Newsletter No. 16, 23 Sept 2022
23 September
Principal's Kōrero
Kia ora rā koe,
And so we come to the last newsletter of Term 3! They say time flies when you're having fun and so we must have been having a HUGE amount of fun over the past 9 weeks as they seem to have whizzed past! It has been wonderful to see some mask-free smiling faces as I have moved around the school. With Spring in the air it very much feels like we have turned a corner and reached a very exciting milestone!
Over the past two weeks we have again been busy with a massive range of activities and events, including; Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori which included a visit from Court Theatre, Waiata assemblies and a special performance from our Kapa Haka, the Te Onepoto Korfball competition, the Choir Music Festival rehearsal, Canterbury Winter Sports competition, Aupaki Rocks and Awaroa camp to Hanmer Springs… all alongside some very exciting inquiry learning experiences! Make sure you have a look at our Sneak Peek below so you can see all that has been happening!
Next week shows no signs of slowing down as we finish the term with Book Week led by our fabulous librarian Yvonne Hall. I hope to see you all at the infamous Book Parade next Friday in the Hall at 9.15am.
Sharing of learning…There has been a huge buzz around school over the last few weeks as teams have put their finishing touches to learning inquiries. This week alone I have seen rockets being launched by Tuawera, robots being programmed by Rapanui and Volcanoes erupting in Te Onepoto! I know there are some very excited children and teachers who are ready to share their learning with you during our open afternoons next week. A reminder that learning spaces will be open during the following times:
1.45 -2.15pm for Tuawera and Awaroa and 2.15 - 2.45pm for Rapanui and Te Onepoto.
Another means of sharing learning is by our reports. Teachers will be sharing an Inquiry Learning comment with you on Thursday next week. These comments can be assessed via Hero. Please contact the Office if you need support logging into Hero to access reports.
Spotlight on looking ahead to 2023… As a school we are now beginning to plan for the 2023 school year. As part of this we will be looking to gain an accurate picture of what class compositions look like for 2023 so that we are able to staff our school appropriately. A reminder that if you have children turning 5 next year who you would like to join our school but have not yet officially enrolled, we would appreciate you completing our online enrolment form. Equally, we appreciate that from time to time families move or parents make different choices about their child’s education, so if you know that your child(ren) will not be returning to us in 2023, we would really appreciate the advanced notice via this quick form. I know it seems early, but this information significantly impacts our staffing, team compositions and the wider school organisation. If you have any questions about this, please contact your child’s teacher or the School Office.
Spotlight on Gratitude… As we head towards the end of the term I think it is timely for a bit of gratitude and some thank you’s! As you can see above, Term 3 has been another busy one! Huge thanks to our school whānau, community members and our dedicated team of staff who work to make our school the best it can be. Thank you to you all for your ongoing support of the school and our staff as we have worked through our Covid protocols.
Another BIG THANK YOU goes to our amazing PTA who are doing their very best to support the school through a tricky year. There are a few events coming up where you can support their amazing efforts. The first of these is our Sumner Spookers event on 29 October, followed shortly afterwards by the hotly anticipated (children's) Halloween School Disco on 4 November. Early next term there will also be the opportunity to purchase Cards and Calendars using your child’s very special art work.
Finally a huge thank you to the staff and students at our school for the flexibility, resilience, hard work and determination that they are throwing at 2022! It’s certainly been a ‘Character building’ year to date, but we are REALLY excited to be able to bring the whole school together for Term 4 and to celebrate the end of the year together.
Have a wonderful long weekend - a reminder that school is closed on Monday for the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day .
Ngā mihi,
Anna Granger
Sunhats in Term 4
Please ensure your child returns to school in Term 4 with a named navy blue bucket or wide brimmed hat in their bag. These are available at The Warehouse, Postie or Mainland Uniforms. Unfortunately students will be required to play or sit in the shade if they forget to bring a sunhat. Your support is appreciated. Thanks.
Book Week - Week 10
It's that time again!
Next week is BOOK WEEK!
This year's theme is Keep Calm and Carry on Reading!
There is a lot of evidence that reading is good for our physical and mental health. It improves our memory, increases our focus and concentration and reduces stress. So that's worth celebrating!
We are gearing up again for an exciting week focusing on the joy and power of reading good books with lots of activities in the classrooms and the library and looking forward to a visit from Ned Barraud, well-known non-fiction children's writer from Wellington.
Book Parade: Friday 30 September
Change of venue: 9:15am in the school hall
Because of the change in the traffic light system we can all be together inside which is great.
The theme is very general this year so students come dressed as any character from a favourite book.
Please do not feel that you have to spend money on an expensive costume. Changing up something from the dress up box is a great way to go or visit the $2 clothing warehouse in Ferrymead. It is not a competition - just a chance for the children to have some fun and use their imaginations and crafting skills!
Grandparents' Day: Thursday 29 September
We are also looking forward to welcoming Rapanui and Tuawera grandparents to school on Thursday 29 September.
9:45 - 10:40am Tuawera readaloud
10:40 - 11:00am Morning tea for all grandparents in Waiora
11:00 - 12:00pm Rapanui readaloud
Book Swap
There will also be a Book Swap on Friday at lunchtime. Students can drop a book off anytime during Book Week and swap it for a book they haven't read on Friday.
