1st July 2022, Term 2, Week 9
School Newsletter
Principal's Message
Kia ora koutou katoa,
I trust that everyone enjoyed a relaxed long weekend as we all celebrated our new national holiday for Matariki. Week 8 has been another great week of learning here at West End School.
Thank you again to all of our parents, caregivers, and whānau who were able to join us for our Whānau Day and Matariki Celebration last Thursday. It was a fantastic day to be together as a community and West End Whānau. Please read on in this newsletter to see some more photographs from the day.
Thank you also to all of our West End Whānau for your ongoing support of our staff’s professional development. Monday (Staff Only Day) was incredibly valuable time well spent by our entire staff. The day focused on recharging, strengthening, and revitalising our shared West End School Vision working with facilitator Dr. John Smith. The work carried out on Monday supports our entire staff to continue to bring our shared vision for Te Kura O Urumutu to life.
As mentioned in previous newsletters, you will receive your child’s Mid-Year Report this afternoon (Friday 1 July). Mid-Year reports are a very important way to find out your child’s progress and achievement at school this year so far. Our Mid Year Report will also provide you with information about how your child is progressing in non-core curriculum areas and other aspects of school life. For example, how your child is demonstrating our school values in different parts of their learning. Our Mid-Year Reports are complemented by our Three Way Conferences that will be held next term and provide another opportunity to find out more about how your child is going at school. Please remember that if at any time you have any questions about your child’s report or progress/achievement please make contact with your child’s classroom teacher to arrange a time to meet and discuss your child’s learning.
Thank you to those parents who were able to attend our Board Rolling Consultation on Wednesday held at Board Co-Chair’s house Heather Todd. We have a great session discussing the United Diversity aspect of our Strategic Plan with great feedback and ideas for continuing to grow this aspect of our school. We continue to appreciate our West End Whānau making the time to support our school in this way.
We are looking forward to Week 10 of Term 2 and all of the learning that lies ahead. I would like to wish our West End School Kapa Haka Roopu all the very best for their upcoming Pae Tamariki performance being held at the Regent’s Theatre on Monday. I think we can be very proud of the whakamana shown by our tamariki and our amazing staff to ensure that we can be a part of this amazing opportunity despite the challenges the year has provided (Covid).
Next week we also host our final Vibe Assembly for Term 2. This promises to be a great way to wrap another excellent term of learning at West End School. The assembly will contain many of our children celebrating their learning and also our first “The Best Me” performances where a number of children will showcase their talents. Our Vibe Assembly will be held at Thursday 7th July at 1.30pm and we would love to see you there.
Have a safe and happy weekend.
Ngā mihi nui
Matthew Kennedy
Principal
West End School
Te Kura o Urumutu
Upcoming Events
- VIBE Assembly - Thursday 7th July
- End of Term 2 - Friday 8th July
- Beginning of Term 3 - Monday 25th July
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.
LOST PROPERTY
Every day in the last week of term the LOST PROPERTY will be laid out. Please come and check to see if you recognise anything that belongs to your whānau.
All LOST PROPERTY that is not collected by July 8th will be donated to a local charity shop.
Breakfast Club has started!
West End Kick Start Breakfast is in the school hall for any West End student who would like to have breakfast to start their day of learning! Breakfast Club will start at 8.15am and finish at 8.45am.
Board Elections 2022
Why join a school board?
Board members are active leaders in our schools. They have an important role of supporting strong professional leadership and ensuring effective teaching for all students through informed governance.
Parents/caregivers and people in the wider community can be parent representatives. School boards need to represent the diversity of their school communities to ensure a bright future for all our children.
The school board elections are the opportunity to vote for candidates who will make a positive difference for children’s education. We need more people willing to use their skills and experiences for the benefit of students!
What does the Board do?
Governance has an important role to play within a school. The best way we like to describe governance is ‘hands around - not hands on’. The Board provides the guidance, support and oversight that allows Matt and his team to get on with their work.
This does take some time, it is not just turning up to the monthly meetings but will include reading and preparation time for board meetings, responding to emails between meetings and being available every now and then to support different initiatives or meetings.
What skill do I need?
The number one skill you need is a desire for West End School to be the best it can be, and a commitment to supporting the staff and our students.
Outside of this, any of your expertise can be valuable to support the school. This can come in any form including business experience, diversity, inclusion, whānau and cultural engagement, property management, finance, human resource, employment and personnel, policy review and implementation, learning & pastoral care, etc.
