Week 8- 14 June 2023
Principal's Message
Kia ora Koutou
Welcome to Logan, Florence, Ella,Diya,Yuvika and Ruby who have all joined Northland school in the last few weeks.
We are delighted to let everyone know Emma McElrea will be taking parental leave part way through term 3, we are currently advertising for a teacher for the duration of Emma’s leave. We welcome Grace Cornejo to our staff, she will be teaching in Ruru iti with Judith and Eleanor at the beginning of Term 3. We are farewelling Roslyn McMahon next week after four years of supporting many students as a Teacher Aide. Thank you for your contribution to Northland school.
Our school swimming sports last Tuesday were very successful, we have 43 students representing us at the Western Zone Swimming next week at Kilbirnie Pool. Thank you to Rachel for the smooth running of this event and the parent helpers who assisted.
Congratulations to all 15 students who competed in the Interzone cross country at MacAlister park yesterday. Joe, Honesty, Bodhi, Hendrik, Aidan, Ezra, Colwell, Holly, Isobel, Oliver, Ruben, Johannes, Alice, Toby, and Eli. The next stage of Regional Cross Country will be represented by Aidan, Holly, Ruben, Oliver and Alice. Well done
Teachers are currently completing mid year snapshots of learning and these will be made available in the last week of this term. Please also note the dates for Parent/ Teacher learning conversations will be held early in Term 3 on Tuesday 25th July and Thursday 27th July. We will provide you with the booking code for these next week.
In response to community feedback we have been working on selecting a school app that we can develop over time to bring all our school related information in one place. We have chosen HERO as our new school app. Hero allows schools to customise an online environment that enables teachers and families to view and share learning content anytime, anywhere on any device.
The software is secure, and easy to use and brings together all school-related information in one place. Please go to the HERO section and read the details provided.
We are nearing the end of the second term with two busy weeks ahead. We will not be having Team hui’s in the last week as usual. Teams are planning to have these in the second week of term 3.
Next week our Year 5 and 6 students will be at Forest Lakes camp and the following week we will celebrate Matariki on Tuesday 27 June between 5.30pm and 7.00pm.
We are fortunate to have the Wellington Astronomical Society return with telescopes for stargazing. As part of the celebrations our Kapa Haka will perform at 5.30pm and the choir will perform at 6.00pm in Te Kōhanga. We hope you are able to join us.
If you would like to come and chat or have questions or concerns please get in touch with any of the senior leadership team, Andrea, Jane and Judith.
Ngā mihi nui
Andrea
Hero - Reporting Information for Parents
We are delighted to launch our new reporting system, using Hero. An online sharing platform with a complementary smart app. Last term, our office administrator asked you to set up access to Hero for accessing financial invoices and this term we are launching our new student reporting system through the same app Hero.
Hero allows schools to customise an online environment that enables teachers and families to view and share learning content anytime, anywhere on any device. The software is secure, and easy to use and brings together all school-related information in one place.
This term Snapshots of Learning combined with curriculum achievement information for reading, writing and maths will be available to be accessed via Hero on Tuesday 27th June. The Snapshot of Learning will no longer be emailed to you.
With Hero, you will have the ability to:
- read posts relating to your child’s learning
- view information on your child’s progress
- customise your account by adding a profile image
- select how you wish to receive notifications
We encourage you to set up your account now so you are ready for when Snapshots will be posted on Tuesday 27th June. If you have already set up an account please check that you can still access your account.
For information about Hero including how to set up your account and how to log in and view Snapshots of Learning please open the attachments below.
If you need support with logging on please contact Jane Batchelor at janeb@northland.school.nz or Julia Truesdale at office@northland.school.nz
PB4L Positive Behaviour For Learning
At Northland School we are implementing Positive Behaviour for Learning School Wide (PB4L-SW) to enhance our positive and caring learning environment. We believe positive behaviours can be taught. Children need to be taught how to behave just like they are taught how to read and write. Some children require extra time and practice to behave in the way we would expect them to, here at Northland School.
- We will develop with the community clear expectations for positive behaviour, ways to affirm our expectations and clear guidelines for consequences that are consistent.
- We expect all staff, students, parents and whanau to model positive behaviours for these expectations to be successful.
