Junior School Splash and Dash - Week 5
Tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou
A special welcome to students Louis N and Knox S who have joined us in the last fortnight.
Term One is well and truly in full swing and it’s hard to believe that we are already at the end of week five and March is upon us! Two weeks ago I set our students the challenge of using their character strength of bravery within their learning experiences... and they have really risen to that challenge! I have been so impressed with the conversations about bravery that I have had with the students as I move around the school, and have been pleased to hear how these conversations have also been happening at home. Over the last two weeks we have seen lots of our students being brave while taking new risks with their learning, which is fantastic. It is absolutely amazing to see our children flourishing as they have tried something new for the first time.
During assembly on Monday we took some time to celebrate our students bravery by acknowledging some of the special achievements that have taken place. I also took the opportunity set a new challenge for our children around the character strength of perseverance. Perseverance is based on the idea of not giving up when the going gets tough and, coupled with bravery, is the very beginning of developing ‘grit’ in our children. Swimming sports and the ‘Splash and Dash’ this week provided many opportunities for our students to demonstrate both their bravery and perseverance. It was incredible to see the development that our children have made over the summer in their swimming skills and water confidence, and I was again amazed at the level of talent that we have in our young people. I would like to acknowledge our teachers and support staff for their hard work in putting these events together and would also like to thank all of you who came along to support and share these events with us.
Spotlight on learning… At Sumner School we believe that all students, but especially ours, learn best when they are fully involved in the whole learning process. Part of this is around setting learning goals alongside our students so that they can begin to guide their own learning pathway and understand exactly where their learning is heading. On Tuesday and Thursday next week we will have our first set of Learning Conferences for the year. At these you will have the opportunity to join the conversation alongside your child and their teacher. If you haven’t done so already, I would really encourage you to book a time to meet with your child’s teacher on School Interviews using the code that was emailed on Monday. If you haven’t received this information or are having problems making a booking please contact the office. Please remember that classes will finish at 1.30pm on Tuesday and Thursday.
Another important aspect of allowing our akonga to be involved in their learning process is by creating an exciting curriculum that engages and motivates our learners. We call this process: Learn.Create.Share. We believe that these three aspects are equally important and past experience has highlighted to us that giving our children an authentic audience has increased the engagement and quality of our student’s learning outcomes. We warmly invite you all to come into school on Thursday 4 April from 1.45pm - 2.45pm when we are opening up all of our learning spaces to allow the children the opportunity to share their inquiry learning on Identity with you.
Supporting learning in 2019... Over the next couple of weeks you will receive a letter from us regarding school donations for 2019. I know that many of you will have heard this before, but as a Decile 10 school we receive the lowest amount of funding from the government, which we believe in its current form is not enough to meet the curriculum and learning needs of our students. Therefore these voluntary donations make a huge difference to the learning opportunities and experiences that we can provide for our students. A large amount of your donations go towards enabling us to provide increased learning support for our students in the form of additional adults working within our learning spaces. These additional adults positively affect the learning of all of our students because more adults means more focused support for our learners. Alongside this, we have worked to build a curriculum which is focused on developing creativity and self-directed learning for our akonga. One of the many ways we are able to do this is through the use of digital technologies. Technology is an incredible tool to allow us to provide a blended approach to learning and provides an engaging platform for all of our students. Over the last year your donations have contributed to enabling us to provide a Chromebook per student in Te Onepoto (Year 5 and 6) and Awaroa (Year 7 and 8). This has allowed our students to work creatively and direct their learning in ways which was not possible before. Without your donations we simply wouldn’t be able to provide these opportunities for our students, so thank you!
And Finally… You may have heard that the NZEI is holding Paid Union Meetings during school hours for our teachers during the week beginning 18 March. As a teaching staff we have been incredibly grateful for the level of support that our community has shown us as we have continued to negotiate our new Collective Agreement. Although these meetings are very important as they allow us to have conversations around our ongoing negotiations with the government, we are incredibly aware that the recent strikes and school closures have not been a particularly easy period for you to navigate as parents. In acknowledgement of this we will not be closing the school for these meetings and will ensure staffing is in place so that the school can remain open as normal for our students over the course of these meetings.
Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing you next week.
Ngā mihi nui,
Anna Granger
Principal
A special welcome to students Louis N and Knox S who have joined us in the last fortnight.
