Newsletter T1W1

Welcome to the new school year! We hope you have all had a lovely holiday break with your children. A special welcome to our 17 new students (including 7 New Entrants). We wish them all the best and hope they enjoy their time here with us at Whitney Street School.

We start the school year with 305 students and with current enrolments will reach approximately 330 students at the end of the year. We have begun the year with 13 classrooms and will start another New Entrant class later on in the year.

We are delighted that this year our staffing continues to be stable with very few changes. We welcome Mrs Amelia Burridge as our new ORS teacher who will be working alongside specific students on Mondays and Tuesdays. We also welcome back fulltime from maternity leave, Mrs Josie Dickson.

The wonderful staff we have working at Whitney Street School this year are outlined below.

The main learning theme for the year for all Learning Hubs will be ‘Community’’ and once again the PE focus for Term 1 will start with swimming. We will also be participating in the Hot Shots Tennis programme this term. Please refer to Learning Hub Newsletters for more detailed information on your child(ren)’s learning programmes. Teachers will continue to work collaboratively in teams of two or three.

Students in Y3-6 are welcome to bring their own devices from home to use at school (please note that this is an optional choice, and that cell phones are not appropriate for classroom use). An agreement will need to be signed and is available from your class teacher. Equity issues are addressed by many devices being provided by the school, and we will soon be buying several more chromebooks and ipads so that our student:device ratio is continuing to improve.

We are a Sunsmart School and students are required to wear our school wide-brimmed hat in Terms 1 and 4. Hats are available from the school office. Children without hats will be restricted to staying in a designated shade area during breaks.

This year we will be resuming whole school assemblies/huis. These will be held fortnightly in odd weeks in the hall on Fridays from 9:05am until 9:30am. Parents/whānau are most welcome. Parents/Caregivers will be contacted if your child is receiving a Whitney Star Award. Our first whole school assembly/hui is in Week 3, Friday 17 Feb.

We aim for a consistent behaviour management approach across the school, so expectations are clearly understood by all. At each Hub Hui we will focus on the values and behaviours related to our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) programme or what we call ‘The Whitney Way’ (i.e. honesty, care, respect, learning). PB4L initiatives help parents, whānau, teachers, and school address problem behaviour, improve children’s well-being, and increase educational achievement. By strengthening relationships and creating more positive home and school environments, we remove barriers to engagement and improve students’ chances to achieve at school and beyond. Throughout the year Tumeke Awards and lots of positive reinforcement will be given in class, in the playground, and in the community to students making good choices. Please refer to the Parent /Whānau Information Book 2023 (page 4) for more information on our Behaviour Management Programme.

We strongly encourage all parents/caregivers to download our school app from the Playstore or Apple Store, as we find this the most effective way of sending out Alerts to parents/caregivers. You can also access a wealth of information from the app as it has links to the school calendar, newsletters, etc.

Please subscribe to Alerts from the classes/groups that your child belongs to. If you want to subscribe to groups later on, you can do this via the ‘Alerts Subscriptions’ which is in the Menu (top left). Please do this to ensure you are subscribed to the classes, teams and groups that your child or children are in for the 2023 school year.

This is also the way we would like you to inform us of absences. This system streamlines the morning routine for Adele and Michelle so that they can easily see who is away and why.

Please ask the office or your class teacher to help with this if you are unsure of what to do.

The school newsletter goes out every alternate week on Tuesdays to your email address, and can also be accessed via the website and school app. Hard copies are available on request. The purposes of newsletters/notices are to keep parents/caregivers informed about the teaching and learning that is happening in their child(ren)’s classroom(s), ways you can help at home, important information, and dates that you need to know so please make sure you read it thoroughly. From time to time other notices are sent home as required.

Each Learning Hub sends home a term newsletter or information book, and Collaborative Teams also send home notices as required.

Further useful information about Whitney Street School can be found in our Parent/Whānau Information Book - link here. Hard copies are available from the office on request.

