Newsletter Week Five Term Two
St Claudine Thevenet 1st June 2022
A Word from the Principal
Kia ora Whānau,
We are now almost mid way through our term and finally beginning what looks like winter. At our Board meeting last night we discussed the current Covid Situation in our community. We still have cases within our school and some of those cases are now testing positive for covid for a second time. We have agreed that masks will continue to be worn in classrooms by teachers and by students in year 4-8. We do have supplies of masks at school which we distribute to all classes. Teachers have also been asked to remind students of the need to keep themselves and others safe from illness. We cannot stress enough that if your child is sick- even though they have not tested positive for covid- please keep them at home. As we come into winter many students are catching colds and the flu. In order to keep our classrooms safe – please keep them at home until they are well. We also want to protect our staff - when teachers are sick it is currently very challenging to find relievers and this then adds to the load of others. New Zealand wide is experiencing a shortage of teachers and many relievers have now taken up part time jobs to fill vacancies. We are working hard to ensure we have a stable staff and that we are providing consistency for our students.There is no simple solution to this issue and we ask you to be mindful of the workload of teachers at this time.
In relation to this issue of workload the NZEI (Teachers Union) have begun their planning for the bargaining of their new collective agreement. This bargaining begins later this term. Teachers have all been contacted about their paid union meeting to discuss progress of their claim – Wāwhai Tahā- Time 4 Tamariki. The paid union meetings will be held online which we hope causes little disruption to the school. These will be held in the week of June 13-17. We are endeavouring to timetable our teachers in to their meetings so cover is available.
Whānau Conversations
On 29th and 30th of June we are holding our Whānau Conversations. These will be a little different from our previous learning conversations. We will send out an outline next week which will explain the new conversation model and explain how you can book a time. Please mark these in your diary. On both days school will finish at 1.30pm to ensure we can involve all whānau and tamariki.
Theme – Weeks 5 and 6
Our theme for the next two weeks is respect- one of the things I would like our students to focus on is the respect of our school environment and expectations- the respect of devices supplied by the school- the respect of their classrooms – it is essential that our students know that the School Board funds school items for them to use and their expectation is that our students appreciate these things, take care of them and respect them. It would be great for you to have a whānau chat about your expectations of respect of our school property and environment.
We have expectations of how we represent our school – this is shown in the way we wear our school uniform – Students are expected to be in full school uniform –including shoes- every day. Hair is to be tied up, the only jewellery permitted is taonga, a simple cross and silver stud earrings. We will be focussing on uniform for the remainder of this term.
Thank you for your continued support of our school community. We appreciate the way you support your child on their learning journey.
Ngā mihi nui
Sue Jury
Tumuaki (Principal)
Poutama Pounamu Professional Learning-
(University of Waikato)
As a community of schools (St Bernard’s College, Sacred Heart College, Sacred Heart Primary, Our Lady of the Rosary, San Antonio School and St Claudine Thevenet School) Te Kāhui Waiako have embarked on a new journey- together we are exploring how we can accelerate a pathway of change towards equity, excellence and belonging, a pathway where the prior knowledge and experience of each learner provides a foundation where new learning can happen and potential can be realised.
Central to Poutama Pounamu's approach is the belief that Maori students should be able to succeed in New Zealand schools as Māori - without losing their Maori identity. Similarly, enjoying and achieving education success without losing your own cultural identity is important for all students.
We have committed to exploring ways in which our schools can reflect the principles the Treaty of waitangi:
· Partnership
· Protection
· Participation
We know for some this will be a challenging journey but one we all know we must make. We have the desire to ensure our schools enhance our cultural relationships, improve our teacher expertise and engage meaningfully with whānau and our communities.
This work continues on from last year and the engagement with Rongohia te Hau, 'Listening to the winds of change', this process is a way of using evidence including survey responses from learners, whānau and teachers, and observations of teaching, to inform and develop culturally responsive teaching and leadership across the curriculum.
Teachers will engage with our Professional Learning Providers from the University of Waikato to explore their own practice- this will be done through observation and professional coaching discussions. These discussions will help each of us to reflect on our current practice and to develop new strategies to ensure we are meeting the needs of our learners in culturally responsive ways.
We look forward to sharing our learning with you over the coming terms.
Before and After School Care
Parents who have been using sKids have been informed that the service at St Claudine’s is closing due to low numbers. The service will finish on Friday 17th June.
We know this will cause some concern to our families currently enrolled. Sonia has advised parents that we would share the details of the two other options available for Students. One is at Konini Primary School – we could do a walking bus to help children get to their new care site. The second option available is KidzHub which is based at Pukeatua Primary School- We have children already in this service – they are transported from our school to care daily.
Information for both services is below.
Konini After School Care has been providing childcare services at Konini Primary School since 2005, and value each and every child that has come through our doors.
Before School Care starts at 6.45am and provides breakfast, after School Care closes at 6pm, and provides afternoon tea.
Contact:
Diane Wilkie
027 51 89890
James & Vikki-Lee Remuera
Owner Directors
Kidz Hub Limited
0276426680 or 04 9762154
Cross Country
Participation Event
A whole school running event has been organised for Friday 3rd June. Students will run in their year groups, navigating their way through a fun filled obstacle course.
The event will start at 9.30 and run through until lunch time.
Year 8 - 10.00 Year 4 - 11.00
Year 7 - 10.15 Year 3 - 11.15
Year 6 - 10.30 Year 2 - 11.30
Year 5 - 10.45 Year 1 - 11.45
For this event students will need - a white t-shirt, shorts, socks and shoes, a towel and a bag for their wet clothes. As the students will be running through obstacles, old clothes and footwear are the best option.
Students need to come to school wearing their school uniform and will change prior to the event.
If we need to postpone the event due to weather conditions, this has been pencilled in for Thursday 9th June.
Please feel welcome to join us for the participation event - it would be wonderful to have you with us for the morning. Please follow our protocols by wearing a mask at all times while on school property.
Just a reminder that students will return to class for the afternoon after this event and be dismissed at the usual time.
SPOT PRIZES will be drawn after lunch for each year group. Students must be at school to receive a prize.
Competitive Event - Year 4-6
A competitive event is planned for students in Year 4 - 6. This event is open to students in these year groups who would like to compete. Weather permitting, this will take place on Tuesday 7th June.
From the results of this event, we will be selecting students to represent St Claudine in the Inter-School Cross Country on Tuesday 14th June.
Students who wish to compete in the competitive event will run in their PE gear.
The students selected to represent the school will be announced later in the week and will receive a notice about the Inter-School event.
PE Uniform
We have had a real problem with students not having their PE gear at school (Yrs 3 - 8). Each Hub has PE twice a week so it is fine to leave their PE shirt in their bag for the week.
Please remind them each Monday to pack their PE gear. We are aware there are some students who do not bring their gear intentionally as they think they may not have to participate – this will not happen from now on- if your child does not bring their gear they will miss their lunchtime play. If they are in Year 4-8 they will miss their opportunity to participate in interschool sports events.
PE is a compulsory part of the school curriculum and each and every student is required to take part.
Phone numbers & Address
Please remember to advise the School Office if you move address or change your phone number or email address. Thanks.
Term dates 2022
Term One - Wednesday 2 February- Thursday 14 April 2.40pm
Term Two- Monday 2 May- Friday 8 July 2.40pm
Term Three- Monday 25 July- Friday 30 September 2.40pm
Term Four- Monday 17 October- Thursday 15 December 12.30pm
Contact Us
Email: office@stclaudine.school.nz
Website: https://www.stclaudine.school.nz/1/pages/1-welcome
Location: 14 Rata St, Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt 5014, New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 9399189