Newsletter - 9 April 2019

Keeping informed with the Golden Sands School Newsletter

View this email in your browser

Facebook

Website

Kia ora koutou
We have now finished all the camps and they were all a roaring success. I would like to thank all the parents who helped on these camps. Without you we can not run them. I would also like to thank the staff who designed exciting experiences for the children and spent time away from their own families to attend. Thank you everyone!

This week is Mr Kennedy’s last week at Golden Sands School. We are very proud to have our very first Golden Sands School made Principal. Our “good luck” assembly for Matt is on Friday at 9am. All welcome.

Last week we farewelled Megan Harris from Sheppard. Megan has gone on Maternity Leave. Welcome to Kirsten Miller. Kirsten is working in Sheppard as the release teacher for Ms Trask and Mrs Burgess. We are fortunate to have been able to appoint Kirsten to this role as she is a very experienced teacher.

BOT Elections
In June, there are nationwide elections for Board of Trustees. If you have thought that you might like to be part of the Board of Trustees for the next 3 years, there will be information available next term. If you have any queries in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to touch base with us here at school or talk to existing BOT members.

Sports Coordinator
With the incredible growth in our school roll, the BOT are now able to fund a dedicated sports coordinator position. I would like to take the time to thank Sarah Clark who as well as teaching, has been our sports coordinator since we opened. Sarah has done an incredible job, spending many hours of her own time building the sports capacity of our school. Sarah will continue to teach at our school next term. Thank you Sarah for your hard work and dedication to the role.

We have appointed Jane White to the new sports coordinator position. Some of you may know Jane from Papamoa Football Club or the Kids Can Ride programme. Jane will be the person that you will touch base with for sports next term.

Year 3 Noho
A BIG thank you to all of the parent helpers who helped out at the Year 3 Noho last Thursday and Friday. The kids had a fantastic time and have been buzzing about it the last couple of days! The highlight would have to be Rocktopia with many students talking about how they faced their fears and challenged themselves by climbing different rock walls, sliding down the vertical slide and attempting the Leap of Faith. Well done guys! The Batten & Hillary Teachers

Year 6 Camp
Massive thank you to all involved in the Year 6 Camp last week. Everyone had a great time and the weather was amazing.

Daniel recently made a cash donation to the Tauranga SPCA after making and selling baking at Papamoa Domain and gifting some of his own money. After visiting the SPCA and meeting some of the lovely cats, dogs and rabbits needing homes he wanted to do more to help, so volunteered for the annual collection at Bayfair - dressed in a dog onesie to grab the attention of passersby and raise as much money as possible!

Each week we'll introduce you to our staff members. They'll share some of their life experiences and interests and what they like to get up to when they're not at school enriching the lives of our students.

My name is Cam Russell, I am the team leader in the Blake Learning Community. This is my 4th year both at Golden Sands School and living in Papamoa. My wife Isabelle and I moved here from Auckland, and since then have had two beautiful daughters - Michelle, 2 years old, and Jocelyn, 1 month old. We share the house with two other girls - Connie our dog, and Bella our cat. We currently live in Golden Sands, but will be moving out to Te Puke later this year. Rugby refereeing takes up most of my time outside of whanau and school, and is a real passion of mine. Each Saturday between now and August you would typically find me refereeing one of the Bay of Plenty's Premier men's matches. I also love the outdoors, and find a bit of "mountain therapy" does wonders. I have travelled, lived and worked in several places overseas, predominantly California, where I worked at a summer camp, mostly as a watersports instructor. One random fact about me is that my wife bought me an awesome telescope a few years ago and I now have a huge interest in stargazing! I love talking about and sharing any and all of my interests, so be sure to catch me for a chat!

