Rākau Nui Newsletter
Term 1, Week 10
Newsletter 05 April 2022
Tēnā koutou katoa
Wheels Day
Thank you to all those tamariki and adults who helped to make our Wheels Day GROW reward a success. Whether it was helping to come up with ideas, setting up, braving the weather, helping with traffic control or just generally showing heaps of respect, everyone played their part and did an awesome job helping to make the day run smoothly. Although the weather was not ideal, we still managed to have a great day full of fun! A special thank you to the amazing support crew pictured below who helped plan, set up and pack down the Wheels Day course. Not only did they do this but during their own time, volunteered to be safety monitors and rode around helping others when they were hurt to help keep everyone safe. Ka rawe!
There’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing choices…
As the weather starts to change, the type of clothes students will need at school will also change. In order to continue giving everyone the much needed breaks from mask wearing, we will be continuing to spend as much time as possible outside and this will include when it is drizzling and there are rain showers. We would appreciate it if students could have a named rain jacket and, if possible, a change of named clothes in their bag just in case. We will be taking a common sense approach to being outside when it’s wet and won’t be outside when we’re experiencing heavy rain, or if it is very cold and wet, as student well being is important.
Valuables
For many reasons, we do not permit digital devices to be brought from home and used in the classroom or around the school. These reasons include controlling student access to the internet, removing unnecessary distractions from learning time and ensuring that valuable items are not left lying around. We would encourage families to leave these items at home, however any digital devices, or valuable items, brought to school MUST be taken straight to the office for safe keeping. These items include cell phones, money, tablets, games, Apple watches and other smart watches. It is ok for students to wear simple step counters (no bluetooth, filming or internet connection) and basic watches.
Cross Country
In the build up to cross country events in term 2, we have started training. It is important that students wear comfortable running shoes everyday so that they can participate.
Headphones please
To minimise the noise from teacher videos being played in the classroom, we are allowing students to bring their own headphones/earbuds to school if they wish. If students choose to do this, please make sure that they are not expensive or precious items as it is possible that they may be misplaced or broken. School will provide a limited number of sets for those students that need them. Please make sure that where possible, they are also clearly named so they can be returned to your child if lost.
Homework
Each week we provide homework for all families, which is optional. There are lots of things you can do as homework. You can learn basic facts and times tables, you can play a maths game (either online or on paper), you could do some baking, thinking about the quantities in a recipe, or you could play a board game that needs you to think about maths, such as Monopoly. There is also the question of the week to get you thinking about problem solving.
EnviroSchools
As an Enviro School we are so impressed with the zero waste lunch boxes that children bring. Many thanks for your help with this. With reports coming out in the news about the amount of plastic that is infiltrating our oceans, land and drinking water we are very keen on being zero waste and wrapper free.
Enviro Day
Paparangi School's first 'Enviro Day' of 2022 will be held in week 11. The main theme is Waste Free Paparangi where over the first three days of that week, tamariki from all syndicates will be focusing on revisiting recycling, composting, zero waste lunch boxes, litter bug prevention around the school and the tidying up and prep of our areas ready to plant, decorate or redesign! It is also a time where the Eco Warriors will introduce themselves to us all and explain their new and exciting projects they are undertaking within the school. Rākau Nui are planning to do the majority of their enviro jobs on Tuesday 12th April so if you could please send your child to school with appropriate clothing, footwear and/or tools that would be much appreciated.
A new initiative we are trialling is a Gardening Drive where students can bring a “donation” to Enviro Day of seeds, cuttings, bulbs, plant pots, plants, unwanted gardening tools, gloves etc. If you have any of these items going spare, we would love to have them! Please send them along to school with your child in week 11 and place them at the collection point outside the office where they will then be sorted and put to good use within the school. If you have any questions, please feel free to email christinel@paparangi.school.nz.
Seesaw
Seesaw is a simple way for teachers and students to record and share what's happening in the classroom. Seesaw gives students a place to document their learning, be creative and learn how to use technology. Each student gets their own journal and will add things to it, like photos, videos, drawings, or notes. Each week more and more learning is being shared there. We highly recommend you check it and engage in conversation with your child about their learning.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything with us, please remember that your first point of contact is your child’s home class teacher. Our email addresses are:
christinel@paparangi.school.nz
Hei konā mai
Jenni, Trelise, Sarah, Christine, Ali, Judy, Kath, Andi, Leah, Kuini, Haley, Min and Megan
Useful Dates - Please note that all dates are subject to COVID restrictions and events may be cancelled or postponed
Tuesday 12th April - Enviro Day (Rākau Nui)
Wednesday 13 April - Term 1 ends 3.00pm
Thursday 14 April - Teacher Only Day
Friday 15 April - Good Friday (School Closed)
Monday 2nd May - Term 2 begins