Week 9, Term 3
Tauranga Primary School Pānui (Newsletter)
Ni Hau.
Ngā mihi nui, ki a koutou katoa
Warm greetings to you all.
Each year we ask our school families to complete a very short survey to gain feedback on the overall culture and performance of our school. It only takes 3-4 minutes to complete and it provides very valuable information to the school leadership and board of trustees. Completing the survey will also earn House points and you will be entered into the draw for a $100 Pak'n'Save voucher.
We are starting the process of planning for 2022. To aid this process, we need to know accurate student numbers. If your family is planning to leave TPS in 2022, we would appreciate notification as soon as possible, please contact the school office office@tauranga.school.nz. Equally so, if you are yet to enrol a sibling please do so ASAP via the office. It is a good idea to notify the office of a sibling enrolment from as early as 3 years old. At this stage, we anticipate that we will be able to accept some out of zone new entrant (5 year old) enrolments for Term 1 2022 while all other year groups are full.
If you have yet to start the enrolment process for child/ren you intend to enrol in 2022, please do so now. Enrolment forms are available via the school website and the office.
Deciding class placements for the new year is a complex task. As well as considering numbers of children at each year level and the number of teachers we are allocated, we need to consider the individual learning needs for each child, gender balance, social skill development and peer relationships. We must ensure that all learners’ needs receive due consideration. Where necessary staff will discuss the placement of some children with their parents.
Most children in Years 3 and 5 will remain in the same learning hub they are this year. We do this to maximize their learning opportunities, and reduce lost learning time as a result of transition to a new class. The year 3 to 6 teachers in each learning hub know their learners; their strengths and next learning steps, and are able to continue with current learning goals from day one of 2022.
Please note that one or two teachers may change class or year level due to normal annual staffing changes.
While we ask parents to allow us to exercise our professional judgement in placing all children fairly, we do appreciate some input from families where specific needs should be considered. It is not possible for senior staff to meet with all parents and listen to individual requests. However, if there are extenuating or special circumstances that we may not be aware of, please put these requests in writing and ensure they are received by me by the end of Week 2 Term 4, 29th October.
If there has been an issue in the past that we need to be reminded of, it is also worth dropping us a note or email your child’s class teacher, as not all information is carried over from year to year.
Only requests made in writing will be considered.
Do you 'like' our school Facebook page? If there is an emergency at school, such as a lock-down situation, or an earthquake, we will put a notice up on our Facebook page advising of next steps and will also send out a group email and/or text. Please make sure that the office has your correct mobile number so that you are well informed.
Road Safety message.
Last week we had a near miss incident on the Fifth Ave crossing - with a driver speeding over the crossing and narrowly missing an adult who was already part way across. Keeping everyone safe is important for us all. We appreciate how patient and proactive TPS parents are of children around roads. No matter how much we all teach and talk to our children about road safety, they are children and they are not mature enough to be fully aware of all the risk factors, they will make mistakes and can do the unexpected. To that end please:
- Be patient.
- Only cross at the school crossings
- WALK - when crossing, keep looking and watch that cars have stopped
- Please do not park in the small staff car park on Fifth Ave (by Room 11) - reversing out of here is unsafe for the many children who walk behind cars in this area or on the nearby grass verge
In Level 2 the school gates are not open until 8:30am. The only children on site prior to that time are those enrolled in School's Out (before and after school care programme) or those who arrive by bus or have a pre-organised before school practice/lesson.
We ask that parents wear a mask and respect 2 meter distancing when dropping off or picking up.
To note: In Level 1, the school is not officially open until the bus arrives, which is generally around 8:20am. From 8:30am classes are open and teachers are supervising children, prior to this time staff are engaged in either meetings or preparation tasks.
This week is also Korea's Chuseok Holiday - Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day, is one of the biggest and most important holidays in Korea. Family members from near and far come together to share food and stories and to give thanks to their ancestors. Many Koreans visit their hometowns to spend quality time with their families. Another traditional custom of Chuseok is seongmyo, or visit to the ancestral graves. Seongmyo is an old tradition that is still carried out to show respect and appreciation for family ancestors. During Seongmyo, family members remove weeds that have grown around the graves and pay their respects to the deceased with a simple memorial service.
A warm welcome to Alfie King who has recently started at TPS.
Hei kōnei rā
Fiona Hawes
Principal | Tumuaki
We are having a Pyjama Day on Friday 1st October.
We are supporting Miller's Movement, so if you are willing to help, we will be collecting gold coin donations on the day.
Here is a link so you can see why we are supporting this worthwhile cause.
