Waikari School Newsletter

Developing Confident, Curious & Respectful Kids

Email: principal@waikari.school.nz
Website: https://waikari.school.nz
Location: 23 Princes Street, Waikari, New Zealand
Phone: (03)314 4250

Kia ora e te whānau,

Wow - what fun we have had recently at Waikari School. Heading into Christchurch to go skating was a lot of fun and was great to see all the students helping one another and taking risks. It was a real highlight for me to see the older children stepping up and supporting the younger ones. Tu Meke - awesome work!

A big welcome to Charalotte Andrews who has started in Weka Class this week - it was great to see you showing your PRIDE Values already out on the Ice Skating rink! We are very happy to have you join the Waikari School whānau.

One of the things I really enjoy about this new role is when students knock on my door to share their learning with me. I thoroughly enjoy celebrating students' success and awarding them with a special 'principal award' sticker. Last Week members from the Weka Class invited me to complete a scavenger hunt around the school, to find out where their favourite places in the school are. It was a great opportunity for me to get up out of the office chair and interact with the students.

Thanks to all of those whānau members who have offered to transport students over the past few weeks, as we have had many school trips this term. It is really great to know that we consistently have your support to make these things happen.

Ngā Mihi Nui,

Phoebe Todd

Principal | Tuamuki

Waikari School

It was a fantastic whole school trip to Alpine Ice yesterday. The children really used our PRIDE values to support each other and persevere. There was lots of fun, a few falls (perhaps a couple of bumps and bruises), but mostly there was smiles.

Thank you to our parents who came along and provided transport and assistance at the skating rink - we couldn't do it without you!

Also, a huge thank you to the F.A.S.T team for funding this opportunity - we really appreciate your support.

When: Wednesday 13th September

Where: Scargill Domain

Who: Whole School

Leaving School: 9.30 am - returning by 2.30-3.00 pm (parents who provide transport for their own children are welcome to leave straight from the domain without returning to school - be sure to tell your child's teacher). Parents are welcome to come along to watch this fun sports day at Scargill Domain

Bring: Lunch, Drink Bottle, Something warm to wear (coat), and sensible sports shoes.

Transport: School Van – plus parents' vehicles (please let us know if you can provide transport to and from Scargill Domain - we still need more)

If you are going to order lunch please get your order in to the school office no later than tomorrow!

Pet day is just around the corner in week 10 on Wednesday 20th September. If you haven't done so already, get your entry in as soon as possible.

Have you started your Pet Profile Photo Competition?

Pet Profile Photo Competition - Take a (funny) photo of your pet and create a Pet Profile which includes: (Don't forget to put your name on the back of it)

• Pets name

• The Breed

• Interesting Facts

• How you take care of it

Pet Day is always so exciting here at Waikari School so we are looking forward to meeting all of your furry/feathered/hairy/woolley friends.

Waikari School tamariki and kaimahi would like to say a huge thank you to Lisa Barton for the BIG bag of amazing books donated to our school library. These will really be a fantastic addition - especially the David Walliams section.

The Keas have completed their 'Small Towns of NZ' research visual/oral presentation and

Wow, what a journey they have had in the last few weeks....literally.

Between them, they have covered the whole of New Zealand looking at small towns and gathering information. This information was first written in report form and then translated into a Google slide show with audio to relay their marketing pitch. There was some major problem-solving going on at every phase and the Keas rose to the challenge.

Here are a couple of excellent examples.

Please note that to view these you will need to use your child's Waikari School Gmail Account. Log in to your child's account to view these examples and your own child's. They are fantastic.

Prestation on Twizel Written and presented by Lotti

Presentation on Waitangi Written and presented by Zara

Look who came for a visit (Miss Todd was puppy sitting). Dotty loved being in the Weka class listening to the reading. She decided that Odin's book looked very interesting.

With Pet Day coming up, the Wekas have been practicing their creative writing (narrative) about animals. Take a look at these wonderful examples below:

Emily's fun descriptive writing based around the story 'The mixed up Chameleon'.

Aiden wrote about a chicken on a bulldozer, and Emily R wrote about a kitten in a car. You will be thoroughly entertained with these creative pieces.

Chicken on a Bulldozer

Once a clucky chicken found an old ragged bulldozer at the deer farm. The bulldozer

had spider webs all over it. The chicken was a bantam. It had fluffy feet. The chicken

flapped onto the bulldozer. She pressed a dinky yellow button. The road making

machine started to rumble. She pushed the throttle and it started to move. She hollered

“AHHHHH!” “I have to stop this crazy thing!” she crowed. She eventually calmed down.

Cherry the chicken worked out how to use the funny machine and she went and picked

up Baby Deer. Baby Deer’s actual name was Pouncer. He hated spiders and was not

impressed! He thought that spiders were very, very poisonous. They kept on going and

found Mama Deer. Mama Deer had a long white tail. She hopped on and they rode until

they eyed Papa Deer. Papa Deer had weighty antlers. “Be careful with those things!”

said Mama Deer and Baby Deer. They were all squished on one narrow bulldozer. The

chicken said “Yahoo!” Cherry the chicken dropped off the three deer. Then Cherry the

chicken left the bulldozer where she had found it. She went home and laid a couple of

eggs.