Term One is well and truly in full swing and it’s hard to believe that we are already at the end of week five and March is upon us! Two weeks ago I set our students the challenge of using their character strength of bravery within their learning experiences... and they have really risen to that challenge! I have been so impressed with the conversations about bravery that I have had with the students as I move around the school, and have been pleased to hear how these conversations have also been happening at home. Over the last two weeks we have seen lots of our students being brave while taking new risks with their learning, which is fantastic. It is absolutely amazing to see our children flourishing as they have tried something new for the first time.
During assembly on Monday we took some time to celebrate our students bravery by acknowledging some of the special achievements that have taken place. I also took the opportunity set a new challenge for our children around the character strength of perseverance. Perseverance is based on the idea of not giving up when the going gets tough and, coupled with bravery, is the very beginning of developing ‘grit’ in our children. Swimming sports and the ‘Splash and Dash’ this week provided many opportunities for our students to demonstrate both their bravery and perseverance. It was incredible to see the development that our children have made over the summer in their swimming skills and water confidence, and I was again amazed at the level of talent that we have in our young people. I would like to acknowledge our teachers and support staff for their hard work in putting these events together and would also like to thank all of you who came along to support and share these events with us.
Spotlight on learning… At Sumner School we believe that all students, but especially ours, learn best when they are fully involved in the whole learning process. Part of this is around setting learning goals alongside our students so that they can begin to guide their own learning pathway and understand exactly where their learning is heading. On Tuesday and Thursday next week we will have our first set of Learning Conferences for the year. At these you will have the opportunity to join the conversation alongside your child and their teacher. If you haven’t done so already, I would really encourage you to book a time to meet with your child’s teacher on School Interviews using the code that was emailed on Monday. If you haven’t received this information or are having problems making a booking please contact the office. Please remember that classes will finish at 1.30pm on Tuesday and Thursday.
Another important aspect of allowing our akonga to be involved in their learning process is by creating an exciting curriculum that engages and motivates our learners. We call this process: Learn.Create.Share. We believe that these three aspects are equally important and past experience has highlighted to us that giving our children an authentic audience has increased the engagement and quality of our student’s learning outcomes. We warmly invite you all to come into school on Thursday 4 April from 1.45pm - 2.45pm when we are opening up all of our learning spaces to allow the children the opportunity to share their inquiry learning on Identity with you.
Supporting learning in 2019... Over the next couple of weeks you will receive a letter from us regarding school donations for 2019. I know that many of you will have heard this before, but as a Decile 10 school we receive the lowest amount of funding from the government, which we believe in its current form is not enough to meet the curriculum and learning needs of our students. Therefore these voluntary donations make a huge difference to the learning opportunities and experiences that we can provide for our students. A large amount of your donations go towards enabling us to provide increased learning support for our students in the form of additional adults working within our learning spaces. These additional adults positively affect the learning of all of our students because more adults means more focused support for our learners. Alongside this, we have worked to build a curriculum which is focused on developing creativity and self-directed learning for our akonga. One of the many ways we are able to do this is through the use of digital technologies. Technology is an incredible tool to allow us to provide a blended approach to learning and provides an engaging platform for all of our students. Over the last year your donations have contributed to enabling us to provide a Chromebook per student in Te Onepoto (Year 5 and 6) and Awaroa (Year 7 and 8). This has allowed our students to work creatively and direct their learning in ways which was not possible before. Without your donations we simply wouldn’t be able to provide these opportunities for our students, so thank you!
And Finally… You may have heard that the NZEI is holding Paid Union Meetings during school hours for our teachers during the week beginning 18 March. As a teaching staff we have been incredibly grateful for the level of support that our community has shown us as we have continued to negotiate our new Collective Agreement. Although these meetings are very important as they allow us to have conversations around our ongoing negotiations with the government, we are incredibly aware that the recent strikes and school closures have not been a particularly easy period for you to navigate as parents. In acknowledgement of this we will not be closing the school for these meetings and will ensure staffing is in place so that the school can remain open as normal for our students over the course of these meetings.
Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing you next week.
Ngā mihi nui,
Anna Granger
Principal
Upcoming Dates For Your Diary
- Tuesday 5 March and Thursday 7 March - Learning Conferences and PTA Fundraiser - BIG BOOK BUY UP OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL OFFICE!
