Newsletter Term 4 Week 9
West Park School - 13th December 2021
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Kia ora, Talofa, Kia orana,
Greetings Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers,
As we quickly move towards the end of what has again been a year filled with challenges, I’d like to thank you all, on behalf of staff, for your support and for allowing us to work with, and nurture your wonderful children. A teacher’s life can be highly demanding, filled with highs and lows but those times fade into insignificance when we see the joy of new learning, the confidence fostered through achieving and when children share their smiles and laughter. To you, the first teachers of your wonderful children I again thank you for the privilege you give us by entrusting your child to our school.
This year we have experienced the biggest staff turnover in many years, reasons have been many, and include: for a career change, for promotion, to be closer to home, for lifestyle changes, for parental reasons, or for simply a change. The challenges being presented are many, however the school’s leadership team have methodically and tirelessly worked through the recruitment process and are really excited at the caliber of staff being appointed. A large focus of our start of year teacher only days will be the establishment of an agreed culture, and familiarization student needs and programmes. There is lots of hard work ahead, as well as lots of great opportunities.
The final staff changes going into 2022 include the following leaving staff and new appointments.
· Amanda Sharpe who has been on Board approved extended parental leave will not be returning in 2022 having decided to move into relief teaching. The decision was a difficult one, however, the capacity allows for far greater flexibility and family balance. After 8 years with West Park School she will be missed by many.
· Alisha Mullen has for 2022 accepted a Team Leader position at Evans Bay Intermediate and is eagerly looking forward to the many challenges that her new capacity and role will bring her way. Alisha has enjoyed working as a year 1 teacher for the past three years, and will very much miss the children, community and staff. She has particularly enjoyed her time being in the Seedlings project, as well as the many opportunities that the school has provided her with to grow in the teaching profession.
· Jade Poulter will in 2022 be starting a new teaching position at Trentham School. She is excited about her new position, and will gain many valuable hours to her life by working much closer to home and avoiding the dreaded Hutt Road morning and afternoon traffic. She will miss, and be missed, by the many students that she has worked with during her time at West Park School.
· Grace Esquilant will in 2022 be starting a new position at Churton Park School. Grace started with us as a beginning teacher and has during her time here taken every opportunity to develop and grow as a teacher. She has done a great job and contributed wherever possible to the wider school life. This is a very sensible move given where Grace is in her career. She will be missed by staff, community and kids alike.
· Sherrick Reid has been appointed permanently as of the start of 2022. Sherrick is from the UK with six years teaching experience at all primary school levels. He has even acted as a guest lecturer delivering seminars on the role and responsibilities of a class teacher and master’s students at the University College Birmingham. He has a wonderful presence about him which really showed through the interview process in the way he spoke about children. A completely child focused teacher, keen to learn more about the NZ system and work his way into leadership opportunities.
· Laura Haughin has been appointed permanently as of the start of 2022. Laura is a Master’s graduate from the University of Otago with glowing placement reports. Words regularly used to describe Laura through her placements and referees included ‘genuine warmth, empathetic, positive, enthusiastic, confident, collaborative, reflective, flexible’. The recruiting team were unanimous in their belief that Laura will add enormous value to staff and kids.
· Grace Baker has been appointed permanently as of the start of 2022. Grace will in 2022 be in her fourth year teaching, and is looking to expand her range of experiences by working with senior students. An energetic, determined, fun and student focused driven teacher. Grace is looking for leadership opportunities and hopes that over time West Park School will be able to present such opportunities. Just like Laura and Sherrick, Grace is very excited about the year ahead and is looking forward to contributing towards a collaborative environment.
· We are still looking for a DP and that effort will continue until we find the right person. In addition to a new DP we are looking to make one final classroom teacher appointment as soon as possible. Education Personnel are assisting with this appointment.
The above staffing items has also meant that there have been some changes in the classroom allocations for next year.
The plan moving into 2022 is shown below.
Please note that even though there have been some allocation changes, that we have still been able to meet the majority of placement requests, which was great to be able to do.
Wellington North Primary Schools’ Citizenship Award
Congratulations to Santana Harding who was this year’s West Park School Wellington North Primary Schools’ Citizenship Award recipient. Santana as part of an outstanding group of young students from across the Northern zone was presented with his award last Thursday. His family, teachers and school were very proud to celebrate and acknowledge the outstanding young student that Santana has shown to be.
Have a safe and enjoyable upcoming school break, I hope you are all able to take time to enjoy family, friends, and do those things that you enjoy the most.
