Dear parents,
Our PRIDE values of Perseverance, Respect, Initiative, Diligence and Excellence are very important to us at school. The leadership team of myself, Kelly Knowles and Michelle Butler give out PRIDE certificates when we catch children showing our values, these are displayed in the office, before coming home with the children. It is one of our highlights to see these values being shown around our school. The students who have been awarded these PRIDE certificates this week are: Liam Palen, Isla Willoughby, Jayden Ng, Sienna Visser, Chloe Chen and Nicole Yan.
Whanau Day Feedback
Thank you for attending our Whanau day! It was a lovely afternoon. I loved walking around the classrooms and seeing so many parents and other family members in the classrooms sharing in the learning or just connecting with the other parents in the classrooms. We had a great turnout in the hall and I took the feedback received to the Board for some wider discussions.
The questions on reporting to parents were to set the ball rolling on some wider discussions we will be having during this year. We are expecting some more clarity from the Government and Ministry of Education on any changes that will be mandated. This will feed into our own examination of our reporting system, where we are looking to make sure they are both informative for parents and caregivers and workable for teachers. There will be other opportunities for you to support us with this piece of work later in the year.
We also gathered some feedback on school use of lollies, we are in agreement as a school and board that lollies shouldn’t be used as a reward in classes (it was a rare occurrence). Therefore this is something that has now been halted completely. The practice of children bringing in birthday lollies was also raised, and it was discussed at Board level. The Board and school want to ensure that the following provisions are put in place around this practice.
- Bringing in lollies for a birthday is NOT an expectation or something we actively encourage.
- If your child chooses to bring in a lolly for the class, it must be singular, small and individually wrapped (something like a fruit burst!).
- If you do not wish your child to have one, please talk to your child.
- These will only be handed out at the end of the day, so it doesn’t have any impact on teaching time in the class.
We also asked a question, based on some conversations I had with some parents on the implementation of a wide brimmed hat as part of the uniform. This was hugely supported by those who came to see us in the hall. Therefore I am exploring this with our uniform supplier to see if we can get something appropriate and practical for the start of Term 4 2024, when we reintroduce the mandatory hats after the winter.
School Swimming Pool
The subject of opening the pool to our school community is a common one that both the board and I get asked about. We are currently undertaking a thorough investigation to see if this can occur under the health and safety guidelines that we are expected to adhere to. We are talking to other schools, the Ministry of Education and health and safety experts. Once we have completed the investigation and reported these findings to our Board, a decision on the feasibility and practicalities of opening over the summer in 2024/25 will be made.
Donations
A massive thank you to those who have already made their suggested donation and activity contribution.
These are vitally important for the school to be able to continue to have the facilities and resources we can offer your children.
The activity contribution for term one is now requested. Our teachers are beginning to look to book trips and experiences for your children. Without the activity contributions, we will be unable to book some of these experiences.
Our 2024 contribution requests remain unchanged from last year and are as follows:-
School Donation – $55 per term or $220 for the whole school year. The amount for 3rd or subsequent children will remain at $37.50 per term or $150 for the whole school year.
Classroom Activity Contributions – $40 per term or $160 for the whole school year.
Kindo is our preferred method for all your school payments. We also have links for you to follow on our school website in the Community Connect section or in the drop down on the Info tab.
Board update
I would like to congratulate and thank Samantha Ebel-Brown, who has become our new Board Presiding Member (chair) for 2024. Samantha has been a great support for our school in her roles leading the finance committee and as Deputy Presiding member.
I would also like to thank Kathy Frame for her time as Presiding Member. She has done a fabulous job as Presiding Member, advocating for your children. Kathy ensured our school direction was maintained and led us out of the COVID years, including ensuring we maintained a steady and forward looking course throughout. She was a great personal support to me, as a sounding board and always challenged me to ensure we continued to push our school forward. Kathy has become our deputy Presiding Member for 2024.
Teacher Only Days 2024
The Ministry of Education has allocated two days in 2024 for teacher only days. We have liaised with other local schools when setting these dates. In 2024 our two MOE allocated teacher only days will be Tuesday June 4th and Friday October 25th. These dates have also been selected as they are part of long weekends, where many families choose to travel.
Ngā mihi
Stephen Grady
Tumuaki/Principal
Greenhithe School
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish