Chelsea School Newsletter
Week 10, Term 2 2023
Important Term Dates
Term 2, 2023
- Wed 28 Jun: Kapa Haka Matariki Festival
- Fri 30 Jun: Assembly led by Māhuri Hub 1 - 9.15 am
- Fri 30 Jun: Last Day of Term - School Closes at 2 pm
- Fri 14 Jul: Matariki Public Holiday (within the school holidays)
Term 3, 2023
- Mon 17 Jul: First day of Term 3
- Thur 20 Jul: Evening Matariki school celebration - 5.00 - 6.30 pm
- Fri 21 Jul: Term 3 Pōwhiri 9.00 am
- Tues 25-Weds 26 Jul: School Photos
- Weds 26 Jul: Whānau Hui 7.00 pm in the staffroom
- Mon 31 Jul: Board Meeting 7.00 pm
Kia ora whānau
and welcome to the last newsletter of what has been an incredibly productive term.
Firstly, I would like to say a massive thank you to the Chelsea team, who have poured their hearts and souls into our learners this term as they always do. There have been some tricky spots this term, with widespread sickness, and everyone has just jumped in to cover the gaps, ensuring that we haven’t had to split classes or shut down areas of the school. I am so grateful to walk alongside such an incredible team of people.
I was blown away by the amount raised by our recent Trivia Night - a grand total of $17,783! Thanks so much to those who attended and to those who bid on the auctions. Amazing result! Another huge thanks to our PTA team, and also to Kerre for your outstanding work in Quiz Mastering!
Since our last newsletter, our Cross Country team has competed at Kauri Park School for the interschool competition. After a lot of training and effort, they won! Never before have we won this event, so there was a lot of celebration! It takes a lot of grit and determination to take out an event like this, and we are all very proud of the effort that our team put in.
Our Kapa Haka rōpū have been practising hard in preparation for the Matariki Festival, which is happening today at Birkdale North School. They had a practice session last Friday afternoon and invited the rest of the school along to watch! What a joy it was to see the performances and to see the polish that has been added over the term. We are so proud of you! It takes a lot of dedication and commitment, and practices mean that you often miss things that you would love to be doing. After watching you on Friday, I think the hard times have been completely worth it. You absolutely smashed it. A huge thanks to Sven, Janine, Lenni, Whaea Jas, Ivy and Nicky for the time you have put into these groups.
Our Kaitiaki Club have been working hard to care for our school environment. We now have the worm farm up and running, have planted out the first of the gardens, and we have started an area check every afternoon to encourage our people to take care of our environment. We are right in the problem-solving zone of trying to get rid of snails and slugs without using toxins at the moment. It has been a privilege to spend time with these eco-warriors at lunchtime. Their passion for the environment and making our school a better place makes my heart sing!
Farewell Mrs Ede (Maggie)
The wonderful Maggie has been a member of our Chelsea whānau for 12 years or so, as a Learning Assistant. Maggie has worked alongside many of our tamariki during her time with us, supporting them to flourish and achieve the best outcomes. Maggie is also our resident laminating queen and certificate writer. She has decided to take a break from the workforce to spend more time with her whānau. Thanks, Maggie, for everything. You have poured so much aroha into our kids and staff, and we will miss you! All the very best for whatever the future holds!
Mid Year Progress and Achievement Data
At mid-year, your child’s report will show if they are working towards, within or above expectation. It is important to focus on the growth that is happening and that has happened over time, not just where they are currently sitting.
At mid-year the judgements we make are based on current assessment data and are also a prediction of where learners should be achieving at the next milestone (end of the year). If you have any questions, please chat with your child's teacher. If your child is sitting 'towards expectation', they are very much a priority for our teachers. Please touch base next term to see how you can partner with your child's teachers to assist in their continued progress and development.
Cultural Leaders and Buddies
School Matariki Celebration - Thursday 20th July 5.00 - 6.30pm
After the success and overwhelmingly positive feedback from our Matariki Celebration last year, we are holding this event again this year. It will be held on Thursday 20th July from 5pm - 6.30pm.
Our junior and senior kapa haka groups have been practising very hard and will be performing at this event.
As we did last year, we are going to share kai (food) in the form of soup and bread. We are asking if any families are happy to pre-prepare a soup to share for the evening. The idea is that we will have tables set up where anyone bringing a soup can place their already heated soup (in a crock pot) onto one of the tables to share. We will provide a range of bread to eat with the soup at no cost. Any type of soup is welcome; we will just ask those providing one to fill out a little ingredient card for people with dietary requirements.
We will be sending a survey via Hero to help us with our planning, just indicating whether you are able to contribute. There is absolutely no pressure on families to do so, however, as things have been tough for many with the cost of living making food very expensive. Soup or no soup, all are welcome to come along and share kai with us.
More information to come via Hero before the holiday break.
Matariki 2023
Matariki is known as the Māori New Year in Te Ao Māori (the Māori world view).
Closely connected with the maramataka (the Māori lunar calendar), the reappearance of the Matariki stars in the early morning sky brings the past year to a close and marks the beginning of the new year.
Mātauranga Māori (ancestral knowledge and wisdom) is at the heart of celebrations of the Matariki public holiday and it will be a time for;
Remembrance – Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki
Celebrating the present – Gathering together to give thanks for what we have
Looking to the future – Looking forward to the promise of a new year
Historically, the stars of Matariki were also closely tied to planting, harvesting and hunting. If the stars appeared clear and bright, it signified an abundant season ahead.
There are many opportunities for Aucklanders to be involved in Matariki celebrations. Check out the link below for more information.
Digital Safety for Families
At school, we have a number of filtering programmes that help to protect our learners from engaging with inappropriate content. We also spend quite a bit of time learning about responsible digital citizenship, how to keep safe online, and what to do if you see something inappropriate.
A raft of parental controls are available for use outside of school, and I have included a link to Netsafe's guide if you are interested in checking this information out. No filtering system is bulletproof, there will always be ways to get around these, so it is critical that we all have systems in place to protect our kids to the best of our abilities. I have also included Netsafe's 'Online Safety Parent Toolkit'.
Turangawaewae Evening
"Thank you for the opportunity to hear about our local area’s histories at the recent Tūrangawaewae evening.
It was evident how much thought, research and planning had gone into creating the presentation.
Mr Cropp effortlessly (well, except for the occasional tech glitch!) weaved us through 1,000 years of Aotearoa history in an insightful hour to get us to where Chelsea School and its surrounds are today.
Even though I have lived in New Zealand my whole life, I was surprised by how much I learned … and how much there is still to find out".
Hopefully, you all get some time (even the long weekend - Matariki) to spend some quality time together during the term break. For those of you who will be in Auckland over the break, there are some cool activities on offer. Check out the link below if you are looking for ideas.
Wishing our learners and their whānau a happy and healthy break. We look forward to seeing you all at the beginning of Term 3.
https://www.aucklandforkids.co.nz/whats-on-this-weekend/
Ngā Mihi
Amanda Douglas
Tumuaki/Principal
Chelsea Primary School