Week 3- 2 August 2023

Principal's Message

Kia ora Koutou

Thank you for attending the learning conversations last week. It was great to meet with parents during these evenings, we hope you found them valuable. If you would like to provide any feedback please email me.

Next Friday 11 August at 2:30pm we will welcome our new families with a pōwhiri. You are all welcome to attend. 

Attending the opening of FIFA last Thursday was a highlight. We were very fortunate to see traditional waka entering the whairepo lagoon as 300 students from primary and secondary schools sang to call the waka under the bridge as part of the pōwhiri. Our students sang with pride and represented Northland very well.

This term really is one where we celebrate the arts, diversity and culture. Tomorrow we have fifty students in our Kapa Haka performing with the nine schools in our Kāhui Ako community of schools at our Whakanui Ahurea - Kāhui Ako Cultural Festival 2023,  held at Wellington College.

Many of our students are now rehearsing for Artsplash choir and Dancesplash. We have a very talented group of dancers and choreographers from team Kāka who have spent hours creating a dance for year 5-8 students to learn and then perform in the week of 11- 15th September. 

Te Ahi Ora 

We are delighted to have Te Ahi Ora work with our students on August 21 and August 22nd to boost self confidence and participate in a physically challenging creative activity.  Te Ahi Ora provides an exciting community activity: Fire and Flow. This art form is unique and something different that we would like our community to experience. It is described by Te Ahi Ora as half performing art, half extreme sport and an avenue to support wellbeing. 

During the day each class will be taught non-fire lessons to then enable them to take part in a late afternoon performance. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X5342G1ATy4xySVWCaK4xMh0A-NiZVDq/view?usp=sharing

In  the evening there will be a display of skill from the children and parents, siblings will also be invited to take part. Refer to more details in the Te Ahi Ora section. 

If you need support with logging on please contact Jane Batchelor at janeb@northland.school.nz or Julia Truesdale at office@northland.school.nz

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

Te Ahi Ora

Kia ora, Parents of Northland School

We are delighted to announce that Te Ahi Ora has expanded to Wellington. We provide fire performance lessons to schools, along with complimentary fire performances and lessons in the evenings for your community.

Fire Performance is an emerging community activity that is gaining popularity nationwide. This exhilarating practice stimulates the mind, energizes the body, and promises an immense amount of enjoyment.

Given the challenging times experienced by schools, students, and families in recent years, our objective is to reignite the enthusiasm for learning and foster a sense of community in an entertaining and captivating environment.

Te Ahi Ora has 5 goals:

• Encourage students to participate in physically challenging and satisfying activities
• Boost self-confidence, encourage experimentation and foster creativity
• Provide opportunities for personal growth and development
• Build a sense of community through shared celebration and performance
• Counter the negative effects of excessive screen time and digital addiction

We will be working with Northland School on August 21st & 22nd, teaching non-fire lessons to students during the school day. On each evening, we will be performing and teaching with fire on the school field, Northland Park,  from 4:30 - 6:30 pm - working with students taught on the respective day. This is a crucial component of the program during which students put into practice the skills they have acquired throughout the day, using real fire. 

Although Fire Performance might initially appear dangerous, it is important to note that when proper safety procedures and protocols are followed, it is just as safe as any modern sport and, in some cases, even safer. We take pride in our rigorous health and safety systems, which have contributed to our outstanding safety record.

We require parents to ensure a few things to contribute to the safety of the evening:

1. Please do not wear loose clothing, or clothing made from synthetic fabrics. No onesies, tutus, dresses, wigs, skirts, etc. Cotton and denim are fantastic. If you or your child are dressed in dangerous clothing, you will not be allowed to perform with fire. Clothing may accumulate small amounts of black soot, so don't wear brand new or dear clothing.
2. If your child has long/fluffy hair, please bring a hair tie or beanie/hat.
3. We recommend bringing foldout camping chairs and water bottles, and in winter, blankets & jackets. 
4. You are welcome to take photos and videos, if you post them on Instagram, Facebook, or Tiktok, please follow and tag us @te.ahi.ora

After we work with your community, we will send out a Participant Survey through the school, to be filled out by parents and students. Participants that complete the survey will go into the draw to win $150.

At the end of the survey there will be an option to upload pictures or videos. The best piece of media uploaded will win $150. We are often far too busy to get good videos or photos, so very much appreciate your assistance.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to get in touch directly.

Thanks for taking the time to read this letter, we look forward to meeting you soon.

Mauri ora,

Hero - Have you Signed Up

Have you signed up to Hero.    Please find below PDF instructions on how to sign up.  

If you have changed contact details, emergency contact information, phone/email or address please let the office staff know.  We need to make sure you are all receiving the correct information from the office and staff.  This includes  SeeSaw   Hero   Email   Newsletter.   

This is vital information in an Emergency.   

