School Newsletter- 16 June
Endeavour School - June 16th, 2022
Principal's Message
You may have seen the recent vaccination ad on TV lately, where it intentionally makes a bit of a mockery of people who 'touch wood' as a way of not jinxing themselves. I found it a little amusing as 'touching wood' is something I find myself doing.
So where am I going with this... The connection here is that when it comes to learning and making progress, leaving things to chance, guessing our way through learning, 'touching wood' in the hope we get things right and children learn is simply not good practice. However, as difficult as it is to admit as an educator over the last few decades this is one strategy we have used to teach children how to read in their early, developmental years. We have designed stories with pictures so essentially children make calculated guesses through repetition and looking at the picture with what the words say and no real phonetical strategy at all. Here at Endeavour School I am proud to say that our approach has taken a significant shift. Through the IDeaL Structured Literacy programme (click here to be taken to the Learning Matters Website) our teachers are now using a phonetic approach where strategies are used to understand sounds within the complexities of the English Language. The 'touch wood' approach (while well intended) we see as no longer fit for purpose. The Endeavour School Board has made some significant investments in reading resources and will continue to do so as we further enhance and strengthen this approach within our school.
Another area that has not been left to chance is how we have been able to welcome you, our families and the wider community back into our school. Hosting our first Whaanau Open Afternoon last week was just one example of this. It was wonderful to see the many families coming in and showing a deep interest in the children's learning. We know that children who have a family that is connected and interested in them are a significant resilience factor for them as they navigate their pathway through learning. Thank you for turning up.
On a similar note, in Week 10, 6th and 7th July we have our Hero Post Parent/Teacher Follow up Meetings. This is another way we aim to continue the connection and learning conversation with you about your children. Bookings via the School Interviews website will be live this afternoon. Your Child's Literacy Teacher will be sending out an email with our unique code along with which teacher to book with.
Finally, it was wonderful to see our children participate in our School Cross Country last Thursday. I always enjoy watching the children rise to the challenge in this particular context. Cross Country is not for all, as are many parts of life. However, the willingness to push yourself when you find things hard is a behaviour we can all benefit from practising.
Warm Regards
Geoff
School Fun Run
Dear Parent/Guardian,
We are pleased to launch our major school fundraiser – the Endeavour School Fun Run!
This is a sponsored programme through which we hope to raise some money to go toward new sports equipment and uniforms for our sports teams. The event will be held on 8th July giving students three weeks to get excited and to collect online sponsorship for their big day!
About the Programme
The School Fun Run is all about FUN! Your children will have the opportunity to run alongside their fellow classmates, friends and students... sometimes even the teachers get involved! This exciting event is not one to be missed, so we hope to see everyone there!
How Does My Child Fundraise?
Firstly, go to schoolfunrun.co.nz and create a student profile page. Everything to do with your fundraising revolves around this page.
Students who raise just $10 will be able to choose a prize! The more they raise, the better their reward – you will find the full range in your sponsorship form.
Online Fundraising
This is the easiest way to support your child to collect sponsorship. The sky is the limit when it comes to online fundraising with students across the country raising thousands of dollars, all to support their school, and to earn some pretty cool prizes along the way…. Online fundraising is also safer and easier than going door to door, and you don’t have to worry about handling money!
To start fundraising, go to your student profile page at schoolfunrun.co.nz and share your fundraising link via email, SMS, or social media!
Getting Involved
Not only can you support the school and students with your sponsorship – but you can join in on the fun! We would love to welcome parents and family members to attend the School Fun Run. We can’t wait to see you at our event!
Ordering Prizes – ALL PRIZES MUST BE ORDERED ONLINE
Prizes MUST be ordered between the 8th-17th July. Simply visit schoolfunrun.co.nz to create / log into your Profile Page between these dates. Then click on the ‘CLAIM YOUR PRIZE’ button and follow the prompts. If you have any questions, please contact the School Fun-Run team on 0800 377 170 and they will gladly assist!
Lastly, we have made students aware of the dangers of door knocking without adult supervision, but we encourage you to reiterate this message at home.
Your child/ren will have brought some further details regarding this home today.
Thank you, good luck, and happy fundraising!
