Week 7, Term 2, 2022

Tauranga Primary School Pānui

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Tumuaki Pānui | Principal's Newsletter

Tēnā koutou katoa

Ngā mihi nui, kia koutou katoa - Warm greetings to you all.

This week's focus for my newsletter chat is Mathematics. At TPS we have a strong focus on building our students' ability to recall basic facts. Fluent recall of basic facts is essential for the development of more advanced mathematics skills. By reducing the demand on working memory, fluent recall of basic facts enables students to devote more attention to the overall purpose of a mathematics problem.

How can you help at home? One of the best ways you can help is by playing card and board games that involve numbers. Playing games with your children is hugely beneficial to your child's development:

It is a fun learning activity
It is a time when your sole focus is on your children (they LOVE this more than anything)
It teaches self-regulation (it can be challenging to wait for your turn and to win and lose with dignity, we need lots of practice and good role models to do this well)
Playing number games will give your child the advantage in their maths learning.

If you are practising basic facts at home, keep it low pressure and fun. If it becomes high pressure, stressful and ends in an argument or tears, then this will be detrimental to your child's overall maths learning and their view of themselves as a learner. If you are teaching basic facts at home remember to teach inverse operations together. If it is tricky for your child to understand a basic fact, try using materials so that they can visualise and understand (see) the process eg. pegs, counters, toy cars or lollies.

2 + 3= 5

3 + 2 = 5

5 - 2 = 3

5 - 3 = 2

Learning to write numbers is also tricky and it takes a lot of practice; letter and number reversal is totally normal during the learning phase.

How can you support your child to learn to write numbers:

be supportive, learning to write numbers is challenging - to give you an idea of just how tricky it is for your child try to write the numbers to ten with your least preferred hand. How much practice would it take you for it to be easy and tidy?
monitor the pencil grip. Correct pencil grip is VERY important. If the grip is challenging try using big pencils and pens that are triangle shaped. It is worth investing time to get this part right
draw the number for them to refer to (don't keep it a secret) They can trace over it a few times and then give it a go themselves
show them the correct way to write the number (from the top-down)

We have two important school events coming up, our whole school Matariki celebration on the 23rd of June (7:30am - 8:30am) and Huria Marae visits on the 27th - 29th June (9:00am -12:30pm). Please diary these important dates and join us to celebrate the Māori New Year and visit our local marae. Please note that the Matariki celebration starts at 7:30am, we would love all children and families here at 7:30am.

We will be taking the school (in groups) to Huria Marae on the 27th - 28th June. If you have never been to a marae before, this is a great way to learn about tikanga (customs), local history and Māori culture alongside your child(ren). We will require parent support for these trips. If we have parents who are able to karanga or whaikōrero for (with) us, that would be fantastic. Mark these dates in your diary, and contact Kelly Savage ksavage@tauranga.school.nz if you are able to support our school/students with a karanga or whaikōrero.

TPS Covid Update for Term 2

We have had 22 confirmed positive Covid cases at Tauranga Primary School (students and staff) this term.
Our average attendance rate is 90%, which is normal for this time of the year (flu season).

We have RAT tests available to distribute to our school community. If you do not have any RATS tests at home, please ask at our school office and we can supply you with enough tests for your family.

He waka eke noa

We are all in this together

Ngā mihi maioha

Fiona Hawes

principal@tauranga.school.nz

Tauranga Primary School - Māori New Year Celebration

Ngā mihi nui, kia koutou katoa - Warm greetings to you all

When: Thursday morning June 23, 7:30am - 8:30am.

Where: On the Senior site, performances in front of Senior Hub 1

Programme: Performances by TPS Kapa Haka, Junior Jump Jam/Kapa Haka, Pacifika, singing soloists, plus storytelling with a guest speaker.

Catering: Toast, jam and Marmite provided as a light breakfast for all

For the children: Free hot chocolate and marshmallows -

BYO CUP FROM HOME

For our whānau - hot drinks will be available for purchase from the ‘Coffee Cart’

Parking: Roadside around the school

If you are able to help with this event by making teapots of Milo, and serving toast please email me.

Many thanks to Tauranga Pak n Save for providing food and drinks for this breakfast.

If we have to cancel, due to poor weather, we will decide the night before and email all school families and post a notice on Facebook.

Ngā mihi,

Kelly Savage

ksavage@tauranga.school.nz

Art Gallery Trips

Over the last two weeks, children from the Junior and Senior schools have visited the Tauranga Art Gallery and the Tauranga Library to take part in education programmes provided by the council. At the art gallery, the Juniors saw art by Robin White and then had a go at making some prints of their own inspired by the art they saw. The Seniors learned about artists Andrew Beck and Natalie Guy and their use of shadows and sculpture to create interesting pieces of art. The students then had the opportunity to make their own pieces of art inspired by Beck and Guy. The pieces showed that when colour and sculpture are mixed together and light is shone through it, different shapes and shadows can be created. At the new library building, students were led through a range of activities introduced by the librarians. Thank you to the staff of Tauranga Library, Tauranga Art Gallery and the very patient bus driver for providing such great experiences for our students.