Many thanks,
Yvonne Hall
Sumner School librarian
Sumner School Basketball
The Sumner Storm (Years 7&8 Boys) and Sumner Stingrays (Years 5&6 Girls) are two of the school's basketball teams who play in the inter-school competition at Pioneer Stadium. The Stingrays have had a great season and finished up winning their division! This evening at 5.30pm the Storm will be playing in the grand final of their competition against South Eagles. Best of luck to them, congratulations to the Stingrays and a huge thanks to Sheree Cashman and her team for coaching and organising the basketball this year.
Student Disco - Term 4
Kaitiakitangi Update
Ukraine Appeal
Firstly, a big thank you to our Sumner School Community for the Bake for Ukraine appeal. We raised $1,142.80 which was donated to the NZ Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal. The Red Cross were extremely grateful for our support. Thank you.
Planting Days
Did you know that the Sumner Community takes part in planting days? The next one is on
29 October at Mahoe Nui. Check out the Sumner, NZ Environment FB page for more details.
Shoebox Christmas Appeal
Moving forward to next Term, we are taking part in the Shoebox Christmas Appeal. Shoebox Christmas delivers Christmas presents, wrapped in a shoebox, to kids who could do with an extra smile on Christmas Day. They do this by working alongside low decile schools, pre-schools, Women's Refuge, and community organisations. This year we’ve been allocated several children between the ages of 5 -14 to collect for. We will be putting a shoe box in each classroom. If you could donate a small, new gift (not wrapped), labeled for a boy or girl and relevant age that would be appreciated. We will be collecting from Week 1, Term 4 until Friday 4 November.
Kia Ora
Hapori, Ms Todd and Mrs Reid
PTA Parent Evening Fundraiser - last chance to get a ticket
Spookers Evening - last chance for a ticket
Sumner School is trembling with excitement to bring you, Sumner Spookers. An 18+ evening of frightful fun, nervous giggles and unhinged entertainment.
Doors open at 5.30pm for drinks and spooks (pay bar will be open). At 6.30pm the untamed entertainment kicks off. Be on time; your life might just depend on it.
For those wanting to raise their blood pressure a little more, the Sumner Spookers catwalk will be open to all for a "fight to the death" (aka strut your stuff) for top honours as NZ Building Inspectors Ltd "Best Spooker" ($500 cash prize), Best couple/group ($250 cash prize), or Peoples Choice ($250 cash prize).
Finally, thanks to The Standevens - Ray White, lose your inhibitions and let epic Christchurch band, D'sendentz, possess you on the dance floor, until you just can't shake your bones anymore.
In between all of this, Vagabond Chefs will be serving supper and an auction, with prizes worth selling your soul for, will take place.
Only two tables remaining due to some happy Ghosts upgrading to VIP tables. Tickets for these tables will be sold as individual tickets so that everyone has a chance to attend the scariest night Sumner has ever seen. Tickets are $70 each. Please email the address below to organise a ticket.
Email: boo@sumnerspookers.co.nz
Community Dental Message for the Holidays
Priority for Community Dental Service appointments during the school break will be for immediate dental needs at the following clinics:
Woolston Community Dental Clinic, 11 Hopkins Street, Christchurch
Hornby Community Dental Clinic, 2 Hei Hei Road, Christchurch
Timaru Community Dental Clinic, 18 Woollcombe Street, Timaru
To access these appointments, call our Contact Centre on 0800 846 983 noting that priority is given to children with immediate dental needs.
For any dental advice please call the Contact Centre on 0800 846 983 or email commdental@cdhb.healh.nz
Term 3 School Docs Policy Review
In 2022, we will be reviewing the policies related to Health, Safety, and Welfare throughout the year.
In term three, the review focus is on our Student wellbeing and safety and Staff wellbeing and safety policies.
Instructions for reviewers:
1. Visit www.schooldocs.co.nz
2. Search for Sumner School (Username: Sumner, Password: Wakefield).
3. Search for the above policies in the search bar.
4. Read the policy.
5. Check the red Policy Review icon at the right-hand top corner of the page. a new screen will appear.
6. Select your role (Board member, staff member, or parent/caregiver) from the drop-down list.
7. Enter your name (optional).
8. Submit your ratings and comments.
Mana Ake is available to Support families/Whānau
If you would like to meet with one of the Mana Ake team please talk to your child's teacher and they will book in a time for you.
Mana Ake encourage parents to visit https://manaake.health.nz/supporting-your-child/ and the Free Parent Helpline 0800 568 856. This is available from 9am to 9pm Monday to Sunday.
The Mana Ake website has a section on Big Worries - Mana Ake which is particularly relevant with what’s going on in the world currently.
Parents going to this site can be assured of finding up-to-date and quality information on wellbeing and parenting skills. Another useful link for families and parents. https://realparents.org/
Kapa Haka Performance - Week 9
Community Notices
Kelly Sports October Holiday Programmes
Bookings for our upcoming Kelly Sports Holiday Programmes at Hillview Christian School and Hillmorton High School are now available online.
The focus of our Programmes is to ensure kids are active throughout, with a great mixture of games and activities to suit everyone. WINZ Subsidies are available for families that qualify and we have options of Half Day sessions, School Day sessions and Full Day sessions available.
To register and for more information please visit www.kellysports.co.nz or contact Adelma on chch@kellysports.co.nz for more information.
Reward for Scooter
Invert Neochrome Black scooter was taken last Saturday 17 September from the Beach Bar - 3 weeks old.
Any info please report (no names will be taken) to 027 949 4768. REWARD of $50 if returned.