My name is Mike Standing. This is my 5th year teaching at GSS. I am teaching in the Blake community this year. I moved here from Hamilton with my wife Steph and our 2 children in late 2014. My daughter Charlie is a year 6 in Mahy and my son Harvey is 4. We are so happy to be living here in the bay and love being so close to such awesome beaches! When I’m not at work I enjoy exercising and spending time with family. To relax I like to play darts or kick the footy around the cul de sac and scooter/bike with the kids. If you see me at the 4 square getting groceries I forgot, come and say hi! It’s great to be a part of such an awesome community!

Hi, my name is Jen Pachoud and I am the Guardian Teacher of a fabulous bunch of Year 4 and 5 students in Blake 3. I began teaching in 2000 and prior to having children was the Team Leader of a syndicate of Year 5 and 6 students in Auckland. My husband Sam and I moved to our Papamoa paradise in 2008 with our little family where I took a break from teaching to raise our 3 amazing boys Harry, Finn and Will. I have been part of the Golden Sands School community since it opened in 2011 and have seen so many changes during this time. I began relieving across the school in 2016, and in Term 4 last year I stepped into the Mahy 4 Guardian Teacher role. In my spare time I love to explore new places with my family, especially ones that involve a suitcase and an aeroplane! During the weekends you will probably spot me on the sidelines of football fields and futsal courts cheering on my football mad kids, catching up with friends at local cafes or walking along our beautiful beach.

Hi my name is Kristy Grootjans and I joined Golden Sands School at the beginning of this year after moving to Papamoa with my husband, who is a Kiwi, and our children. Before moving to New Zealand I was living in my home town near Sydney, Australia where I taught at the local school. When I am not at school, I love spending time with my six children, getting out in the fresh air for some exercise and practising yoga. I have had an exciting start to my time at Golden Sands School and love being part of such a close knit and vibrant community. I feel very at home already.

Hi, my name is Natalie Fabish and I am a Teacher Aide in the Blake Community. I started my role here at Golden Sands one month ago. I am really enjoying getting to know the awesome kids and staff at this fantastic school. My husband Mark and our son Jack recently moved to Papamoa from Morrinsville. Jack is 5 years old and he had his first day of school last month joining the Rutherford Community. Jack is really enjoying school and we are so grateful for the wonderful care and support that has been provided by his Teachers to assist his transition. It has been inspiring to see the commitment and compassion staff at Golden Sands School have for the children they work with and I am very proud and excited to be part of such an amazing team. This is my first time working as a Teacher Aide. For the last 14 years I have been working as a Social worker, in the fields of older persons health as well as child and adolescent mental health. Our family is looking forward to creating our new life here in the beautiful Bay of Plenty and being part of the Golden Sands School community.

Hi! I'm Kylie Percy and I live in Papamoa with my husband Brad, our 3 beautiful boys Kyan, Reeve and Bodhi and our black lab Zuma. I am also stepmum to Rose who lives in Auckland.
I am privileged to be a part of both the Blake and Sheppard communities this year as a Teacher Aide. I like the rewards and challenges the job brings and I especially love the relationships I have formed with the children. They really do make my day!
I am grateful to be a part of a team of teachers that are so passionate about what they do. When I'm not at school you'll find me supporting our boys in their various sporting interests, walking the dog on our amazing beach, going for bush walks, looking after my MANY indoor plants or going on family adventures! I love to explore new places. I have lived and traveled to many places in the world with some of my highlights being attending an ANZAC day gathering in Turkey, walking through the pyramids and climbing to the top of Mount Sinai in Egypt. Amazing!
I'm looking forward to a great year supporting the children and instilling a love of learning through encouragement and understanding.

Fro Friday
A few of the students embracing Fro Friday. This raised an amazing $610.60 which will go to Mental Health.

Kindo - our preferred payment option for School Fees
You will find the green Kindo School Shop button on the homepage on our website.

We offer Kindo as our preferred payment option for all school fees. You just need to click on the link below and enter the email address the school has on file for you. Easy, convenient and open 24/7!

Click here to set up your account

You will be able to pay ALL school fees via Kindo, along with Sports Registrations, ordering School Lunches and school fundraisers, such as pizza lunches.

