28 February 2024 Week 5
Principal's Message
Kia ora Koutou
We have had twenty days at school and there is plenty of learning happening in all our spaces. The structured literacy routines are in place, books are clearly set out, spelling rules and patterns are evident in writing and children can see a difference in their handwriting since the start of the year. Visiting classrooms and hearing children share ideas and focused on their learning is exciting.
We are very proud to have had Julia Truesdale as a long standing member of our staff. Julia first started as a Teacher Aide at Northland in 1995 and two years later was appointed to the office administrator role. Julia has remained serving the school in many ways since then and has kept the administration, enrolments, finance and pastoral care of both students and staff running seamlessly. Julia has decided it is time to dedicate her time to family and travel. We are very happy for her and her new adventures, even though she will be sorely missed in many ways, her last day will be 12 April end of term 1. Twenty nine years is a significant contribution to the Northland community through the school, netball, brownies, fundraising, camps, support for individuals, and amazing catering for staff and school events.
We are planning to acknowledge Julia’s contribution in a variety of ways. If you would like to contribute towards a gift from the school or send a message of thanks please contact Ann in the office, ann@northland.school.nz. We will have a farewell hui for Julia on Friday 12th April at 2:15pm. This will be in Te Kōhanga for all parents past and present.
We had our first board meeting last week, we have attached the Board update for you below. The board is seeking feedback on the play spaces at Northland School. With stage one of our amazing new playground having been completed for over a year now, we are keen to get feedback before embarking on stage two. All the fundraising that has been raised over the last few years has been invested waiting for the building works to be completed. Now we are ready to hear from you so we can add to our learning environment. Thanks Rhiannon for leading this project. A survey will be sent on HERO community post shortly.
Team Kākā are preparing for camp Kaitoke in two weeks time. This is an exciting opportunity for all students to explore new activities and challenge themselves. Thank you to the parents who are attending to make camp possible and the staff who are working hard to organise everything that goes into school camp.
The student representative team is an important student leadership group at Northland school. Year 7 and 8 students are invited to write a letter expressing how they would promote Northland CHAMPs, and contribute views and ideas that would increase our positive school culture. A few quotes from some of the letters.
“I will strive to protect the environment and work hard to get some Minecraft clubs going.”
“I would love to be a student rep because I want to give back to the school that has helped and supported me for 8 years.”
“ There are, in my mind, so many possibilities for our school..”
“I wish to demonstrate the school values and help others to show we are all Northland CHAMPs”.
“ I have not participated in this before but saw our Reps for 2023 and the noticeable difference that they made for Northland school and realized I really want to be a part of that”
I am delighted that the following students will be our 2024 Student Reps;
Haaim, Eleanor, Alisa, Matilda, Nate, Evie, Pippa, Harriet, Ella, Maryam, Millie, Maya, Reuben,Elisabeth, Cerys, Ziva, and Alice.
Finally, you may have noticed new CCTV signage around the school grounds. This is so that everyone is aware we do have CCTV cameras active at all times. We would appreciate if you are walking through the school grounds after hours and notice any damage please email the school office or leave a message on the school phone. Last weekend we had no broken bottles, damage to bins or graffiti, we hope the signs are a deterrent and people are aware. We want our space to be enjoyed and looked after by our community at all times.
Ngā mihi nui
Andrea
Parent Donation 2024
We understand that some parents may not have received this through the HERO App, we have included a copy here for you.
Movin March
Movin March’ begins this Friday and we are looking forward to students walking, biking or scootering to and from school. Thank you to parents who bring bikes onto the school grounds and park these away from the school gate. Please continue to park your bike along the fence by the deck opposite Ruru, particularly during the next few weeks when we know we will have more bikes and scooters parked down by the main court.
We Need Your Help
Can you help us?
Bike Rack
Do you have a bike rack we can have - we have so many fantastic riders coming to school now we need more bike storage racks.
Gardening:
Last year we made an excellent start in planting around the school to improve our environment, with generous donations of soil, mulch, compost, plants and time! So firstly, thank you!
However, over the holidays the weeds have set in! We have a very keen group of students ready to fix this, however we are lacking in gardening equipment.
