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Principal’s Summary
Principal Appointment
I would like to start this week’s newsletter by congratulating Anna Granger on winning the Sumner School Principal’s position for next year. I have been very fortunate to have worked closely with Anna over the last two years in her current role of Associate Principal so have a great insight into the skills, knowledge and personal qualities that she possesses. Anna will do an outstanding job in her new role and I firmly believe that she is exactly the right person to lead the school into the future.
Thank you for the support we have received following yesterday's industrial action. Choosing to strike is not a decision we have taken lightly, particularly as we know that it causes some disruption for families. At the heart of the NZEI campaign is improving education for all children. This includes addressing issues around recruitment and retention of high quality teachers but also on lowering class sizes and providing more learning support for our students. We will continue to push for this cause over the coming weeks.
Speaking of support, we would also like to acknowledge all of the help the staff have received from parents throughout the year. This has taken many forms including assistance in class, on day trips and at camps, supervision of road patrollers and helping keep the school gardens looking so beautiful. The Board of Trustees would like to recognise the amazing support we have received by extending an open invitation to all parents and caregivers to attend a Parent Helpers’ Breakfast at 8.15am on Thursday 13 December in the Hall Foyer. This event will be immediately followed by the Years 5-8 Awards Assembly, which begins at 9.15am in the Hall.
Class Placement requests
A reminder that the cut off for sending in class placement requests is 3pm on Friday 23 November. Please send these requests in writing to the Principal. Please note that while consideration will be given to these requests, no guarantees or promise of placement can be made. Please also note this is not an opportunity to request what teacher you would like your child to have next year and these requests will not be taken note of. Class lists will be sent home on Monday 17 December.
If your child(ren) is not returning in 2019 (other than Year 8 leavers) we would appreciate being notified in writing to the school office as soon as possible. Thank you to those parents who have indicated this already, it is vitally important for our planning.
Aupaki News
We have had a very busy start to Term 4 with two Aupaki events in the first week. The Aupaki Tech Fest took place on the 16th and 17th of October and involved around 120 students from across all seven schools in our Kāhui Ako. Our students took part in two days of workshops at Sumner School featuring a wide range of ICT tools such as 3D printing, Minecraft, stop motion photography and robotics. One lucky group even got to construct a scale model of a working catapult. Thank you to all of the Aupaki teachers who facilitated the workshops. We look forward to expanding this to more students in 2019.
On Thursday 18 October, Heathcote Valley School hosted the annual Aupaki Speech Night. This event saw Years 5-8 representatives from the primary schools compete for the overall Aupaki public speaking title. Congratulations to Neve and Lily from Mt Pleasant School for winning their respective categories.
To round off the Aupaki events for 2018, Redcliffs School organised the Aupaki Music Festival on 2 November. This brought together choirs from all seven schools in our community along with a special performance from the Christchurch School of Music concert band.
Aupaki Appointments
I’m delighted to announce that Lyttelton Primary School Principal Brendan Wright has been appointed as the new Aupaki Kāhui Ako Lead Principal. Brendan will take over from me at the beginning of next year when I depart to Halswell School. We are very confident that Brendan will do a fantastic job in this important role and will continue to strengthen the pathway across our schools.
Congratulations also to Kathryn Blunn (Sumner School), Maria Arneil (Mt Pleasant School), Sandy Thomas (Redcliffs School), Jane Morrison (Heathcote Valley School) and Francie Graham (Lyttelton Primary School) who have been appointed as Within School Teachers. Their role will be to work within their schools to help collectively raise student achievement across Aupaki.
Aupaki School Council
The Aupaki School Council held a hui in Week 2 at Core Education in the city. The purpose of the hui was to gather student voice about education and learning. This group included student representatives from 2018 and the newly appointed representatives for 2019. It was exciting to have both groups of representatives together to think about learning in the future.
The group worked with Sarah Whiting from Core Education who facilitated a fun and engaging session with our ākonga. It is incredibly valuable for us, as adults, to take the time to listen to the perspectives of our tamariki. The thoughts and ideas gathered from this session will be shared back with kura and tamariki as well as informing future Aupaki Kāhui Ako Professional Learning and Development applications.
Learning Support
The Aupaki SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators) from each of the schools met on Wednesday 7 November to discuss Mana Ake - Stronger for Tomorrow, which is a new $28 million wellbeing initiative for Canterbury schools, in response to the earthquakes. This initiative will roll out for us next year and support our students with mental health and wellbeing. The SENCOs will play a key role in developing an Aupaki pastoral care network.