No more scrambling for cash or queueing up! However, you will still be able to pay at the office via cash, cheque or eftpos.

Term 1, 2019
Wednesday 10 April - FroGSS Pizza Lunch Day
Friday 12 April - Farewell assembly for Matt Kennedy 9am in the MPS. All welcome
Friday 12 April - Last day of Term 1
Monday 29 April - Term 2 starts
Friday 3 May - Year 6 Orientation @ Papamoa College 8.45am-1pm

Netball & Basketball Players needed
We are in search of 2 x Year 6 Netball players, 1 x Year 3/4 and 2 x Year 1/2 Basketball players. If you have a child who is interested, please contact Sarah Clark - sclark@goldensands.school.nz

Rippa
GSS Grey v STM Mini All Blacks 7 all

Join FroGSS!
FroGSS are the Friends of Golden Sands School or parent committee that host fun events for our children that help fundraise for extra resources in the school, such as the new school playground. Last year FroGSS organised school Pizza lunches, a cake sale, the disco and supported the Fun Run.

If you would like to be involved, and have some time and ideas to offer, please come along to an informal meeting, next term Tuesday the 30th of April. 7pm in the school staff room.

At our next meeting we are calling for ideas about how to spend the potential proceeds from fundraising, including the school's major fundraiser, the Golden Sands School Fun Run. All ideas are welcome and will be discussed.

So please come along, with your great ideas that could benefit our children.

Pizza Lunch Tomorrow
Don't forget to order your child's pizza by 4pm today for lunch tomorrow.

Kip McGrath - Professional tutoring in Maths and English in Papamoa East, click here to view notice
Te Puke Gymsports - Gymnastics & Parkour classes, click here to view
Piano Lessons, click here to view notice
NumberWorks'nWords - Individualised and fun tutoring in Maths and English, click here to view website

Reading and Writing Tutor
Alison Kendall is a local experienced New Zealand trained teacher with a specialist background in Literacy teaching. She is offering individual tuition to develop and improve literacy skills. Contact Alison on 022 1568613 for more information

Guitar Classes for 2018
Bookings are now open for 2018 guitar classes held at school.
Please book early to ensure your child a place.
For more information and bookings please contact:
Rahim Callaghan
Phone 027 4751023 or (07) 574 0995
Email rahimc@email.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/guitarsingingbasslessons/

Guitar Lessons
Darrah Campbell, an ex Golden Sands student is starting up private guitar lessons for beginners. The cost is $10 for 30 minutes.
Please contact Darrah on 027 3207179 if you are interested

Join us for 60 minutes of Yoga, Wednesday nights in Golden Sands School Hall. Book online at Facebook.com/GoldenSandsYoga
Begins Wednesday 20th March.

This gentle class focuses on flowing from pose to pose, incorporating basic yoga postures. Breathing techniques and meditation are also integrated. You can expect an emphasis on flexibility, strength, and balance as we work through the body’s range of motion with standing postures, twists, forward folds, and hip openers.
If you have never tried yoga this series is perfect for you and is designed to meet the needs of those new to yoga as well as those seeking to lengthen and strength tight muscles. Beginner level/Intermediate. The instructor will offer a variety of modifications to suit everybody.

At the beginning of June we will be receiving a handful of exchange students from France. Our new arrivals will live with a host family and attend a local school for 3 months. As we plan for their arrival, we are keen to hear from suitable families who might be interested to host a student.
Welcoming an overseas exchange student into your home is a very rewarding experience. Host families help provide students with the chance to experience life in New Zealand. It’s a great way to practice your French, share your stories and establish a lifelong link to a family in France. All students have at least basic levels of English, would attend a school in your local area and live the life of a local. If families would like a selection of student profiles sent to them to review and decide which student may fit into a particular family best, please contact Sandra Harders via email info@studentplacement.com.au

This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
Golden Sands School · 26 Golden Sands Drive · Papamoa · Tauranga, Bay of Plenty 3118 · New Zealand