SRP Update #2 2017 from Selwyn Ridge Primary School

Update No. 2 - 16 February 2017 (Week 3, Term 1)

Tēnā koutou parents, caregivers and whanau

Today we held our Mihi Whakatau for new children and families who have joined our school. We had 42 new learners from 33 families. Twenty five new families joined our school community. Again we extend a warm welcome to you all. We look forward to working in partnership with you.

Our school vision ‘Learners Soaring High, growing mind, heart and toolbox’ extends to learning way beyond the classroom. Already several classes have headed to the Art Gallery and Tauranga Library; great venues to connect with local experts and motivate and inspire learning. Special thanks to Tauranga City Council who support these visits with a significantly subsidised bus service and expertise.

Our senior students have also been learning beyond the classroom this week with kayak and water safety lessons at Tye Park. We’re very grateful to Canoe Sport Bay of Plenty for providing this free opportunity. The children certainly enjoyed it and learnt much along the way.

Classes often also visit Johnsons Reserve, another great learning space right on our doorstep.

Opportunities for learning are endless: classifying trees, water testing, art, writing…

In the next few weeks we have classes embarking on camps, wetland experiences, beach education, forest trips, and more art gallery and library trips. Thank you for supporting these awesome opportunities for our children!

Noho ora mai
Craig Price
Principal

BOT Meetings
Tuesday 7 Mar & 4 Apr at 7:00pm in the staffroom.

STAR (PTA) Meeting
Monday 27 Feb in the school staffroom 7pm, come join us in planning the year ahead supporting our children and our school. All welcome.

Celebration Assemblies
Fri 24 Feb - Kõtuku
Fri 10 Mar - Torua
Fri 24 Mar - Kãhu

Year 5/6 Swimming Sports
Wed 22 Feb at Greerton Pools, more information below.

SRP School Duathlon
Tues 21 Mar - Waipuna Park
more information below.

Term Dates
Term 2: Mon 1 May - Fri 7 Jul
Term 3: Mon 24 Jul - Fri 29 Sept
Term 4: Mon 16 Oct - Fri 15 Dec

School Events
For events coming up click on the calendar on our website.

Friday Food Fiestas/Lunches

Tomorrow’s our first “Friday Food Fiesta” This fundraising event happens every second Friday, (non assembly weeks). Classes or teams prepare a lunch option that is delivered to classrooms. Food Fiestas need to to be ordered and paid for at the office by the end of school on the Thursday before and cost $4. Menus will vary. Please keep an eye on facebook or flyers for details.

Bits and Pieces From Around the School . . .

Homework - Home Learning

“There’s too much”, “there’s not enough”, “it’s too hard”, “it’s too easy”.There’s much debate about the value of homework, especially for primary school aged children. Some studies suggest that homework is not very useful for this age group, or has only a small benefit. Homework is often thought of as a school activity that just happens to be carried out in the home rather than the classroom. It can, however, be much more than this. There is compelling evidence that certain types of homework can connect students’ home and school lives in ways that have substantial educational benefits for families as well as for students. There is also convincing evidence that some kinds of homework may have negative effects. So...what types of homework work best?Studies have found that interactive homework sparked by classroom learning and involving parents has a very positive effect, for example, using maths fractions when preparing food. This is homework that involves parents in a positive way and encourages sharing of learning between home and school. It gives the opportunity for reinforcement of concepts learnt at school and could involve anything from a conversation to independent study or project (or as we’ve seen at school this week, children baking as part of their application for catering crew). Despite the potential of home learning, a range of evidence indicates that it can be unproductive, frustrating, and even harmful - a concern highlighted from time to time in the media, both in New Zealand and overseas. Types of homework that tend not to work include homework that is not connected to classroom learning or where there is conflict between strategies learnt in class and what is learnt at home; homework where the learners don’t have access to the resources required; and homework that becomes onerous or overwhelming.

