Tena koutou e te Whānau,
Welcome to the following students who joined Rapanui this week: Charlie F, Dante B, Oce O and Theo R.
Welcome to the end of Week 9 and the start of Alert Level 1! It has been fantastic to experience an almost ‘normal’ week at school and I know that the staff and children have been really enjoying the freedoms that this Alert Level provides. Earlier today we brought the whole school together for our first face-to-face assembly in 12 weeks too. It was wonderful to have all 400 children sat together - although I have to say slightly surreal too!
It is also great to see more and more parents, caregivers and whānau on site before and after school too. The site has felt very quiet since our return to school but I would like to thank you for your support, cooperation and understanding as we have worked through the Alert Levels.
In case you didn’t get a chance to read the letter I sent out on Tuesday, the changes for us at Alert Level One are as follows;
- Parents are welcomed onto our school site and into classrooms for pick up and drop off times without the need to sign into our contact tracing register.
- As usual, all visitors to our school site between 9am and 3pm (including parents) need to sign in at the School Office.
- Physical distancing is not a requirement but where possible and practicable distancing is encouraged when you are around people you don’t know. This includes during pick up and drop off times when our site is particularly busy.
- There are no restrictions on numbers at gatherings or on physical activities including cultural and sporting activities, practices and events.
- Drinking fountains will be open, although we would strongly encourage children to bring their own drink bottle to school.
- From Monday 15 June all classes will finish school at 3pm.
Spotlight on sports… We are delighted that we will also be able to recommence our sports programmes at Level One. The first school event will be our Cross Country Event which will be taking place in two weeks time, with the start and finish lines on our school field. Specific days and times are as follows.
Rapanui: 1.45pm on Thursday 25 June
Tuawera: 11.15am on Thursday 25 June
Te Onepoto and Awaroa: 1.45pm on Friday 26 June
Parents are warmly invited to support this event and the school Cross Country Map can be found here.
Primary Sports Canterbury and the South East Sports Zone have been working to reorganise the sporting calendar for the remainder of 2020. Below are a list of the key school, Zone and Canterbury events for our years 5-8 students.
Term 3
Tuesday 28th July - Cross Country South East Zones at Heathcote School/Ferrymead Park TBC
Wednesday 12th August - Canterbury Cross Country at Halswell Domain
Wednesday 9th September - Winter Tournament at Hagley
Term 4
Thursday 15th October - Canterbury Swimming at Selwyn Aquatic Centre
Monday 19th October - Canterbury Duathlon at Ruapuna Raceway
Wednesday 25th November - Canterbury Triathlon at Pegasus
Friday 30th October - Sumner School Athletics Day Years 5-8
Tuesday 10th November - South East Zones Athletics TBC
Thursday 19th November - Sumner School Athletics Day 0-4
Wednesday 2nd December - Canterbury Athletics at Nga Puna Wai
Spotlight on Mōhiotage (learning)... Over the last fortnight classes have been very busy getting learning programmes re-established and transitioned back into our physical classrooms. Teams have been busy exploring our inquiry concept of Te Huringa or Change. Our student-led Media Team consisting of students within Awaroa (Years 7 and 8) created a Sneak Peek for assembly which shows what children have been up to over the last two weeks. Have a look here to see this.
Spotlight on Tuawera… I am really excited to announce that we now have our Code Compliance for Tuawera’s new home. We are in the process of organising a special blessing with Ngā Tahu Mana Whenua from Rāpaki Mārae and will keep you updated with our expected moving date. Our plan is to have Tuawera moved and settled in by the end of Term.
Finally… This week is National Support Staff Awareness Week. I would like to say a HUGE thank you to our amazing team of Learning Support Workers in the shape of Annah Lyons, Kerri L’estrange, Breda Williams, Mel Eastgate and Anna Gilkinson, our tireless Caretaker Trevor Heslop, our amazing Librarian Yvonne Hall and our super Admin Team of Deborah Haggerty and Sue Stevens for the absolutely tremendous support they give to the staff, children, parents and wider community! We couldn’t do half of what we do without your support, so thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend break with your families.
Ngā mihi nui
Anna Granger
Principal
All families are invited to this Mana Ake workshop about 'Supporting Families Undergoing Change' at Heathcote Valley School. Please fill in the Google Form below to confirm your attendance. Supporting Families Undergoing Change-Google Form
Spotlight on Excellence
Last term a group of senior students entered a Young New Zealand Writers Competition called Beyond Strange. Over 50 schools participated and there were over 300 stories submitted. The best 40 stories were chosen to be part of an anthology that is due to be published later this month.
