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Volume 17 | 02 June 2016 | Roll Number 631 | Week 5 Term 2

Hi all.

With Fiona in Auckland this week for the Trans Tasman Primary and Intermediate Principals Conference Matt and I have been holding the fort and it’s been another great week here at QPS.

We have had 16 teams competing in the Central Otago Ripper Rugby Championships where they played brilliantly. The year 3 / 4 team had a particularly outstanding day coming through unbeaten. They conceded only 5 tries for the day while scoring a massive 59! They now progress through to the Otago finals in July.

Today is the first day of the Friday art rotations and all of our students are looking forward to taking part in this great opportunity - so watch this space in coming weeks as we showcase more amazing student work.

Chess club has been another highlight this week with an ever growing interest in this great game here at school. QPS will be hosting the competition and defending its title as Central Otago Primary and Intermediate Chess Champions here on Friday the 1st of July and there is a lot of fierce competition to be on one of our two 4 person rep teams! If you are looking for a great way to help your child’s learning then chess is probably the place to start with a wealth of international research that proves that this game improves outcomes across the curriculum. In fact chess is now mandated as a curriculum subject in over 30 countries. Certainly food for thought.

The QPS GATE (Gifted and Talented Education ) Programme is also well under way with approximately 80 students over three days coming out for two sessions. Session one is an affective session where the students learn about models of giftedness and how to turn their gifts into talents, take part in P4C (Philosophy for kids) sessions, learn about “soft skills”, perspective, opinion, “the pit” and much more. The second session is passion project based and gives the students an opportunity to explore and develop their areas of passion and interest. They spend time going deeper into their learning and working with a range of mentors and local experts and businesses. Some of these projects include digital animation, robotics,art, pottery, drumming, chess strategy, blogging, fashion design, dance, a range of science and technology projects, Oamaru stone carving, writing, conservation, cooking and many more. I would like to thank all the local individuals and businesses who are taking time to support these students by giving their time and expertise to supoport the GATE programme.

In the year I have been at QPS I have been really impressed by many things; the positive and really supportive community, the amazing friendly students, the hard working, dedicated and professional teachers and support staff, and most of all the ever growing range of exciting opportunities provided at Queenstown Primary School. This really is a great place to teach and learn.

Enjoy the long weekend.

Regards,
Darryn Rae

Important Dates to Diary
Monday 06 June - School closed for Queen's Birthday
Thursday 09 June - Community Engagement on Future Education Provision in the Wakatipu Basin
Friday 10 June - Board of Trustees Voting Day
Saturday 18 June - Ice Disco fundraiser
Tuesday 21 June - Next Board meeting date
Wednesday 29 June - Wacky Wednesday Mufti Day
Friday 01 July - Central Otago Chess Championships

NZSki Local Season Pass

We have Local Season Passes to be collected from the school office, however please note season passes are NOT available if you fit into the following as advised by NZSki.

If parents wrote the webcode on the form and the passes were loaded directly on to these cards they had at home.
We have not yet received payment for the passes, we have contacted all the parents of forms who were missing card details or who had declined due to insufficient funds. These parents who have not paid yet, will need to collect their passes directly from NZSki.
The passes were distributed before the forms were returned to NZSki, in this case they will need to collect their passes directly from NZSki.

All students in the Year 3- 6 will be participating in the ski and snowboard programme and will be required to have a season pass.

If you require financial assistance with the purchase of your child's season pass then please contact June Sumner junes@queenstown.school.nz or pop in and see her in the school office.

STUDENT STATIONERY REQUIREMENTS

As the School Office no longer holds student stationery, you can now obtain this online through Officemax www.myschool.co.nz with overnight delivery. (Please note that New Entrant Packs are still sold at the School Office).

ABSENCES
It is essential to inform the school office should your child be absent from school. If this is a planned absence, a form will need to be completed. This is available at the school office or can be downloaded from the school website.
For unplanned absences such as illness, please phone (442 9120) or email (absences@queenstown.school.nz) the school office prior to 9am.

Looking for new uniform items?

Did you know that you can order uniform online through our website at any time? There's even a handy sizing chart to ensure you are ordering the right size! Order online here: http://qpsuniform.bigimpact.co.nz/

Our Uniform 'Try On' shop is open Tuesday and Thursday mornings 8.30-9am, where you can pop in to try on any items or browse our limited range of second hand items.

Knitting
Any knitting parents or grandparents who would be keen to help out with the Knitting Club are very welcome to join us on Friday afternoons for the next 5 weeks. Please contact the school office.