- Monday 11 March - Full school assembly 2.10pm in the hall led by Te Onepoto (Year 5 and 6), all welcome.
- Monday 18 March - Teacher Only Day - School Closed
- Thursday 4 April 1.45pm - 2.45pm - Whole school Identity inquiry sharing afternoon, all welcome.
Swimming Sports - Week 5
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Spot Light on Excellence
Sincerity: Anna F for being a genuine, kind and thoughtful member of our classroom. We can all learn from you as an excellent role model for others.
Sincerity: Frankie J for demonstrating your character strengths of self belief and courage in a very sincere way. Koia ki a koe!
Unity: Noah K for displaying excellent teamwork skills in class activities. You listen carefully to others and encourage your peers. Kai Pai Noah!
Respect: Flynn M for a fantastic start to the year. You show respect for yourself, others and the environment.Ka pai for being an awesome tuakana for others.
Respect: Jett B for being an awesome role model and tuakana. Thank you for being a considerate, respectful member of our team.
Respect: Tristan L for showing curiosity and a love of learning at all times, and for the respect that you show to everyone in the class. Kei reira!
Fairness: Cara Mc for making an extra effort to include your peers in games and considering the wellbeing of others. Kai Pai Cara!
Fairness: Leah P for the positivity and enthusiasm for life and learning that you display each day. Karawhuia, Leah!
Empathy: Stella S for being a kind, caring and empathetic person, with lots of love and patience for others. You should be proud of these wonderful strengths Stella!
Empathy: Teagan M-C for being kind and considerate to those around you and making an effort to include your peers. Ka rawe, Teagan!
Resilience: Barnabas K- B for taking your learning seriously and for the resilience you show when you make a mistake. You always have another try and are always striving for your best.
Resilience: Max H for showing great resilience with your learning by persevering when things get tough. Keep striving to do your best! Ka mau te wehi, Max!
Resilience: Scarlett D for showing fantastic perseverance in all areas of your learning. You always try your best with all of your work. Keep up the excellent effort Scarlett!
Sincerity: Anna F for being a genuine, kind and thoughtful member of our classroom. We can all learn from you as an excellent role model for others.
Sincerity: Frankie J for demonstrating your character strengths of self belief and courage in a very sincere way. Koia ki a koe!
Unity: Noah K for displaying excellent teamwork skills in class activities. You listen carefully to others and encourage your peers. Kai Pai Noah!
Respect: Flynn M for a fantastic start to the year. You show respect for yourself, others and the environment.Ka pai for being an awesome tuakana for others.
Respect: Jett B for being an awesome role model and tuakana. Thank you for being a considerate, respectful member of our team.
Respect: Tristan L for showing curiosity and a love of learning at all times, and for the respect that you show to everyone in the class. Kei reira!
Fairness: Cara Mc for making an extra effort to include your peers in games and considering the wellbeing of others. Kai Pai Cara!
Fairness: Leah P for the positivity and enthusiasm for life and learning that you display each day. Karawhuia, Leah!
Empathy: Stella S for being a kind, caring and empathetic person, with lots of love and patience for others. You should be proud of these wonderful strengths Stella!
Empathy: Teagan M-C for being kind and considerate to those around you and making an effort to include your peers. Ka rawe, Teagan!
Resilience: Barnabas K- B for taking your learning seriously and for the resilience you show when you make a mistake. You always have another try and are always striving for your best.
Resilience: Max H for showing great resilience with your learning by persevering when things get tough. Keep striving to do your best! Ka mau te wehi, Max!
Resilience: Scarlett D for showing fantastic perseverance in all areas of your learning. You always try your best with all of your work. Keep up the excellent effort Scarlett!
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Puzzling World Junior Challenge Wanaka Sisters, Holly and Emily B travelled to Wanaka a couple of weeks ago to compete in the local Primary Schools Triathlon/Duathlon competition. Holly came 1st out of 50 Year 4 girls and Emily came 2nd out of 72 Year 2 girls. Congratulations on a great effort girls! |
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Surf Life Saving Champs
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A group of Sumner School children representing Sumner and Taylors Mistake Surf Life Saving Clubs have been putting a summer season of training into practice at two recent carnivals; The Canterbury Champs at New Brighton Beach was held on 9 February and the South Island Regional Championships held at Warrington Beach last weekend. There were some fantastic results at both of these events. Well done to everyone who competed! 
