Dear Parents and Whānau

With the wet weather we are starting to experience, it feels like Autumn is well and truly upon us. With it now being 8 weeks into the term, classroom programmes are well and truly up and running. Teachers, initially, spent a lot of time gathering information around their student’s understanding and knowledge in the different curriculum areas. This has given our teachers the direction needed to cater for the range of needs in the classroom and they have been able to identify those students who need extending.

As we head towards the end of March this is just a reminder about the school donation. If you are able to pay this donation before March 31st, you will be able to claim 33% of this back from the government this year. I do understand that Covid has had an impact on many families, so I do stress that this is a voluntary payment.

Thank you to those families that have already paid the school donation. As Shelly Park is considered a high decile school, the amount of funding we receive from the Ministry of Education is less than other schools classified as middle to low decile. We use the school donation to provide the best learning experiences for your children. Teacher aides, classroom resourcing, curriculum support, building upgrades and keeping class sizes as low as possible are all able to happen due to the ongoing donations that we receive from our families. In advance, thank you for your support

As a school we have been doing a big push on Citizenship and how students need to conduct themselves at SPS. While 99% of our students are doing the right thing and living up to the school values of responsibility, determination and respect, a few students still need a gentle reminder about some of their behaviour. Please talk to your child about being kind, looking out for one another and treating others as they would want to be treated.

On Monday, 28th of March a booking form will come out to all parents for our Two Way Conferences at the end of Term 1. Please book in a slot with your child's teacher on either Tuesday 12th of April, between 1pm and 8pm of Wednesday 13th fo April, between 3:30pm and 6pm. These first conferences are two way meaning Teacher and Parent. In Term 3 we will host our second set of conferences and these will be three way, Teacher, Parent and Child.

A reminder that the closing date for Scholastics Book Order is Friday 25th of March.

Finally, thank you for the way you have been picking up and dropping off your children. So far, things have been running smoothly. A gentle reminder not to stop over the Dental Clinic driveway and please park within the lines so our neighbours’ driveways are not being blocked.

Ngā Mihi

Ed Roper