The Connection Week 2 Term 2
Huapai District School 13th May 2021
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Do you remember the feeling of standing at the start line of a running race at school and that feeling in your tummy?
As the groups of children stood at the 100m start line at senior athletics on Monday, there were many nerves of anticipation. One group more so than the others. We had a good chat about how it’s very normal to feel nervous, that we can look around and know that other people are feeling nervous too. We had a giggle about the strange way that we suddenly need to go to the toilet, even though we’ve just been. I assured them that it’s not just kids who get nervous, but adults too. We all know the feeling when we need to go to the dentist or while waiting for your car to get a warrant…
We took the time to acknowledge that it’s ok to feel nervous but we can’t let it get in the way of doing great things because the feeling of crossing that line at the end gives us the knowledge that we can do it again another day.
For some of our students, the same is true for life inside the classroom. It is over to us as parents and educators to remind them that it’s ok to feel nervous and that other people do too at times, but that they have the power to overcome this, just like they did at the 100m race or the time they shared their writing with the class. Every small step outside their comfort zone guides our children towards independence and the feeling of crossing that line with the knowledge that they can do it again. Well done to all our children (and adults!) who earned their Nike tick this week - felt the fear and did it anyway!
Regards,
Maree Lloyd
Student Of The Week
Trisha says, "At Huapai we get to learn lots of new things. I love maths. Our teacher helps us learn maths in a fun way."
Readathon - Read Around The World
We want to make our library even more amazing!
Every single student at Huapai District School uses our school library. As we continue to improve our school environment, we have recently upgraded rooms 6-10. You may have noticed that we are now upgrading the outside of this block, as well as the outside of the main office block, including the science room and library. With a facelift on the outside, we now want to give our library a massive revamp on the inside and have it glowing!
This year’s ‘athon is a readathon - Read Around The World.
We are encouraging students to broaden their horizons, learn about cultures other than their own, delve into history, discover previously untold tales, explore a spot of poetry, listen to the korero of people they know and travel the globe from the comfort of their own home or school.
Students will be supplied with a map of the world. When the child reads a story, article, myth, poem etc from another country in the world, they colour that country in on their map. The idea is that over the duration of 6 weeks, students will aim to colour in as much of the world as they can. Students may encounter many articles from different countries during their time in class this term, in addition to reading at home..
Prizes will be given for the following categories:
The students who colour the most countries (each year level)
The student who colours the most countries (overall)
The students who raise the most money (each year level)
The student who raises the most money (overall)
We will celebrate the end of our Read Around The World with a week long book week in week 9 of this term. We will have a book character parade where we will encourage children to become a character in a piece of writing they’ve read or heard from around the world. We will also have a book fair in our school and lots of book related activities.
To make donating to our readathon easy for you, we have created a Give A Little Page. Which we have linked below. Please use this page to make any sponsorship payments for your child (remember to note their name as a reference!). Please also feel free to share this page with family, friends and even any local community pages. Every dollar donated is a dollar closer to our end goal!
For more information about this, please see below for a document containing everything you need to know.
One last thing - if you would prefer to keep everything online, please use the link below to make your own copy of the world map.
Do You Have A Child With Neuro-Diverse Learning Needs Or Know Someone Who Does?
If so, come along to the first HDS Neuro-Diverse Whanau Support Group and meet other parents/caregivers who know what it’s like to raise a child with Neuro-Diverse needs. The group will be a place for parents to share their experiences and ideas, and to gain support from one another.
Date: Tuesday 18th May, 2021
Time: 9.00am
Location: Huapai District School Staffroom
If you would like to come but cannot make this time/date, please contact Kelly Charteris: kelly.charteris@hds.school.nz
We will look at picking dates and times that work better in the future for people who want to attend.
School Uniform
HDS Breakfast Club
Breakfast club is up and running. This is to give children an opportunity to meet and make new friends. We provide the children with a breakfast of cereal and milk, bread and spreads (margarine, honey, peanut butter and vegemite). All food will be provided by the school.
Please speak to your children about this, and let us know if your child/children are interested in being part of it. We will require you to give permission via KINDO, and notify us of ANY allergies or special food requirements your child might have.
No child can attend the breakfast club until consent has been given on KINDO.
The breakfast club runs from 8.30am each morning, for approximately 20 minutes in Studio 2.
If you would like to be part of the team and could roster on one morning to help serve the children, that would also be much appreciated.
Please email stacey.wheeler@hds.school.nz for more information.
Pink Shirt Day Mufti Friday 21st May
On Friday 21st May our school will be holding a mufti day in support of Pink Shirt Day.
In Aotearoa, Pink Shirt Day is a day led by the Mental Health Foundation that aims to create schools and workplaces where all people feel safe, valued and respected. It is a day to spread aroha and kindness, celebrate diversity and put an end to bullying.
On Friday 21st May, our students are invited to wear a pink shirt to mufti day and bring a gold coin to donate to this worthy cause. We hope to see our school transformed into a sea of pink for Pink Shirt Day!
Yummy Apple Stickers
HERO Notifications
We use HERO to send classroom updates and to share regular learning posts. HERO sends push notifications or emails. You can now choose how you receive HERO notifications as well as manage devices that receive them.
To set your own notification preferences:
Click on your profile image
Select EDIT PROFILE
Scroll down to My Devices and select your preferences.
Or please see the full instructions linked below.
Contact Us
Email: office@hds.school.nz
Website: https://www.huapaidistrict.school.nz/
Location: Huapai District School 40 Station Rd, Kumeū, New Zealand
Phone: +64 09 412 5042
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/huapaidistrictschool