Newsletter Week 4 Term 1
Titahi Bay Intermediate School Friday 25th February 2022
Principal's Korero
Welcome to Week 4 of Term 1. Last Friday we were able to successfully enjoy a day out at Williams Park with our staff and students. The weather was good and much fun was had.
Both students and staff thoroughly enjoyed getting out and about on a school trip after a few years of disruptions. After two years the wharf was open at Days Bay so that our students could return to wharf jumping. We did have a lonely jellyfish that made it more challenging for our students to jump off the wharf and swim to the stairs to get out as it swam close to the wharf for a while.
Members of the fishing squad caught a few fish and Izzy caught a small snapper which she returned to the sea. The swimmers enjoyed swimming and sitting on the beach playing with the sand. Members of the public who spoke to staff were commenting how great it was to see students actually out and enjoying themselves. We were a bit late returning on the buses last week due to a bus breaking down and then an accident in Tawa. I would like to thank our students and staff for their flexibility as we had to load onto two buses and return via the Haywards. Well done team on a great day.
I would like to thank our whānau for communicating with the school regularly regarding students and whānau who have to self-isolation or are close contacts. In our attendance records we have a special code that we use so that it is explained and the absence is related to Covid 19. The Ministry of Education have now reclassified the explanations and codes that we must use for various scenarios of absences.
Titahi Bay Intermediate Covid Response Plan 2022
You will have received a notice from me regarding our Covid 19 response plan. Part of our plan has actions that we are working through to ensure it is all ready to go. This will include ensuring that all addresses and contact details are up to date. If your address, phone number and/or email address has changed can you please email the school office.
Thank you again with your support as communication is going to be the key with ensuring you are kept all up to date.
Covid 19 -New Zealand's Government Phase 3 Flow Charts
Here is a clear flow chart to help you understand the changes from Phase 2 to Phase 3 from the Government. The flow chart makes it much clearer.
Our School Garden
Last week some of our students went out to the school garden and did a bit of mahi under the shade of the fully laden fruit trees. After a fun lesson outside the students then harvested the fruit from the fruit trees. This was our biggest harvest yet, with buckets full of apples and pears.
Our school garden provides a hands-on learning environment for our students. Here they can see in real-time how food grows, where food comes from and develop their ideas about sustainability.
We are looking forward to starting up our Eco-club again this year. Students working in the garden will learn about the life cycle of plants, seasonal planting and harvesting, how to maintain a vegetable garden, the benefits of herbs and so much more.
Photography Workshop
We were privileged to have the team from Track Zero and the New Zealand Festival of Arts include a group of our students in their project 'Through the Eye of Te Whanganui-a-Tara'.
Our students were greeted on Monday the 14th, by Professor James Renwick an expert on climate change who lead our first session on local climate and how it is changing. Over the course of the week, the students were taught by award-winning photographer Raymond Sagapolutele and Te Kawa Robb a local resident and Executive Founder of Mauri Ora Consulting. They modelled and taught the various skills required to capture a powerful and thought-provoking image. Our students had the opportunity to put what they learnt into practice and come up with some strong imagery about climate change.
We look forward to presenting our students' amazing online gallery shortly.
Wellington Regional Intermediate School Sports Association
Our Wellington Regional Intermediate School Sports Association who are our representatives of all Intermediates in the wider Wellington region meet each term to discuss up and coming tournaments. They met last week and due to Covid restrictions and the spread of Omicron all events planned for Term 1 have been cancelled. I will keep you up to date as we move through the year.
Ka Ora, Ka Ako - Healthy School Lunches Programme
It is great to see so many of our students enjoying their Healthy Lunches provided by Kapura. Our warm lunch has been very tasty as well as the other lunches being served.
Just a little information around how our lunches are prepared. For the food and hygiene requirements our school lunches are made in a chilled kitchen, then moved into a chiller and then transported out in a chilled truck where they are then put into a fridge at school. As we are the last school to receive our lunches in the morning we keep them out of the fridge so that the chill can come off the food as sometimes the chilling made some of the food a bit soggy or feel a bit hard. It is great for our students and whānau not to worry about sending lunches along each day.
Camp 2022
I am just finalising the requirements with YMCA Camp Kaitoke under the Red Light setting and will then be providing you all with an update.
Thank you for your patience.
School Procedures
Masks - students are being great with wearing their masks and it has just become business as usual. Can you please remind your child to bring their mask everyday so that this becomes a regular routine for them every morning.
Lateness - if your child has arrived at school late, then please remind them to come into the office to get a late pass.
Stationery - if you are finding it challenging to get your child's stationery then please let us know as we will be able to help out.
Cell phones - all cell phones need to be handed into the office where they will be secured for the day.
New School App and Website
At the end of last year, we moved onto a new platform provider for our school website as well as a new School App. This newly presented newsletter is also part of that platform, so I hope that you find navigating these new tools a little easier.
We are still learning to navigate and manage these media platforms ourselves so I thank you for your patience.
Upcoming Events
- HPV Vaccinations - 8th March
Porirua City Football Club
Porirua City Football Club is hoping to field a junior football team in the
11th/12th grade this year (boys & girls combined ) , we currently have some players registered but not enough for a team.
If anyone is interested please email our Junior Convener, Steve, on poriruacityfootballclub@gmail.com for a registration form. This age group cost is $79.00 PP, they play on Saturday mornings.
