Newsletter
4th August 2022
Leadership Team message from Jonathan J
Te tiro atu to kanohi ki tairawhiti ana tera whiti te ra kite ataata
ka hinga ki muri kia koe."
"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you."
Tēnā koutou katoa,
This year has just seemed to fly by and we are now more than halfway through the year. With winter well upon us, it is so important that we continue to look after each other by keeping warm, staying home if sick and wearing masks onsite. We really appreciate your help with keeping everyone safe and well.
We have noticed an increasing number of students who are arriving at school at 8.50am or after 8.50am as the gates close. Can you please try to have your child at school before 8.50am. This allows students to settle for the days learning, and make social connections for the day, whilst also enabling our teachers to quickly launch into their learning programmes with fewer interruptions. With each student that comes in late, it is very hard for the teachers to welcome the child properly and help get them settled and focused on the learning at hand, whilst also managing the rest of the class and their learning needs.
At the gates, you might have noticed some students with clipboards. These students are gathering some data on the number and size of dogs entering the school site. Over the last couple of years we have seen an increase in the number of dogs in the community and subsequently entering school. We are currently reviewing how we manage dogs on site as we have some students who love dogs, while others are terrified of them. Please see some changes we are making around this further in the newsletter.
Ngā mihi
Nā
Jonathan Jackson
Deputy Principal | Tumuaki Tuarua
Term dates for 2023 [slightly changed from previous communications]
Term 1: Tuesday 31st January 2023 - Thursday 6th April [Monday 6th February Waitangi Day]
Term 2: Wednesday 26th April - Friday 30th June [Monday 5th June Queen's Birthday]
Term 3: Monday 17th July - Friday 22nd September
Term 4: Monday 9th October - Friday 15th December [Monday 23rd October Labour Day]
Term 1: Tuesday 30th January 2024
Parent/Caregiver/Teacher Conferences
These will be held online again this term on the following dates
- Tuesday 30th August 1:00pm - 7:00pm
- Wednesday 31st August 1:00pm - 5:00pm
On both days we'd ask that children are collected at 1:00pm to allow staff to get home for the ZOOM meetings with you.
More details will come out for booking on Friday 19th August.
Administration advertised positions
The applications for these positions close on Monday 15th August at noon.
Structure Literacy ZOOM webinar
This event will be held online on Tuesday the 9th of August [next week] at 6:00pm. Please see the communication earlier this week for details around RSVP requirements.
Dogs on site
With the start of the new term and the Edendale whānau now into the rhythm of being back on school grounds, we have felt the need to address our policy regarding dogs on site.
Sadly, a few of our tamariki have had traumatic incidents with dogs. We have had a few minor situations on school grounds, but we also have students who have experienced serious incidents outside of school. As we’re sure you can appreciate, for these children the presence of even the loveliest dogs can be very intimidating. In addition, there are a number of children who are fearful of dogs simply due to not having had regular contact with them.
We can all agree that every child needs to feel safe walking through the school gates and we have been discussing how we can serve the best interests of our tamariki while also acknowledging the importance of dogs as family members in our community. We know dogs offer a positive contribution to many and we don’t take the reconsideration of our dog policy lightly.
As a result of these discussions, the board and senior leadership team have decided to trial a system we hope will provide a way for us to still have our furry friends on-site while giving families the option of a less intimidating entry and exit from school grounds.
As of Monday 8th August [next week], the following rules will apply
- The Sandringham Road gates will be a dog-friendly entrance/exit
- Dogs will not be permitted through the Shorwell Street gates, either for entry or exit
- All dogs on site must be on a leash and under the control of an adult at all times
- Dogs are not permitted in classrooms
- Any messes made by dogs must be cleaned up by owners and removed from the school grounds
Our reasoning for allocating the front gate as a dog-friendly option is it provides a wider means of access, which allows dogs and students more personal space. It also means any students who can only practicably come and go via Sandringham Road still have the option of dog-free passage through the office.
In addition to the above, we request the following:
- Please avoid walking dogs through congested areas (particularly the covered walkway next to the staff room) - please wait until any crowding has subsided
- Please choose a quiet spot for you and your dog to drop off and collect your tamariki
- If you are dropping off or collecting children outside either of the school gates, please keep your dog restrained and at a reasonable distance from the path to allow safe passage for children
Ngā mihi nui for your understanding of these changes, the ultimate goal of which is to ensure both the safety of our tamariki and a dog-friendly option for the Edendale community.
Warner Cowin
The Presiding Member, Board of Edendale
Water only school
Please be reminded that we are a water only school and all other drinks should be consumed offsite. We have noted children coming onto the grounds recently with juices and other packaged drinks.
Playground
The playground is currently not open for playing after school.
Health and PE Curriculum
Every two years we undertake a survey of our health and PE curriculum. This is to gather the community voice around our programme and the survey closes on the 5th September 2022.
We would appreciate you completing the google form as follows https://forms.gle/m98jTjZTm5gEqeSP7
Sports Auckland whānau survey
Over the next couple of years Edendale Primary are working with Sports Auckland with the goal of further enhancing our Health and PE curriculum. To start the process we are in a data collection gathering stage for teachers, students and whānau. We would appreciate it if you could please fill in the following survey for us. This will help us establish some baseline data and help us develop our next steps.
