13 March 2024 Week 7
Principal's Message
Kia ora Koutou
This week we welcome new and returning families to Northland school, Liam & Louie W and Ayman, Abubokor, Mohamed and Maida A.
We are very impressed with how the students have followed all of our drills lately for earthquake, fire, evacuation and a lockdown. We appreciate the conversations that have also occurred at home to reiterate the importance of drills so we are aware if we have an unexpected scenario. The feedback from staff, students and parents who have been on sight while drills have taken place, is informing our review of procedures.
Team Kākā are at Kaitoke camp for the week and have a full week of activities. Last night they enjoyed a blind trial in the dark, and the excitement of being in cabins with friends. We look forward to everyone returning on Friday with a greater appreciation for the outdoors and the comforts of home.
Over the last week all our teams have enjoyed a celebration for Northland Champ’s as marble jars have been filled. Activities have included genius hour extended, baking and sharing food, popcorn and movie, and extended sport challenges. Thank you to the parents who came and helped with baking last Friday in Tieke/ Kōtare, your help was greatly appreciated.
Next Friday we are celebrating together with lunch at the park. Our playground tokens and marbles continue to fill our containers,showing we are all working hard demonstrating expected behaviour when we learn and play.
Teachers are posting examples of work, photos and we would like you to either comment or like the post. Some are generic and others are specific to your child. See Hero section below.
On our website we have a students in action section, currently this shows Ranginui and Papatūānuku the pūrākau we are sharing in teams. https://www.northland.school.nz/our-students/purakau/
The NZEI have informed members there are paid union meetings taking place between 18th March and 5th April. We are selecting meetings that staff will have the opportunity to attend and there will be minimal impact to our programmes.
We are reminding you of our Teacher only day on Thursday 28th March, the day before Good Friday. Staff will be involved in professional development with our Kāhui Ako which includes seven primary schools and Wellington Girls College and Wellington College. Thank you for making other arrangements for your children on this day as the school will be closed. After Easter we resume on Wednesday 3rd April.
On Friday 5th April from 5-6pm parents are warmly invited to join the staff and Julia at the Shepherds Arms on Tinakori Road to acknowledge the work she has done for Northland School. We are planning our farewell hui for Julia on Friday 12th April at 2:15pm. This will be in Te Kōhanga for all parents past and present. 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.
Ngā mihi nui
Andrea
Whānau Hui
Whānau Hui Tuesday 26 March from 5pm to 6pm.
Kia ora, Talofa, Bula, Mālō e lelei...
We would like to warmly welcome you to the Term 1 Whānau Hui gathering on Tuesday 26 March from 5pm to 6pm in the school library.
We would like to share our Māori and Pasifika cultural practices and activities and talk through our Tiriti policies (please email me if you would like a copy of this). Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
We will be sharing kai (pizza and ice cream). Please RSVP so we can ensure that we are suitably catered for the meeting.
Ngā mihi,
Nathalie Lecaude
nathaliel@northland.school.nz
Learning Conversations Book on HERO
Learning Conversations are planned for Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th April from 3:15- 8pm. These are 15 minutes for teachers and parents to discuss progress and goals. To book an appointment time please go to the HERO app and select School Bookings. This is the first time we are using this function.
Please go to the website https://www.northland.school.nz/news-events/general-news/ for a step by step guide on how to book a learning conversation.
Sharing Learning - HERO
During the last few weeks we hope you have noticed the sharing of learning on HERO. These posts are to provide you with an opportunity to connect and see a glimpse of learning in the day as many of noted in your feedback you would like to have regular updates. We are all learning how to share posts with you as this is another new function for staff to get used too.
Teachers are posting examples of work, photos and we would like you to either comment or like the post. Some are generic and others are specific to your child. Here is an example from Ruru.
Movin March
Movin March’ is in full swing and we have 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.
Student Rep
Crazy Shoes, Silly Sock Day
The Student reps first fun activity is asking all students to participate in wearing silly socks or crazy shoes for fun next Friday, 22nd March. This could be odd socks, odd shoes, adding something to a shoe or to your socks!!!
We Need Your Help
Can you help us?
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
We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everybody who donated us Tennis Balls and computer mice for use with Minecraft Education and CAD, especially the H&S committee. We now have plenty to use! The students have already started to make good use of these at Leadership/Values Hour this week in Tīeke, Kōtare and Kākā.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou!
Library News
The 2024 HELL Reading Challenge is back! Students receive a stamp on their pizza wheel for each book they read, and once they have read seven books, they can exchange their completed wheel for a free 333 kids’ pizza at HELL Pizza. The pizza wheel is available from the library. This challenge runs for the whole year. There is no limit to the number of pizza wheel each student can complete.
For the younger students who still cannot read nor write, then can come to Erwin to re-tell a story that has been read to them or they can challenge themselves to try and read the book to Erwin. Older students need to write a quick book review about the book they read. Book review forms come with the pizza wheel. Submit it to Erwin and their pizza wheel will be stamped.
Sports News
Weetbix Tri-athalon
Kia ora whanau,
This Sunday (17th March) is the annual Weet-bix Kids TRYathlon held at Kilbirnie park. Northland School will have a gazebo set up where your children are able to store their belongings and gather to support each other. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at alexm@northland.school.nz or visit the Weetbix TRYathlon website for more information.
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 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 / H&S Committee
The Home and School committee (which used to be known as the PTA) is made up of parent volunteers who support Northland School in a variety of ways. Organising catering for special events, fundraising, and providing resources for our school.
Please click on the link below to let us know if you would like to participate or help us in activities
Home and School Helpers Form
Link to our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/
It’s a great way to get involved in your child’s education and the school community.
At Northland School the committee is focusing on two areas that work hand-in-hand: fundraising for extra school requirements and creating events to bring students and their whānau/families together to strengthen our school community.
Join us in creating unforgettable experiences for our students and their families, all while strengthening our school community. It’s about building lasting connections and making memories that will last a lifetime. Get involved and be a part of the magic at Northland School!
Check out the webpage for more information on H&S
Home and School Meetings Next meeting scheduled for 9th April Tuesday due to Easter Break, from 7:30pm-8:30pm in the staffroom. All members of the school community are welcome. To contact the Home and School Committee with any enquiries, please email: homeandschool@
Home & School Pizza Friday
Northland Home & School Committee are thrilled to share the exciting news of our new partnership with Northland Dominos! A huge thank you to Dominos for their generous donation of 10 vouchers, each valued at approximately $30 ( for 2 traditional pizzas and 2 sides), totaling a donation of $300 in voucher form. These vouchers will be a fantastic way to reward and recognize individuals throughout the school community.
But wait, there's more! We are thrilled to announce the launch of Northland Dominos Lunch Orders.
These will be available every fortnight on Fridays for the reminder of term one. For just $6 per pizza order, not only will you enjoy delicious food, but $1 from every order will be donated back to the school. It's truly a gift that keeps on giving! You can order pizza's now for Friday 22 March.
Stay tuned for our upcoming dough fundraiser with Dominos, where on a selected date, $1 from every pizza sold will go directly to the school. Watch this space for more exciting updates and opportunities to support Northland School!
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)
Tuesday 2nd April is an Education Holiday, school reopens on 3 April Wednesday
Term 2 Friday 31 May
Term 3 Friday 30 August
Term 4 Tuesday 29 October