School Newsletter- 15 December
Endeavour School - December the 15th, 2021
A Message From Mr Mangan
Greetings to you all
What an eventful year this has been for Endeavour School. Unfortunately COVID 19 again has been a dominant feature of the school year. However, with all the disruption of moving levels and having bubble school, learning was able to continue. We often underestimate how resilient students are when faced with ongoing adversity. Even though the health and safety of our students is paramount, it was important the learning continued.
Two weeks ago Mr Geoff Booth and his family were officially welcomed to the school with a Pōwhiri. We were fortunate to have representatives from Ngāti Wairere as part of the school welcome. Geoff then visited the school last Tuesday to meet with members of the staff and BoT. He was also able to go round and introduce himself to all the students in their Learning Communities. .
Last week your child was informed of the class they are moving into, and met their hub teachers for 2022. For those students that are moving to a new learning centre we appreciate it can be an anxious time. I would like to reassure you that when staff are placing students they do consider many factors and what would be the best fit for the student.
Last week we were able to hold the Year 6 leavers dinner. What a memorable event it was. I am sure the students enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate with their class friends the end of their time at Endeavour School. It was very satisfying as someone who has only been here a short time how well the year 6 students demonstrated respect and appreciation of their teachers and Endeavour School. It is a credit to all the teachers they have had at Endeavour School and to you all as parents. You can be truly proud of your children.
Yesterday we had a modified final assembly and prize giving. Congratulations to those children who received an award or recognition certificate/ badge. It is important that students get acknowledged for their service to our school community. All prosperous communities rely on people willingly giving of their time for the betterment of society. Schools are no different.
The end of year can be a time when we also say goodbye to staff and this year is no exception. April Orleans in LC2 has won a position closer to home, Steve Trotter will be taking up a new position at Rototuna Junior High and Debbie Harrison is moving to Whangarei. We wish April, Steve and Debbie all the best. We are also saying goodbye to two of our teacher aides, Laura and Helen. We thank them for their efforts in supporting the students at Endeavour school.
I would like to acknowledge the work all staff have done this year. When the year starts you look forward (with the students) to the many learning opportunities that you have planned for over the year. This was not possible this year. Unfortunately many of the sporting, cultural and EOTC learning events were either modified, postponed or cancelled. This required more consultation, communication and reorganisation by staff, knowing that the end point sometimes would be one of disappointment for the students. The dedication of the staff at Endeavour for their students was more than evident during the disruption and change. We also had to call on our administration staff to do extra making sure that decisions were communicated effectively.
I would like to thank you parents for your tolerance and patience during this year. Like us your year has been one of disruption and uncertainty. In the short time I have been here your dignity and understanding of the situation has been admirable. I thank you for that.
Finally I would like to thank a few people who have made my job so much easier whilst I have been acting Principal. Debbie Thorpe and Kylee Edwards for making sure I don’t meander off a well formed path and Karin and the Board thank you for your support and opportunity to lead Endeavour School.
I wish you all the best for christmas and new year and hopefully 2022 brings you more opportunities going forward.
2022 Term Dates
Term One: Tuesday 8th February 2022 - Thursday 14th April 2022
Term Two: Monday 2nd of May 2022 - Friday 8th July 2022
Term Three: Monday 25th July 2022 - Friday 30th September 2022
Term Four: Monday 17th October 2022 - TBC
2022 Public Holidays
Term One: Waitangi Day (observed) – Monday 7th February (Before Term 1 Starts)
Easter Friday – 15 April 2022 (During Term Break)
Term Two: Queen’s Birthday – Monday 6th June 2022
Term Three: None
Term Four: Labour Day – Monday 24 October 2022
Purchase Your Childs 2022 Stationery Today!
We are wanting to encourage as many families as possible to place their orders for stationery now. With supply chains suffering and packages regularly getting waylaid on couriers we would like to place our bulk stationery order before the end of this year to avoid any hold ups.
You can order your child's stationery now through the online school shop and we will take it from there! These will be delivered to their classroom ready for them before they start on the first day in 2022
School Progress Reports 2021
Through Hero you will also be able to see which Ako Group and teacher your child will have in 2022.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We encourage you all to either save your child's progress reports digitally or print them out BEFORE 31 DECEMBER. After this date your progress reports will no longer be available to view. Please be aware that we do not provide printed progress reports and saving/ printing these is not the schools responsibility.