Staff Collaboration
All staff from across the kāhui ako were invited to meet at Redcliffs Bowling Club on Wednesday 7 November to celebrate and reflect on the mahi completed this year. This was an opportunity to share the updated strategic plan with staff and to create stronger working networks within and between our schools.
Aupaki Cyber Safety Parent Education Night
The Aupaki Kāhui Ako will be offering a cyber safety presentation from John Parsons on Tuesday 11 December 7pm at Sumner School hall. John is a well-regarded speaker in this area. The presentation is well-timed given the upcoming ‘holidays with children and their devices’ challenge! Book your babysitter now - this is a not to be missed event!
Stewardship Group
The last Stewardship Group meeting for the year took place on Thursday 8 November. The Stewardship Group have the collective responsibility of overseeing the progress and development of our Kāhui Ako. Thank you to the Principals and Board members from each school who have given up their time this year and in particular Emma Lumb from the Redcliffs School Board for doing a fantastic job chairing the group.
Sumner Staffing News
Finally, in staffing news, the Board has granted Andrew Osborn one year’s leave starting in February to take up a fixed-term Team Leader position at Kaiapoi Borough School. Andrew will return to Sumner for the beginning of the 2020 school year. Jack Roberts will also be leaving at the end of the year when he moves to Auckland to continue his teaching career. We also have several teachers not returning in 2019 due to maternity related reasons namely Katie Blake, Lisi Reid and Marlee Vale. We wish all of these teachers the very best for next year.
We are currently in the process of finding suitable replacements for these teachers and hope to be in a position to share the confirmed staff structure for 2019 with you over the next few weeks.
Have a great Show weekend.
Ngā mihi nui
Stuart Cameron
Principal
Principal’s Summary
- Principal Appointment
- Class Placements Request
- Aupaki news
- Sumner Staffing news
Principal Appointment
I would like to start this week’s newsletter by congratulating Anna Granger on winning the Sumner School Principal’s position for next year. I have been very fortunate to have worked closely with Anna over the last two years in her current role of Associate Principal so have a great insight into the skills, knowledge and personal qualities that she possesses. Anna will do an outstanding job in her new role and I firmly believe that she is exactly the right person to lead the school into the future.
Thank you for the support we have received following yesterday's industrial action. Choosing to strike is not a decision we have taken lightly, particularly as we know that it causes some disruption for families. At the heart of the NZEI campaign is improving education for all children. This includes addressing issues around recruitment and retention of high quality teachers but also on lowering class sizes and providing more learning support for our students. We will continue to push for this cause over the coming weeks.
Speaking of support, we would also like to acknowledge all of the help the staff have received from parents throughout the year. This has taken many forms including assistance in class, on day trips and at camps, supervision of road patrollers and helping keep the school gardens looking so beautiful. The Board of Trustees would like to recognise the amazing support we have received by extending an open invitation to all parents and caregivers to attend a Parent Helpers’ Breakfast at 8.15am on Thursday 13 December in the Hall Foyer. This event will be immediately followed by the Years 5-8 Awards Assembly, which begins at 9.15am in the Hall.
Class Placement requests
A reminder that the cut off for sending in class placement requests is 3pm on Friday 23 November. Please send these requests in writing to the Principal. Please note that while consideration will be given to these requests, no guarantees or promise of placement can be made. Please also note this is not an opportunity to request what teacher you would like your child to have next year and these requests will not be taken note of. Class lists will be sent home on Monday 17 December.
If your child(ren) is not returning in 2019 (other than Year 8 leavers) we would appreciate being notified in writing to the school office as soon as possible. Thank you to those parents who have indicated this already, it is vitally important for our planning.
Aupaki News
We have had a very busy start to Term 4 with two Aupaki events in the first week. The Aupaki Tech Fest took place on the 16th and 17th of October and involved around 120 students from across all seven schools in our Kāhui Ako. Our students took part in two days of workshops at Sumner School featuring a wide range of ICT tools such as 3D printing, Minecraft, stop motion photography and robotics. One lucky group even got to construct a scale model of a working catapult. Thank you to all of the Aupaki teachers who facilitated the workshops. We look forward to expanding this to more students in 2019.
