Chelsea School Newsletter
Week 6 Term 3, 2023
Important Term Dates
Term 3, 2023
- Thu 24 Aug: Interschool Netball
- Mon 28 Aug: 'Slice of Paradise' Production 6.30pm - 8.30pm at Birkenhead College (Dress Rehearsal)
- Wed 30 Aug: 'Slice of Paradise' Production 6.30pm - 8.30pm at Birkenhead College
- Thu 31 Aug: 'Slice of Paradise' Production 6.30pm - 8.30pm at Birkenhead College
- Thu 31 Aug: Interschool Netball Save-a-day
- Mon 04 Sep: Board Meeting 7.00pm
- Fri 08 Sep: Sports Prizegiving 9:10am
- Sat 09 Sep: Jump Jam Competition 12pm - 6pm
- 11-18 Sep: Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week)
- Tue 12 Sep: Pakiaka Trip to MOTAT
- Thu 14 Sep: Interschool Rippa
- Fri 15 Sep: Assembly 9.15am
- Thu 21 Sep: Kākano Trip to MOTAT
- Fri 22 Sep: Last Day of Term - School Closes at 2pm
- Mon 20 Nov: Teacher Only Day - School Closed for Instruction
Kia ora whānau
Welcome to the midpoint of Term 3. We are in full production mode as we approach our performances next week! I am so impressed with how the hub items are looking. For any of us who have struggled to organise or coordinate one or two children, there will be full appreciation for the choreography and polish the teams have managed to achieve! We can’t wait for you to see it. Huge thanks go to Rebecca Hedges, who wrote the script, the production team for their work and our staff and learners for giving it everything they’ve got!
If you haven’t managed to buy tickets yet, these are still available at the office.
Please ensure you are fully in the loop with the organisation for production so that stress can be minimised. Here is the run-down that has already been sent from teams.
Production dates are Monday 28th (dress rehearsal), Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st August. All children are on stage each night. Children need to arrive between 5:45-6 pm at the Birkenhead College theatre entrance.
We will have classrooms near the theatre to get dressed and wait in. Chelsea staff will supervise the children, and we will play a movie until it is our turn on stage. Please pack a lunchbox with snacks (easy to eat, without spilling) and a water bottle to get the children through the wait. We recommend having an early dinner.
Having visited the site again yesterday afternoon, we still have some thinking to do about how best to have our learners picked up. We are planning to put together one sheet of information (with maps) to send out to you on Friday.
If you are unsure of costuming etc., please contact your child’s teacher.
One Million Thank Yous!
As you will know, Anita Hedges resigned from the Board in response to health issues that recently came to light for her. We collectively wish you all the very best as you prioritise yourself and your health, Anita. Firstly, a huge thanks to Anita for all of her work over her term on the Board. Anita was elected to the Board at the end of 2020 and has been a key part of the Board through some very turbulent Covid times. She became the Presiding Member (formerly known as Board Chair) in February 2022. She always brought a calm, considered approach and a strategic lens to the table. On a personal note, I have really enjoyed working alongside Anita as we strive to Grow Great Learners, and I have appreciated her support of my wellbeing and my work. It is a huge weight at times, and I have always felt 100% supported and cared for by Anita and the Board. Thanks, Anita, on behalf of our community, our precious kids, staff and from me. Your contribution has made a big difference, and we have been lucky to have you as part of our Board for the time you served.
Paul Wynyard has been elected as our new Presiding Member and is doing a wonderful job. I feel very fortunate to have such a hard-working and supportive Board to work alongside.
Learner-Led Conferences
It was lovely to see our learners taking the driver’s seat to lead you through what they are working on and what they are proud of. Thanks for your support of their learning and their progress. This opportunity for partnering together supports our learners' agency and is one of the key beliefs underpinning our teaching and learning at Chelsea. As learners move through our school, they will have more and more opportunities to feed into their learning and next steps.
Pool Renovation
The first stage of the pool renovation is underway, which is very exciting! The sandblasting was done a couple of weeks back, and the waterline tiles have now been replaced, along with tiled lane markings. Next up is the plastering of the inside of the pool. Once this is done, work on the coping (top ledge of the pool) will be started. The work on this part of the pool is the trickiest, as quite a bit of rust needs to be dug out and sealed. The challenge with this is the epoxy sealant and paint, which needs to be applied once the temperature is at least 10 degrees on a consistent basis, including at nighttime.
We will keep you in the loop on this as it progresses.
The second phase of the work will be heating the pool, and this is a 2024 goal.
New Build
A representative from the Ministry of Education was invited to our last Board meeting to explain and help us fully understand why parts of the school still look like a derelict construction site. Work was scheduled to begin in April! The Board is pushing hard to get construction underway, and we have had a breakthrough. Due to escalating costs, more funding was needed from within the MoE, and this has now been secured. The next stage is for the MoE to finalise their contract with the main contractor. Work on the rebuild is scheduled to start in October. The rebuild project is fully MoE-managed, and while we are part of the design process, we are not involved with contractors and consenting. I assure you that the Board and I are pushing as hard as possible to get this underway. We will all be very excited when work starts! I do need to keep reminding myself of how incredible the teaching spaces will be when they finally emerge.
Ngā Mihi
Amanda Douglas
Tumuaki/Principal
Chelsea Primary School
Calendar Art
By now your child/ren would have brought home their Calendar Art order form. Your child's art can be made into Calendars, Cards, Diaries, Mouse Mats, and Sketch Pads. These make unique Christmas gifts for family and friends and are perfect for posting overseas. If you would like to view your child's artwork they are at the school office. Orders close on the 1st of September.
Payment can be made at the office, via Kindo, or through our bank account