If I would like to know more, what should I do?
If this is something that you would be interested in but would like to know more, you can have a look at School Board Elections | Becoming a board member . Or email office@westend.school.nz “Attention WES Board” and one of the current Board members will get in touch with you.
Room 11 has been working hard on creating our very own Matariki Kites using brown paper bags. Learning how to weave the pieces together to make a strong kite. We have also been looking at the stars of Matariki and what each star represents. As a collaborative wall display, we each coloured in 1/4 of a star and it has turned out awesome!
Matariki Kites in Room 11
Room 11 has been working hard on creating our very own Matariki Kites using brown paper bags. Learning how to weave the pieces together to make a strong kite.
We have also been looking at the stars of Matariki and what each star represents. As a collaborative wall display, we each coloured in 1/4 of a star and it has turned out awesome!
Tipuranga whare
Rooms 16 and 17 used lots of kotahitanga and whakamana to create their whare. We are looking forward to adding our beautiful faces on putiputi to put down the bottom. What a colourful welcome to our rooms!
Vibe Assembly moved to Week 10
Our Vibe assembly will be in Week 10 (Thursday 7th July) this term. From responses we received from our google form, our Vibe assembly will start at 1.30pm and run for approximately an hour. We look forward to seeing you next week to experience our ever evolving Vibe assemblies!
Room 15's learning about Te Waka o Rangi
For the last few weeks, Room 15 has been learning about “Te Waka O Rangi”. Te Waka O Rangi is a canoe in the stars. Matariki is at the front and Tautoru (Orion’s belt) is at the back.
This photo was taken on Monday 27th June at 5.30am in Ōpōtiki. If you look closely, on the left you can see Matariki and on the right is “The Pot”.The three stars on a curve is Orion’s belt and that is the back of the waka. If you connect the stars in between you can see the waka.
Our learning has been based on the book, “How my Koro became a star”. Taramainuku is the captain of the waka and every year it is said that he holds those who have passed on in his net across the night skies, until the time of Matariki. It is at this time that he casts his net up into the sky and they become stars - Kua whetūrangihia koe - You have become a star.
Our learning has been based on the book, “How my Koro became a star”. Taramainuku is the captain of the waka and every year it is said that he holds those who have passed on in his net across the night skies, until the time of Matariki. It is at this time that he casts his net up into the sky and they become stars - Kua whetūrangihia koe - You have become a star.
After celebrating Matariki last week, and learning more about how those we have lost become stars who watch over us, Room 15 created their own waka and stars to remember those who they love and have passed on. They have enjoyed learning about the waka that travels the night sky and how the waka is formed out of the stars.
Enrol for Term 3 MusiClass Lessons
We are looking for new West End students to enjoy our in-school music lessons led by Emma Minchin. There are a range of different lessons to choose from. If you are continuing your musical journey with Emma or wanting to start up, please read this poster below for information and fees for Term 3 lessons.
Communication about after school pickup
Please remember to let your child know where you will be picking them up after school. Because of the unpredictable nature of our weather at the moment, please also make a plan with your child as to where you will pick them up if it is raining. Please refrain from sending messages or emails to teachers regarding where you will pick them up, as many emails and messages in an afternoon when teachers are busy teaching is an added challenge. Please also be aware that the office also is very busy, and having to visit different classes to let children know where parents will pick them up can be very time consuming. Letting your child know where you will pick them up when it is fine, or raining would be much appreciated. You are most welcome to come into school to pick them up outside their classroom.
Help needed! Can we borrow a mulcher for our school gardens please?
HELP! We have a lot of branches that have come down during our wild weather that we would love to mulch. Does anyone in our school community have a commercial mulcher that would be willing to lend, or even better help us to put this resource back into our school gardens? Please contact me: Ms Louise Ellis or email me at lellis@westend.school.nz
Sports at West End School
Draw:
Basketball:
30th June – West End Bulls vs Hokowhitu Shooters, 3:45pm at CET Arena Court 8
30th June – West End Lakers vs Wairau Wahine, 4:15pm at CET Arena Court 7
Hockey:
3rd July – West End Funsticks vs Aokautere Bears, 8:30am on Turf 2G
3rd July – West End Ministicks vs Lytton Street Fire, 11:30am on Turf 2B
3rd July – West End Goldsticks vs Lytton Street Flames, 10:45am on Turf 1B
Netball:
2nd July – West End Pulse vs Milson Pukeko, 11:15am at CET Arena Court 6
Practices:
Please see below the days/times for practices:
Basketball:
West End Bulls – Wednesday 3-3:30pm at West End Court
West End Lakers – Monday 3-3:30pm at West End Court
Hockey:
West End Funsticks – Friday 3-3:30pm at West End Turf
West End Ministicks – Thursday 3-3:30pm at West End Turf
West End Goldsticks – Wednesday 3-3:45pm at West End Turf
Netball:
West End Pulse – Friday 3-3:45pm at West End Turf
If you have any questions relating to sport, please feel free to contact: cdrummond@westend.school.nz
West End School App
All school notices are now being sent out via our school app.