On Thursday 18 October, Heathcote Valley School hosted the annual Aupaki Speech Night. This event saw Years 5-8 representatives from the primary schools compete for the overall Aupaki public speaking title. Congratulations to Neve and Lily from Mt Pleasant School for winning their respective categories.
To round off the Aupaki events for 2018, Redcliffs School organised the Aupaki Music Festival on 2 November. This brought together choirs from all seven schools in our community along with a special performance from the Christchurch School of Music concert band.
Aupaki Appointments
I’m delighted to announce that Lyttelton Primary School Principal Brendan Wright has been appointed as the new Aupaki Kāhui Ako Lead Principal. Brendan will take over from me at the beginning of next year when I depart to Halswell School. We are very confident that Brendan will do a fantastic job in this important role and will continue to strengthen the pathway across our schools.
Congratulations also to Kathryn Blunn (Sumner School), Maria Arneil (Mt Pleasant School), Sandy Thomas (Redcliffs School), Jane Morrison (Heathcote Valley School) and Francie Graham (Lyttelton Primary School) who have been appointed as Within School Teachers. Their role will be to work within their schools to help collectively raise student achievement across Aupaki.
Aupaki School Council
The Aupaki School Council held a hui in Week 2 at Core Education in the city. The purpose of the hui was to gather student voice about education and learning. This group included student representatives from 2018 and the newly appointed representatives for 2019. It was exciting to have both groups of representatives together to think about learning in the future.
The group worked with Sarah Whiting from Core Education who facilitated a fun and engaging session with our ākonga. It is incredibly valuable for us, as adults, to take the time to listen to the perspectives of our tamariki. The thoughts and ideas gathered from this session will be shared back with kura and tamariki as well as informing future Aupaki Kāhui Ako Professional Learning and Development applications.
Learning Support
The Aupaki SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators) from each of the schools met on Wednesday 7 November to discuss Mana Ake - Stronger for Tomorrow, which is a new $28 million wellbeing initiative for Canterbury schools, in response to the earthquakes. This initiative will roll out for us next year and support our students with mental health and wellbeing. The SENCOs will play a key role in developing an Aupaki pastoral care network.
Staff Collaboration
All staff from across the kāhui ako were invited to meet at Redcliffs Bowling Club on Wednesday 7 November to celebrate and reflect on the mahi completed this year. This was an opportunity to share the updated strategic plan with staff and to create stronger working networks within and between our schools.
Aupaki Cyber Safety Parent Education Night
The Aupaki Kāhui Ako will be offering a cyber safety presentation from John Parsons on Tuesday 11 December 7pm at Sumner School hall. John is a well-regarded speaker in this area. The presentation is well-timed given the upcoming ‘holidays with children and their devices’ challenge! Book your babysitter now - this is a not to be missed event!
Stewardship Group
The last Stewardship Group meeting for the year took place on Thursday 8 November. The Stewardship Group have the collective responsibility of overseeing the progress and development of our Kāhui Ako. Thank you to the Principals and Board members from each school who have given up their time this year and in particular Emma Lumb from the Redcliffs School Board for doing a fantastic job chairing the group.
Sumner Staffing News
Finally, in staffing news, the Board has granted Andrew Osborn one year’s leave starting in February to take up a fixed-term Team Leader position at Kaiapoi Borough School. Andrew will return to Sumner for the beginning of the 2020 school year. Jack Roberts will also be leaving at the end of the year when he moves to Auckland to continue his teaching career. We also have several teachers not returning in 2019 due to maternity related reasons namely Katie Blake, Lisi Reid and Marlee Vale. We wish all of these teachers the very best for next year.
We are currently in the process of finding suitable replacements for these teachers and hope to be in a position to share the confirmed staff structure for 2019 with you over the next few weeks.
Have a great Show weekend.
Ngā mihi nui
Stuart Cameron
Principal
Spotlight on Excellence
Congratulations to the following students who received Surfer Awards at Mondays assembly:
Sincerity: Gracie A for always being a supportive and considerate classmate.
Unity: Jessie A for consistently supporting and encouraging your classmates when working in a team.
Unity: Hugo G for being a great group participant who always collaborates with others and makes strong contributions.
Resilience: Amelie C for being a fantastic sports person and giving 100% in athletics.
Resilience: Cameron M for demonstrating an increase in confidence throughout the year. You have become willing to step outside your comfort zone in a number of areas. Well done Cameron!
Fairness: Summer S for consistently being fair, supportive of others and quick to forgive. She is a great role model and friend to all.