We, like many other schools throughout NZ, are a School Docs school which means all our policies and procedures are kept online. The advantages of this are that they are readily accessible, are current, and we can be assured they met legal requirements as they are regularly reviewed by the School Docs legal team. To access the documents please login to the School Docs website, https://www.schooldocs.co.nz and find Whitney Street School. Our username is: whitneystreet and our password is: learners

Our school website whitneystreet.school.nz and Facebook are also great places to go to for information and school news.

Please note that we are a water-only school, and that we encourage healthy eating. We recommend students have their own named water bottle for hygiene reasons.

Whitney Street School receives free healthy lunches for all students daily via the Ka Ora, Ka Ako - Healthy School Lunches Programme. Libelle will continue to provide the lunches this year - refer to their website here. It is important that we know if your child has any food allergies, etc, so please let the office know of them if you haven’t already.

Often, there are school lunches left over at the end of the day. These are located in the Blue Chilly Bins on the hall deck and you are most welcome to help yourself.

If students bike or scooter to school please ensure they lock them in the stand behind Rooms 7-9. We also encourage students to wear a helmet. The police recommend only students 10 years and older should ride bikes unaccompanied on the road. If your child is younger than this please arrange for an adult to accompany them as they bike to and from school.

If your child is a student Road Patroller or if you are a supervisor, please ensure that you have subscribed to the group on our School App so that you can receive any relevant updates or communication.

Thank you so much to the parents/whānau who are helping out on Road Patrol this year. A timetable was sent to all those involved at the end of last year and can be found by clicking the image below. For our Adult Supervisors, please ensure you read your instructions and are at your designated patrol on time. If you can’t make it or have any issues please contact Christee Dalzell (dalzell@whitneystreet.school.nz) or the school office.

We have two slots to fill for our Adult Supervisors on Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon. Both of these are on Maxwell Road.

If you would like to volunteer for Road Patrol please also contact Christee. Thanks for your support in helping ensure our students cross our busy roads safely.

Please note that our school opening hours are 8:30am until 3:15pm. Outside these times teachers are busy preparing work, marking, attending meetings, etc and cannot be responsible for your children. We encourage you to collect them on time, and if they wish to play after school parents/whānau need to stay and supervise them.

In the mornings we allow students to wait on the hall deck if they have to be at school before 8:30am to allow parents to get to work. They will not be supervised directly as such so we encourage them to bring a book or an activity to do while they wait, as they are not allowed in the playground or classrooms at this time. If their behaviour is not acceptable you will be informed and alternative arrangements will need to be made.

Please note that the school gates will be closed just after 9am to ensure the safety of children at school. If your child is late and cannot open the gates, you will need to arrange for someone to open them for your child. Alternatively, they could come in the Whitney Street main entrance and come to the office area where we can open the gate for them. It is very important that the gates remain closed during the day.

Over the holidays our new Tiger Turf all-weather surface has been completed and looks fantastic so we are excited to begin using it once the surrounds have been tidied up. A new fence was also built between the adventure playground and one of our neighbours.

We are getting close to having a start date for our Rooms 1-4 upgrade and will let you know as soon as details are confirmed.

Cheryl likes to encourage good communication between home and school so please feel free to pop in and see her. Generally if her door is open she will be available but if not, we can make an appointment for another time. Cheryl’s email is principal@whitneystreet.school.nz and her mobile number is 027 321 8022 should you wish to contact her at any stage.

When: Wednesday 15 Feb 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Where: Whitney Street School

Bring a picnic tea and come along to meet your child(ren)’s teacher(s), Cheryl (principal), other staff, and families in an informal situation.

Details will be sent home via the School App and email nearer the time.

It’s great to be back and we’re all looking forward to another fantastic year of learning and fun, and preferably returning to more ‘normal’ times! We look forward to seeing many of you at the Community Kai Time in Week 3.

Ngā mihi nui

If your Whitney Street School daughter has her period, she is eligible for two packs of free period products per month. These will be available to her when you let Christee Dalzell know via email (dalzell@whitneystreet.school.nz), by leaving a wee note on her desk or by contacting the school office.

