TNIS Newsletter Week 1, Term 1 2021
Te Kura Whakangungu O Takapuna
Important Dates
2021
Week 2: 09/02 - 12/02
- 08/02 Waitangi Day observed (school closed)
- 12/2 School Picnic from 5pm - 7pm
Week 3: 15/02 - 19/02
- 16/02 School Swimming Sports
- 18/02 School Swimming Sports Saver Day
Week 6: 08/03 - 12/03
- 09/03 Vision testing
- 10/03 Goal Setting Conversations after school
Week 7: 15/03 - 19/03
- 15/03 - 17/03 - Rimu Camp
- 17/03 - 19/03 - Tōtara Camp
Week 8: 22/03 - 26/03
- 22/03 - 24/03 - Kōwhai Camp
- 24/03 - 26/03 - Mānuka Camp
Week 9: 29/03 - 02/04
- 29/03 - 31/03 - Rāta Camp
- 02/04 - Good Friday (school closed)
Week 10: 05/04 - 09/04
- 05/04 - Easter Monday (school closed)
- 06/04 - School holiday (school closed)
- 09/04 - Individual and Class Photographs
Week 11: 22/04 - 16/04
- 16/04 - Last day of Term 1
Term Dates 2021
Term One
Mon 2 February - Fri 16 April
Term Two
Mon 3 May- Fri 9 July
Term Three
Mon 26 July - Fri 1 October
Term Four
Mon 18 October - Tues 14 December
Principal's Message
Kia ora Parents and Whānau,
A warm welcome to all our families who have returned to TNIS this year or joined us for the first time. We are really looking forward to getting to know you all, over your time with us!
We have many exciting things planned for this year. Our first unit of inquiry for the year is Who We Are, focusing on wellbeing and connections together along with an introduction/ recap on the Primary Years Programme for the start of the year.
We are looking forward to working with our learners as they find out more about our school. There are many opportunities for our learners to experience new things and get involved in school life.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Paul Grant and Caleb Brown who join our staff this year. We would also like to welcome back Courtney Dixon and Helen Reed who have returned to join us. Next Friday 12th February there will be an opportunity at the school picnic to meet our staff. We look forward to you joining us.
Wendy
Please read the COVID update from MOE below
Learning Update
Primary Years Programme (PYP)
In our first two weeks, we are focusing on the different aspects that make up the Primary Years Programme, with a particular focus on the ten Learner Profile attributes. In Week 3, we will begin our first unit of inquiry, Who We Are, with the Central Idea: "Working together we can build relationships to develop a sense of identity and belief in ourselves and others''. Through this, we will be looking into the Treaty of Waitangi, who we are as individuals and as a class collective, and build up towards camp. This is a great unit to start the year off as it helps all learners build up relationships within their class and team.School News
School Picnic Friday 12 Feb - 5.00-7.00pm
Come along and enjoy a picnic dinner on the field and meet other families in your child’s class.
5.00 - 6.00 Picnic time
6.00 - 6.30 Classrooms open
6.30 - 7.00 Sport Code Meeting in Rms 15/16
Parking will be available at Smales Farm for this one-off event. A HUGE THANKS TO SMALES FARM!! Please see the map below.
Please park in the light blue areas by next to and behind the Air NZ building, in the ALL DAY parking area. Please refrain from parking in the Yellow P180 areas on The Avenue or The Boulevard. Or in the Pink Section / The Lane.
Parking is free from 5pm, so you can park in the BLUE pay & display areas.
School Swimming Sports - Tuesday 16 Feb, 9.30am - 2.15pm
Location: Takapuna Grammar School Pool
In the interest of being sunsmart, the day will be split into two sessions. Year 7 learners will go from 9.00am - 11.30am followed by Year 8s from 11.30am - 2.15pm. There are races for everyone and we encourage every learner to take part in at least one event. There will be more information about the swimming sports next week. Parents are welcome to attend.
Reminders
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)
The cost of the Camp Raglan experience is $235. Separate information has been sent home regarding this programme. Please sign up with teachers as parent helpers (Police Vet required - forms linked through the recent app alert).
Camp Sponsorship - As you are aware there are some extra stresses in our community at the moment. If you are able to help one of our families by financially supporting another learner to attend camp please choose the SPONSORSHIP option on Kindo. You can contribute in $50 increments.
Schoolwide Costs Contribution
These have been set for the year at $140.00. This covers school-wide resources and events such as Stationery Pack (already issued), school-wide trips and activities, Yearbook and on-line learning programmes.
TNIS Walk Zone
School Pick-Up/ Drop-Off Zone opens to cars from 3.15pm
Please note - Smales Farm is closed for all school traffic. Tickets may be issued to parents who park or wait in this area.
We would prefer that all learners are dropped or collected at the perimeter of the ten-minute walk zone or in the green shaded areas. Parents can meet their learners at a designated spot away from the school, which will lessen the traffic congestion. The Netball Centre down Northcote Road or the Golf Course car-park have lots of parking spaces. Also, the side streets off Taharoto Road are only a short walk away.
Student Details Sheet
At your meeting with your child’s teacher on Tuesday, you will have received a one-page sheet with you and your child’s details and contacts. Please check the information, make any necessary amendments and return the sheet to your child’s teacher by Friday this week.
