29 January 2023

Kia ora Whanau

Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou. Happy New Year to you all.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at school next week. We have a staff only day Monday 30 January and will be welcoming learners at school Tuesday 31 January, school starts at 8.50am.

School starts at 8.50am. We ask that children do not arrive before 8.30 am. Before 8.30am this is Teacher’s time to prepare for your child’s learning. Please note any children arriving at school before 8.30am will not be supervised. If you require before or after school care please contact Nippers who operate from our School Hall. For more details or an enrolment pack please contact 06 356 7926 (Nippers Office) or 021 645 806 (on-site) or nippers@inspire.net.nz.

Whānau are welcome to walk their children to their Learning Space in the morning. End of day routines are as important as the start of the day. Please wait at the bottom of the ramp in the junior area, or off the decks in the senior area so that your child is not distracted by your arrival. You are welcome to collect your child from the classroom once they are dismissed - they will have lots of news from their day to share with you. If you are running late or you need to collect your child from school during school hours please pop into the office to sign your child in or out. Please do not go directly to their learning space.

If your child is unwell - please stay home and if COVID-19 symptoms are present please get tested and not return until you have completed the isolation requirements and are symptom free. Please ensure you adhere to the Ministry of Health Reporting and advise the school office as your child’s leave of absence will be coded accordingly and we can assist your tamariki with online learning and provide pastoral care support if required.

I wish to assure you that our hygiene measures remain in place. Children are encouraged to wash their hands after hanging up their bags each morning, to use the hand sanitisers at the entrances into learning spaces, to regularly wash and dry hands, and are encouraged to cough and sneeze into their elbow.

Our focus as always will be to support the learning and wellbeing of our rangatahi and tamariki and we continue to be here to support you as well. Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s kaiako/teacher or myself, if there is something you need assistance with. We respond to the advice of the Ministry of Education to maintain the health and safety of our kura. We really appreciate your understanding.

Here is our plan for teachers and classes to begin term 1 2023:

Christine Cosgrove Acting Principal.

LS9: Year 1 = Tracey Gunn, Monday-Wednesday, Claire Dillon, Thursday, Friday

LS8: Year 1 and 2 = Naomi Scott; weeks 1-5 Term 1, weeks 6-10 Term 1 maternity leave, Claire Dillon.

LS7: Year 2 and 3 = Amy Cousins

LS2: Year 3 and 4 = Hilary Autagavaia

LS6: Year 4 and 5 = Bronwyn Bateman (This will be Christine Cosgrove’s class once we appoint a new Principal).

LS5: Year 5 and 6 = Andrea Cawood

Contact details - please remember to update your details if you have a new address, email address or phone number. Please contact the school office via email office@stjamescatholic.school.nz and these will be updated.

School Bus - if your tamariki are catching the School Bus or are being picked up by an afterschool provider to let the School Office know of your arrangements so staff can assist at the end of day.

St James' Catholic School Communication Guidelines for Families

School App - please remember to update your Alert Subscriptions for your child's 2023 learning space and any other Sport and Extra Curricular information you wish to receive alerts for on the School App. You can access Alert Subscriptions from the menu at the top Left hand corner of your screen. Click on the groups/learning spaces you wish to subscribe to. Quick Link to download School App.