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Term 1 Activities
Our teachers have completed their planning of the activities for Term 1. The costs associated with these have been loaded onto the children's accounts. Please log onto the parent portal to view this. Payment would be greatly appreciated before the end of term.
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Sumner School Annual Big Book Buy Up On Tuesday 5 March and Thursday 7 March during the Learning Conferences, we will have a large selection of new books on display in the School Library by the netball court. These books are available to purchase for donation to the Sumner School Library. We are inviting every family to get involved by buying a book to donate to the school library. Each donated book will have a nameplate inside the cover with your child’s name. Your child will have the right to be the first borrower once the books have been processed. This is the school library’s annual fundraiser and really helps the school to be able to keep providing a wide selection of engaging reading books for students of all ages. Payment can be made by cash, cheque and eftpos. We will hold orders till the end of the week if you forget your wallet. Many thanks for your continued support. Sumner School PTA |
Tomorrow's School Review
As part of the national Education Conversation | Kōrero Mātauranga, the Government is reviewing Tomorrow’s Schools – the name given to the reforms that dramatically changed the governance, management and administration of our schools nearly 30 years ago. After more than 200 meetings with people interested in education, the Independent Taskforce reported its findings to the Minister of Education in November 2018. Their report: Our Schooling Futures, Stronger Together l Whiria Ngā Kura Tūātinitini has now been released for public consultation.
The report covers eight key issues: Governance; Schooling Provision; Competition and Choice; Disability and Learning Support; Teaching; Leadership; Resourcing; and Central Government Agencies. The Taskforce’s report makes a number of significant recommendations for changes to the current education system. Stakeholder feedback on the report and its recommendations will be critical to inform Government decision making in 2019. Further information about the report can be found here.
Have your say An online survey is now open for you to provide feedback on the key issues and recommendations, click here to have your say. Written submissions or queries can be emailed to tomorrows.schools@education.govt.nz
Consultation closes on 7 April 2019.
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Head Lice
There has been an outbreak of head lice throughout the school and we would appreciate parents checking children's heads and treating accordingly. If you require information on how to get rid of this pest please contact your Pharmacist. Thanks for your cooperation. |
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Rapanui Visit to the Beach
Rapanui is our Years 0-2 team. Our whakatauki is - Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu. Despite being small, it is of great value
The children shared some thoughts after the walk.
Rapanui is special. Sadie Y
We are Rapanui. Jessie W, Sadie C
We are the smallest but we are still precious. Isla C
The Maori went in their waka to go fishing. Finn Mc
Rapanui is special because the Maori used to go there for the fish and the moa. Isla K
We see Rapanui first when we come into Sumner. Connor
Rapanui is our Years 0-2 team. Our whakatauki is - Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu. Despite being small, it is of great value
The children shared some thoughts after the walk.
Rapanui is special. Sadie Y
We are Rapanui. Jessie W, Sadie C
We are the smallest but we are still precious. Isla C
The Maori went in their waka to go fishing. Finn Mc
Rapanui is special because the Maori used to go there for the fish and the moa. Isla K
We see Rapanui first when we come into Sumner. Connor
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Sunscreen available to purchase at the Office - $5
Christ's College Open Day - Tuesday 19 March (1pm - 5pm)
Teacher Only Day - March 18
Please contact MASH on 0800 420520 if you require childcare on Monday 18 March for our Teacher Only Day.
Please contact MASH on 0800 420520 if you require childcare on Monday 18 March for our Teacher Only Day.
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Invest in the Early Years = Well-being for Life
Christchurch Community Meeting - Thursday 21 March at 6.30pm Papanui High School Hall, 30 Langdons Road, Christchurch Keynote speaker: Professor Richie Poulton who will discuss the world-leading longitudinal Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. This research includes early childhood predictors for lifelong outcomes in education, health and welfare. Research findings emphasise the importance of a child's early years in laying the foundation for their well-being throughout life. Everyone welcome - families, educators & community. RSVP by Friday 8 March to anne.harte@nzei.org.nz |
2019 Netball Trials have been announced. For more info, log on to the Sumner Redcliffs Netball Clubs Facebook page
Thank you to our newsletter sponsors
