Newsletter #13
Port Ahuriri School 4 July 2022
Dear Parents & Caregivers
Tēnā koutou te hunga pānui o tō tātou hāpori. Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa
This week is the last week of term and I feel it has snuck up very quickly on us.
Like many places, particularly our colleagues in health, illness – flu type symptoms, generally unwell and Covid – are having a significant impact on children and staff. There is much talk in the media at the moment of illness in schools and we are not alone in this problem.
The Board at their meeting last week considered a parent request to reintroduce a school mandate for mask wearing. There was significant discussion around the value of the Board putting forward a proposal to the parent community to enforce mask wearing. The Board reiterate their position, following public health and Ministry of Education guidance, of recommending not requiring, masks are encouraged but not enforced.
The Board decision is to recommend the wearing of masks if you are uncomfortable with the spread of virus/germs and staff will support any children wearing masks in their classes. Masks are available in all hubs including children’s masks in the Poipoi and Piki spaces. We currently have some children who continue to wear masks as part of their daily interactions inside and with the increase in viral loads in the community, this is something worth considering.
We continue to operate a Orange level settings. This means:
- Face masks are encouraged when inside at school.
- All parents, caregivers, whānau, and other visitors are encouraged to wear face masks on site.
- If you have cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms you should get a test as soon as you start to feel unwell.
- Washing your hands is one of the easiest ways to keep yourself safe. Wash often with soap for 20 seconds. Then dry your hands completely. This kills the virus by bursting its protective bubble. You should wash your hands if you have been in a public place, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
- Avoid touching your face, including your eyes, nose or mouth, if your hands are not clean.
- Using hand sanitiser is also effective at killing germs and viruses. It destroys the protective bubble of the virus. Sanitiser is also effective in reducing the number and type of germs on your hands.
The risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 increases the closer you are to a person and the longer you are close to that person. The risk is highest in crowded and poorly ventilated indoor spaces. It is recommended to open windows to increase fresh air flow inside. You will find the teachers in the hubs are very good at doing this. As well, we have purchase air purifiers for each hub to use in areas that are more difficult to ventilate.
Above all, we urge you to keep your child(ren) at home if they are unwell. We know, as many staff are in the same situation, how difficult this can be juggling work and childcare but keeping them at home both stops further spread and probably allows them to recover quicker, meaning they will be able to return to school sooner.
Hopefully the term break will give us the time to break the cycle and we can look forward to a more consistent attendance in term three.
Koina ngā kōrero mo tēnei wā
Kia pai ō koutou wiki
Nāku nā
Glenn
Important Dates this Term
4 July - Book week
7 July - NO Code Club today. See you next term
8 July - Character Dress Up Day and last day of Term 2
8 July - NO end of term shining star assembly. This will be held in Week 1 of Term 3.
25 July - First day of Term 3
Keeping Ourselves Safe
Schoolwide Curriculum Programme
Weeks 1-2 Term 3
Next term the school is implementing the NZ Police programme ‘Keeping Ourselves Safe’. This is a comprehensive child abuse prevention programme for schools, and it has been designed to:
- teach students a range of safe practices that they can use when interacting with other people, both online and face to face
- teach students how to recognise the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, and encourage students who have been or are being abused to seek help
- prevent abuse by making parents and teachers more aware of their responsibilities to help students avoid abuse.
Keeping Ourselves Safe will be taught by your child’s teacher, with support from the local Police School Community Officer. To be successful, Keeping Ourselves Safe needs your help and support. Your child may have home activities to work on with you. It is important that you participate as much as possible and talk to your child about what they have been learning. This will reinforce the messages the school is giving and help your child to use their new skills with confidence.
The children will learn:
- to work out when their safety is at risk
- how to keep safe when they meet and mix with other people
- who and how to ask for help if they, or someone they know, is being abused
- to go on asking for help until someone does something to stop the abuse
- that it is important to make and follow personal, family and school safety rules.
Most children are abused by someone they know. If you teach them that abuse only happens from people they don’t know, they will not recognise it when it is done by a known and often trusted person. The themes the children encounter in the programme are different for juniors and seniors. Juniors will learn about themselves, appropriate touching and who can help them. The senior’s programme is focused on developing confidence and decision making including cyber-safety and trusted adults. One point to note is that appropriate body part names are used during the delivery of the programme.
The NZ Police have an FAQ page for any further information
Coastal Cluster Netball
P J DAY
Kia ora team,
Just wanted to update you so you could pass on thanks to our Port Ahuriri whanau.
The donations from PJ Day totalled $257 cash, 26 pairs of pjs, 29 pairs of socks, 9 beanies, 2 pairs of gloves and 4 big bags of preloved clothing and footwear that will be used to keep HB tamariki warm this winter.
(Plus 1 big blanket for 1 little boy that Tiari was absolutely stoked about and 1 family friend that was brought to tears by your efforts).
Nga mihi nui, ka mau te wehi whanau!
Devonshire whanau
Donovan Bixley
Writing by Phoebe Woolrich and Zoe van Tonder - Piki Hub
If I was a kite I would fly across the sea and see the fish.
If I was a kite I would fly and fly and touch the clouds.
If I was a kite I would get stuck in a tree and Jiggle and twist my way out.
By Zoe and Phoebe
New Hall
Term 3 Sports
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Contact Us
Email: admin@portahuriri.school.nz
Website: https://www.portahuriri.school.nz/1/pages/1-welcome
Phone: +646 835 7988