Newsletter No. 4 March 17, 2023

Tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou.

An extra special Haere Mai to Josh W and Dot C who joined Rapanui in Cohort 2 last week.

The past two weeks have again sped past in a busy blurr and suddenly we find ourselves at the end of week 7! In normal Sumner fashion, we have had an action packed fortnight with students representing Sumner School in a range of activities including; South East Zone Swimming Sports, Canterbury Triathlon, Walk and Wheels week, Sea Week, John Parsons Internet Safety workshops, Ākonga Whānau Rōpu Cultural Narrative city walk, Physical Activity Leaders Training and Te Onepoto Korfball lessons.

I am very aware that these events do not happen by accident and would like to again acknowledge and thank our dedicated teachers and the small army of community members who work incredibly hard to provide opportunities and experiences that give breadth and depth to our curriculum, inline with our students’ interests, abilities, passions and needs.

Don’t forget to have a Sneak Peek below with our Media Team so that you can see all that has been happening.

Spotlight on NZEI Teachers and Principal strike action… Firstly I wanted to say a huge thank you to our school community for the support you have shown myself and our teaching team regarding yesterday’s strike. It was really heartwarming to receive messages, baking and coffees for the team from our school whānau. Our teaching team work incredibly hard and I know they really valued the support and kind words!

Industrial action is never an easy decision and I know it was not made lightly. Teachers and Principals want to be in front of our students doing what we love and are trained for. But unfortunately the decision to strike was made after a breakdown in negotiations between the Ministry of Education and NZEI.

As you will have seen in the Media, there are a number of reasons why teachers and principals chose to strike. Some of this has to do with working conditions and pay increases, but for me the biggest issue is around the resourcing that primary schools receive in order to meet student needs.

In 2019, the Tomorrow’s Schools Independent Task Force was commissioned to investigate the state of education in New Zealand. The Our Schooling Futures: Stronger Together Whiria Ngā Kura Tūātinitini report was published following months of consultation with stakeholders. The report had several key recommendations for improving education in our country. In particular, the report highlighted the disparity in resources between primary and secondary schools. This is illustrated below:

Essentially, the table illustrates that if we were a high school of a similar size, we would have at least five extra full-time teachers, almost an extra fully released member of our Senior Leadership Team and access to at least two full-time guidance staff such as counsellors. There would be double the number of management salary units allocated to attract and retain teachers with leadership roles across the school, along with twenty-one $1,000 salary allowances to recognise the mahi middle and senior leaders undertake in their respective roles.

Unfortunately, The Ministry of Education has never adequately justified the reason for the disparity between sectors. Just imagine how better supported our teachers and children would be with this level of resourcing!

I appreciate that a High School environment is different to that of a Primary School, but I would argue that our role is just as important and just as challenging. The number of children with complex learning, social and behavioural needs that are entering primary school has increased dramatically in the last few years. Most of these children receive little to no additional funding from the Ministry of Education and this just has to change. I wholeheartedly believe that by addressing these inequities we would go a long way in also addressing the workload demands currently faced by teachers and Principals across the country and would ensure we attract and retain quality professionals in our schools.

Finally, a reminder that Monday is photo day so please make sure you send your tamariki to school in correct uniform.

Have a wonderful weekend with your whānau!

Ngā mihi,

Anna Granger

Our choir is excited to be part of the Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival this year. The Festival is still looking for more applications to audition for one of the Representative groups. They are looking for the best singers for the Junior Choir (Years 5 & 6) and Senior Choir (Years 7 & 8), and for talented musicians (Grade 3 equivalent and above) to audition for the Orchestra and Concert Band.

The Representative groups are on stage in the Christchurch Town Hall for every performance of the Festival (4 nights). With more than a thousand people in the audience and children in the choir stalls watching every night, it is an amazing experience they will never forget.

To find out more information or to register your child click here

Be quick, registrations close Thursday 6 April.

We are excited to announce that we will be doing a school production in Term Three this year.

We have managed to get the licence for The Lion King Jnr show. A notice will be sent out in Week 9 with details about the production, auditions and dates for the show.

On Thursday 30th and Friday 31st March (Week 9) the Hapori Group will be holding a Bake Sale for Turkey. We are raising money for the communities affected by the earthquake. We have also been writing letters to students of the NZ Funded Matariki School in one of the earthquake damaged areas.

We will be outside Rapanui before school and outside Te Onepoto at lunchtime. If you would like to donate any baked goods for us to sell that would be appreciated. Please pass these onto Mrs Reid in Room 11, Tuawera.

Items will be $1-$3.

Thanks for your support.

Hapori Group

34 students headed away to Jellie Park on Monday 13 March to take part in the South East Zone swimming sports. Congratulations to everyone, you showed grit and determination throughout the day. A HUGE thank you to the staff as well as the parents who volunteered their time to ensure that this event ran smoothly. It was a fantastic day with everyone giving it 100 percent. Those students who placed 1st or 2nd will now be heading away to the Canterbury Swimming event on the 30 March at the Selwyn Aquatic Centre.

Your child should have brought home a Scholastic Book brochure this week which includes instructions for placing an order online. Orders need to be placed before Monday 27 March. No cash sales please.

Thank you for supporting this great PTA fundraiser.

Top Overall

Under 8 Girls
Bridie W - Taylor’s Mistake

Under 9 Boys
Sam C - Taylor’s Mistake

Under 10 Girls
Lola S - Sumner

Under 12 Boys
Jacob S - Sumner

Sumner School uses School Docs to review and update our policies and procedures. Each term, parents, staff and the Board have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on specific policies and procedures.

In 2023, all schools will review the Legislation and Administration section and the Curriculum and Student Achievement section (including EOTC and Learning Support).

In Term One, the review focus is on our Legislation and Administration Policy, which includes;

• Student Attendance
• Enrolment
• Privacy
• Official Information Requests
• Uniform/Dress code

1. Visit www.schooldocs.co.nz
2. Search for Sumner School (Username: Sumner, Password: Wakefield).
3. Search for the above policies in the search bar.
4. Read the policy.
5. Check the red Policy Review icon at the right-hand top corner of the page. a new screen will appear.
6. Select your role (Board member, staff member, or parent/caregiver) from the drop-down list.
7. Enter your name (optional).
8. Submit your ratings and comments.

We have been advised that the intersection of Wakefield and Colenso Street will be closed for road works all of next week. You will need to take an alternate route to the school.

Whānau and ākonga can register for the event through the following link:

https://christchurchfoundation.org.nz/events/tim-jarvis-student-event