H&S School Disco Friday 4 August

Glow in the Dark School Disco On Friday 4 August and the theme is Glow in the Dark. Thanks to Cameron Maceachen of Handy Rentals (and Northland School parent) the tickets for this year's disco are free! We still need you to order a ticket so we know how many students to expect. Junior students need to be supervised by a parent. Please can we have some volunteers to supervise at the senior disco? We also need some adults to help with packing up at the end of the disco. Send us an email if you are available to help homeandschool@northland.school.nz
Get your tickets and permission slip google form - please fill in and submit

Have your dinner before you come, break out your best dance moves. Please bring a named water bottle for the night. Spot prizes, goodie bags, glow in the dark face paint available at no cost. 
Year 1-3 Disco - 6-7pm    Year 4-8 Disco - 7.30-8.30pm

Get your tickets and permission slip google form - please fill in and submit

The form was also sent out via Hero last week.  Which can be accessed at any time.

https://forms.gle/oa2C5SJkv9a8TRKCA

H&S - Eco Store Fundraiser

Home & School have negotiated preferential rates for Northland School families and friends, which will also help us raise funds for literacy resources to support the students learning of structured literacy. We will be offering the top 52 selling products with a discount of 10% or more.  This kicks off today and orders will be taken during the month August. 
Orders can be placed by filling in either the paper hardcopy and drop to the office or the excel sheet and emailing it to homeandschool@northland.school.nz 
Payment details are on the form. 
We feel really fortunate to be able to offer these products to you at a discounted rate. Please share with your family and friends.

Bake Sale - Thursday 10 August

Netsafe Whānau and Community Presentation - Monday 14 August 5.30pm

Northland School will be hosting the Netsafe Education and Schools Team on 14 August. They will be presenting key online safety messages for parents and whānau to provide information and tools to support tamariki in navigating online environments and safely managing the challenges and risks.  This will include:
- Quick starter tips for parents, whānau and young people
- Information to enhance your digital parenting knowledge
- Details about the online risks and challenges your child may face
- Advice about how you can help your child if something goes wrong online.  Please join us for this informative session.

Whānau Hui - Thursday 24 August 5.30pm

We would like to warmly welcome you all to the Whānau Group Hui on Thursday evening 24 August between 5.30pm and 7.00pm. We will be providing kai at 6.00pm.
Please RSVP so that we know who will be able to attend and in order to ensure that we have enough pizza for everyone (email: office@northland.school.nz).
Ngā mihi, Nathalie(Lead Teacher for Te Reo & Tikanga Māori)

School Cultural Day

Me tiro whakamuri, kia anga whakamua - If we want to shape Aotearoa New Zealand’s future, start with our past.

Our community embraces opportunities for working together, values diversity and contributes to make a difference for everyone.  

This year our school Cultural day will be held on Wednesday 20 September. We hope to involve as many families as we can and share as many of the cultures that we have in our school. 

You may like to teach a craft, dance, a tradition that is significant to your culture or family, share stories, make something, teach a particular skill that is important to you. These are suggestions. 

If this is something that you are able to support us with, please complete the Google Form HERE and we will be in touch. If you have any other ideas or would like to speak to someone, please contact the office. 

Thank you for your time and offer to support our tamariki. 

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. 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 sent via Hero to you on the alternative Wednesday by 4pm every fortnight.

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 - Neurodiversity

Wellbeing - Positive Parenting SchoolTV platform- Neurodiversity.

Neurodiversity emphasises the natural variation in how an individual’s brain functions and how they perceive and interact with the world, leading to diverse ways of learning and communicating. While most young people are neurotypical, some exhibit variations in brain development, such as ADHD, autism or dyslexia, making them neurodivergent.

Embracing neurodiversity involves accepting, celebrating, and supporting neurodivergent children and adolescents without attempting to change or treat their differences. Using respectful language, challenging unhelpful attitudes, avoiding assumptions, and actively promoting inclusivity can help embrace neurodiversity effectively.  Acknowledging the unique ways neurodiverse young people do things and then adapting tasks and activities to ensure their full participation will encourage them to develop strategies that feel natural to them. It will help improve their mental health, wellbeing and sense of self. By recognising and nurturing their strengths, parents and caregivers can contribute to building an inclusive and compassionate society where all young people can thrive.

Learning more about neurodiversity, equips caregivers with insights into effective communication techniques, educational strategies, and parenting approaches tailored to the specific needs of their neurodivergent child. 

Our Value Curious - Pātaitai

Our quality is Orderliness  -   Orderliness is being neat, and living with a sense of harmony. It is being organised and having a place for things when you need them. Orderliness is planning something so that it works, doing it step by step instead of going in circles. Orderliness is putting first things first, and taking care of things you need to do.

Term Dates

 Term 3     Monday 17 July - Friday 22 September                                                                                                           Term 4     Monday 9 October - Friday 15 December       TOD  24 November    Curriculum Refresh

Community Notices

Check out our  New Notice Board in the school office, come in out check it out !