- We will develop clear expectations and understanding of steps to use in restorative practices to find solutions that will build stronger partnership and ownership for everyone at Northland.
It’s not about changing the students; it’s about changing the environment, systems, and practices you have in place to support them to make positive behaviour choices.
You can find out more about PB4L here https://pb4l.tki.org.nz/PB4L-School-Wide
Matariki
Tuesday 27 June 2023 5.30pm -Another great evening of star gazing and fun events and activites to be enjoyed by all, please join us for a Matariki celebration suitable for the whole whānau.
Student Rep Activity
Pride month is upon us!
This month’s individuality and self-expression is important and so we are celebrating by having a colour day! On Friday the 30th of June students can dress up all in one colour to create a beautiful unifying rainbow across our school. We hope to see wacky outfits, positive vibes and a whole lot of personality. Please don’t buy anything new for this day, we guarantee every child has something to wear and a place in our rainbow.
Communication
We will continue to develop our communication about events, more specific details of the programmes in teams and the celebration of our children in their learning. We are making a few changes to the way you receive information.
School Newsletter -School newsletters are emailed on a Wednesday by 4pm every fortnight on an even week. This will be sent as a link that you will need to open. The newsletter will also be uploaded to the website.
School Memo -A brief memo of events or important details that occur in between newsletters will be emailed to you on the alternative Wednesday by 4pm every fortnight on the odd week.
Event Calendar Update -Each Friday you will receive an email with Calendar events for the following weeks.
School Website - Please refer to this many details such as latest news, staff, calendar, school policies. The banner is checked and changed daily. https://www.northland.school.nz/
Seesaw - All families have been invited to join Seesaw by your child’s teacher. Seesaw is used across the school for sharing learning by the teacher and by children as they learn to post. At times you may also receive a quick message from the teacher eg, please remember togs tomorrow.
Absence, Appointments, Change of afterschool plan - If your child is sick or has an appointment please send an email to the school office, or the absence line.
Absence
If your child is sick or has an appointment please contact the school OFFICE and the class teacher. You can email or phone the office directly or go through the website absent form. Ph 04 475 7596 office@northland.school.nz
BSC - Before School Care
Bridget Hall runs the Before School Care. The cost from 7:30-8:30 is $10 or from 8-8:30, the cost is $5. We are fortunate to be able to continue to provide this for you to make your mornings run well.
Wellbeing - Sleep
Wellbeing - Positive Parent School TV Platform
https://northland.nz.schooltv.me/newsletter/sleep
Children these days seem to be going to bed later and later. Distractions such as TV, computer games, internet, texting friends and social media are all having a negative impact on a child’s sleep time. Sleep is vital to a child’s wellbeing. When children sleep well, they are more settled, happier and ready for school the next day. Sleep also strengthens their immune systems, supports overall development and their ability to function properly on a daily basis. Children who do not get enough sleep show increased levels of aggressive behaviour, are less attentive and are much less active. Trying to catch up on sleep on weekends is not the answer and can still lead to severe sleep deprivation. Recent studies have shown than many children, especially teenagers, are missing out on vital REM sleep, which is particularly important for memory and learning.
SchoolDocs - Policies
SchoolDocs provides us with a comprehensive core set of policies, which have been well researched and follow the Ministry of Education National Administration Guidelines. The policies and procedures are tailored to our school, and the school supplies specific information such as our charter, and procedures for behaviour management, reporting to parents, etc.
We invite you to visit the site at https://northland.schooldocs.co.nz (note that there's no "www."). Our username is "northland" and password "orangikaupapa"
Our Value Active - HikoHiko
Our quality is Integrity
Integrity is standing up for what you think is right, living by your highest values. It is being honest and sincere with others and yourself. You are integrous when your words and actions match. You don’t fool yourself into doing what you know is wrong. You fill your life and your mind with things that help you to live a good life.
Term Dates
Term 2 Wednesday 26 April - Friday 30 June
Term 3 Monday 17 July - Friday 22 September Term 4 Monday 9 October - Friday 15 December
Community Notices
Please check out the Community Notices in the attached document - lots of exciting opportunities for students and families to enjoy. These are also displayed on the New Notice Board in the school office, come in out check it out !