Our students have been working hard in all of the curriculum areas, with some great work going on in English through the student inquiry model. "Do all heroes wear capes?" is the overarching question. Students are broadening their knowledge and understanding of the skills that a range of heroes have along with the difference between 'super heroes' and 'everyday heroes'. We are looking forward to their continued next steps as this theme moves into Term 3.

Our attendance rates at school have been dropping with an average of 70% of our students attending each day. There is a concern that we have 10% of our students who have been recorded as truant due to no explanations being provided for their absence. It is very important that we are aware of why your child is absent from school as our attendance information is provided to the Ministry of Education each term with comparisons made with similar schools across the country.

I would like to thank parents, caregivers and whānau who do respond to texts sent out or who make contact with the school, this is much appreciated. Attendance and lateness have a big impact on the learning outcomes of our students. Both students and teachers are continuously working hard to try and catch students up on work that they have missed out on due to being absent as well as those who arrive late into the classroom.

Our building work is going along well with some big changes happening in the administration and hall area. The re-pitching of the roof is looking great along with the addition of an office space for the Principal and Deputy Principal to free up a space for our Whānau Hui room.

Due to the building work continuing through the holidays, the hall will be out of action for the remainder of the term. This means that we will need to cancel our Term 2 Trophy Night as well as postpone our Open Evening until next term. Thank you for your understanding.

We have a number of students who are consuming energy drinks and fizzy drinks on their way to school. Students are also bringing to school chewing gum and sharing it with others, this is a daily challenge that we were facing. We need your support to remind your child that chewing gum does not meet our school expectations. Unfortunately, our students are disposing of their used chewing gum in the wrong places, such as on our classroom carpets and under our tables and chairs.

If you are interested in being part of the School Board or want to know what it involves then please feel free to contact our Presiding Member - Greg Ellis through the following email: board@bayintermediate.school.nz

More information will come out soon.

• BOT Meeting - Monday 20th June 2022 6.00 p.m.
  
• Students First Aid Training - 21st - 23rd June 2022
• Matariki National Celebration - Friday 24th June (No School)

TBI Kahurangi - 12.00 on Court 9

TBI Kowhai - 2.00 p.m. on Court 3

We are starting our second Technology classes soon and are looking for more cotton material that would be suitable for making pyjama shorts. We are looking for non-stretchy cotton material with any design or theme. If you have any unused top bed-sheets at home taking up space, or have a stash of material that you no longer need, please send it to the school office.

Thank you to the whānau who have donated some material for our students to use.

Parent/caregiver’s experiences of managing children’s school refusal

Do you have trouble with your child attending school?

Kia ora,

My name is Alison Koeck, and I am a student studying in the Master of Educational Psychology programme at Te Herenga Waka- Victoria University of Wellington. I am conducting research on parent/caregiver’s experiences of student school refusal.

School refusal (school avoidance) is when children or teenagers become extremely upset and emotionally or physically distressed at the idea of going to school. They often miss some or all of the school day and this is a reoccurring issue. It is different from ‘wagging’ and truancy and is often related to worry or anxiety-related issues about going to school. While not uncommon, school refusal is a complex issue, that can begin gradually or happen suddenly and can affect the whole family/whānau.

I would like to interview you if you have a child or teenager (8-15 years of age):

• who becomes extremely upset, distressed, anxious or even physically ill when faced with the idea of going to school;

• has refused to go to school and has regularly missed attending school or had prolonged or reoccurring absences from school;

• and you have tried to support or encourage them to attend or re-engage.

The information and findings from this research will help us to better understand:

• What happens when students refuse to go to school

• What strategies parents use to help with their children’s transition back to school

• What strategies work and don’t work and why.

• What support parents/caregivers receive or need to help them get their children back to school

The findings will be used in a final research report but may also be used to help improve resources for, education and training for parents, and professional development for teachers and educational psychologists who are supporting children/students and their families/whānau.

If you are interested in taking part in this study and being interviewed or have any questions, please contact:

Researcher Supervisor

Alison Koeck Dr Chris Bowden

Student Lecturer

School of Education School of Education

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington

koeckalis@myvuw.ac.nz Phone: 04 463 5175

chris.bowden@vuw.ac.nz

Human Ethics Committee Information

This project has been approved by the Victoria University of Wellington Human Ethics Committee [HEC approval number 30269]. If you have any concerns about the ethical conduct of the research you may contact the Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington HEC Convenor, Associate Professor Rhonda Shaw, by emailing hec@vuw.ac.nz.