KTS Newsletter
Term 4, Week 2, Tuesday 26th October 2021
We hope you had a nice long weekend despite the weather. I bumped into a couple of school families in my walks over the three days which was nice. Hopefully you enjoyed some time out of doors with friends also.
I know we are looking forward to what the return to school plan looks like. Rest assured I will be back in touch with relevant details when we have them. In the meantime we hope the tweaked distance learning plan is working well and fingers crossed we can welcome all students back to school in the not too distant future.
Catherine and I have been going through the various events we had planned for Term 4 and are looking at ways to ensure we can still have those key events such as graduation and prize giving. We have cancelled all other events such as International Night, unfortunately, as we have not had students in for practice and of course even under Level 2 parents cannot attend events at school.
- Alison
Science Fair Success
Despite going into lockdown, the NIWA Auckland Science Fair competition continued with students having to quickly present their boards online. Over those first few weeks of lockdown, Carolyn Bowden worked with students to tweak their investigations and present them in a digital context. Carolyn is well equipped to support our students, not just with her passion and knowledge of science but she is also a science fair judge. Thank you so much Carolyn for all your work with these students.
Congratulations to the following students for their commitment, perseverance and such great results. We are proud of you!
Year 7 & 8 Living World – Adria (3rd equal)
Year 7 & 8 Physical World – Gavin and Florence (Highly Commended)
Year 7 & 8 Material World – Nikhita (2nd place)
Year 7 & 8 Planet Earth & Beyond – Nethuli (Highly Commended)
SPECIAL PRIZES
Science Awards Trust Prizes – Florence
ESA Publications Awards – Adria and Nikhita
Congratulations also to Dhanvi who has had her “letter to COVID” published in a New Zealand based Indian newsletter. Check it out HERE
Letter from the School Board
Balance and Bounce Challenge
Exciting news! A live prize draw for this year’s Balance and Bounce Challenge will be held on Monday 1 November. We will film the draw and send it out for your viewing pleasure. A reminder that we have an iPad and two Fitbits to give out along with $50 and $20 Westfield vouchers. There is also a pizza lunch for the class raising the most (per head) and the odd spot prize.
There is still time to be in to win one of our amazing prizes. To be added to the draw, just make a payment of $20 or more ($40 for the iPad draw) to the school account (12-3048-0433992-00), make sure you include your child’s name and room number, and the word ‘sponsor’. Also, don’t forget you can claim a tax refund on any donations over $5. Email Becca (becca@kts.school.nz) with the name and email address of the person your tax receipt should be made out to.
2020 Trophies
Could all students who received a trophy at last year’s prize-giving please return it to the office this week so it can be engraved for the next recipient. The office will be open from 8:30am to 3:15pm for a contactless drop-off. Thank you.
Library Update
Jane is working on all sorts of ideas to continue a focus on reading. We are waiting for the announcement of any return to school plans and will let you know once we know. In the meantime she has done an awesome job sorting the library over the last few weeks and has culled quite a few books. During school hours there will be a box of books that you are welcome to come and take from (please a maximum of 3 per family). Please follow distancing rules if you do want to take the time to walk to the school.
We are very disappointed that the National Lit Quiz, due to take place in Wellington mid-November, has been cancelled. Sarah, Belle, Chloe and Madeleine have spent months reading a vast array of books and practicing their quizzing in preparation for this event. I would like to acknowledge their efforts over the year, the pride we have in them for winning the Auckland competition, and thank Jane sincerely for all her work with the team.
Cornerstone Plaques
As we head towards the end of another school year, some families are preparing to leave the school for the last time. You may want to consider purchasing a cornerstone plaque, which will be placed on the pillars outside the intermediate classrooms. In years to come, they are a great record of your involvement with the school. The order forms can be found on the front page of the website. http://www.kts.school.nz/
Online Learning
The Year 1 team enjoyed Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak as their focus book last week. The children wrote invitations to their favourite toys and we had a WILD RUMPUS PARTY on zoom. We imagined that our rooms grew into a wild forest and we danced around the room with our toys. Then we imagined we got into a boat and sailed back home again. It was a very fun time!
Chess
DAILY CHESS LESSONS HAVE STARTED! Chess lessons will run every weekday from 4 to 5pm. Lessons will be delivered by NZ Chess Champion, Paul Macdonald. The lesson will be followed by an opportunity for your child to play two tournament games.
Chess lessons will be delivered online via Zoom application starting from 18th October.
REGISTRATION FEE We have reduced the fee to help make it easier for families to take part.
The fee will be $20/week regardless of how many sessions you attend.
HOW LONG WILL THE CLASSES RUN FOR? The classes will run as long as Auckland is lockdown. We will review whether the classes will continue after lock-down later.
ALREADY PAID FOR A TERM 4 COACHING CLASS? If you have already paid for a term 4 coaching class, these classes will be complimentary until onsite classes resume.
SIGN UP TODAY for the next week (25 - 29 October)
REGISTERING FOR FUTURE WEEKS We will provide a new link each week so you can register for future weeks. You can find the links to register weeks in advance on our events page.
Instructions how to join an online lesson:
1. Please make sure that you are registered for this class as this is a new event.
To register for a class - just click on this link for the session you wish to attend and click "Enter Event Now".
2. Please make sure your child is signed in to Tornelo before the start of the online session
(Here is the guide for event registration in Tornelo). The Zoom link will be provided at the end of the registration process.
3. Please make sure that your child clicks "Check-In" at the start of the online session.
If you don't check in - your kid won't get a game.
Looking forward to seeing your child at the online session! – Maxim, Chess Power
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