Newsletter #18
Port Ahuriri School 16 September 2022
Dear Parents & Caregivers
Tēnā koutou te hunga pānui o tō tātou hāpori. Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa
It’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori week and it’s hard to believe that this has been happening for 50 years this year. The children will be involved in some extra over and above activities this week, but we have had a policy for a while now of trying to normalise te reo in our everyday work and conversations as much as we are able to individually. As a staff we are all at different stages in our te reo journey but there is an ever-increasing use across our kura.
We have had a couple of lolly and drink issues pop up lately. Please can I remind you that it goes without saying that lollies should not be distributed at school – including lollypops for birthdays which seem to have become popular of late. As far as drinks go, we are ok with fruit juice, however anything fizzy or energy related is a no-go area. Due to the excessive amounts of caffeine and empty energy in some fizzy and energy drinks they can be quite harmful for children.
Monday 26th September is the official Queen Elizabeth II memorial holiday and school will be closed. We have yet to have it confirmed but I believe we will have to make the days learning up at the end of the year. I will keep you posted on what is happening with that.
Covid 19 Update
We are now in the green zone as far as mask wearing and mandates are concerned, and masks are no longer strongly recommended in school settings. However, should any child or adult wish to continue to wear a mask while on site we will continue to support them and provide masks for anyone who requires one.
Should you catch covid or a person in your household the household contacts regulations have now changed.
- Household contacts, including those who have not had COVID-19 in the past 90 days, do not need to isolate for seven days.
- Household contacts are recommended to test daily for five days from when the case in their household tests positive and wear a mask when they are out. If they subsequently test positive, they will be considered a ‘case’ and be required to complete seven days of isolation.
- Household contacts who have COVID-19 symptoms should stay home regardless of the result of their rapid antigen test (RAT).
- People with COVID-19 must continue to self-isolate for seven days.
Staff Farewells
Over the next two weeks we farewell two really important staff members. Amy Blakeman is leaving us on Thursday 15th to return to Australia. We wish her and her new baby Summer all the very best and there will be a lot of children and parents who will miss her greatly. Amy had a very caring and ‘can do’ attitude to children and teaching and learning.
Gavin Smith is leaving us on Friday 23rd. Gavin is familiar to a wide range of people across our community and will be missed again for his ‘can do’ attitude and the multitude of different roles he played in our school over the years. We wish Gavin all the very best in his new position. I’ll be in a position to introduce his replacement to you in the next newsletter.
Production
Finally, it’s super exciting to be around school at the moment as the children are really pumped over production. I saw the dress rehearsal today from beginning to end and you are in for a treat next week. So much cuteness going on, it’s overwhelming.
The organisation for next week is:
Tuesday 20th
Drop off and pick up from the Municipal Theatre (not school)
- Please drop your child off at the Municipal Theatre between 8.40am-9.00am at the side stage door (next to the two-storey car park).
- Glenn and Sonya will be at the door to sign your child in.
- The children will need morning tea, a drink bottle and a packed lunch please.
- Please pick them up at the end of the day from the same place
Poipoi and siblings 2.50pm, Piki and siblings 2.55pm, Aoraki 3.00pm.
- If your child is attending Afcare on this day, staff will transport them to and from the Municipal Theatre. This should already be arranged with your child’s teacher.
Evening: First Performance
- Please drop your child off at 5.30pm at the side stage door of the Municipal Theatre.
- Makeup and hair already done (boys and girls).
- Clothes that are easy to change in and out of eg. shorts, t-shirt, jandals, no socks etc.
- At the end of the show (approx 7.30pm) wait in the audience and Glenn will explain how to pick up your child.
Wednesday 21st
This is a normal school day. Please drop your child off and pick them up from school as per usual. If your child is tired from a late night and sleeping in, please let the office know.
Evening: Second Performance
- Please drop your child off at 5.30pm at the side stage door of the Municipal Theatre.
- Makeup and hair already done (boys and girls).
- Clothes that are easy to change in and out of eg. shorts, t-shirt, jandals, no socks etc.