NYLD

Our student leaders from Year 8 traveled to Dunedin on Monday for the National Young Leaders Day event.

Tika Tonu

Tika tonu!
U - e!
Tika tonu!
U... e!
Tika tonu atu ki a koe, e tama
Hiki nei koe aku whakaaro, pakia!
He hiki aha to hiki?
He hiki roa to hiki?
I a ha hā!

E tama, te uaua ana
E tama, te mārō
Roa ina hoki ra
Te tohe o te uaua na
E tāu nei.
Āna! Āna! Āna! Aue... Hī!

Straight

Well!
U - O!
Well!
U ... E!
Straight to you, son
You raise my opinion, correct!
How to raise a raise?
A long list to raise?
In a tone!

Son, the tough
Children, the solid
Long day for
The cause of the conflict and
E year.
Ana! Ana! Ana! Oh ... Hi!

Well done to the Yr 3/4 Spitfires - winners today of the Central Otago Rippa Tournament. 59 tries scored, 5 conceded. Great team play all round and now off to the Otago Champs at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

Thank you to Rachel Taylor for organising the sushi lunches on the day!

The Year 2s enjoying a fantastic morning at the interactive "Labinabox" in town. There was lots of fun and laughter, while learning about infrared, liquid nitrogen, fire and much more.
https://labinabox.nz/about/ is in Queenstown in the Village Green 10-4pm this weekend 3-5th June, suitable for all ages.

Slow Down Near School Buses

A reminder to parents/caregivers to take extra care around school bus stops. Please park on the same side as the bus stop wherever possible. But if you do need to park on the opposite side, cross to your children first instead of having them cross to you. Please never call to your child from the other side of the road – yes it does happen - and it can put children in great danger!

Parents please remember that the maximum speed when passing a stationary school bus stopped to pick up or drop off children is 20km/h regardless of which side the bus is on. Please take extra care around school bus stops and provide supervision for children needing to cross.

This week's winner is..... Ollie & Harry Walker-Leach. Congratulations!

A huge thank you to Devil Burger for donating this week's quiz prize. Please submit your entries by Wednesday afternoon. The winner will be announced in next week's Newsletter!

COMMUNITY NOTICES

2016 Season Pass - CARDRONA
Local Child Application

The Cardrona season pass is available for purchase until 6pm Friday 10th June. Passes can be collected from Cardrona's new Queenstown Shop, on the corner of Shotover and Rees Street, open 10am - 6pm.

Forms are available here for download

Community engagement on future education provision in the Wakatipu Basin

The Ministry of Education is currently working on plans for future education provision in the Wakatipu Basin area, and is seeking your input. This is an exciting opportunity for parents and the whole community to contribute innovative ideas and have input into future education provision.

The Ministry of Education has appointed Dr Gabrielle Wall to facilitate the community engagement process. The facilitation will be supported by a reference group comprised of education sector representatives from the Wakatipu Basin area.

The first phase of the engagement will involve face-to-face public workshops to gather and explore ideas about future education provision. These meetings will be an opportunity to ask questions, and contribute and discuss ideas about possible features and options for future education provision. Face-to-face workshops have been scheduled as below:

Tuesday 7th June, 5.30 – 6.30pm, Remarkables Primary School

Tuesday 7th June, 7 - 8pm, Arrowtown School

Wednesday 8th June, 6 – 7.30pm, St Joseph’s School

Thursday 9th June, 4.30 – 5.30pm, Kingsview School

Thursday 9th June, 6 – 7pm, Queenstown Primary School

Thursday 9th June, 7.30 – 8.30pm, Shotover Primary School

There are sessions scheduled at each of the six primary schools, and families are also welcome to attend a session at another school if that suits better. Likewise, parents of secondary-aged students and people who do not currently have children attending schools in the area are welcome to attend whichever meeting best suits their schedule. Please note that while similar content will be covered in each of the six meetings, the workshop held at St Joseph’s School will include additional discussion on Catholic schooling in the Wakatipu Basin area.

The ideas and themes generated through this first phase will then be used to construct an online survey that will make it possible to identify which options and ideas have a wider base of support. The online survey will be open from June 27th to July 15th.

Further information

If you have any questions about the process, or would like to add your details to the contact database, email Gabrielle at gabrielle@dandgconsulting.co.nz or phone 0274 790 441.

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View this email in your browser Volume 17 | 02 June 2016 | Roll Number 631 | Week 5 Term 2

View this email in your browser
Volume 17 | 02 June 2016 | Roll Number 631 | Week 5 Term 2