Our school vision is growing mind, heart and toolbox, and homework should support the development of each of these. We also appreciate the many wonderful learning experiences children have out of school hours by being involved in sport, music, dance, cubs or brownies and homework shouldn’t be a hindrance to having success in these. At Selwyn Ridge our teachers personalise their approach to homework after building relationships with and learning about the children in their classes. Our goal is to work in partnership with families to achieve the best learning outcomes for each of our children. In our next newsletter we’ll share suggestions on how to set children up for homework success. If you have questions about homework for your child, please make contact with your child’s teacher. After School Arrangements
Sometimes due to differing circumstances parents/caregivers ring to get us to pass a message on to their child. We do our best to ensure this happens. Often the office can field a number of calls at the end of the day involving children’s changed circumstances for after school. Calls during the last part of the day it make it really difficult to track down children who may be out with their class or in other parts of the school. Please also be aware of the timing of clearing answer-phone messages. If possible, ensure your child knows exactly what the arrangements are for after school before they leave home in the mornings it makes it much easier for us all.

After School Arrangements
Sometimes due to differing circumstances parents/caregivers ring to get us to pass a message on to their child. We do our best to ensure this happens. Often the office can field a number of calls at the end of the day involving children’s changed circumstances for after school. Calls during the last part of the day it make it really difficult to track down children who may be out with their class or in other parts of the school. Please also be aware of the timing of clearing answer-phone messages. If possible, ensure your child knows exactly what the arrangements are for after school before they leave home in the mornings it makes it much easier for us all.

Mo

bile Dental Unit
The BOP District Health Boards mobile dental unit Te Waka Niho Tuawha, is visiting Selwyn Ridge this term until Thursday 13 April.During this time if you have any emergencies, we encourage you to call Talk Teeth or 021 228 9378 to speak to Vicki, Pat or Danica.

Issue 1 closes 31/2/2017
Order and pay online by visiting:
http://www.scholastic.co.nz/parents/lucky-book-club/

Click on order and log into loop or set your loop up.
Open a new tag and open the brochure.
Click between the two, get codes and order.

Orders earn rewards for our school and are delivered free of charge to school and distributed by your teacher. Paper copies also available at the office.

Sports News

This term Selwyn Ridge has 4 flippa ball, 1 cricket, 3 volleyball and 7 rippa rugby teams. We have many children attending the “Focus on fun” after-school programme and the lunchtime tennis lessons. Team lists are displayed on the sports board in the hall. Rip rugby coaches are still needed for some teams please contact Julie if you can help. A huge thank you to our wonderful parents for supporting our teams as coaches, managers, umpires or scorers. Thank you also to parents for being organised with the prompt registrations and payments of sports fees. We look forward to a great season of sport and keeping kids active.

Senior Swimming Sports
Wed 22 February at the Greerton Pools - 9:00am to 2:00pm. Students will travel by bus to and from the event. We look forward to seeing parents/whanau supporting the children on the day.

Selwyn Ridge/Adidas Duathlon

Tuesday 21 March Postponement Thursday 23 March
Waipuna Park, Kaitemako Rd
9.30am - 2.00pm - GIVE-IT-A-GO!

This year again we have the opportunity to fundraise toward the upgrade of our outdoor areas. If a student does not wish to fundraise, they can still do the duathlon. Our annual duathlon is aimed to be a fun event for children and families. Duathlon Entry Form, Fundraising packs will be sent home with your child(ren) soon.

In order for this event to be fun and successful, we need volunteers to set up the course from 7am or marshall from 9am at Waipuna Park Rugby Field on the day, please contact Julie Taylor 027 699 2741, email j.taylor@selwynridge.school.nz ASAP if you can help.

Dynamo Sports Leaders
Yesterday a group of year 6 children completed training to be Dynamo Sports Leaders for 2017. Dynamo sports leaders set up games, sports or activities for other children to participate in during lunchtimes. Games are inclusive and interactive and the leaders enjoy taking on the responsibility. Thanks in advance for your time and effort Dynamos!

Friday Food Fiesta - Week 5
Orders by end of school Thurs prior and cost $4.
Date: 3 March
Run by: Room 11 for Beach Education
Menu: Yummy subway style rolls and ice blocks

Keep up with School Sport News and Photos at www.selwynridge.school.nz/sports

Community Notices

Selwyn Ridge Bank Account Direct Credit: ANZ 01-0475-0114642-00

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