The year certainly does seem to be flying by! Term three really was a great term and our health and safety focus enabled some fantastic learning. We look forward to beginning our spring term with Lamb and Calf Day. Our Integrated topic this term will be 'Safety and Us'.
We welcome back the Vickers family and especially Atlas their new baby.
Sadly we have had to farewell Logan and Hayley. As with all past students, we look forward to hearing about all of their future successes! We would like to thank Kate and Neil for their support and help over the years, especially in relation to art and our recent hockey training!
Special thanks to Christine Lowe for all her work inside the school and outside on the school grounds during the holidays, its good coming back to a great looking school.
School Times
After trialling school times last term, School times from Monday to Friday for term 4 will remain as follows:-
Class time from 9 - 10.30, break from 10.30 - 11.00. Class time 11.00 - 12.30, lunch 12.30 - 1.15. Class time 1.15 - 2.00, break 2.00 - 2.15. Class time 2.15 - 3.00.
(Please note that every Friday school finishes at 3.00p.m this term).
School Roll
We have started term 4 with a roll of 26 students, 14 in the senior room, 12 in the junior room.
Labour Weekend
School will close at 3.00p.m this Friday (the 19th) and reopen on Tuesday the 23rd at 9.00a.m. We hope you all enjoy the long weekend.
Up and coming...
Lamb and Calf Day - Thursday 1st November
This day consists of two parts : Indoor section in the morning and Outdoor section in the afternoon. All the Indoor section work will have been completed prior to the day but will be judged that morning and the Outdoor section judging will commence at 1.00p.m. This will be followed by prize giving and afternoon tea for which we ask parents to supply a plate of goodies for please.
Students will be completing their creative inside learning tasks on the afternoon before Lamb and Calf day this year.
Before the holidays students planned and voted on these tasks. They are ...
- A decorated bike / tricycle / scooter
Students will need to provide their own vehicle to decorate. They may choose to bring their own decorations or use what is available at school.
- A miniature scene with a safety focus.
These are the only activities that will need to be planned at home but assembled at school the afternoon before Lamb and Calf Day.
- A first aid kit.
A list of the contents for a first aid kit will be in the kit. Students will decide where their first aide kits would be used and what would be needed in it. They will also personalise the outside of an icecream container to suit the purpose.
If you have spare icecream containers we would really appreciate them!
- Strawberry plants in recycled containers
Could all students please bring their tenderly cared for strawberries back to school in preparation for Lamb and Calf day as soon as possible, as these will be cared for at school until judging day.
We would like to encourage all students to participate on this day by bringing along a lamb or a calf. We suggest that lambs and calves are born on or between 1/07/12 and 25/09/12.
Could all last year cup winners return your cups to school all polished up before this year's Lamb and Calf Day please.
You will need to have your lamb or calf at school well before 1.00pm which is when judging will start. Lambs are judged on Leading, Calling, and Rearing. Calves are judged on Leading, Walking without a lead and Care and Attention. We will also have fun events while points are being added up, for best dressed lamb and calf and a drinking competition if you would like to bring 200mls for your lamb and 2 litres for your calf.
Please do not wash your lamb, just give it a light brush regularly. You may wash your calf, but make sure you do this on a warm day, rinse all soap out of its coat and rub it dry with a towel. Practice leading your pet every day so that it becomes used to walking beside you rather than you pulling it along, regularly check that its collar isn't too tight and don't forget to take it off when your pet gets bigger.
The Native area will also be judged on the day in 2 sections - care and attention and landscape design. Please remember that only natural materials are to be included in this area, e.g no tin, plastic, C.D's.
This day also provides a great opportunity for the school to celebrate success, by showcasing student work. We use Lamb and Calf Day as a meaningful opportunity to present work from many areas of the curriculum, in a variety of formats.
We welcome families, friends, neighbours and relations to the school for this day. All visitors are welcome to come along anytime from 12noon.