Luis
Newsletter Proudly Sponsored by
Meet some of our 2021 Student Council
Hannah Kirkwood
I wanted to be on the student council because I wanted to make a difference in the school. To make it a community, a better place. I also wanted the leadership and responsibility to make myself a better person, so people can trust and respect me, and the student council. My advice for the 2022 student council is to keep plastic-free days exactly the same, try out some new fundraisers, always listen to people's ideas, and always tell the students and teachers of west park school your new fundraisers and ideas. Because you never know who will be able to help you and it may never get done. You should make posters to advertise events, Canva works really well for poster making.
Ella Gregory
I wanted to run for student council so I could gain a higher responsibility in year 6. The moment I am most proud of is when we put plastic-free days into action because we actually managed to get something put into action. I have learned from being on Student Council that life can get really busy with all the work you need to do and all the other responsibilities you have signed up for as well as the main school work. If I was to give any advice to the 2022 council, I would tell them to not spend too much unnecessary time doing council work ‘cause otherwise you just waste your time on mucking around. Also to continue Plastic-free day.
Jonty Joseph
I spy with my little eye two new classrooms arriving at West Park School.
West Park's Got Talent
1st Place - Liam Henry and Leo Jordan
2nd Place - Oliver Zhang
3rd Place - Danika Gounder
NZ Dance Competition
Colour Run 2021
Camp Quality means a great deal to me, it is a relatively small charity which isn't too well known across the country unless you deal with them or have a child who is affected by cancer. That being said they make a huge difference to the children's lives, creating lifelong memories, friendships, and hope. So just getting its name out there and seeing the children have so much fun and laughter really encompasses Camp Quality's ethos.
We don't have a final count of how much we raised yet but I can say that it will be well over $2000. This will go a long way for a wonderful charity.
Stranger Danger - A Guide to preparing your children
What is Stranger Danger?
Stranger Danger has passed into popular usage as the shorthand for the rules and safety tips children which can be taught to protect themselves from adult strangers. Adages such as, ‘Never accept sweets from a stranger’ form a central part of the concept of Stranger Danger. Crucially children need to understand that a person they do not know can be dangerous even if they are female or look ‘nice’.
Teaching children about stranger danger
Basic Stranger Danger rules include:
· never go anywhere with a stranger
· never accept gifts or sweets from a stranger
· never get in a car with a stranger
· never go off on your own without telling your parents or a trusted adult
· tell your child it is okay to break the rules if they are in danger
· encourage your child to YELL, KICK, SCREAM, LIE or RUN AWAY, if they feel they are in danger
· give your child a code word or sign that only you and your child (and another parent/carer) know. They can use it when they feel they are in danger but don’t want other people to know
· tell your child to stay with their friends and not to go e.g. to the park on their own.
Strangers
A stranger can be described as someone that we don’t know or someone that we don’t know well. Say that nearly all people are kind but that there are a small number of people who might not be. We cannot tell who is kind just by looking at them. We must never go anywhere with a stranger or do anything for a stranger. It doesn’t matter what they say to us, we should always tell the grown-up who looks after us if a stranger talks to us.
Safer strangers
As well as understanding that some strangers are dangerous, it's important for children to know about adults they can turn to if they are on their own and in trouble.
Safer strangers will usually be wearing a uniform.
Safer strangers could be Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers, traffic wardens, shopkeepers, check-out assistants, paramedics and others. Say we can all recognise them quickly because of their uniforms.
Safer buildings could be banks, post offices, libraries, medical centres, shops, supermarkets, leisure centres and others. If your child can’t see a safer stranger outside they should look for a safer building to go into to ask for help from the people who work there.y
Tell the safer stranger their name and where possible the parent / carer’s phone number.
Help your child to learn the safer strangers, safer buildings code gradually, so that it eventually becomes ‘second nature’. Talk about it in a low-key, matter-of-fact way, whenever the opportunity arises naturally. The phrase safer strangers, safer buildings, is a positive alternative, giving children an immediate strategy to use, as part of their growing understanding of stranger awareness.
Safe people and places
Stranger Danger is not just about teaching children who or what to avoid, but also includes positive rules so that children know how to keep themselves safe. For example:
· Knowing who they can trust if they need help - such as a uniformed Police Officer or a teacher.
· Having the confidence to trust their instincts if they have a bad feeling about a place or person.
· Being aware of their surroundings.
· Learning to be assertive.
· Knowing that they should tell a trusted adult if they have been approached by a stranger.