Whānau survey - Health and PE, play, sport and physical activity
Cook Islands Language Week
We are inviting students on Friday, 5 August (those who wish to), to come to school dressed in an island shirt, pareu (traditional wrap), lei (necklace), Ae (head garland) or flower worn in their hair or on the ear.
Let's bring some island sunshine to the winter coldness.
Request from the Art Room
Kus is looking for the following items, please deliver to the office if you are able to help.
- Countdown brown paper bags
- Cardboard tubes (no toilet rolls)
- Egg cartons
Thank you.
KINDO message for all caregivers
Kindo and ezlunch was built to support families so it is important to us to give you advance notice of a change that could affect how you use myKindo.
The Growth Collective Limited (known as Kindo, myKindo and ezlunch) has recently been classified as a Financial Service Provider. This means that there are additional responsibilities we must undertake, including compliance with the strict regulations imposed under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act (AML).
We have negotiated exemptions, which are awaiting approval, however one issue was around the cash withdrawal of account balances. We expect to publish updated Account Holder Terms on or around 31 July 2022 to cover the new arrangements. In summary:
- If you have received a refund from your school or registered charity, e.g. in relation to a cancelled event, you can withdraw that value to your bank account using the myKindo facility at any time within 12 months of the refund.
- Otherwise, cash withdrawals will no longer be available, including when you are closing your account.
- Credit balances may be spent, or you have the option of donating to your school or a registered charity, without undergoing AML due diligence checks.
- When topping up your myKindo account, please take care to top up only the amount you will be able to use during the time you have a myKindo account.
There will be a transition period as we change the withdrawal facility to respect these new arrangements. You can expect access to the current withdrawal facility until the new Terms are published.
Thank you for your understanding as we take on these new responsibilities. If you need any assistance, please get in touch with hello@mykindo.co.nz.
SchoolDocs Policy Review
Review Instructions
In 2022, all schools will review the Health, Safety, and Welfare Policy section throughout the year. The main, overarching policy will be reviewed at the end of the year but we encourage the principal and board members to read this policy at the beginning of the year for context.
In term 3, the focus is on the Student Wellbeing and Safety and Staff Wellbeing and Safety sections. See the full Review and Board Assurances Schedule .
Who reviews our policies and procedures?
- Reviews are open to board, staff, and the school community (parents/caregivers/whānau).
- Anyone can review any policy/procedure that has a red, review flag.
The board is responsible for board-level overarching policies. The table below shows which topics the board should review. Note that other reviewers can review these topics too; they're not exclusively for the board.
Get started
To start reviewing, click on a topic name below, then click the red UNDER REVIEW flag (top right hand corner of the page). If a link is inactive, your school doesn't have the topic.
Note that if you'd like to provide feedback on a topic that's not listed below, you can still do so if it has a red review flag.
Term 3 review topics
Student Wellbeing and Safety
- Child Protection Board review
- Food and Nutrition
- Sun Protection Board review
Staff Wellbeing and Safety
- Staff Wellbeing Board review
- Harassment Board review
Anyone who can't use the online review tool, can use this Policy Review form
Traffic congestion on Jason Ave (opposite the school)
It has been noticed that some families are parking across private driveways, on yellow lines and on the Jason Ave berm while waiting for their child/ren after school. This is a very narrow street with limited parking leading to congestion and a potential accident as children leave school at 3:00pm. Please respect our neighbours and park your car legally before entering the school grounds. Thank you.
Edendale Primary School Board Elections
We would like to thank the following parents for their Board nominations.
John Escudero
Anna Ferguson
Jeremy Hearn
Katie Higgins
Julia Mana
Jane Yee
Voting papers should appear in letterboxes from Monday 15th August.
Voting forms will only be accepted at the school office if they are sealed in the envelope provided.
Voting closes 4:00pm, 7 September 2022.
Scholastic Lucky Book Club
Scholastic Lucky Book Club issue 5 is now open for orders.
The last date for online ordering is Friday 12 August. There is a special promotion for orders placed for this issue.
For all purchases over $30.00 you can get one free book. If your order is over $50.00 you can get two free books and if you order is over $70.00 you can get three free books.
Please note orders can be placed online only.
The next PTA meeting is this evening on 4 August via Zoom at 7:00pm. We would love for you to be a part of it. Email pta@edendale.school.nz for a zoom link.
Friends of Edendale PTA
2022 Edendale term dates (note these may change slightly)
- Term 3: 25 July - 30 September
- No public holidays
- Term 4: 17 October - 15 December
- 24 October - Labour Day
Next Board meeting: Tuesday, 16 August at 7:00am via ZOOM. Email principal@edendale.school.nz to request an invite
Next Friends of Edendale meeting: Thursday 4th August at 7:00pm. Email pta@edendale.school.nz for more information
- Term 1 2023: 31 January - 6 April
- 6 February - Waitangi Day
- 7 April - Easter
Keep reading for our team newsletters
Rooms 1-5 | Aroha
Rooms 7-10 | Atawhai
Rooms 11-17 | Mahi Tahi
Rooms 18-21 | Akoranga
Rooms 24-29 | Tuakana
Website: http://www.edendale.school.nz/
Location: 419 Sandringham Rd Auckland 1025
Phone: +64 9 846 6340