Week 3, Term 2
Tauranga Primary School Pānui 2022
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Tumuaki Pānui | Principal's Newsletter
Tēnā koutou katoa
Ngā mihi nui, kia koutou katoa - Warm greetings to you all.
We all really enjoyed the school cross-country on Tuesday. It was wonderful to see so many whānau attending and supporting our learners. We understand that running is not everyone's favourite thing to do, however, we were so impressed to hear the students encouraging other runners and everyone giving it a go and trying their best to run the whole way. These are dispositions that we strongly encourage with our learners as the TPS Way of doing things. A special THANK YOU to the TGC and TBC prefects, our year 6 Sports Leaders and Mr Medley and Jo Taele for your extra contributions and for making the event such a success. Congratulations to all our placegetters. The top seven place getters from years 4, 5 and 6 will now be invited to compete in the South Cluster cross country at Waipuna Park on the 31st of May. Scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter to see photos of the placegetters in each year group.
This week is Bully Free Week. We are supporting the Mental Health Foundation's Pink Shirt day on Friday. Pink Shirt Day originated in Canada in 2007 after a couple of students stood up for their friend who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. They responded by distributing pink shirts to all their classmates to wear the next day – but word got out and hundreds of students turned up in pink to support their anti-bullying movement.
Bullying is not okay. We know that bullying can severely impact children’s confidence, self-esteem, mental health, and well-being. The more we identify bullying and take action against it, the better the outcomes for our kids. At TPS we work to empower our learners to be kind and inclusive friends, as well as develop the skills and strategies to act if they feel threatened or unsafe. However, we can not see and hear everything that goes on at school. If you have a concern for your child and feel that they require additional support to navigate a difficult situation or that some unsafe behaviours need addressing, please talk with your child's teacher so that we can follow up.
On the 31st of May, 6:00-7:00 pm, we are hosting a Parent Information Evening about the new Relationships and Sexuality Education curriculum that we will be teaching at TPS.
Learning about relationships and sexuality is part of The New Zealand Curriculum and is one aspect of health education (within Health and Physical Education). Children and young people learn about themselves and develop knowledge and skills about acting in positive and respectful ways with others. Many aspects of this addition to the health curriculum are what we have always taught in years 1-6, however, there are new areas that will now be covered, such as puberty, consent, gender and sexual identity.
What will my child learn?
The kinds of things your child will learn will be appropriate for their age or stage of development. What children learn at each level is guided by The New Zealand Curriculum.
In primary school children learn about:
- the human body and its growth and development
- friendships
- different kinds of families
- consent in a range of relevant contexts (eg, at the doctor, in the playground, online)
- respect for themselves, each other, and people who are different from them.
In the later years of primary school they will also learn about:
- puberty
- body development and image
- human reproduction
- different types of relationships
- risks and issues that can arise online and when using social media.
Parents are invited to come along to this information evening and find out more regarding the content and delivery of relationships and sexuality education at Tauranga Primary School. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback during the evening.
From Thursday the 2nd of June there will be a weekly Thursday Night Food Truck Market 5.30-8:00 pm on the main school field - find out more information here: foodee.co.nz. It's a great opportunity to pick up dinner on a winter night and a lovely venue for a picnic dinner in summer.
TPS Covid Update for Term 2
- Eight positive Covid cases at Tauranga Primary School (students and staff)
- Attendance Rate 87%
We have RAT tests available to distribute to our school community. If your child is sent home unwell, we can provide a box of five tests for the family. If you would like a free RAT test box please enquire at the office.
Nau mai haere mai, welcome to our newest learners Georgia Arnesen, Harmony & Kelwyn Mrkusich and Ahmed Bessayah. It is wonderful to have you and your family join our TPS team.
Children playing on the playgrounds after school
We welcome our school families to use our facilities to play after hours and in the weekends. If children are young, we expect parents to be with them, supervising and tending to their needs. If local children are returning to school to play independently with friends there are a few rules:
- older children are to go home after school and change out of school uniforms. This helps to avoid confusion with the Schools Out programme and also it indicates that the children are now in the care of their parents.
- children are not to interfere with or join in with the Schools Out programme. They must play away from this area.
- there are no staff members supervising children after school hours. Any children who return to the school grounds are in their parents' care. We recommend that they have a mobile phone so that they can contact you if they need assistance.
Lastly, I would like to thank Energy Services for their very generous assistance in replacing our external speaker system (this was stolen earlier in the year). We greatly appreciate your support of Tauranga Primary School.
