Te iwi tahi tatou - We are one family.
Tēnā koutou, Konnichiwa, As-salāmu 'alaykum, Hola, Hello!
After our first real weekend of being back at level one, it makes you realise the importance of the things that matter to us. Being able to meet with friends, go for dinner in a crowded restaurant and enjoy sports again (albeit on the TV) has made the weekend a joy! I must say that I am immensely proud of our country for working so hard to combat this pandemic - seeing the world's reactions to how we have managed this is inspiring :)
Not everything is back to the way it was though:
- At school we are still supporting contact tracing by having QR code posters at our main entrance – so if you haven’t already downloaded the NZ COVID Tracer app the Ministry of Health’s NZ-COVID Tracer app page has information to help you do that.
- Parents, we will still need you to sign in when you arrive at school. This is part of our normal health and safety practices. Please use the tablet at the office and continue to use the entrance off Te Wharipouri Street as you enter the school buildings.
What is changing is that we can now look forward to inter-school and community sport, cultural events and performances and to welcoming all of our school community on-site for these activities. As we work out the details of these events we will let you know.
No doubt your children will have been taking with you about the up and coming cross country which we are training for at the moment. We have a really nice mix of competitive and non-competitive options for students to take part in and our training highlights this as well. Students are encouraged to get out and be active with their training and if this means walking the track then that is fine by us.
Our event will be held at McAllister Park from 10:30 am.
Next term we will be sending out voluntary donation requests and invoices for the costs associated with options and courses that students are undertaking. I know that for some families it is a really difficult financial period and I do encourage you to get in contact with me if you have any concerns about this.
Don't forget that this Wednesday is a fundraiser for the Child Cancer Foundation. Wig Wednesday/mufti day!
Wear a wig or mufti and bring a gold coin. If your class has PE then make sure you bring along your PE gear as well!
Ngā mihi
Toby.
|
|
Beyond Belief Intermediate School Writing Competition 2020
Congratulations to Sunny who entered the Young New Zealand Writers competition. While her work did not win, it WAS selected to be part of the writer's anthology that is being published this month. One specific piece of feedback that was given to Sunny was that she has "a great imagination and a fun sense of humour." We are really proud that your work has been chosen for the anthology, Sunny!
If you are interested in reading Sunny's work then click this link. |
|
|
|
Parent/Teacher Conferences
These are scheduled to take place on Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th of July.
Please book an interview with your child's homeroom teacher as this will be an opportunity for you to ask any questions about the report that you received and to set goals for the next two terms of school.
Please visit www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and use the code 4qhqg to book your time.
Please note akonga are more than welcome to come along with their parents or caregivers to these interviews.
|
|
|
Reporting on Student Progress: We have been toying with many different reporting options for this term and have now made a decision on the format the reports will take for our Mid Year report. At the end of this term, we will be sending home written reports with your child. These will be sealed in envelopes and be addressed to you. The report format will include two sections.
Section one be focused on the Key Competencies and how these have been applied to areas of the curriculum. We will also be stating how your child is progressing against expected curriculum levels. See below for an explanation of the Key Competencies.
Section Two will be a General Comment. This comment will focus on the child's progress in Reading, Writing and Maths and what the next steps are for further progress. Teachers will then comment on other aspects of the student's learning and life at school.
Key Competencies are the foundation for the New Zealand Curriculum. These are:
-
Thinking is about using creative, critical, and metacognitive processes to make sense of information.
-
Relating to others is about how a student interacts with others. This includes their ability to listen actively, share ideas and recognise different points of view.
-
Using language, symbols & text is about communicating information, experiences and ideas. The ability to use words, numbers, images in a range of contexts.
-
Managing self relates to self-motivation. The ability to lead, follow, and working independently are all represented by this key competency.
-
Participating and contributing relates to the ability to work in groups in a variety of contexts. We are assessing contribution and adaptability as part of this key competency.
|
|
|
|
|
One of our Enrichment opportunities that students can choose to do is a class designed to support students to be better equipped to work with younger children. The students develop skills that can be used if they want to babysit for a job in the future, or even to get some great ideas on how to get along better with siblings. Last week our group went to the Adelaide ECE Centre and spent the afternoon putting their skills to work.
|
|
|
|
Have you noticed all of the amazing art that is in our foyer now? Karen Shuker has been busy highlighting this for us. You can see by the excited faces that our students really do love the art options here at SWIS!
|
|
|
|