Hopefully, this initiative is utilised really well by our Whitney kōtiro/girls! We have figured out a system where the students are able to easily access these in an inconspicuous way.

This is a brilliant way to save money on the grocery bill so please take advantage of it.

If you have any questions, please feel free to pop in and talk to Christee.

Kia Ora Whitney St whānau,

I am passionate about my children wearing natural fibres and have been putting through orders for merino jumpers for the last couple of years. I try to put through two orders a year at the start of the year and at the end of term 3. I use True Fleece, https://www.truefleece.co.nz/collections/kids-tops/products/kids-coast-quarter-zip.

I need at least four jumpers to go ahead with the order. If you would like to see what the jumpers are like, the school office has one or you can see me personally.

The cost will be slightly reduced from the website price and will be $80 per jumper.

If you could please contact me at frithcromb@gmail.com and let me know of your interest.

Thank you!

Frith Valk

Our school calendar is often filled with trips and events and sometimes the dates and details change. The BEST place to keep an eye on what is happening is on the school App in the calendar section.

We encourage all parents to download our school app from the Playstore or Apple Store, as we find this the most effective way of sending out Alerts to parents/caregivers. You can also access a wealth of information from the app as it has links to the school calendar, newsletters, etc.

Please subscribe to Alerts from the classes/groups that your child belongs to. If you want to subscribe to groups later on, you can do this via the ‘Alerts Subscriptions’ which is in the Menu (top left). Please do this to ensure you are subscribed to the classes and Teams that your child or children are in for this school year.

This is also the way we would like you to inform us of absences. This system streamlines the morning routine for Tanya and Michelle so that they can easily see who is away and why.

Please click here to download the School App.

If you haven't done so already, please have a go at downloading the Hero App which shows your child’s achievement, progress and learning goals. The instructions are here or you can type hero.linc-ed.com/parents into your browser. It really is very important that you access this information about your child so you are able to be involved in their education as much as possible.

Do you have any suggestions for us at Whitney Street School? In the school office, there is a 'Suggestion Box' that is checked regularly. Or click here to email it.

We highly recommend setting up an automatic payment to help pay for things like stationery at the beginning of the year, uniform items and camps. It's a great way to help plan your budget and spread the cost of more expensive things. $5 or $10 a week is way more manageable than a large lump sum! Use your child's first initial and last name as a reference.

The Whitney Street School BOT bank details are: 03 0599 0305934 00

Are you after a professionally stitched name on a piece of uniform? Click here to find out more or text/phone 0211001228, or email embroidastitch@gmail.com

Email: principal@whitneystreet.school.nz
Website: https://whitneystreet.school.nz
Location: Whitney Street, Blenheim, New Zealand
Phone: +64 3 578 3028
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhitneyStreetSchool/

Judo is an Olympic sport, a disciplined martial art, a form of self-defence and a great way to meet others, have fun and keep fit. Take this opportunity to enrol your child on a JUDO BEGINNERS COURSE. It will build their confidence, self-esteem and teach them about respect. Your child will enjoy learning a new skill AND for those keen, the course leads to belt grading, competitions and much more.

Term 1 – Beginner Course starting on Tuesday 14 February 2023:
Beginner Juniors (aged 7 to 12 years): 4.30-5.30pm
Graded/Registered Juniors (aged 7 to 12 years): 5.45-7pm
Seniors (13+ years & adults): 7.00-8.15pm
Fees: $50 per person.

Instructors/Sensei are Dave Foley 2nd Dan, Shayne Jacks 3rd Dan & Robert Stillion 2nd kyu.

At Blenheim Judo Club, Horton Park Pavilion, Redwood Street, Blenheim.
For enrolment and enquiries, contact Judy on 021 100 7052, email info@blenheimjudoclub.co.nz or visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BlenheimJudoClub

Loan judo kit available to start you off. Short clean toe and fingernails please. Please arrive 15 minutes before class time to put judogi on.

Any questions, please let me know.

Many thanks in advance
Tanya