Picking up your child after school
From next week, if you are picking up your child from school by car, you will need to organise a place to meet your child away from the school. There are a limited number of parking spots in the school carpark. The school driveway will be closed to all cars from 2.45pm until approximately 3.15pm. Once our school buses have departed the driveway will be re-opened.
Bus Information
We have a large number of learners who catch buses to and from school each day. Staff will be on duty each afternoon at our bus stops and crossings. Learners travelling by bus must observe the expectations set by the bus companies and follow the procedures for waiting safely for buses to arrive. If your child misses their bus for any reason, the Office staff will help them to find an alternative way home.
Please click this link for information and expectations re the use of buses.
Please note that we are not able to tell you which bus your child needs to catch in order to get to and from school.
Please click this link to see all the school buses to and from TNIS each day.
As well as the school buses there are public buses which learners can use. Please go to the Journey Planner section of the Auckland Transport website for more information.
Most buses stop at the bus stops along Taharoto Road or Northcote Road in the afternoons. There are only three school buses that come into our Northcote Road school driveway in the afternoons, the 012, 022 and 089.
School Uniform
All learners must be wearing their full school uniform to and from school every day. (The exception to this is special mufti days and school-wide events)
Formal Shoes
Formal school shoes must be completely black on top but may have a white sole. There are many styles of shoes that meet this criteria. Learners can also wear black sandals to school. Learners can wear any type and colour of sports shoes for PE or Fitness sessions.
Jewellery
No jewellery to be worn except one pair of small stud earrings and a watch. No hoop earrings are allowed.
Hair
All learners with hair that touches their shoulders must have it tied up in a ponytail every day.
Cyclists
Cyclists must wear a fluoro vest and helmet. Cyclists must ride slowly in single file while using the bike lanes on the footpaths. Cycle racks are located by Room 20, in the courtyard by the Science and Art Rooms and along the wall of the Office. Learners must lock their bikes every day.
Communication
SchoolApp
The school app is our main form of communication. Go to the Apple or Android App stores and search “SchoolAppsNZ” to download the app. Then search “Takapuna Normal Intermediate School” to find our school app. Any emergency notifications will be made using this app. Therefore, it is most important that you download and start using the app as soon as possible.
If parents have a concern about their child please contact your child’s classroom teacher to make a time to meet to discuss your concerns. This can be done via email. Please inform your child’s teacher of your concerns before the meeting so they can be prepared.
Email Settings
From time to time throughout the year, we will send emails to parents and caregivers. In order to ensure that you receive these communications, please make sure that your settings allow your email account to receive emails from the domain “tnis.school.nz”. We have a number of emails that cannot receive our emails or have our account blocked.
Daily Notices
The Daily Notices Google Doc contains daily reminders and information for learners. It is the best place to find out what is happening at TNIS on a daily basis. Details of activities and how and when to sign up are included here throughout the year. You and your child can access the daily notices from school and home by following this link.
Newsletters
Fortnightly newsletters are available via the app and the school website. They contain school information regarding upcoming events and also celebrate the successes of our learners.
More timely than the newsletter, the school Facebook page is often updated daily with happenings at TNIS.
School Website
Our school website www.tnis.school.nz is where you find information about TNIS. It also contains the school calendar, which is live and updated with important school events. Clicking on an event will reveal further details.
Absences
For absences, you can call and leave a message on 09 489 3940, or email absentee@tnis.school.nz
Messages for Learners During the School Day
In general, we are unable to give messages to learners during the school day. If your child has a mobile phone at school, please text them or call them at 3pm and they will be able to answer their phone. You could also email your child at their school email address.
Of course, if there is an emergency, we will make sure that the message is relayed to your child.
School Payments
Kindo – Parent Payment System
We have a parent payment system called Kindo where you can pre-order lunches, pay for donations, sports, trips, and other costs and activities. It’s easy to use and open 24/7.
If you don’t already have a Kindo account, please click here to create an account. All you need is the email address the school has on file for you. Your account will be created and can be used for all students at any school. Add items to your cart and remember to ‘checkout.’
Kindo even offers a myKindo iPhone App.
To get started, create a Kindo account using the above instructions.
Then, just search ‘myKindo’ on the Apple App Store.
Download, sign in and set up a PIN (you can even use TouchID or FaceID).
Pay for last minute lunches, sports subs, trip fees, fundraising products or anything school-related, right from your mobile device.
Contact the Helpdesk Monday-Friday 8am – 4pm via email (hello@mykindo.co.nz) or telephone 0508 454 636 if you need assistance.
Click here for a helpful Kindo Tutorial Video.
School Cafe
Items can be pre-ordered through Kindo as above, before 9am. Learners may also make further purchases at morning tea and lunchtime with cash.
Sun Safety
We encourage, remind and reward our learners for wearing their hats every time they go outside for PE or Fitness and at break times. Please can parents and caregivers ensure that their child has their school hat at school every day and that the hat is clearly named with their name and room number on the inside, so that we can return it to them, if they misplace it. We would also encourage all learners to apply sunscreen before they come to school, and to bring their own sunscreen to school with them.
Learner and Parent Information Booklet
Our Learner and Parent Information Booklet can be accessed from this link. This has helpful hints and information.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Next week, we will be sharing the extracurricular activities available at TNIS this year and also how to sign up for them. This information will be shared with the learners at our Assembly on Monday morning and will then be available on the Daily Notices.
Musical Instrument Lessons at TNIS
We offer a variety of musical instrument lessons at TNIS during school time. Please click this link to read the information and sign up for lessons.