What's Been Happening?
Movement and Pop Art in LC5!
Here’s some shots of LC5’s Pop Art. We worked to show movement using static images of ourselves. There was a lot of time and skill used cutting out each image. They turned out really well!
Year Six Leavers Dinner and Disco
Our Year 6 Graduates put on their glad rags and gathered for a magnificent feast. They enjoyed an evening of great food, good friends, and plenty of chatter. Favourite memories and hopes for the future were shared in a movie that showed how far they have come in their time at Endeavour. We closed the evening with a photo booth and by dancing to some "sick beats". It was a beautiful night and the perfect send-off for a great group of learners. Endeavour wishes them all well on the next step in their learning journeys.
End of Year Service Awards and Final Assembly
Yesterday we held our combined Service Awards and Final Assembly, and it was fantastic to be able to recognise all those students who have helped run the school through their service contribution, to recognise our overall award winners, and most importantly to farewell our Year 6 students. On behalf of the Board a big thank you to those students who have given up their free time before, during and after school to take on these key service and leadership roles.
For so many of us 2021 has been a long hard year, and so many people have played a part in making it a success despite all the challenges, and on behalf of the Board I would like to take a moment to acknowledge these people.
Firstly, to our families – thank you for your continued support of everything we do here at Endeavour. Particularly over the last two years, the impact Covid restrictions have put on schools, has made it more challenging for family to be directly involved with school activities. However, you have continued to support us as we have tried to navigate through these uncertain times, and we appreciate that support.
Secondly to all our students, a massive thank you from the Board! We really love to see how happy they all are when they come to school, and the feedback we hear from the teachers is that everyone tries their very best to be Endeavour Explorers, Thinkers and Citizens.
Thirdly, to our team. These people really are amazing. Losing Marcus Freke and Meg Campbell was a bit of a shock and dealing with Covid, has meant the last two terms in particular have been a challenge. But their openness to working with us as a Board, supporting us, and always putting the children's wellbeing and learning first is something we are incredibly grateful for.
I would also like to acknowledge Mrs Thorpe for stepping into the acting DP role for Term 4 and supporting Mr Mangan as we worked together to see the year out. We also appreciate how much effort Mrs Thorpe and the Taupiri team have put into the end of year activities that has meant our children end the year in a special, albeit different way. And to Mr Mangan – thank you! We have been very lucky to have you come and join our Endeavour team as Acting Principal. As we had to work through the challenges that Covid lockdowns threw at us, your experience and cool calm manner was the perfect fit for us. We loved having you as part of our Endeavour team.
For two members of the Board, Heather and myself, today is very bittersweet, and if we are honest, just a wee bit emotional for us as we see our children finish their sixth year with Endeavour. So, to our Year 6’s! This group of awesome kids – it has been an absolute pleasure watching them all grow and develop into wonderful, amazing Endeavour Explorers, Thinkers and Citizens. I know they haven’t quite been able to finish the year in the way that we all planned, but that hasn’t stopped them continuing to get on with their learning and have fun in the last few weeks of school.
I must say watching the video from the leaver’s dinner and hearing all about their best memories, their wishes for their future and their wishes for the new children joining Endeavour was very humbling. So many of them spoke about their fondest memories being the friends they have met, the sports and games they have played, and how proud they are of themselves when they have set goals and achieved them. That is what school should be about – friends, fun and learning!!
And so, as we say goodbye and good luck to everyone leaving Endeavour today, no matter where they move to next, we hope they remember all they have learned at Endeavour. Our Learning Without Limits vision, and our Explorer, Thinker, Citizen profiles apply anywhere. Go out there and show the world just how awesome Endeavour children and staff are.
To everyone else - our team, our whānau and our community. Please take this Christmas break to re-charge, reconnect and refocus. Again, on behalf of the Board thank you to everyone who has supported and contributed to our school, we really do appreciate it.
Meri Kirihimete.
Karin Adams
Board of Trustee’s Chairperson
Community Notices
Contact Us
Email: reception@endeavour.school.nz
Website: https://www.endeavour.school.nz/
Location: 86 Endeavour Ave, Flagstaff, Hamilton, New Zealand
Phone: 64 (07) 855 5257
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EndeavourSchoolHamilton/