Please see the front page of our wikispace for more details.
Tennis
Kurt will be beginning tennis lessons today for those who have opted into this enrichment opportunity. These will continue each Monday for five weeks. The cost will be divided between participants.Weedbuster Group
On the 25th of October our Weedbuster Group will be visiting our bush block with Mrs Minaar, to plan weedbusting and seed gathering. The group is made up of the second oldest in each Whanau group. Your child will let you know if they are involved in this.
Electives
As we prepare for lamb and Calf Day the students will be using electives time for this.
Lunches – Bon Apiti
This term we will
be having healthy lunches every Monday and Wednesday. The Bon Apiti committee is currently organising
the menu which will commence next Wednesday the 24th.
Oroua Social - 2nd November
Waituna West Students are organising an Oroua Social this year, for all ages. It would be great to see our students making the most of the opportunity to get together in a social setting with students from our cluster. Car pooling always works well for these events. Carly has offered her house as a meeting place for any parents waiting to bring students back!
Te Manawa
We have been asked by Te Manawa Museum to put a display in their museum. Students will be finalising this this week and it should be available for viewing next week!
Swimming
The dates for our in-depth swimming programme this year are as follows ... November 2, 9, 16, 23, 27.
As discussed at our recent Home / School Collaboration Meeting, we will be at school until morning tea, for literacy and numeracy and then at 11am head into the Makino pool for our first lesson at 12.30. Lessons will follow the 'Learn to Swim' Programme. The top groups will have a swim safety focus for their final lesson. If you are able to help with transport it would be appreciated. Please let Christine know ASAP which dates you are able to help with.
Targa Rally
This event is on Friday 26th October. The Pohangina Valley East Road will be closed from 8am until 12.30. As part of our safety focus and student fundraising we are helping with the Targa Rally. Thanks to Jock for organising this and manning a road. Thanks also to Jan Holdaway and Wendy B. for manning their roads. We still need a volunteer to be with the students at the end of Pohangina Valley East Road where it meets Oroua Valley Road. Also we will need students, and would appreciate some adults to drive students around on Thursday (the 25th) after school, to tie up the 84 gates along the road. Please contact Mary if you can help.
Wednesday Athletics
I am starting up athletics after school on Wednesday 3-4pm to train for Athletics sports coming up. I need a couple of parents each week who are willing to help with rotations please. It will start this Wednesday 17th. If it is raining, the athletics will be cancelled. - Jo Beard.
An email to the school at the end of last term
ASSA - This year we would like to invite all families to come down for a shared lunch before the pet section of Lamb and Calf Day starts - 12:00. Please bring a salad/ vege and a sweet to share. The school will provide sausages. We would also like to run a grocery raffle on pet day, so could each family please provide 3 items to contribute to this raffle. Drop items into the school staff room. Just any non-perishable item from your pantry. - Jo.
An email to the school at the end of last term
Hi Mary and Nicki,
Looking at the kids having fun playing at school the other day. I thought what a great life they have, its amazing how we take for granted what we have.
Apiti is an amazing school and it is sad that some people can’t see that.
What a fun place to learn. The kids are learning without even realising it half the time.
I wish I had this kind of education growing up. I think making learning fun is the most powerful way to motivate a child.
Thanks for all the good work.
Cheers, Ben.
Happy Birthday to the following students, we hope you have a great day!
Johnny - 21st October! Lacey - 27th October!
Well that's it for the first newsletter of term 4, will see you again in a fortnight.
Regards, Mary, Nicki, Pat, Mary B and Chris.Happy Birthday to the following students, we hope you have a great day!
Johnny - 21st October! Lacey - 27th October!
Well that's it for the first newsletter of term 4, will see you again in a fortnight.
'Until recently, education has had it backwards, caring little for the teacher... and enormously about the content. Yet it is a gifted teacher who can infect a generation with the excitement of learning.'
- Aquarian Conspiracy.
