Kia Ora e te Whānau and welcome to Week 7.

I hope everyone in our school community is well and not impacted too significantly with the current COVID surge.

As a School, I have been very impressed by the way we have managed to maintain our strong teaching and learning programmes despite a number of positive cases within and connected to our school community.

Thank you for all your efforts to keep everyone healthy and minimise the spread. We have a number of non COVID illnesses in school at the moment and we appreciate our parents keeping unwell children at home. This has enabled us to keep everyone at school healthy and really minimise the disruption to learning.

Our junior classes have had their first week of swimming this week. During their lessons they have had instruction from qualified swim coaches. This has enabled our students to make nice progress. Thank you to the large number of parents who have been able to help with swimming. Thank you also to our wonderful Whānau and School who have made swimming lessons possible due to their impressive fundraising efforts.

I hope you all enjoy the long weekend.

Ngā mihi nui,

Vicki Neave

Whanau and School Update

Thursday 31st March 7pm - Annual General Meeting and then Monthly Meeting at Staffroom, all welcome

WORKING BEE last weekend - a massive thank you to the helpers that came and helped all day on Saturday, the playground is getting so much closer!!

Many thanks to SouthRoads and Mike Hurring Contracting.

FOOD WRAP ORDER - if you haven't already collected your order, they can now be collected from the school office.

SAVE THE DATE!!!

BPS House and Garden Tour - Sunday 6th November 2022

More details to come soon. If you would like to have your house or garden on the tour please get in touch we would love to hear from you.

Email balcluthapta@gmail.com or Sara on 02102372282.

Keep safe and let's be kind to each other :-)

Sara Sutherland and Carleigh Frisby

Whanau and School Co-Presidents

Draw for Thursday 24th March

BPS Stars vs Rosebank Red, 5:15 ground 11

BPS Racers vs BPS superstars, 4:30 ground 10

BPS Lions - BYE

BPS Teenies vs Lawrence purple, 3:45 ground 10

Hockey

No hockey Monday 21st March due to Otago Anniversary.

Top Team

We have had enough interest to put a team forward for this. All players have been contacted, first competition is Friday 25th March 4:00-5:30 at the Rec Centre.

Balclutha Junior Football Club

Registrations are now open for the Balclutha Junior Football Club season see link below for details.

Tania Arthur

Sports Coordinator.

sports@balclutha.school.nz

• Distance Vision (Amblyopia & Hyperopia)
• This determines how well your child is able to see at a distance. It involves reading an eye chart. (Screening not required if child wears glasses / or is currently under care for their vision.)

If you DO NOT wish your child to be screened please fill out an "opt-out" slip and return to the school office before 29 March. The slip is available on the link below, or you can ask for one from the school office.

Thank you to our parents who were able to come and help us in the pool and while we were getting changed before and after swimming. Thank you also to our fantastic Teacher Aide, Lee, for giving up some of her lunchtime to come and help us each day.

This week we also took home the runner beans we have been growing in class over the past few weeks. The class has made some interesting observations about how the beans have cracked open and grown roots and shoots, and many of them now have some leaves on their stalk too.

Room 5 learning new skills while swimming at the pool each day this week.

• School Saveloys, sport fees and all camp fundraising and donations - 02 0900 0000 452 00
• Whānau and School, fundraising, school uniforms (2nd hand and new) -
• 03 1734 0006449 00