Upcoming Events
- 20 June - BOT Meeting - 6.00pm
- 23 June - Matariki Celebration - Whaanau Welcome
- 24 June - Matariki Public Holiday - SCHOOL CLOSED
- 28 June - Friends of Endeavour PTA Meeting - 7.00pm
- 06 and 07 July - HERO Posts - Parent / Teacher Learning Conversations
- 08 July - Fun Run
2022 Term Dates
Term Two: Monday 2nd of May 2022 - Friday 8th July 2022
Term Three: Monday 25th July 2022 - Friday 30th September 2022
Term Four: Monday 17th October 2022 - Friday 16th December 2022
Administration
2022 Board Of Trustee Elections
Our next Board of Trustee (BOT) election is coming up this September. More information about this election will be sent out in the coming weeks, but if you think you might be interested in joining our BOT or would like to find out more, please do not hesitate to contact Geoff on principal@endeavour.school.nz or Karin Adams (BOT Chair) on karin.adams@endeavour.school.nz.
Whats Been Happening?
Endeavour ranks number one at the Regional Chess Tournament!
Chess Club is now open to the whole school!
Now that the tournament is over, the chess club was opened up to the whole school for anyone to join, we had a whopping 85 students attend the Engage session last Friday. Students from LC1 through to LC6 attended. Our amazing Chess Tournament students took on the responsibility of training and teaching the rest of the students about chess. The students and I have already spotted some keen and talented players that could represent Endeavour at future tournaments.
Endeavour School Cross Country
Rippa Rugby Festival
Ngā Mihi
Brittany Stanton
Learning in LC1
In LC1 this week as part of our provocations (Ready 4 Learning) we set up a variety of learning stations. This type of exploring supports students to develop their fine motor skills which are important because it:
-improves hand-eye coordination
-assists with the development of communication skills (talking, writing, and drawing)
-fosters independence
-builds confidence
-allows children to play with small objects and improves physical awareness.
Maths Fun in LC2
Miss Edwards has also called in to chat with us about what we are up to.
Fashion, Transport and Technology in LC3 and LC4!
Miss Harding's Literacy group have had some "Wonderings" about the things of the past, how they were invented, and what the future of Fashion, Transport, and Technology might be like. We are busy researching to try and find out answers to some of these questions, if you have any special knowledge in these areas and you would like to share it with us, you are more than welcome to!
LC3 Persuasive Writing with Mrs Shearer
Should We Have Cellphones?
We should have cellphones!
Firstly, we will never get bored.
Secondly, we can check the time.
Thirdly, we can take photos like when we go on adventures.
Fourthly, we can use it when there’s an emergency.
Fifthly, we can play games and watch YouTube.
Sixthly, we can use the calculator for learning.
Seventhly, we can have a lot of fun on our phones.
Eighthly, when we are old enough, we can play on TikTok and Facebook.
Ninethly, we can search on Google to help us learn.
Tenthly, we can call someone like our mums.
Eleventhly, you can text someone.
Lastly, sometimes it’s educational.
You need to get a cellphone right now!
By Falah
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Should We Have Cellphones?
I think we should definitely NOT have cellphones!
Firstly, because you can cheat on tests.
Secondly, because you can waste money and order pizza online.
Thirdly, because you could drop it in the water or break it and it’s expensive.
Fourthly, it has a small screen to see on.
I think that everyone should throw their phones in the bin!
By Ibaadat
Matariki Ready in LC5
LC5 students have been learning about the star cluster - Matariki, in preparation for next week's Matariki holiday and to deepen our knowledge within Te Ao Māori. It was important for us to know more about each star in the cluster. So we did lots of research, viewing, and reading to help us learn about what each star connects with. Once we had all of this learning, we answered specific questions for each star on our Matariki star cluster concertina booklets. We know so much more about Matariki now!
Here are some of our examples.
Some Amazing Writing From LC5
Community Notices
Soccer United Football Supplies is Hamilton’s newest soccer store – determined to meet all your soccer requirements. We are located at 137 Alexandra st (very close to Garden place). We hold heaps of kids boots, shinpads and footballs and other training equipment. We hold a lot of Northern United shorts and socks as well. If you do pop into the shop use the secret code ‘Mr Booth likes soccer more than rugby’ and get a discount off your purchase. Check us out online and facebook and we hope to see you soon.”
Soccerunited.co.nz 07 5950700
Contact Us
Email: reception@endeavour.school.nz
Website: https://www.endeavour.school.nz/
Location: 86 Endeavour Ave, Flagstaff, Hamilton, New Zealand
Phone: 64 (07) 855 5257
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EndeavourSchoolHamilton/