Music Festival Wow! A fabulous audience both nights of the music festival. All seats sold out! The band and massed choir as well as the individual school items were on fire! And the feedback has been amazing! Thanks to you all for your support. To our children who took part thank you for the hours of practice and commitment you showed in preparing for and staging the music festival. Thank you to Wānaka Rotary who sponsored the complete cost of the scaffolded seating the massed choir performed from. I had a ball and I know the children participating did too.
Inclusive Practices Survey Last term we asked our Year 3-6 classes, staff and parents to complete the ICP (Inclusive Practices Survey). We had 91 parents complete this survey. This is an NZCER (NZ Council of Educational Research) survey which we last implemented in 2020. The findings are attached here: Community Survey, Student Survey, Staff Survey, School Review Profile. In summary, our inclusive practices are rating pretty high. Building social relationships for all, featured lower than other aspects, at 79.2%. This is the concept of children always being kind and inclusive to others of different cultures or diversity e.g. citing use of inappropriate language to each other (students' survey). They feel that sometimes adults/teachers do not always listen to them. Our identification of students' strengths and needs, valuing achievements for all, extra-curricular for all, and generally including all learners, rate very highly. Our provision of working with families and whanau, coordinated support and services, and inclusive enrolment practices have improved since the last survey. We believe this is in relationship to the extra support and communication with families our SENCO, Leah, is undertaking with regard to our many new ESOL families. One Day School 2025 The Upper Clutha Primary Schools (Wānaka Primary School, Take Kārara, Holy Family and Hāwea Flat) - Statement regarding the One Day School Programme’s status as from 2025: As from the beginning of 2025, REAP (Rural Education Activities Programme) is no longer managing the STAR One Day School Programme. The One Day School Programme is thus deemed to be a privately managed and funded programme in 2025, and becomes a ‘non-Ministry approved provider’. The Ministry of Education has been involved in discussions leading up to this decision, made by the principals of the above schools. As such a day away from the Upper Clutha Schools, to attend the One Day School Programme, will be coded as an Explained but Unjustified Absence. We will not be promoting the One Day School information within our school newsletters as we are required to ensure that all students are present at our schools everyday the school is open for instruction. This means we cannot support privately provided programmes that take place during the school day. We believe such private groups should operate outside of school hours. Also our teachers will not be referring students, or promoting this programme to parents or within the school community, as this is in conflict with attendance expectations. Wana-Be-A-Star There is lots of excitement as pod trials are happening this week and next week for Wana-Be-A-Star. There are a variety of acts and lots of noise coming from the hall already. The grand finale is happening on Friday 30th August, straight after the Fathers Day Breakfast.
Handwashing and Hygiene Practices We will be promoting washing of hands and personal hygiene over the next few weeks. We are constantly reminding children to wash their hands and flush the loo at all times. We have increased the provision of soaps in the toilet blocks (these seem to disappear on a daily basis) and these will be checked to make sure soap is available at all times of the day. Teachers have spoken to classes about respecting this provision of soap, whether it be liquid or block and to remind children that the toilets are not play spaces. We would appreciate parents reinforcing the loo flushing and hand washing protocols. Sometimes I wonder looking at the state of some of our toilet areas what is happening in our children's own homes! Junior teachers have even gone as far as modelling appropriate hand washing strategies. Remember during Covid, children were encouraged to sing 'Happy Birthday' right through the soaping and washing of hands. It has been suggested that teachers ensure all children go to the toilet at play and lunch but that is unachievable - 100 children per pod shared amongst 6 toilets in 5 mins, work out the maths. Children need to go when they need to go so we are reinforcing hand washing at any time of the day.
Change of Bell Times The bell times for morning break have changed and interval happens now between 10.40 and 11.00am. This means we have 10 extra minutes included into the first block so we can pack more into this time, and our playtime is reduced. We changed these during Covid (when we made lunch times shorter) and have moved the morning interval back to 20 minutes, as it used to be.
First EOTC and Snow Day this Thursday Let's hope the weather is brilliant for our first day of our winter EOTC/Snow programme. Children who are taking part in the school programme will follow the rotation below, so ensure they know which teacher and activity they are going to on Thursday. All school-based children are to head to the hall at the 9.00am bell after putting their school bags in their own pod cloak bay space. Mufti can be worn on these Thursdays in the school-based programme, but please ensure you send along a warm jacket etc as many of the activities will take the children outdoors. PARENTS PLEASE SHUT ALL GATES Please can you make sure you shut school gates behind you between the hours of 9.00am and 2.50pm. Staff make sure they shut these gates as they finish their before school duty and they are opened for the 3.00pm exit. If you notice one of the gates ajar between 9.00am and 2.50pm please shut them to protect our more vulnerable students.
No Phone/Watches to be used at School If your child wears a smart watch to class, please know that these may be collected by teachers before school and handed back at 3.00pm as per the government requirements. I am assured that most smart watches can be locked in school mode by the parent on an app. This could be done too. If in doubt the teacher may ask for the watch to be put in their care. This is a legal requirement of all schools. And it is curious that up to now we have not had any problem, but lately we have had one or two issues and so need to remind parents that smart phones and watches are NOT to be brought into class. If these end up in bags and disappear or are damaged we take no responsibility. All students must communicate with parents via the school office and classroom teacher during the hours of 9.00am and 3.00pm and vice versa please. | 