- At the end of the show please wait in the audience and Glenn will let you know how you can collect your child
The show run time is approximately 1 ½ hours and will finish just after 7.30pm
May her majesty Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace. Please remember Monday 26th is our Memorial Day to her memory.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Koina ngā kōrero mo tēnei wā
Kia pai ō koutou wiki
Nāku nā
Glenn
Important Dates this Term
20 & 21 September - School Production
26 September - Public Holiday
30 September - Last Day of Term 3
School Production
Don't forget to purchase your tickets before they sell out! Link below.
Absentees
Please also let the office know if your child turns up late to school, or if you pick them up early.
Many thanks.
School Board Election Results
Parent representative votes:
I hereby declare the following duly elected:
Nichola Nicholson
Jess Bennett
Paul Banister
Staff representative votes:
I hereby declare Jody Ferrick duly elected:
Sonya Fenn
Returning Officer
New Enrolment
Message from Lunchonline
Following is the protocol Schools and Families should follow if something is amiss with the lunches because refunds will not be given without the lunch being checked by a staff member.
Children: Go to the office as soon as they notice a problem and advise the office staff. Parents please ensure your children are aware of this, as we don’t do refunds without the lunch being checked by one of the School staff.
School: If the food item is not located, office staff please ring the lunch provider whom will decide whether to replace or refund, phone number is on the name label attached to the lunch. Can you ensure all office staff and the Teachers are aware of this please.
Provider: Deliver any missed lunches to the school immediately, or contact Lunchonline to do a refund.
This way the problem can be fixed right there and then.
Term 4 Sports
Kia Ora Whānau,
There are heaps of options available for sport in Term 4. Please keep an eye out on our sports page on the school website for updates. Click on the link below to see what is currently available. Please read carefully as some sports are on the same day and may overlap.
https://www.portahuriri.school.nz/137/pages/25-term-four-sports
Any questions please email Louise Taotahi on louise@portahuriri.school.nz
Ahuriri After School - Job Vacancy
Programme Supervisor - 30+ hours per week
Please see Anna Ward at Afcare or email your interest to aasckids@xtra.co.nz
Returning to School Following Illness
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the guidance for returning to schools following vomiting or diarrhoea has not changed. If a child is free of those symptoms for 48 hours, they can attend school again. We have updated the winter wellness guidance for parents, caregivers and whānau to reflect the following points:
- If a child has been unwell with a respiratory illness other than COVID-19, they can return to school 24 hours after they have significantly improved and are behaving/eating normally.
- Following vomiting or diarrhoea, a child should be symptom free for 48 hours before they can return.
- If they still have a runny nose or dry cough without any other symptoms such as a fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, then they are unlikely to be infectious and can be considered well enough to attend school.
To read our winter wellness advice go to:
Winter wellness guide for tamariki [DOCX, 22.0 KB]
Spring Collective Event
When: September 17th 2022 / 11am – 4:00pm
Where: The inner field to the Athletics track - Mitre 10 Park
To host the Spring Collective event that involves cultural groups performing on stage, food stalls, bouncy castles, information stalls and face painting. A great chance to host an inclusive event to kick off the summer season. It is also a great opportunity to come down to get a free health check provided by Health Hawke’s Bay.
Purpose: To promote the understanding of social, cultural, mental and physical needs that everyone has. It’s a chance to bring the community together, after the effects of covid, to help network and connect in a fun and vibrant environment.
Cultural events help to develop the skills of cooperation and communication. The benefits of the Spring Collective event include building social cohesion, providing a socially acceptable area and creating a sense of place for everyone involved. It also provides the community to establish social networks.
Aim: We are wanting to make this a free event for the community so that families can come and have fun while watching some entertainment with different cultural groups within Hawke’s Bay. The event is designed to bring laughter and fun to the community after the ups and downs we have had throughout the life of covid. We emphasise the enjoyable aspect to keep everyone in good spirits with their peers.
Involvement: The below are who we are wanting to engage with to help create a fantastic atmosphere:
- The Madd Fun Company – Bouncy Castles, staging and lighting
- Food stalls – 3 food, 1 ice cream
- Information stalls – i.e. Environment Centre, Big brothers Big sisters, Health HB
- Face Painter
- Multicultural society – groups to perform on stage
Please join our Facebook page via the link below:
Contact Us
Email: admin@portahuriri.school.nz
Website: https://www.portahuriri.school.nz/1/pages/1-welcome
Phone: +646 835 7988