Kia ora koutou whānau

Term 2 has brought with it some lovely autumn weather, enthusiastic, happy children, and a hopeful look ahead. Welcome to our new families and younger siblings who have joined the SFDS whanau.

Uniform

Thank you for your support in the transition phase to the new uniform. As communicated last term, the full transition will take two years - and this initial stage will be a bit bumpy - as we work through the orders and manufacturing of the new items. Please be patient with our office and uniform staff as we work through this change. Thank you to Tamanda and Lauren for the voluntary work you both do in the uniform shop.

Charter and Annual Plan

At the end of last term, the Board of Trustees approved the Charter which includes the 2022 Annual plan. This plan guides all of our practice and influences our curriculum planning. The long term strategic plan within the Charter remains unchanged, with planned initiatives and actions being the key difference from 2021.

Achievement Targets

One aspect of annual planning is to set achievement targets for the year. To set the ‘targets’ we explore achievement data across the school, looking for any trends that we have an opportunity to address. We have identified a trend that is evident where approximately 16% of our children have trouble understanding and using structures and features of some texts.

This is evident in reading and writing data.

This also has an impact on math achievement, where some of our learners have trouble making sense of the number problem that is presented within a text / story. Below are some simple examples of such word problems:

“There are some cars in the car park. Another 8 cars come in and now there are 14 altogether. How many cars were in the park to begin with?”

“There are 170 runners altogether in the marathon. 85 have already run past the half-way mark. How many are still to run past?”

“I put $35 into my bank account. I now have $54 in my account. How much did I have to start with?”

As a team, we will work through various interventions and changes to our learning programme to strengthen the children’s capabilities in this area over the year. We measure progress through observations, quick assessments, discussion with the children, and evaluations using tools like PaCT (Progress and Consistency Tool).

This helps us to become better practitioners also - as we strive to learn different approaches to learning and teaching.

Here are some ideas for ways that you can support your child(ren) in their learning at home: https://parents.education.govt.nz/primary-school/learning-and-development-at-home/ideas-to-help-with-reading-writing-and-maths/

Covid

Please continue reminding your children (Year 4-8) to wear a mask at school. Our numbers of cases are a lot lower this term, so hopefully we can maintain this by remaining cautious.

Unfortunately, I now have Covid in my household, so I won’t see you in person for a week or so. Keep us in your prayers as our youngest daughter is getting married late next week and I certainly don’t want to miss their big day!

Ngā mihi nui

Mary-Angela Tombs

Kāore he mutunga o te Aroha. The measure of love is love without measure.

Creator God, you have made a world that was meant to sustain us with fresh water, land and seas. We pray for the grace to respect and care for your creation.

Creator God, grant us the grace to end the suffering of those in poverty and bring healing to all parts of your creation that all creatures may be blessed as a sign of your wondrous love.

Creator God, help us to be sensitive and sacred in walking, watching and wondering, as stewards of your creation. We pray for insight as we fulfil our responsibilities as its caretakers.

Tiaki promise - short resource video for kids

SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY

We are still in the process of confirming the date for this whole school event, we will let you know as soon as we can. We will need helpers for this event so please keep an eye out for updates.

SCHOOL SWIMMING SPORTS

This will be held for all year 4 - 8 students on Wednesday 6 July (week 10 of this term) at Kilbirnie Swimming Pool. We will also need helpers for this event so please pop the date in your diary.

Check out Emma, Fionuala and Maeva training with the Wellington Pulse players over the holidays! Well done girls, looks like you had a great time!

TEACHER ONLY DAY

We will be having a Teacher only day at the end of term 2 on Friday 8 July. School will be closed so you will need to make other arrangements for this day.

SCHOLASTIC LUCKY BOOK CLUB- Out Now

The latest Scholastic Book club flyer is out and has another great selection of books for readers from 5-13 years.

SFDS receives a bonus of 10% from each online order. Last year we were able to purchase $500 books for the school library from Book Club bonus dollars.

Note: We only do online orders, please do not send orders to school. Place your order anytime by visiting https://scholastic.co.nz/parents/lucky-book-club/

Last day for orders is 20th May If you have any questions please see Chris in Room 7.

For information on how to get to KINDO Click here to view. From there you are able to pay your school donations, (there is an option to make part payments) uniform and any other school charges or sign ups for sports and extra actvities.

If your child loves doing Cartwheels, Handstands & Flips, then they will thrive at Bigair Gym! TERM 2 CLASSES ARE STARTING NOW, SO DON’T MISS OUT, BOOK IN TODAY! Bigair Gym classes are excellent for fun, focus and fitness! Children learn new skills and develop personal confidence and self-achievement! Strong focus is given to safety and technique, ranging from fundamentals to advanced skills. The structured classes follow a Bigair Badge Programme, which creates focused learning, and allows children to achieve and progress! Classes include GYMNASTICS, TRAMPOLINING, TUMBLING, FREE RUNNING (thats parkour with flips) & CHEERLEADING! Inquire about Bigair BIRTHDAY PARTIES too!

Its easy to book online at www.bigairgym.co.nz or contact our Bigair Gym office. We would love to hear from you. Bigair Gym Owhiro Bay ph. 383 8779 e. wgtn@bigairgym.co.nz

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DRAMA: Wonderplayhas places available for kids drama on Weds (NEW: CBD) and Thurs (Island Bay). Also ask about our famous Wellington Young Actors class for teens. First lesson is free to try. Please contact Debs debs@wonderplay.co.nz 021-172-2836, www.wonderplay.co.nz

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ACTIVE AUTUMN SPORTS – TERM 2 - ST FRANCIS DE SALES SCHOOL

This 8 x weekly (Thursday’s) programme gives children the skills and confidence in a fun and enjoyable environment. Its a great way to improve your child’s motor skills and coordination.

We aim to develop and enhance balls skills; catching, kicking and throwing, while improving strength, flexibility, hand/eye coordination and spatial awareness
It also encourages their enthusiasm for sport and the life skills that such involvement brings, giving them the confidence to join sports clubs and teams in the future.
In term 2 we will be focusing on the following sports:
Football, Netball, Ultimate Frisbee and Athletics! (2 weeks of each sport).

The sessions start in week 2 on Thursday 12 May 2022.

To enrol go to www.kellysports.co.nz and in the school box put “St Francis De Sales”

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