Chelsea School Newsletter
Week 7, Term 4
Important Term Dates
- Wed 30 Nov: BoT Meeting 7pm
- Thu 01 Dec: Y4-Y6 Interschool Athletics
- Fri 02 Dec: Frosty Friday
- Fri 02 Dec: Assembly hosted by Rito 9am
- Mon 05 Dec: Y6 Challenge Day at Birkdale Intermediate
- Wed 07 Dec: Carols night 5:00pm - 8:00pm
- Thu 08 Dec: Interschool Athletics Save-a-day
- Fri 09 Dec: Frosty Friday
- Fri 09 Dec: Y6 Rainbows End
- Mon 12 Dec: Meet Your New Class Teacher 9:00am-11:00am
- Mon 12 Dec: Chelsea's Got Talent Grand Final 1:30pm-3:00pm
- Mon 12 Dec: Y6 Water & Wheels Night 4:30pm-6:00pm
- Tue 13 Dec: Sports Prizegiving 1.30-2.30pm
- Wed 14 Dec: Picnic Day
- Thu 15 Dec: Junior Prizegiving - 9:15am - 10:00am
- Fri 16 Dec: Senior Prizegiving - Start time 10:30am
- Fri 16 Dec: Term 4 Ends 12.30pm
Kia ora whānau
Here we are in week 7, with 2.5 weeks of the school year to go. Our learners are coping very well with the tiredness that comes with the busyness of this time of the year, not just at school, but at home too! We are very focused on our values and DNA at the moment to ensure we have the best end to the school year we possibly can.
I am so looking forward to our Carols night next week. Kākano and Pakiaka Teams have been hard at work, practising and polishing their performance each day!
There has been a slight change of location due to construction fencing. The stage area will now be the hall decking for our smallest performers, and the rest of the school will be performing on the bottom basketball courts. Whānau will be seated facing the hall, on the field. If it is looking like the weather isn’t going to be okay, we will cancel the event and organise an inside performance (potentially just Kākano and Pakiaka) in the hall at a date yet to be decided. Fingers crossed for an amazing, sunny evening!
As outlined in the last newsletter, Junior Prizegiving will be taking place on Thursday 15th of December at 9.15am.
Senior Prizegiving will be happening on Friday 16th of December at 10.30am. There was originally a communication that said 10am, so please note this change.
Our Chelsea Choir absolutely blew us away last week when they performed as part of the cluster. A huge thanks to Helen Lares for her time and expertise in training this Choir.
It was an absolute joy to watch our senior Kapa Haka group perform last week at the Kapa Haka Festival. The hours and hours of practice were completely worth it, they shone! A big thanks to all of our learners for their commitment, and to Mr Cropp, Mrs Cross, Miss Miller and Whaea Jas for their time and effort in supporting our kids.
There is still so much exciting learning happening across our school. A huge well done to our staff who are responding to levels of tiredness with such engaging learning experiences.
Māhuri Hub 1 were busy having an Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Day yesterday, immersing themselves in some of the key events that have happened in the past, in such creative ways.
I have also spotted the most stunning pieces of art emerging in Māhuri Hub 2, who have been studying a fabulous New Zealand artist, Warren Pohatu.
‘Tradie Tuesday’ was underway down in Rito as our resident ‘tradies’ Cropp and Mannion set about helping Hub 2 to design and build a bench seat on the bank outside of Space 8.
Many new skills were being learnt, including how to level wooden posts in concrete, how to measure once and cut twice (joking!) and how to collaborate in order to measure with a chalk line. I can't wait to see the finished product!
Rito Team’s EOTC week was such a hit last week, with visits to the Howick Historic Village, a Wearable Arts Day and fashion show which was so much fun to watch.
Yesterday also marked the official start of the swimming season at school, with our brave Kākano learners the first to get into the pool.
Another highlight that’s on the horizon is “Chelsea’s Got Talent’ organised by the Student Council. If Mr Cropp’s singing over the speaker last Friday is any indication of the talent on display, it’s going to be a great time. There has been communication of this through Hero, and it’s great to see the confidence of our kids stepping forward and giving it a go.
Class Placements for 2023
We are busy finalising details around class placements for 2023. Your child/ren will have an opportunity to meet their teachers for next year on Monday 12th of December. They will spend a block of time (approximately 2 hours) with their new classmates and teachers, with the goal of connecting with each other and feeling comfortable about the 2023 year. Parents and Caregivers will be communicated with about placements through Hero by the end of Monday 12th December.
Tis’ the Season
In the lead-up to Christmas, gratitude for what we have becomes a focus. It’s also important for our kids to realise that their experience of Christmas and presents is not always a typical experience for many kids and families in our community, or in our country. It has been another tough few years for so many! There are so many ways to give a little. I was watching Ruby Tui on Seven Sharp, supporting the charity ‘I Got Your Backpack’ tonight, and this is just one example of how we can get behind children in need. A local example of this is the ‘A Little Ray of Giving - De Paul House’ drive. If you are in a position to pay it forward, please have a look at the details below. If your family is struggling this Christmas, please get in touch (completely confidentially) by emailing amanda@chelsea.school.nz so that we, as a community, can support you.
Fan Girl Moment
It was so exciting to hear that two of our Chelsea learners got a chance to meet some pretty impressive people a couple of weeks back and also got their hands on some gold and silver goodies. The Black Ferns win was a very well-needed sporting event that really brought our country together in a time of quite a bit of division! A moment that these two will remember forever.
Lastly, I am so impressed by the groups of Māhuri learners who are part of the market stalls at Carols night. This type of initiative and enterprise are valued at our school. Check out the items that you can purchase on the night (cash only). I love the creativity and hard work that has gone into these ideas. I especially love the reasons why they have chosen the causes they are supporting.
Ngā Mihi
Amanda Douglas
Principal
Chelsea Primary School