School Newsletter Term 1, Week 5
Friday 3rd March 2023
Principal's Message
Kia ora West End Whānau,
We have enjoyed another great week of learning here at Te Kura O Urumuutu.
It was wonderful to host our first Vibe Assembly of 2023. At this assembly, we celebrated mau rākau learning from our two Bilingual Classes (Room 4 and Room 5), we also enjoyed Art from a number of different classrooms, a lot of singing and dancing, and much more. Thank you to those parent/caregivers and whānau who were able to join us to celebrate the learning that is happening across the school.
It was great to see a huge level of support from our children, staff, and community for our “Black and White Day” on Wednesday. Everyone looked great and we managed to raise $445.70. This money is being sent across to the Hawke's Bay Principals’ Association and the money will be used to support flood-affected families. Thank you everyone for your manaakitanga and support for this event.
Additionally, we had a fantastic and very generous response to our Pā Tamariki Food Drive to support people impacted by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle on the East Coast. Once again, it was very heartwarming to see our West End Whānau supporting this mahi.
As you may be aware the Ministry Of Education are working on a curriculum re-fresh that will be rolled out in all New Zealand schools by 2026. The first part of this work which is currently in place is the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum. In order to support our teachers with this work we are holding a Staff Only Day on Monday 24th April 2023. Our teachers will be joining with teachers from many schools across the Manawatu to work with the Ministry of Education on this day.
This means that the first day of learning for our tamariki for Term 2 will be Wednesday 26th April. Thank you in advance for your support for our staff’s professional development.
We continue to enjoy a very settled start to the school year and as always appreciate the wonderful engagement and support from our West End Whānau.
I wish you a safe and happy weekend.
Ngā manaakitanga
Matthew Kennedy
Principal
West End School
Te Kura o Urumutu
School closed at 12.30pm today
Today, school finished at 12.30pm as our teachers attended a scheduled NZEI Paid Union Meeting.
As conditions of their employment contract with the government, primary teachers have an entitlement to attend paid union meetings.
Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding.
Lockdown Drill next Tuesday
As part of keeping our school safe we need to be able to respond safely and quickly to a range of emergency situations. We work alongside an independent company, Harrison Tew®, who specialises in emergency management planning for schools, whose procedures have been successfully implemented in hundreds of schools throughout New Zealand.
As part of maintaining our emergency procedures in our school, specialised training is being conducted with our senior leadership and staff by Harrison Tew®. The students will also receive information on how to respond in an emergency directed at their respective age groups from either their teacher or Harrison Tew®.
On Tuesday next week, we will then be conducting a lockdown exercise under the guidance and support of Harrison Tew®. During the exercise you will receive a notification from the school, so it is important that your emergency contact details are up to date and correct. The notification will emphasise that this is an exercise/practice and will explain that all updated information will then be posted on the school website.
In a genuine incident, should you become aware of a lockdown or evacuation at the school, can I please ask that you do not attend the school or phone, as we will not be able to respond. Your presence or contact may make it more difficult for us or the emergency services to manage a situation. We thank you for your support.
VIBE Assembly on Tuesday
We need helpers for Breakfast Club!!!
Monday 8.10am in the hall.
We need volunteers to ensure breakfast club can continue! If you would like to help out, please contact the office.
Swimming Timetable has changed
Please note that next week, swimming days and times may have changed for some classes.
Reminder messages will continue to be sent out the day prior to those teams who will be swimming. If you are unsure, please contact your classroom teacher.
3 Way Conferences will be held in Week 8
You are now able to book a time for a 3 Way Conference with your child's teacher.
The purpose of the three-way conference is to report to parents about children's overall progress and achievement in Reading, Writing and Maths.
Parents can book for this event by going to the School Bookings website and entering the event code cg52b, which takes them to step 1 to enter their details.
If you click on the booking link (below) or scanning a booking QR code - this bypasses the event code, going straight to step 1.
Please click on the link or scan the QR Code and follow the instructions (selecting your child's teacher) and finding a time that suits you.
BOOKINGS WILL CLOSE AT MIDDAY ON MONDAY 20th MARCH.
Upcoming Events
WEEK 6
- Lockdown Drill - Tuesday 7 March
- Rippa Rugby Cluster Comp - Tuesday 7 March
- Whānau Hui in Rūma Whā - Thursday 9th March - 3pm
WEEK 7
- Rippa Rugby Cluster Comp - Tuesday 7 March
WEEK 8
- Puawaitanga Marae Visit - Monday 20 March
- 3 Way Conferences - Tuesday 21 March (3pm - 7pm)
- 3 Way Conferences - Wednesday 22 March (1pm - 8pm)
- Interschool Cluster Swimming Sports - Thursday 23 March
- Tipuranga Marae Visit - Friday 24 March
WEEK 9
- Rippa Rugby Junior Comp - Tuesday 28 March
- VIBE Assembly - Thursday 30 March
Room 14 finding school landmarks
In Room 14 we have been talking about Turangawaewae. We decided upon a list of landmarks from around the school - the place where we all stand together. Once we had visited each landmark we returned to class and drew maps about the places that are important to us: the track, the big tree in the quad, the hall, the pirate ship, to name a few. We worked with partners on our maps to celebrate our kotahitanga and to allow us to talk to each other about which places we think are important.
Here is one of the maps we drew.
Hot Cross Bun Fundraising
Hot Cross Bun Fundraising forms are being sent out Friday 10th of March. Please check your child's bag for the form next Friday. There are prizes to be won! Thank you for supporting the West End School PTA.
If your child is absent from school.
It is really important under the current circumstances you notify the school if your child is absent.
PLEASE DO NOT TXT OR EMAIL THE CLASSROOM TEACHER.
ALL ABSENCES SHOULD BE ADVISED VIA THE OFFICE.
Please remember to advise the office by 8.30am if your child is not attending school.
You can telephone 358-2465 and leave a message or txt 021 118 0156.
ABSENCES CAN ALSO BE SENT EASILY THROUGH OUR SCHOOL APP
In both cases please give a reason for absence.
Thank you.
Kindo Online Shop
It is very important that families register with Kindo, as this is now the only way to register your child for school sports, and ordering PTA lunches.
Below are the links to register.
If you require help please call the Kindo helpdesk on
0508 454 636
New users need this link
Existing users need this link
Location: West End School, 196 College Street, Palmerston North
Phone: 06 358 2465