Chelsea School Newsletter
Week 10 Term 3, 2023
Important Term Dates
Term 4, 2023
- Wed 18 Oct: The Chelsea School Board Voting Papers emailed to caregivers
- Mon 23 Oct: Labour Day - School closed
- 24-27 Oct: Y6 Camp MERC
- 24-27 Oct Y5 Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)
- Tue 24 Oct: Y5 Visit to Maritime Museum
- Thu 26 Oct: Y5 Visit to AUT Millenium
- Fri 27 Oct: Teacher Appreciation Day
- Mon 30 Oct: Board Meeting
- Fri 03 Nov: Creepy Carnival
- Wed 08 Nov: Athletics Day
- Tue 14 Nov: Athletics Rain Day
- Wed 15 Nov: Chelsea School Board- Election Day
- Mon 20 Nov: Teacher Only Day - School Closed for Instruction
- Tue 21 Nov: Chelsea School Board - Count Votes
- Wed 22 Nov: New Board Takes Office
- Thu 23 Nov: Interschool Athletics
- Thu 23 Nov: Choir Performance at Victory Church 6.30-7.30pm
- Mon 27 Nov: Board Meeting
- Thu 30 Nov: Interschool Athletics Rain Day
- Wed 06 Dec: Rito - Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)
- Thu 07 Dec: Rito - Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)
- Fri 08 Dec: Y6 Rainbows End
- Wed 13 Dec: Sports Prizegiving
- Wed 13 Dec: Xmas Carols 5-8pm
- Thu 14 Dec: Y6 Water'n Wheels
- Mon 18 Dec: Picnic Day
- Tue 19 Dec; Junior Prizegiving
- Wed 20 Dec: Senior Prizegiving
- Wed 20 Dec: School closes for the year at 12.30pm
Kia ora whānau, and welcome back to Term 4.
A huge welcome also to families who are new to our school whānau. We hope you are settling in well!
If you see a new face in and around the school, please reach out and connect. Starting a new school isn’t just scary for kids; it can be just as nerve-wracking and stressful for adults who don’t know anyone.
Thanks to those parents who have put themselves forward as candidates for our Board election. It has been fabulous to read through your candidate statements and to learn more about your backgrounds and skills. How lucky are we to have so many keen members of our community? CES is running the election process on behalf of the school, and you should all be receiving or have already received an email about the candidates with a link to their profiles.
A reminder that sunhats are compulsory this term. Hats need to be a navy bucket hat with a brim. Yarnton’s has a full range of sizes for sale if you want the official Chelsea hat; otherwise, plain navy hats can be purchased from various retailers. If your child doesn’t have a hat at school, they will play under the covered walkways in the shade. Please make sure these are named before your child begins wearing them. It’s also a good idea for Terms 4 & 1 to lather a layer of sunscreen on your child/ren before they leave the house in the morning.
We have many events planned for the term, and we are excited to be back together for the final part of the year. I thought I would run through some of the key events so that everyone is clear on what each involves.
Teacher Appreciation Day - Friday 27th October
Carols Night - Wednesday 13 December
Now that we have gotten back into routine with our school production this year, our carols night will be a pretty simple celebration at the end of the year, with each team singing a Christmas carol and then the whole school joining together to sing at the end.
The PTA will sell drinks, and we will also have a hangi - more information to come. This event has been plagued by December weather the past couple of years, and it is one that will be cancelled if it is wet, as fitting everyone in the hall is not an enjoyable experience!
Junior and Senior Prizegivings
This is a chance to celebrate our learners and their efforts and achievements throughout the year and, in some cases, through their time at Chelsea.
Our Junior prizegiving, for Kākano and Pakiaka Teams, takes place at 9.15 am on Tuesday, 19th December, and each hub awards certificates for academic excellence, effort and values/DNA.
Our Senior prizegiving for Rito and Māhuri Teams is held at 11 am on the last day of school (Wednesday, 20th December). For Rito and our Year 5 learners, there are hub awards for academic excellence, effort and values/DNA.
We also celebrate our Year 6 leavers, and there are a number of cups and awards for this group.
We do our very best to let you know in advance if your child will receive an award or certificate. This information is top secret and shouldn’t be shared with your child/ren. All parents are welcome to attend these events.