By Aiden

Kitten in a Car

One dark cold night at a quiet seaside village, there lived a sneaky furry kitten. The cute

kitten was named Mittens. She was dark black and had white paws. She had bright blue

eyes. Mittens glanced around and found a sparkly blue Tesla car. She leaped into the

warm car. Mittens sat on the comfy gray seat. She drove past dog. “Hello dog” she said.

That's dangerous, thought dog. The shiny car drove past Terty the Turtle. “Good night

Terty” said Mittens. That is so silly, thought Terty. Mittens saw frog and waved. A cat in a

car, that is weird, thought frog. She drove past Cow. “Hi cow” said Mittens. That looks

fun, thought Cow. Dog, Terty, Frog and Cow curiously watched Mittens drive the electric

car. They saw a heap of other colourful cars parked nearby. They all jumped into the

shiny cars and drove up hills, through rivers and around corners. It became morning so

Mittens, Cow, Frog, Dog and Terty went into their warm comfy beds for a good rest after

their adventure.

By Emily R

The Keas had a great time down at the Waikari Hall last Wednesday having a go at indoor bowls. It is trickier than it looks. Some excellent PRIDE values shown, especially in Perseverance.

In fact we had so much fun we are doing it again today with the whole school.

At a recent Staff Meeting, our teachers met to review our staff PB4L practices and our behaviour data. We are continuing to reach out to the MOE (Ministry of Education) for support and advice in this space. Throughout this discussion, we raised a few points and have put some new initiatives in place.

• Attached is our school Behaviour Flow Chart and Major and Minor Behaviour Definition. This is how we manage behaviour at Waikari School. Last week we shared this with the students - allowing them to discuss the different behaviours and whether they thought they were minor or major. This provided some very interesting discussions.
• After tracking behaviour incidents we have identified that most of these begin with Unkind words or name-calling. As a result, we are continuing our focus on Kind Words and Kind Tone. In the Kea Class students are receiving points for their use of Kind Words - and those who consistently demonstrate these will receive a reward.
• Our School Integrity Jar is almost full - Skyla and Peppa have decided what the reward for a full jar will be - Fish and Chips for lunch and a fun afternoon where the teachers run clubs - these include sports, art, lego and construction. This will occur on the 21st September (last Thursday of term).

If you have any questions regarding our school PB4L practices and our behaviour expectations please feel free to discuss them with Phoebe.

Whole School PB4L activity - we are really getting good at this!

Congratulations to this fortnights certificate winners, Milly, James and Bridie for demonstrating Excellence in the classroom and Rīwiri, Breanna and Tom for using kind words and reacting to the size of the problem.

We are continuing our focus on Integrity - with this weeks focus on ensuring we 'Tell the Truth and Own our Mistakes'. In Flocktime we discussed the importance of owning up to our mistakes and that if we don't own up - it makes our problem a lot BIGGER.

We discussed the following steps to solving a problem when we muck up:

M - Muck Up

O - Own Up

F - Fix it

M - Move On.

Kea Class have been working alongside Sue McIntosh (RTLB) and she has set them a Random Acts of Kindness Challenge.

Let Miss Todd know what your act of kindness has been, and you will receive a reward.

Absences

• If your child is not going to be at school please contact the school before 9:00am.

Scholastic Book Club

Issue 6 of the Scholastic Book Club has been sent home this week.

Orders can be made online at: https://mybookclub.scholastic.co.nz/Parent/Login.aspx

Remember if you order via your child's class - they will receive points to purchase class/library books.

School Bank Account

• Automatic payments are also welcome (weekly & fortnightly) and our Student Management system can also handle Payments in Advance.

School App

• Reminder to check Skoolloop regularly so see any updates from the teachers and the office.

Office Hours

• School office will be manned by Caryn from 9-9:30 and 1:30-3:00

Break Times

• 10:45-11:10 Morning Tea
• 12:45-1:20 Lunch

We do have Board of Trustees elections coming up in November - information regarding this will go out soon. If you are interested in being on the School B.OT. and want to see what it is all about - feel free to attend the next Board Meeting on Wednesday 13th September at 6pm in the Staffroom. We welcome people to attend these meetings and see what being a Board Member involves. Attached is also the B.O.T Code of Conduct - which also gives you an indication of the responsibilities.

• Waikari School uses SchoolDocs to maintain a comprehensive, up-to-date set of policies and procedures online. These policies and procedures follow guidelines and legislation and best practice, and have been tailored for our school.
• Policies being reviewed this term are:

Inclusive Education,

Māori Educational Success,

Learning Support,

Learning Support Coordination,

Identify Learning Support

Gifted Learners.

• You can use the SchoolDocs website to participate in a review. https://waikari.schooldocs.co.nz/Logon.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f

Username: waikari

Password: pride

• To do this follow the instructions, we as a B.O.T really value your feedback.

• Wednesday 13th September - KiwiSport Visit
• Wednesday 20th September - Pet Day & End of Term Assembly
• Friday 22nd September - End of Term 3
• Monday 9th October - Start of Term 4
• 16th - 19th October - Kea Class Camp
• Thursday 2nd November - Transition to High School Afternoon
• Monday 6th November - Hurunui Athletics
• Thursday 16th November - Teacher Only Day
• Thursday 14th December - End of Year Prizegiving

Check out some of these upcoming events in the Hurunui District. Click on the image to enlargen it.