leadership sessions (thinking), rock climbing (participating and contributing), organisation sessions for the Old Coach Road tramp (managing self) and working together (using symbols and text). Our house leaders have some neat ideas for events for 2010. We look forward to another productive working year. Library Books!! It’s great to see all the children enjoying our wonderful library again. Sadly a few of our books are coming back damaged. Please remember to keep books away from “wet togs”, food and drink. This will help keep our books in good condition for everyone to enjoy. Nut Allergy We would like to remind you that we have several children at school that have severe allergies. Most of our children with severe allergies are allergic to either nuts, eggs, and kiwifruit. They are known to suffer from anaphylaxis due to these allergies, which is a life threatening condition. For children allergic to these foods it means total avoidance of all nuts, eggs and kiwifruit and all products that contain these foods. At school, staff need to be vigilant in monitoring. Although the school has not ‘banned’ these staple aspects of a student’s diet, we appreciate your support in minimising the risk to children with these allergies. I hope the information provides you with knowledge about what can cause anaphylaxis.
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