School Newsletter Term 2, Week 1
Friday 28 April 2023
Kia ora West End Whānau,
Welcome back to term 2! We hope everyone had a wonderful break. It has been a great start to the term with our children very excited to return to school, to see their friends and staff, and get back into their learning.
Our Pōwhiri for Term 2 is taking place on Thursday week 2 at 10am (4/4/23). This is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to welcome new members to our school. If you are a new parent/caregiver/whānau member or you have not been welcomed to West End School for a Pōwhiri, we would love to see you there. Please come to the office when you arrive at school.
We are pleased to share that our staff completed their first aid certification over the break. The safety and wellbeing of our students is of utmost importance to us, and we are committed to providing a safe learning environment for all. This certification will ensure that our staff are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to respond to medical emergencies that may arise. In addition, we are pleased to report that we held a successful trial fire evacuation on Thursday this week. The children and staff followed our plan safely and effectively.
This term, we will continue to focus on the development of our West End School Values. Our values are an essential part of who we are, and we want to ensure that they remain at the heart of everything we do. On Tuesday 9th May we are hosting our first Vibe Assembly of the term. This Assembly will be values focused and followed by an open morning where parents/caregivers are encouraged to partner with children’s learning in the classroom. We will share more information about this opportunity in next week’s newsletter.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your ongoing commitment to our school values of Manaakitanga, Kotahitanga, Whakamana, and Mana Aotūroa. We are all here to learn and grow together, and we value the amazing connection we have with our West End School whānau.
I wish you a safe and happy weekend.
Ngā mihi
Powhiri next Thursday
Next Thursday May 4th we have our School Powhiri to welcome our new whānau and tamariki to West End School. All welcome! Our powhiri will start at 10am.
Term 2 Sports at West End School
Hockey and Basketball start up next week.
If you would still like your child to play please register on KINDO.
Good luck to those playing winter sports for different clubs in the community, it is great to hear about extra curricular activities the children are succeeding in.
Contact Information
Does the office have your correct contact details? And do we have an alternate contact number in case of an emergency? If you have moved or changed phone numbers or have a different/alternate email address, please let the office know as soon as possible. It is very important that we are able to contact you if there is an accident or emergency. We are also sending out a lot of information through our school app, which are connected to the email address the office has on file. If you would like to add additional email addresses onto contact information, please give these details to the office.
Our new report format for Term 2
In Term 2 and 4, we will no longer be sending home a paper copy of a school report. You will have access to a new report format on Seesaw which will include information about your child’s progress and achievement, and a comment from the teacher for reading, writing, maths, as well as a general comment relating to attitude, behaviour and showing school values. There will also be an example of your child’s work to show the progress they have made in that area. Below is an example of one of our reporting pages. You will have access to school reports in Week 9 of next term.
Upcoming Events
WEEK 2
- Powhiri - Thursday 4 May at 9.45am
WEEK 3
- VIBE Assembly and open morning - Tuesday 9 May at 9.00am
Values VIBE Assembly and open morning in Week 3
At 9am on Tuesday in Week 3 we will be having a VIBE assembly with a focus on our School Values. We will be having Rooms 3, 4, 11, 14, 16 presenting an item, so it would be great to see as many of our West End whānau to share our mahi. After the VIBE, senior leadership will have a short presentation about our values and then families are welcome to join their child's classes for some values activities after morning tea. More information will be provided in next week's newsletter.
Do you want to join the PTA?
Lunchtime Clubs for Term 2
We have many lunchtime clubs starting up at West End School this term. If you are also keen to come and lead a club at lunchtime, please contact Dan Minchin and we can try to organise this to start up. Some of these clubs listed below may be year group specific.
- Monday: Minecraft Club (Mrs Zambazos) and Dance Club (Miss Black)
- Tuesday: Football (Mr Kennedy) and Karanga Karanga Ra (Whaea Karen and Whaea Vicky)
- Thursday: Band (Mr Minchin), Art (Mrs Larsen) and Hockey (Miss Black)
- Friday: Chess Club (Mrs Katon) and Enviro Club (Miss Burch)
West End Production 2023
It's School Production Year!!
West End School will be performing a musical in Term 3 called The Search for S.O.A.P. Like Pinecone: The Musical, the music and script has been written by Dan Minchin, and we are looking forward to working towards this show being presented on stage!! This musical will involve all students in school and we will be starting our rehearsals this term.
Auditions for speaking parts will be given out to Te Wao Nui o Tāne and Puawaitanga students next week.
If you are able to help out in any way (with costumes, set/prop design etc) please contact Dan Minchin and he will let you know more details!
If your child is absent from school.
It is really important under the current circumstances you notify the school if your child is absent.
PLEASE DO NOT TXT OR EMAIL THE CLASSROOM TEACHER.
ALL ABSENCES SHOULD BE ADVISED VIA THE OFFICE.
Please remember to advise the office by 8.30am if your child is not attending school.
You can telephone 358-2465 and leave a message or txt 021 118 0156.
ABSENCES CAN ALSO BE SENT EASILY THROUGH OUR SCHOOL APP
In both cases please give a reason for absence.
Thank you.
Kindo Online Shop
It is very important that families register with Kindo, as this is now the only way to register your child for school sports, and ordering PTA lunches.
Below are the links to register.
If you require help please call the Kindo helpdesk on
0508 454 636
New users need this link
Existing users need this link
Location: West End School, 196 College Street, Palmerston North
Phone: 06 358 2465