TPS kids enjoying the Mud Run on Tuesday

Friends of the School - FOTS

This term the FOTS team will run a Pizza Friday on the last day of term, the 8th of July.

In addition, we hope to hold the school disco towards the end of term 3. The next meeting is on the 28th of June at 6:00pm, so please join us in the school staffroom if you would like to meet other TPS parents and be part of creating awesome memories of school for our students.

Huria Marae visits

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It is not long until our visits to Huria Marae. These will take place in week 9 (9.30am - 12.30pm).

27th June-Seniors
28th June Middles
29th June Juniors

A letter has been emailed out this week with more information. Please contact Kelly Savage, ksavage@tauranga.school.nz or your child's teacher if you can help.

Board of Trustees - election year

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TPS Board of Trustees (BOT)

This year is a Board of Trustees election year with elections being held in September. Some of our current board members will not be standing for election as their children will be leaving or have now left TPS. If becoming involved in the governance of your child(ren)'s school is of interest to you, please talk with me or Aaron Moores (board chair) Aaron.Moores@craigsip.com. We are happy to talk through what the role involves. You are welcome to attend a BOT meeting- please contact principal@tauranga.school.nz if you wish to do so.

Additional information can also be found here.

On the 21st of June, the current BOT will host a Meet and Greet opportunity 6:00pm-7:00pm, where you can hear from current members about their experience as a BOT member and ask any questions you may have.

What skill sets are valued on a school board?

Parents who represent our diverse school community. The best boards are those with a variety of people and skill sets, people who are able to contribute at a governance level, with an invested interest in creating a school environment where all children at our school can thrive.

Finance and property are a major part of the operation of the school, and people with experience in these areas are very necessary at a governance level.

Every five years the school embarks on a significant property upgrade and expertise to help guide the process is very helpful. The school employs a project manager and the school board work in conjunction with the principal and project manager to oversee projects.

Experience in personnel/human resources is another area of governance that is extremely helpful to the principal in her role as CEO.

Event Information

BOT - Meet and Greet

Come along and meet our current board of trustee members. There will be a short welcome by our BOT chairperson and an opportunity to ask questions. The BOT meeting follows from 7:00pm - 8.30pm, interested parents are welcome to stay on and observe the meeting.

When?

Tue, 21 Jun 2022, 18:00

Where?

Tauranga Primary School Fifth Avenue, Tauranga, New Zealand

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RSVPs are enabled for this event.

Have your say – Option to cul-de-sac Fifth Ave west, Cameron Road

Have your say – Option to cul-de-sac Fifth Ave west, Cameron Road

Council is seeking feedback on an option to cul-de-sac Fifth Ave west (FYI - not Fifth Avenue where the school is located, this is referring to Fifth Ave on the other side of Cameron Road) on Cameron Road or whether the community would prefer the current left in/left out onto Cameron Road to be retained. They are holding drop-in information sessions, feedback can be emailed or contact Council to chat 1:1 (in person or virtually). Feedback is needed by Monday, 4 July 2022.

Community Drop-in Sessions:

Tues, 21 June – drop in anytime between 7:00am and 9:00am – TCC, Ground Floor Room, 61 Third Avenue
Tues, 28 June – drop in anytime between 5:00pm and 7:00pm – TCC Ground Floor Room, 61 Third Avenue

Background:

In early 2021 a preliminary design was shared with the community which included the Fifth Ave (west)/Cameron Road being made into a cul-de-sac. This was done to improve the safety of the road intersections connecting with Cameron Road for a safer and more pedestrian-friendly area. Feedback on this design raised concerns about access to businesses and the traffic flows on Sixth Avenue if both Fifth and Seventh Avenues were changed to cul-de-sacs. As a result, the final design retained the left in, left out access on the Fifth Avenue (west). During a site walk over on 16 March 2022, the TCC Commissioners requested the Cameron Road Project Team look at returning the Fifth Avenue cul-de-sac to help improve the amenity of this corridor.

Contact us

www.tauranga.govt.nz/cameronroad

Email – cameron@tauranga.govt.nz

Phone – 07 5777 000

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Term 2:

13th - 17th June - Foodbank Appeal week

21st June - 6:00pm - 7:00pm staffroom, BOT - parent Meet and Greet for parents interested in learning more about becoming a Board of Trustees member. Hear from current BOT members about their experience

21st June - BOT meeting 7:00pm - 8.30pm

23rd June - Matariki breakfast, 7:30am - 8:30am

24th June - Matariki holiday - school closed

27th - 28th June - Huria Marae visits,