School Newsletter
18 February 2022, Term 1 - Week 3
Dear Parents, Whānau and Caregivers
A special welcome to the new students who have started at Paparangi in the last two weeks:
Uenuku: Tazmann Kaur, Lincoln Bell, Etta Millar and Joshua Leggett
Nau mai, Haere Mai! Kia ora and welcome to our friendly school!
Thank you for your patience and understanding when our school was unexpectedly forced to close last week because we had no water for an extended period of time. We were able to test the steps we follow for an emergency closure and are pleased with how well our plan was carried out. Thanks for your feedback and support to get the water turned back on!
Have you read this week's Covid Newsletters?
Two Covid Newsletters were sent by email on Wednesday 16 Feb.
- #3 - What happens if there is a positive case at Paparangi?
- #4 - What is Hybrid Learning?
Emergency Contact Forms
As our unexpected school closure showed last week these forms are very important for communication in an emergency. Please return signed forms (even if there are no changes) to the school office as soon as possible so our records are accurate. Thanks to all the families who have sent theirs back already!
Emergency Packs
In 2022 there are two options for providing your child with an emergency pack:
Supply a pack for your child or children, the same as previous years, which must be provided by 28 February. If a pack hasn’t been supplied for your child by Monday 28 February then we will presume you wish to order one through the school.
Pay $7 and an emergency kit will be supplied for your child. These kits are nut free to cater for students with allergies. You can pay using Kindo, Eftpos or sending $7 to the office. Thanks to the Home and School Committee who are organising emergency kits for families who order them.
Visiting School
- Please telephone or email any non-urgent requests. Use the app to send absence messages.
- Parents or visitors who enter the school grounds for any reason must report to the office. If you arrive at the school office and see that there are already people in the waiting area, please remain outside the door until you are invited to enter.
- All parents and visitors to school need to scan the QR code and sign the contact tracing register in the office.
- We ask that you do not enter classrooms without speaking with a staff member first. We can help with delivering messages, hats or lunches or finding lost property.
Ngā mihi nui
Tracey Arthurs
Principal
Keeping our kids safe at the crossing
Our wonderful road patrollers are hard at work already this term making sure our tamariki are crossing the road safely. As it is the start of the year, here are a couple of reminders about using the crossing and the road outside the school:
- Please do not park on the yellow lines. The yellow lines around the crossing are there so that there is enough space for our road patrollers to see oncoming traffic to then be able to make safe decisions about stopping and entering traffic. If they can't see because a car is on the yellow lines blocking their view, they cannot safely do their job.
- If you are using a vehicle to pick up your child, please consider other options such as parking slightly further away and walking to meet your child (ie: Catherine Crescent) or for older students, arrange to meet them at a spot a bit further away from school.
- On both sides of the road, there are painted white lines behind the road patrollers. When you want to cross the road please stand behind this line and wait until the road patrollers have said "cross now" and lowered their arms. The road patrollers have a number of checks they must complete before they let you cross. When the road patrollers have said "cross now", it means the road patrollers have assessed the dangers and decided it is safe for you or your child to cross. So please, for your safety, wait until the road patrollers have said these words and dropped their arm.
Thank you for your cooperation and for supporting our wonderful road patrollers!
Let's look after our students with Food Allergies
At times we have children attending our school with food allergies, the most common being peanuts, dairy and eggs. Any exposure to these items, even a tiny amount, could be potentially very serious and life threatening for these children. Allergic reactions can be so severe that prompt emergency treatment is required. At Paparangi School, we work in partnership with families to provide a safe environment for children with food allergies through education and awareness.
There are some key strategies that minimise the risk of accidental ingestion of food allergens. For school age children with an allergy, an essential step is to develop strategies for avoidance in the wider community as well as at school. We ask our students and families to help make the school environment safer for all students, by following these simple suggestions:
Clear labelling on lunch boxes, eating utensils and drink bottles.
Children with food allergies eat lunches and snacks that have been prepared at home and provided by parents.
Stringent hand washing routines.
Avoid sending foods such as nuts, peanut butter or nutella sandwiches to school with your child.
Contact the classroom teacher before sending any food for sharing with the class for special celebrations like birthdays.
Please remind your child never to share his/her food and drinks with other students.
Please wash your child’s face and hands thoroughly before they leave home, especially if your child has eaten peanuts or peanut butter prior to coming to school.
We greatly appreciate your support for children with allergies. Together we can make a difference. Please talk to your child’s teacher if you have any queries about our food allergy plan.
Term 1 Dates:
- Friday 4 March - Applications for Term 2 Out of Zone enrolments
- School Picnic at Waikanae Pool, Friday 11 March - Unfortunately our picnic is postponed until further notice.
- Last Day of Term 1, Wednesday 13 April at 3pm
- Teacher Only Day, Thursday 14 April
- Good Friday, Easter Public Holiday, Friday 15 April
Community Notices
Positive parenting during COVID-19
To support mental health, resilience and emotional wellbeing for our tamariki, the Ministry of Health has partnered with Whāraurau to offer Parents, Whānau and Caregivers free online versions of the Triple P: Positive Parenting Programme across the country. These programmes provide families and whānau with a toolkit to help guide behaviour positively and encourage children’s learning.
Find out more about Triple P and register for programmes.
There are three free Triple P online programmes available to help positively support children to reduce anxiety, build emotional resilience and life skills and cope with challenges:
- Fear-Less Triple P Online – for parents and caregivers of children and teenagers (aged six to 14 years) who have significant anxiety
- Triple P Online – for parents with toddlers to 12-year-olds
- Teen Triple P Online – for parents with ‘tweens’ or teenagers aged 10 to 16 years.
Marrzipan Drama Classes
Goodtime Music Academy - Music Bus lessons
Contact Us
Parents, please use the App to send a message about a student absence. It is our preferred method of contact for non-attendance and is quick and easy to do.
Email: office@paparangi.school.nz
Website: https://paparangi.school.nz
Location: 57-59 Beazley Avenue, Paparangi, Wellington 6037, New Zealand
Phone: +64 4-478 6617