Empathy: Skye H for always considering the thoughts and feelings of her peers. She actively includes others in the playground and has made a special effort to welcome new students.
Respect: Samaya S for always being a helpful and respectful member of Room 13. You always put others first and are constantly offering support to your peers.
Respect: Sam T for consistently displaying respect towards your peers by listening carefully and accepting everyone's ideas. Well done Sam!
Sincerity: Gracie A for always being a supportive and considerate classmate.
Unity: Jessie A for consistently supporting and encouraging your classmates when working in a team.
Unity: Hugo G for being a great group participant who always collaborates with others and makes strong contributions.
Resilience: Amelie C for being a fantastic sports person and giving 100% in athletics.
Resilience: Cameron M for demonstrating an increase in confidence throughout the year. You have become willing to step outside your comfort zone in a number of areas. Well done Cameron!
Fairness: Summer S for consistently being fair, supportive of others and quick to forgive. She is a great role model and friend to all.
Empathy: Skye H for always considering the thoughts and feelings of her peers. She actively includes others in the playground and has made a special effort to welcome new students.
Respect: Samaya S for always being a helpful and respectful member of Room 13. You always put others first and are constantly offering support to your peers.
Respect: Sam T for consistently displaying respect towards your peers by listening carefully and accepting everyone's ideas. Well done Sam!
Canterbury Summer Tournament - Tennis
Congratulations to the three Years 7/8 tennis teams who competed in the Canterbury Summer Tournament at Wilding Park last week. It was a great effort by all. Please see results below. Boys' B Grade: Henry R, Bailey P, Finlay S, and Jack B placed 1st Girls’ A team: Josie A, Lily T, Morgan L, Jessica L and Eve T placed 2nd in Canterbury. Girls’ B Grade: Ruby A, Polly C, Olivia A, Eve T and Jessica L also placed 1st. |
Sumner School Triathlon
Reminding all parents of Years 5 to 8 students that the Sumner School Triathlon is on next Monday 19 November from 1.30pm. Please support your child to remember their gear. On another note if you can assist with marshalling please email your name and phone number to ChrisCole: ccole@sumner.school.nz.
This event requires a lot of help due to the large number of students biking and running around the Sumner neighbourhood. At the moment we still need more help to run this event safely.
Thanks for your ongoing support.
Chris Cole - Sports Coordinator
Sumner School Musical Showcase
The annual Sumner School Musical Showcase will be held on Thursday 22 November in the Sumner School Hall at 6pm. This event will highlight the achievements and progress of our music students who have had lessons or participated in music groups during the year, including the Rock bands, Choir and CSM Training and Concert bands. These children are mainly Years 5-8 students with a few younger students who have learned recorder or violin.
All music students will need to be at school in the hall in school uniform with their instruments and music no later than 5:45pm. The children will have a performance practice during the morning and afternoon when we perform to the school so they should be well prepared by the time the evening swings around. The concert will run for approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
We look forward to you joining us and enjoying a musical evening.
Head Lice
There has been an outbreak of head lice throughout the school and we would appreciate parents checking their child's head over the long weekend and treat accordingly. If you require information on how to get rid of this pest please contact the Office or your Pharmacist. Thanks for your cooperation.
Surf Kids - Children's Surfing Programme
Our Surfkids programme has begun for the term. Sundays 10am -12 pm. We also run several programmes for school groups.
Have a look at our Surf Safe programme if you're looking for fun and informative activities for the end of term. We pride ourselves on the skills of all our instructors, they are all talented surfers but also great teachers, role models and communicators, relating to students of all levels.
Learn the skills of Surfing in a fun, safe environment. All equipment provided and professional instruction from Aaron Lock and team. For kids 8 - 14 years.
Sundays 10am to 12pm. December / January Holidays, from 17 December, 10am -12pm. Cost $30 per day or $135 for five. Bookings essential.
Venue :Sumner Beach. Call Aaron on 0800 80 SURF (7873) or register online at surfcoach.co.nz

The Patricia Paul School of Dance, your local dance school, is currently giving Jazz and Ballet lessons in your area. The school’s director is a teacher, choreographer & ex-ballet dancer Patricia Paul A.R.A.D. (London). Ballet lessons from 3 years through to advanced, and all levels in Jazz, Tumble and Hip Hop starting from age 7. For all enquiries please phone 372 9191 or email info@studioone.co.nz
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