Pyes Pā School
2023: Term 2 - Week 4
Kia ora e te whānau,
The recent run of sunshine has been greatly received by teachers and students and I would like to commend our students for their tolerance during a particularly wet start to the Term. Mr Symons and Mr Kruis our new caretaker have been working diligently to address any issues that have arisen as a result of the weather.
I am looking forward to the whole school cross country tomorrow. Whilst the weather has hampered school trainings, this week the spirit of competition has definitely been alive and students are looking forward to representing their house. We know that the field will be awash with colour tomorrow as house spirit comes alive. Students have the option of dressing in house colours but also wearing pink to support pink shirt day (anti-bullying day nationally). We look forward to parents and whanau joining us tomorrow to encourage and support students as they compete against their peers and show their house spirit!
In other news, I would like to draw your attention to an important announcement from the Minister of Education, Ms Tinetti. The Minister has recently addressed the issue of absenteeism in schools, emphasising the importance of regular attendance for student success. We fully support this initiative and would like to remind parents and guardians to ensure that their children attend school regularly and arrive on time. If your child is unable to attend school due to illness or any other valid reason, please notify our school office whether by text or phone call. Regular attendance promotes consistent learning and helps students develop crucial life skills. We appreciate your partnership in reinforcing the value of punctuality and attendance.
An update from the dental team who is currently on site. They will remain here until Friday the 2nd of June. They have made good progress with our most vulnerable and at-risk tamariki, and have also managed to prioritise and complete seeing all tamariki who have not been seen for two years i.e., tamariki last seen up to May 2021. Looking ahead, if any tamariki need urgent and emergency care, while the team is on-site or after they have moved to the next school – whānau are advised to contact either 027 706 5009 or 0800 825 583 or 0800 talk teeth, for further help and advice.
As always, we encourage you to stay connected with our school community through our website and social media channels for updates on events, activities, and important announcements. Any change to tomorrow's cross country event will be communicated via etap and updated on our school's Facebook page.
Ngā mihi,
Blake Carlin
Tumuaki
Teacher Only Day - Friday the 2nd June
Book Fair
Ag Day
Cross Country
When: Friday 19th May (Postponement date: Wednesday 24th May)
Time: 11.00 am - 12.30 pm
Where: Pyes Pā School
Who: Whole School Years 1-8; this event is for all students
Outline:
10.15 am - Early playtime (course markers set out)
10.45 am - Bell will ring. Students back to class.
10.50 am - Students are to be changed and assembled on the field
11.00 am - First event (Playcentre run) begins.
We encourage whānau to join us for this event from 11.00 am.
Please note: we are unable to give specific timing for races as this depends on the different year groups and their finish times; racing will continue until all competitors have completed their events. Lunchtime may change slightly depending upon the finish of the last race.
Stalls:
Bring along some money on the day to purchase some kai to re-energise following the race or keep yourself warm as a spectator.
BBQ:
There will be a BBQ fundraising from Fern Energy cooking up some goodness on the day.
Bake sale:
A selection of homemade goodies will also be available for purchase.
Bookfair:
Our annual book fair will be open for sale in the EAC during the event as well.
Coffee cart:
A coffee cart will be onsite selling hot drinks for family members.
If the Cross Country is postponed we will notify on our Facebook Page on Friday morning - the Sausage Sizzle and Bake Sale will still go ahead on Friday.
2023 ICAS Assessments
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We are delighted to inform you that Pyes Pā School will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS Assessments again this year. ICAS is developed by UNSW Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of New South Wales, with over 35 years’ of experience in educational assessments. ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies.
Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised. The assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment. Your child will be presented with high-quality, expert-developed questions, allowing them to apply their learning without the need for prior study or revision.
ICAS Assessments are now online, a move that reflects a sector-wide transition to online assessments. This allows greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results.
HOW TO ENROL
Our school has signed up for the ICAS Assessments parent payment system (PPS) online. Through this system, parents can pay for ICAS directly online while tests will still be held at our school. Please use the following details to register your child no later than Monday the 17th of July, 2023.
https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps
1: Please click on the above link
2: Our School’s Unique Access Code is: WRD918
3. Follow the prompts to register your child.
2023 Assessment Details:
The cost is $20.70 per assessment with the exception of writing at $27.03, payable online using the above instructions.
All assessments will be completed online and will take place during the school day.
These dates are final and no assessments can be completed before/after these dates. These dates are set internationally and are therefore out of our hands. The policy is if your child misses the test for whatever reason, they forfeit the opportunity.
All assessments must be received before the closing date.
To assist your child to prepare for the ICAS tests, booklets can be purchased from EAA. These booklets provide a good indication of the types of questions used and their difficulty and give children experience in the ICAS format. Sample practice questions can also be downloaded from their website: https://www.icasassessments.com/
Monday 7th August = Digital Technologies (Y3→8)
Tuesday 8th August = Writing (Y4→8)
Monday 14th August = English (Y3→8)
Monday 21st August = Science (Y3→8)
Tuesday 22nd August = Spelling (Y3→8)
Monday 28th August = Mathematics (Y3→8)
If you are interested in your child/ren participating in any of these assessments, please enrol your child using the instructions provided above.
Ngā mihi,
David Plane
MANA Affirmations
House Points
Golf Day
Our Sponsors - We thank our following school sponsors who generously support Pyes Pā School.
Contact Steve Walling
027 280 9281
If you wish to have your business and logo displayed here as support of Pyes Pā School we appreciate the donation of $50 per term. You can also now have your logo displayed on our new sign- in system located in the office.
Absence from School
It is important that all absences are communicated to the school. There are two preferred methods of communication so please:
Ring the school office (07) 543 0064; or
Text through with your child's name and reason for absence to 027 641 2046
Contact Details
Email: administration@pyespa.school.nz
Website: https://sites.google.com/pyespa.school.nz/home/home
Location: 978 Pyes Pā Road, RD3, Pyes Pā, Tauranga
Phone: 07 543 0064
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pyespaschool