School Notices and Upcoming Events
Upcoming School Dates
Friday, 17 December - Last Day of term 4 – Finish 12.45 pm
Term 1 Beginning on Thursday 4th February
Contact Us
Email: office@westpark.school.nz
Website: https://www.westpark.school.nz
Location: 97 Broderick Road, Johnsonville, Wellington 6037, New Zealand
Phone: +64 (04) 478 7074
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farmcoveintermediateschool
Community Notices
Kelly Club and Kelly Sports Holiday Programme
KELLY CLUB WEST PARK PRE-XMAS HOLIDAY PROGRAMMES
Kelly Club Holiday Programmes focus on giving children aged between 5 and 13 the opportunity to do things they enjoy in a safe, supportive and encouraging environment. The programme is packed with activities to entertain and inspire children. We have some exciting days planned: Water Nerf Battle, Teddy Bears Picnic, Kiwiana Xmas, Santa's Workshop and lots of more Xmas fun!
Kelly Club West Park (West Park School, Johnsonville) - 17 Dec – 23 Dec, click here for the Activity Planner
KELLY CLUB WEST PARK JAN 2022 HOLIDAY PROGRAMMES
We will be back at all the above centres from 10 Jan 2022 with some Super Summer Fun days planned including; Summer Camp, King of the Jungle, Barnyard Games, Wheels Day plus trips to Movies - Sing 2!, Awesome Bounce, Ten Pin Bowling, Staglands and Zappo the Magician is coming to Kelly Club.!
Kelly Club West Park Activity Planner
To enrol www.kellyclub.co.nz email westpark@kellyclub.co.nz or call 022 035 1453
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JANUARY HOLIDAY PROGRAMME
Football - Wests Rugby Clubrooms, Ian Galloway park, Wilton
9.30am-12.30pm
Perfect for beginners and those just wanting to have fun!
Come along and improve technique, knowledge and learn more about the basic skills of "The Beautiful Game" (Football). We will focus on the core skills of control, dribbling, passing, tackling, shooting but most importantly having as much fun as possible!
Week 1 - Tues 11 Jan, Weds 12 Jan, Thurs 13 Jan
Week 2 - Tues 18 Jan, Weds 19 Jan, Thurs 20 Jan
Week 3 - Tues 25 Jan, Weds 26 Jan, Thurs 27 Jan
1 day (AM or PM) for $36.00
3 days (AM or PM) for $95.00
For full details and to enrol into our programmes visit www.kellysports.co.nz email adminwgtn@kellysports.co.nz or call 04 972 7201.
ONSLOW GYMNASTIC CLUB
Kids got energy to burn? Gymnastics is the answer! Have Fun – Learn Skills – Build Confidence! Onslow Gymnastics has Recreational, TeamGym and Competitive classes for girls ages 5+ years. Recreational Gym-for-All classes are held at Khandallah School Hall (ages 5-9 years) and Onslow College Rec Centre (ages 7-14+). No previous experience is required to join any of our recreational classes. TeamGym (ages 10+) brings together tumbling, mini-tramp and dance to provide an energetic and creative performance.
Register now at www.onslowgymnastics.org.nz or email onslowgym@xtra.co.nz.
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School – Girls Year 7 entry 2022
You are warmly invited to Marsden School’s last Open Morning this year:
Wednesday 27 October 2021, 8.45am-12pm. Please register at marsden.school.nz/register
Enrolments for entry in 2022 are now due. For questions, to organise a personal tour or day in class for your daughter please contact Enrolment Registrar Leigh McCathie on 476 8707. marsden.school.nz
Big Air
BIGAIR’s GYMNASTICS, TRAMPOLINING, CHEERLEADING, TUMBLING & FREE RUNNING (this is PARKOUR with Flips).
Classes are excellent for fun and fitness! We focus on safety, technique, fundamental skills, right through to more advanced skills, such as summersaults and twisting flips. Bigair Gym is a pristine, exciting, kid friendly gym! Our skilled and experienced coaches run structured and organized stimulating gym classes, that follows a badge programme which creates goals and allows children to plan for success!
BOOK NOW for Term 4 Classes. Spots are limited. Book online on www.bigairgym.co.nz
Bigair Gymsports Kapiti ph. 04 297 0400 e. kapiti@bigairgym.co.nz @. 4 Manchester Street, Kapiti.
Bigair Gym Owhiro Bay ph. 04 383 8779 e. wgtn@bigairgym.co.nz @.14 Landfill Road, Owhiro Bay.
Bigair Gym Tawa ph. 04 232 3508 e. office@bigairgym.co.nz @. 10 Surrey Street, Tawa.