If you haven't downloaded the app, please do so. If you haven't been receiving the email link to download the app, or if you are having problems with the app, please email Dan Minchin dminchin@westend.school.nz. If you haven't set up the app on your device, there will be an easy to download process and quick set up so you can join our new communication platform. If you've downloaded the app already, please just follow the quick username/password set up and for the app users, choose Parent. Once you have set it up, you won't be asked about passwords on that device again. These links do expire, so we will continue to send them out every couple of days to those who haven't logged in.
This free mobile app allows parents to receive pop-up reminders and instant messages. These can run on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices and are designed to help whanau keep up to date on school happenings.
SchoolApps also allows parents to report absences online, receive instant alerts, check the calendar for upcoming events, view newsletters, log into Seesaw and this will also be a way to use Kindo.
You will be able to personalise what information you wanted to subscribe to, such as notices from specific area teams, sports news, or groups such as Student Council or kapa haka.
Remember to go to Alert Subscriptions (through the main menu - the three lines at the top left hand corner of the app) so you get specific alerts to our different groups within the school. You would only receive information directly relevant to those groups, but you will however receive whole school notifications when they are sent out.
Contact Information
Please inform the office of any change of address or phone numbers.
It is really important that we are able to contact you at any time of the day.
Thank you.
West End School Communication Platforms
West End is enhancing our communication so it is easy for our community to know what's happening at our kura. Below is a table outlining the different forms of communication we use at West End to share a variety of things ranging from classwork to whole school notices.
Bikes and Scooters to school
For the safety of our children all children biking or scootering to school MUST wear a helmet. Please also remind your children about road safety - including the safest way to travel to school if on a bike and scooter. While students are on the footpath outside the school , we ask if they can walk their bike or scooter. This is for the safety of themselves and others sharing the footpath, as students are travelling very fast and going past 2 of our school driveways where vehicles are coming in and out of.
West End School Home Learning Hub and team slides
Start and end of day procedures
It is great to have our West End community back on school grounds under Orange settings. Here is a reminder of start and end of day procedures.
- If your child is at school before the 8.30 bell, they will need to come through the wharenui gate and wait in the area next to the turf.
- Students need to wait here until the bell goes at 8.30am.
- Please remind your child to walk sensibly to class. We have had a few accidents with students running and tripping over each other in the excitement of getting to class.
- At the end of the day, students will be let go from class. Please let your child know if you are picking them up and therefore will need to wait outside the classroom or meet you in the designated spot you told them to go.
- If siblings are going home together, please make a plan of where your children will meet each other so they aren't walking around school trying to find each other.
Chess Lovers ONLINE Holiday Program
- WEEK 1: 11 - 15 JULY
WEEK 2: 18 - 22 JULY
When: 9:00am - 12:15pm
Cost: $45
Why Join:
- Develop thinking and problem solving
Learn great new skills
Interactive hands-on lessons
Experienced professional coaches
Make friends with like-minded kids
Note: This program is suitable for kids who have some experience with chess.
DRINK BOTTLES & SPARE CLOTHES
As there are no drinking fountains at school please make sure your child brings a drink bottle to school.
With Winter approaching and the grounds getting wet please put a spare set of clothes in your child's bag. This includes all West End students - as we'v
Thank you.
CAR PARKING- ADMINISTRATION BLOCK CLOSED TO EVERYONE
Please do not do not be tempted to use the staff car park when dropping off and collecting your children from school. The administration block is closed for building work.
It becomes very busy and dangerous for children. We encourage parents to park on the street and use the walkways coming into school. Please remember to abide by the road markings on Botanical road and park only in designated spaces (not on the yellow lines). This is for the safety of our children and community members.
Thank you for your co-operation.
TERM DATES 2022
Masks
Parents of children who wear masks please remind your child to bring them to school.
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