Term 3:
- 20 - 26 September - Chinese Language Week
- 20, 21, 22 September - Chuseok - Korean thanksgiving
- 1st October - pyjama day
- 1 October - Last day of term 3 - school finishes at 3:00pm
Term 4:
- 18th October - Term 4 Starts
- 25th October - Labour Day - School Closed
- 26th October - Learning Conferences - 8:00am -7:00pm
- 27th October - Learning Conferences - 3:30pm - 7:00pm
Future Proofing Cameron Road Project - update form the joint venture group
Cameron Road & Elizabeth Street intersection – road closure this weekend.
The project is planning to close Cameron Road and Elizabeth Street intersection to undertake sewer upgrades from Friday 24th September at 8:00pm to Monday 27th September at 4:00am next weekend (weather dependant).
Please plan your journey to avoid this area if possible; detours will be in place.
Stage Two: Elizabeth Street to Sixth Avenue
First Avenue to Sixth Avenue
- CCTV investigation of the existing pipe and connections to the side streets is complete.
- Work on the wastewater upgrade will start in this section following the completion of the wastewater pipe upgrade between Harington Street and Elizabeth Street.
Zone B: Sixth Avenue to Twelfth Avenue
Sixth to Ninth Avenue
- Investigation work to find and protect existing services will continue (the wet weather delayed the start of this).
- This work involves hydro-excavation to form open trench excavation across the footpath. There will be noise associated with this work. The main construction works will follow.
- Traffic management will be in place from before Sixth Avenue to Eighth Avenue with the southbound traffic reduced to one lane.
- Access to businesses will be maintained at all times with sections of the plastic barriers open. Please follow the directions of signs installed to assist business access and egress.
- Pedestrian and cyclist access will be maintained at all times, including temporary detours within the traffic management around the investigation works.
- The bus stop at Eighth Avenue is closed and passengers are directed approximately 300 metres to the bus stop in front of Pak’nSave. Signage will be in place, please refer to BayBus and Transit Apps for further details.
- We expect this section of work to be complete in November this year.
- We expect traffic will be impacted as motorists get used to the temporary traffic management layout. Motorists are advised to take extra care through site as lane shifts will be required.
- Please allow extra time and plan your journey accordingly – you can check here for travel updates on the Tauranga City Council website. We also recommend checking Google Maps ahead of your journey for any detours that may be put in place
- Physical work can be subject to change due to weather conditions and unforeseen circumstances.
- To keep up-to-date and find out more information on Futureproofing Cameron Road, visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/cameronroad
Scholastic
Can you help our Pasifika group with costumes?
Bula!
Can you help our Pasifika group with costumes?
We need a few helpers to make wrap-around skirts for our upcoming Fijian dance that the Pasifika group will perform in Term 4 at TPS's Celebration of the Arts. The group is small (but growing).
If you have a sewing machine and are able to help create a few simple wrap around skirts, please get in touch with Whaea Jen.
Unfortunately, this year we are unable to take our Pasifika group to the Pasifika in the Bay festival due to Covid-rescheduled Learning Conferences.
However, we are looking forward to showcasing our costumes and dances with our wider school whanau.
If you and your aiga would like to support the Pasifika in the Bay festival we warmly encourage you to attend.
Please see the poster for details.
Health and Safety Reminders:
Do you know what to do if you notice a hazard on our school grounds (e.g. broken glass)? The best thing to do is to notify the office or a teacher immediately. The hazard can then be taken care of and if appropriate, written up in our Hazards Register.
Do we know about all of your child’s allergies? Every parent informs us of allergies when you enrol your child, however we are aware that some allergies evolve or develop over time. If you child has developed a new allergy, please let the classroom teacher know and inform the office so that this information can go on your child’s file.
Sometimes children will need to bring medication to school with them. All medication that comes to school must come with written permission to the office and will be administered by school staff. Medication must not be kept in children’s school bags.
Long-term, ongoing medication can be kept in our sickbay.
Emergency medications (such as Epi-pens) are kept in appropriate first aid stations around the school. Any child who has a significant medical condition has an individual medical plan including a picture of the child and detailed instructions about their care.
Please note that expiry dates and replacement of all medication is the responsibility of parents.
Thank you to the following businesses that support TPS:
CONTACTS:
Principal
Fiona Hawes
Deputy Principal
Cathy Ediker
Assistant Principal
Robyn Caley
Junior Team Leader
Pam Wilkins
Middle Team Leader
Jason Morgan
Senior Team Leader
Jo Howard
International Student enquiries
Cathy Ediker
Business Manager
Susan O'Neill
Enrolment Officer
Barbara Turley