We are looking for any donations of:
- Hand forks
- Trowels
- Handheld weeding tools
- Larger garden forks
Computer Mice:
Do you have any old wired computer mice lying around at home or at the office? We would love to take them off your hands to help with our Minecraft education programme.
We are looking for really basic usb plug and play wired mice. We are happy to take them apart and give them a clean, so don’t worry about dust or grime!
If you can help us with either gardening tools or computer mice, please either email Lyndsey lyndseyb@northland.school.nz or bring them down to Kākā 7.
Thank you! And keep your eyes out for gardening project updates and how you can get involved!
Tennis balls:
We are on the search for tennis balls. If you have access to any used tennis balls and are willing to donate these to the school, we would be very grateful. Thank you Angela Scholten Team Ruru.
Library News
More Zac Power books have been added to the library's collection. Come and have a read!!
Sports News
Weetbix Tri-athalon
I have created a Weetbix Tryatholon school group, so please make sure to sign your student up through our school group. The tryatholon is on Sunday the 17th of March 2024. It's an engaging and fun event for kids of all ages. More information can be found here: https://tryathlon.co.nz/locations/wellington/
email rachelp@northland.school.nz
Western Zone and School Sports Days
Western Zone sports day are usually held on a Tuesday with the Thursday of the same week being the postponement day. Information is sent home separately for each of these events, with updates on HERO or the school website.
WZ Cricket 5 March
WZ Football 9 April
School Cross Country 14 May
WZ Cross Country 28 May
WZ Netball 13 August
WZ Hockey 3 September
School Athletics Day 23 October (Wednesday)
WZ Athletics 1 November (Friday)
Northland School Netball
Northland School Netball Club 2024– registrations now open!
We are excited to announce registrations for the 2024 Northland School Netball season are now open!
We had a bumper 2023 season and hope to welcome new and existing players for another great year playing netball on the courts at Cardinal McKeefrey School starting Saturday 4 May.
Northland School Netball Club is a parent-led club focused on supporting our tamariki to develop their skills in a fun and welcoming team sport environment. We have a dedicated committee and a supportive group of parents who believe any age, ability and stage is a good time to take up this fabulous sport.
Visit Northland School Netball Club for further information about the club, netball season and a link to the registration form. Registrations close 22 March 2024.
If you have any questions and/or are interested in joining our committee we’d love to hear from you - email us at northlandschoolnetball@
Home & School
Hoodies T'Shirts Hats
We can take orders all year round. In addition to this there will be 3 special discount weeks next year. The last week of Term 1, 2 and 3 will offer a 10% discounted ordering week and free shipping directly to school.
https://www.theoutfitters.nz/collections/northland-school-uniform?ls=MI69jVtWRpu2rkXtxr7f7g
Northland School doesn’t have a school uniform, so purchasing these items is completely optional. For those of you with children participating in sporting events, you can choose to purchase your own school sports shirt or borrow one from the office.
We've registered with The Fundraising Shop - We're excited to let you know we've registered our school with www.
If you have any questions please contact homeandschool@
School Calendar
https://www.northland.school.nz/events/month/
This is the link to the school calendar that is on our school website under News & Events. If you select the calendar and then select List, it provides a list of monthly events, which is updated weekly.
Term Dates
2024 Dates
Term 1 Wednesday 31 January-Friday 12 April
Term 2 Monday 29 April - Friday 5 July
Term 3 Monday 22 July - Friday 27 Sept
Term 4 Monday 14 October - Wednesday 18 Dec
Our teacher only days are
Term 1 Thursday 28 March (Easter Break Friday 29 March to Tuesday 2 April)
Term 2 Friday 31 May
Term 3 Friday 30 August
Term 4 Tuesday 29 October
Community Notices
KELLY SPORTS TERM 1 – BACK TO SCHOOL SPORTS!!
Kelly Sports is back for Term 1 with our fun and exciting classes!. Kelly Sports encourages children to have fun, build confidence and to give sport a go. We believe that sport and physical activity has so much to offer young people; it improves fitness, develops communication skills, team work and gives them a place to channel their energy.
Sessions start on Monday 12 February 2024 and run for 8 weeks.
visit www.kellysports.co.nz email adminwgtn@kellysports.co.nz.