KTS Newsletter
Term 3, Week 3, Tuesday 9 August 2022
Coming up...
A warm welcome to our two new students, Omid (Rm 3) and Mustafa (Rm 16).
It was great to see so many people online or at school for 3WLCs last week. We hope you now have a better insight as to how well your children are doing and their goals for the rest of the term. I would like to acknowledge the staff for their efforts – it is always a big week.
We are very excited about Maths Week this week – there are lots of fun activities and daily problems to solve. Please remember there is the parent daily challenge also – see below for the links or pop into the office to check them out.
Lockdown drill
As you were no doubt aware, we held a lockdown practice yesterday. It went very smoothly with our students and staff responding appropriately. There are some minor tweaks to our drill for the next time we do it; but we thank you for following our guidelines and checking the website for updates.
Community Survey – please have your say
Thank you to the 99 people who have completed the community survey. Your time and comments are most appreciated. There is still time for those of you who have not yet managed it (in 2020 we had 161 responses, so it would be great to get a few more). Please take the 10–15 mins to share with the Board your opinions of the school before Friday 19th August. KTS Board Community Survey link
You may have seen some of our Year 8s wearing their very own grey fleece. This is an initiative we started last year and will continue. This is available for Year 8s only with the students able to wear their new fleece rather than the school fleece for the remainder of the year. A very special thank you to Lisa Wong for organising this for the last two years.
I would also like to thank Shafraz Khan (Ameera, R8) for his help in organising a translator for a new family to the school with limited English last week. What a great Kohia Kaitiaki!
Finally, thank you to those people who are taking a little more care at the school gate. A reminder that students always need to be using the crossing whether they are by themselves or with a parent; it is ensuring safety for all. Have a great week everyone – Alison
Free medical masks
We are still encouraging use of masks. You can get free medical face masks by:
picking them up from testing centres and collection points alongside your free rapid antigen tests (RATs)
visiting a participating pharmacy
talking to a participating GP or alternative community healthcare provider.
To order RATs online visit the Ministry of Health website: Rapid antigen testing (RAT) – Ministry of Health Alternatively, if you’re unable to order RATs online or visit a participating healthcare provider in person, call 0800 222 478 and select option 3.
For a list of testing locations with free face masks, visit the Health Point website: COVID-19 testing – Health Point
Free P2/N95 particulate respirator masks
In addition to medical masks, P2/N95 particulate respirator masks are also available from the providers mentioned. P2/N95 masks will be prioritised for those people at higher risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19. This includes people:
with compromised immunity
with high-risk medical conditions
who are older
who live in aged care facilities
who are pregnant
with a disability
who live with mental health conditions or addictions
of Māori and Pacific ethnicity
who smoke.
For information about people considered at higher risk, see the Ministry of Health website.
Certificates
Congratulations to the following students who received a KTS Learner Competency certificate at the last Azoombly:
Literacy Awards
Congratulations to the following students who received their literacy badges in last week’s Azoombly:
Bronze – Grayson (Rm 6)
Cobalt – Zoelle (Rm 8)
PTA Update
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the PTA meeting last night. It was so nice to gather in person for the first time in a year! Some fantastic planning is in the works for the rest of 2022. We are always looking to include more parents, please reach out to our PTA Chair if you would like to get involved tinajerabek@hotmail.com.
Second-Hand Uniform Sale
The PTA will be holding a second-hand uniform sale on Wednesday 17th August. The sale will start at 2:30pm and finish at 3:15pm and will be held on the Year 6 deck, opposite the hall. Please wear a mask while at the sale and ensure you are socially distanced. A limit of 6 items per family will apply until 3pm to make it fair to buyers. Donations for the sale are gratefully accepted so if you have any unused uniform items that are taking up space, please drop these into the office. All money from the sale contributes to PTA fundraising.
Musical Bingo night - Saturday 29th October
Save the Date and book your babysitter for our big parent event for 2022! This year we will be hosting a Musical Bingo evening on Saturday 29th October. Think music clips, singalongs, spot prizes and lots of dancing. More details and tickets sales to come in September. We are currently seeking donations to be used for our live auction and prizes on the night. This could include vouchers, products or even a holiday at your family bach. If you or a business you know is able to contribute please contact Becca in the office or Tina at tinajerabek@hotmail.com.
Maths Week 8–12 August
The House Mathex competition will take place on Wednesday 10 August.
The timetable below is a rough schedule of when each competition takes place. However, it may be prudent to come a little early in case we are running ahead of time. While the hall will be well-ventilated for the event we do ask that you please wear a face mask.
11.00–11.30 Pohutukawa Team (Yr 7 and 8) Competition
11.30–12:00 Harakeke Team (Yr 5 and 6) Competition
12.00–12.30 Koru Team (Yr 3 and 4) Competition
You can get involved in Maths Week too! Solve the Daily Challenge questions below to earn points for your house.
The questions are also on display in the school office. You can either post your answers in the box there or email them to Laura Clack (laura@kts.school.nz) by the end of the week – please include your child's name and house! All correct answers will go in the draw to win a prize!
Sports Update
Netball results - Week 2
Y5/6 Flames Loss 4-14
Y6 Firebirds Win 11-7
Y6/7 Hawks Loss 5-12
Y8 Keas Win 33-12
Congratulations to Rayumi (Rm 10) and Thanmai (Room 11), who both competed at the Auckland Open Karate Championship held on 7th August. Thanmai won a bronze medal in his category, and Rayumi won bronze medals for individual karate kata and kumite in the age 8–9 years intermediate level. She also won a silver medal for team kata under the same age category. She has been training with Auckland Wadokai Karate Academy since 2020 and will be participating in the New Zealand National Karate championship on 27–28th August.
Community Notices
Contact Us
Email: office@kts.school.nz
Website: https://www.kts.school.nz/
Location: 3 Kohia Terrace, Epsom, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
Phone: 09 630 4525