Picnic Day - Monday 18th December
This is a day of fun for our kids (and staff). As a big well done at the end of each year, our learners have a full day of play! The pool is open, we often have a water slide or bouncy castle, a craft room, sports gear out, the bush is open, and there is free play all day. At lunchtime, we gather together and picnic by the sandpit. Traditionally, families have been invited to picnic with their kids at lunchtime (12.30 pm). Over time, this has changed, as have the work habits of society, so while you are still more than welcome to come and have lunch with your kids, don’t feel any pressure!
Staffing Updates
Goodbyes
The end of the year always signals changes in staffing as people’s situations change. At the end of this year, we will be farewelling Phoebe Sinclair, who is moving to Kerikeri and has won a position at Kerikeri Primary School. Phoebe has been part of the Chelsea Team for the past two years and has been a ray of sunshine! We are going to miss you, Phoebe, but wish you all the very best as you start the next chapter up in sunny Northland.
Hellos
We have appointed two new staff members for 2024. Sarah Jones, who has been working with us throughout this year and more recently as a role growth teacher alongside Nick Smud, will continue as part of the Kākano team for 2024.
Jessica Vader will also be joining our team next year. Jessica has previously taught overseas, as well as at Milford School. We know her well from her relieving days throughout this year and are excited for her to join the Rito team.
Class Placements
We will soon be beginning to draft our class lists for 2024. This is a complex process as we consider numbers within each year group, the social and learning needs of each child, as well as our funding allocation for teachers from the Ministry of Education.
While we strive to provide the best placement for every child, we cannot accept requests from parents regarding any specific preference of teachers or classmates. However, we do want to know if there are learning-related factors that your child’s teacher may not be aware of. Please contact one of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) directly so that information you would like to share can be taken into consideration. amanda@chelsea.school.nz , sven@chelsea.school.nz or janine@chelsea.school.nz
If you wish to get in touch, please do so by Friday, 3rd November. After this date, it will be too late to feed into organisation.
In Rito and Māhuri Teams (both composite year level teams) we largely keep our learners within the same hubs. This allows for learning and other relationships that have already been established to strengthen.
Staff Only Day - Monday 20th November school is closed
On Monday 20th November the school is closed for instruction as we undertake learning regarding the new curriculum. This is the second Ministry of Education teacher-only day. Lizzie Bayliss, a facilitator from the Education Group is guiding the learning on Te Mātaiaho, the refreshed curriculum. This will be followed by further professional learning of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Kelly Club is running for the day for those families who require childcare.
Seeking a New Learning Assistant
We are looking for an enthusiastic Learning Assistant to join our dynamic team. This role involves working closely with specific students, catering to their unique learning and physical needs. Additionally, you'll provide essential learning and behavioral support to the wider school community.
Many of our exceptional Learning Assistants initially joined us as parents, and we believe that their understanding of our school's culture significantly contributes to our students' growth and success. We invite interested parents within our community to consider this rewarding opportunity to work alongside our students, helping them thrive and achieve their full potential.
Position Details:
Fixed-term, part-time position
25 hours per week Mon - Fri (8:30 am - 1:30 pm)
Term time only
Start date: Term 1, 2024
To express your interest, please email:
Sven Cropp (Deputy Principal/SENCo) at sven@chelsea.school.nz
Janine Cross (Deputy Principal/SENCo) at janine@chelsea.school.nz
Congratulations
Congratulations to our Chelsea learners who were recognised at the recent Birkenhead United AFC prizegiving. We have so much talent and passion for football within our school, and it is always lovely to see our learners being recognised beyond our school gates.
Oscar - highest goal scorer for the team - 26 goals!!
Hunter - sportsperson of the year for his team
Harriet - sportsperson of the year for her team, plus a very large team trophy for their grade.
Toby - most consistent player
Thomas - most improved
Harper - most improved
If I have missed anyone, please let me know.
Ngā Mihi
Amanda Douglas
Tumuaki/Principal
Chelsea Primary School
Creepy Carnival - Helpers Needed
Our next big fundraising event Creepy Carnival, is only 2 weeks away. The nature of this event requires a HUGE amount of parent help, each family is asked to assist on a stall for a one hour period during the event. Sign up now using your class link below. Thank you to the parents who have already put their names down.
Please direct any queries regarding sign up to the Parent Rep who contact details are listed on the sign up sheet
We also require additional helpers for Decorating and Food Prep during the day on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 November. If you are available to help during the day, please add your name to the Additional helpers list here