He waka eke noa
We are all in this together
Ngā mihi maioha
Fiona Hawes
Pink Shirt Day (Stop Bullying)- 20th May
"Pink Shirt Day" Friday 20th May. Students can choose to wear pink to show their support. If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, we will collect gold coins at the gate as students enter in the morning.
Relationships and Sexuality Education
Friends of the School - FOTS
The FOTS met this week to reestablish this group after a long COVID hiatus. This term we are aiming for a Pizza Friday on the last day of term, the 8th of July. In addition, we hope to hold the school disco towards the end of term 3. We have agreed to next meet on the 28th of June at 6:00 pm, so please join us in the school staffroom if you would like to help.
School Lunches Required
There are occasions that a child may need lunch provided whilst at school. We currently have a list of school parents who are able to provide additional lunches for children. These requests could be for one or two lunches a week for a term, or maybe one lunch for three days, to help a school family through a challenging time.
Providing lunches is always very much appreciated by the families concerned and the school. Your contribution is provided anonymously through the school office.
If there are any parents who would like to add their names to the list please contact
admin@tauranga.school.nz or dp@tauranga.school.nz
Equally, if you are experiencing some challenges providing lunches for your children, please let us know. We are here to help. Talk with your child's teacher or email us.
Absences
If your child is absent from school for any reason please contact the office by phone, text or email to let them know. If we do not hear from you, our staff are required to contact you to ensure that your child's absence is accounted for. Following up on un-notified absences can take up a lot of time for office staff.
Phone 578 622, txt 027 418 7182 or email admin@tauranga.school.nz
Please include the child's name, class or hub and reason for absence.
Breakfast Club reopens in Term 2
At 8.30am every day we have a breakfast club, in the technology kitchen on the senior site that providing Weetbix for any TPS children who wish to have breakfast. Senior student leaders help out and collect up any junior students who wish to come across the road each morning at 8.30am. The Breakfast Club is run by volunteer TPS parents and the food is provided by Fonterra and Weetbix.
The children who attend love the chat with each other and the parent volunteers, it is a lovely way to start the school day. If your morning is a little crazy trying to get out the door, keep this in mind as a breakfast option.
Board of Trustees - election year
TPS Board of Trustees (BOT)
This year is a Board of Trustees election year with elections being held in September. Some of our current board will not be standing for election as their children will be leaving or have now left TPS. If becoming involved in the governance of your child(ren)'s school is of interest to you, please talk with me or Aaron Moores (board chair) Aaron.Moores@craigsip.com. We are happy to talk through what the role involves. You are welcome to attend a BOT meeting- please contact principal@tauranga.school.nz if you wish to do so.
Some broad information can also be found here.
On the 21st of June, the current BOT will host a Meet and Greet opportunity 6:00pm-7:00pm, where you can hear from current members about their experience as a BOT member and ask any questions you may have.
Term 2:
20th May - Pink Shirt Day
31st May - Relationships and Sexuality Education - Parent Information session (more information to follow)
3rd June - Teacher Only Day- school closed
6th June - Queen's birthday holiday- school closed
13th - 17th June - Foodbank Appeal week
14th June - Structured Literacy Parents Information Evening, school hall, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
21st June - 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm staffroom, BOT - parent Meet and Greet for parents interested in learning more about becoming a Board of Trustees member. Hear from current BOT members about their experience
21st June - BOT meeting 7:00 pm - 8.30 pm
23rd June - Matariki breakfast, 7:30 am - 8:30 am
24th June - Matariki holiday - school closed
27th - 28th June - Huria Marae visits, 9:00 am- 1:00 pm (more information to follow)
28th June - FOTS meeting 6:00 pm school staffroom
8th July - FOTS - Pizza Friday
8th July - Term 2 finishes
25th July - Term 3 begins
School Banking
First Credit Union - School Banking Days will now be Tuesdays. Please make sure you put your bank book and money into the letterbox in the student's entry foyer.
Community Notices
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2022 TPS Cross Country
Contacts:
Principal
Fiona Hawes
Deputy Principal
Cathy Ediker
Assistant Principal
Robyn Caley
Junior Team Leader
Pam Wilkins
Middle Team Leader
Jason Morgan
Senior Team Leader
Jo Howard
International Student enquiries
Cathy Ediker
Business Manager
Susan O'Neill
Enrolment Officer
Barbara Turley