A huge congratulations to Orla M and Mitchell D whose stories were selected to be part of the publication. Orla's story was also judged 3rd best story overall! Well done!
We will be getting a copy when it is published so look out for it in the library!
Values Awards
Congratulations to the following students who received Values Awards at the assembly today:
Josh S for always striving to do his best in every learning area and for his cheerful and positive attitude. He perseveres and learns from his mistakes.
Ka rawe, Josh! Keep it up!
Jenna Y for displaying wonderful enthusiasm with her learning. She always tries her best in class and presents her work creatively. Keep up the excellent effort!
Jett B for approaching all learning areas with enthusiasm. Jett the energy that you bring to our space is fantastic. You are a joy to be around and are always willing to support those around you.
Ruby H for consistently striving to do your best in every learning area - and always with a smile and positive attitude. Your focus and hard work are evident in the excellent progress you are making. Ka rawe, Ruby! Keep it up!
Mia W for being a kind and helpful class member of our class. You always support others when they need help and are a great role model in Room 6.
Paddy L for fantastic effort and quality work on your Science Home Learning Challenges. When sharing this mohiotanga with others you showed your love of learning and had a rapt audience. Awesome job Paddy!
Ben P for being an astute learner, always putting your good thinking and skills into your learning tasks. You share your knowledge with others around you and inspire them to do better.
Cosimo Q for working so very hard in Rapanui - tino pai! You are such a wonderful learner Cosimo, you are making such lovely progress and we will miss you when you travel to Italy.
Emma-Kate W is a learner who consistently applies herself to the best of her ability to all learning tasks. She has a strong and genuine desire to make the best of all her time and shows a wonderful approach to her mahi. Well done Emma-Kate!
Seb R for showing lots of enthusiasm in your learning. You are working hard and it shows in the work you are producing! Keep it up Seb. Ka Rawe!
Emma A for consistently showing enthusiasm for your learning and trying your best to develop your strengths and skills across all learning areas. Keep up the awesome mahi Emma!
Summer R for always being enthusiastic about learning, and working hard to learn new things. You are so interested in everything that we do at school and love to help others to learn as well. Your love for learning is infectious! Well done, Summer!
Isabel W for your unwavering diligence and exceptional work ethic. Isabel, you lead from the front and consistently look for opportunities to extend your learning and understanding, while also supporting peers.
Brooklyn A for a fantastic term two in Awaroa. Brooklyn, you have impressed me with your willingness to step up to the expected level of work in Awaroa and for beginning to share your thoughts and opinions in class.
Cooper H for demonstrating an enthusiasm and love of learning in all curriculum areas. I have been impressed with how you are willing to challenge yourself when learning new topics. Kai Pai Cooper.
Xanthe A for being a kind and caring member of our class and a wonderful role model to others. Your diligent work ethic and calm, focussed attitude is fantastic. Ka pai, Xanthe!
Monday 15 June in the Well Being Centre, 7-8pm. All parents are welcome. A great way to meet new parents and be actively involved in your children’s school. Like and join our Facebook page - Sumner School PTA OR email pta@sumner.school.nz with any questions. |

Mana Ake Update
Mana Ake counsellor drop in sessions are now running on Wednesdays. Please speak to your children's teacher if you want to speak to a counsellor and they will make contact with you and book a time.
Mana Ake counsellor drop in sessions are now running on Wednesdays. Please speak to your children's teacher if you want to speak to a counsellor and they will make contact with you and book a time.
Looking for Choice in Secondary School options?
Catholic Cathedral College is a centrally located high school open to students from across the city who are seeking a quality Catholic education. We are a culturally diverse school and pride ourselves on our students and staff who are vibrant, successful and compassionate people. Our students enjoy academic success and our fees are reasonable. Instead of our usual Open Evening, we are offering small guided tours of the school. Please visit us at www.cathcollege.school.nz or contact the office for more information. Phone: 03 982 1690 or admin@cathcollege.school.nz |
KidsFest, which runs every winter school holidays, will go ahead this year from Saturday 4 July until Sunday 19 July – although there will be changes to ensure the health and safety of participants and those running events. For the first time since the event started in 1992, there will be some online activities for children to do which will be accessed via a new interactive entertainment space, being built within the KidsFest website. The line-up of activities will be listed on the KidsFest website from 5 June, when tickets will also become available. kidsfest.co.nz website is open for families to start planning some fun for the upcoming holidays! |
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