Kia ora

Welcome to Corban and Ivan who have started school in Whakarewa. Welcome back to Casen who has joined Hōpara.

We are delighted that Bridget Chilton will join our staff next term in the role of Year 5/6 Team Leader and Teacher. Bridget is a North Canterbury local who is returning to New Zealand with her family, after teaching overseas for a few years. Bridget impressed us with her strong focus on building relationships with students and team culture and we believe that she will be a great match for our school. Team Hōpara are looking forward to welcoming Bridget next term.

Matariki

Our first Matariki public holiday is tomorrow. Our teams have been learning about the significance of Matariki and they shared their knowledge at our Matariki Breakfast this morning. It was lovely to have so many families join us for this celebration. Please see the newspaper article below written by Hōpara students and the photos of artwork that reflect the learning that has taken place.

Cybersafety

This is a topic that requires constant education and poses ongoing challenges for parents to manage at home. At our recent parent workshop presented by Netsafe, we looked at how access to online environments creates opportunities for young people and can also put them at risk. Talking with children regularly about their online lives is the best way to provide them timely support and help them to stay safe.

Netsafe has created an Online Parent Safety Toolkit designed to guide parents through conversations with your children. The seven-step framework will support you to set expectations and provide support if needed. Please see the booklet below.

Learning Conference bookings

Many families have now booked their learning conferences to be held in the last week of this term. We value this opportunity to talk with you and your child about their learning. The poster below suggests a framework for these meetings to ensure that all voices are heard and we use the time effectively.

School will finish early at 12.30pm on Monday 4 and Wednesday 6 July. The bus will run at 12.30pm on these days. Skids will be available for families on these afternoons.

Juliana Rae

Principal

How are you going to celebrate Matariki this year? There are many ways to celebrate Matariki including having a special breakfast with family and friends, making kites and flying them and playing games and telling stories are just a few of the many ways to celebrate. Matariki is the Māori new year and it also marks the end of the harvest. But wait there’s more-Matariki is now a public holiday! It used to just be a normal day with stars and a celebration but now we also get a day off! This year on the 24th of June is the first official Matariki holiday. A quote from Juliana Rae is, “Matariki is an important time to get your family together and reflect on the past and plan for the future.” How are you going to celebrate the uniqueness of Matariki?

Reported by Rosa and Yazmine (Year 6)

Nominations for the School Board Elections will opening at the beginning of next term. All eligible voters will receive a nomination form and a covering letter. This will be sent to the contact information we have on file. If you have changed address recently or are unsure if we hold the correct information for you please contact the office before the end of term

Clarkville School has recently signed up to become a TaxGift School. You can gift your Tax rebate to school.

As a New Zealand taxpayer you can claim back 33% of your school donation, but, if you chose to gift that refund to us it will help even more.

These additional funds will make a huge difference to the education we can provide to your children in 2022, and going forward, and we greatly appreciate any donations received in this way.