Newsletter

Class Structures 2022: Next week we are finalising our class lists for 2022. These will be shared with you at school interviews. Remember, please chat with me should there be anything that we need to know in relation to this. You can email principal@edendaleps.school.nz. This needs to occur before Friday 12th November especially in relation to composite classrooms.

The structure looks as follows...

• Team Kea: Room One, New Entrants and Year One, Miss McVicar.
• Team Kiwi: Room Two, Year One and Two, Mrs Clarke and Mrs Duffy.
• Team Pukeko: Room Three, Year Two and Three, Mrs Coyle.
• Team Tui: Room Four Year, Three and Four, Miss Mineur.
• Team Kereru: Room Five, Year Four and Five, Miss Nicol.
• Team Kahu: Room Six, Year Six, Miss den Boon.

Where Our Dreams Begin - Youthmark Awards: It was so encouraging to see three past students, in three different high schools, being acknowledged for high achievements through the Youthmark Awards.

• Brianna Ferguson - Menzies College
• Toby Smith - Southland Boys High School
• Kimberley Clearwater - Southland Girls High School

Edendale Primary School - Where Our Dreams Begin

Migrant Worker - Lordgie Batir: Our Community of Learning has now been able, through our combined energies, to employ a Filipino parent to support our Filipino children. Menzies College is taking the lead with this which we are most grateful. Lordgie comes to us each Wednesday. During her time she interacts with children in their classroom, runs a Filipino Club to promote and grow Filipino language, culture and identity. and mixes with the children in the playground. We are thrilled to have her with us.

Events - Second Half of Term Four: Due to COVID uncertainty, we are reviewing nearly all the events that would normally be held at the end of a school term.

We are currently in Covid-19 Alert Level Two, and many of these events require us to be at Level One to be able to operate.

We will make a call on these events next Monday 15th November and then notify you in that newsletter for Friday 19th November in relation to what is cancelled or modified.

Christmas Postie Elf - Week 7 and 8: Children love to send Christmas cards to each other, so the Christmas Postie Elf will visit classrooms each day from Monday 29th November to Friday 10th of December, to deliver Christmas cards. There will be a postbox set up outside the staffroom at the start of each day to collect all the Christmas cards. Last year the Christmas Postie Elf delivered hundreds of cards to the children. It was a lot of fun.

Thank Yous - Team Edendale

• Liz Pask: Liz undertakes a variety of roles in our school and one of these is our payroll. This year, there has been a lot of changes as the system transitions from Novopay through to Edpay. Edpay is a more direct, digital and user-friendly interface. It enables us to do more from our end of the payroll data input process. Liz has taken this in her stride learning a whole new system and how it operates. Thank Liz.

Due Date

Judging will occur at school on Friday 3rd December. We will line them up along the front fence for all to see as they drive past.

Prize Categories

There are five categories for prizes.

• Tallest Golden Crown sunflower
• Tallest Moulin Rouge sunflower
• The tallest combined pair (heights added together)
• The widest flower.
• Best decorated pot/container.

Points to Note

• Height: Measured from the base of the stem to the highest point of the plant.
• Diameter: Measured across the widest portion of the flower, through the centre.
• Named: Plants will need to be appropriately named so we know whose is whose.

TERM FOUR

Please Note: All up and coming events are subject to Covid-19 pandemic alert levels. We are at Alert Level Two at present, with many events needing us to be at Alert Level One to operate.

Week Four (of 8)

• Monday 8th November - Home and School Meeting, 7.30pm, staffroom
• Friday 12th November - Science Roadshow Year 6s

Week Five (of 8)

• Tuesday 16th November - Sports Activator
• Friday 19th November - Senior Swimming Sports

General School Board Meeting - Meeting Report

The School Board met on Tuesday 2nd November. Here is an overview of the meeting...

• Mrs Coyle tabled a Positive Behaviour for Learning report.
• Mrs Coyle tabled a whole school reading achievement report.
• ERO will re-engage with us for 2022 after stepping back due to our involvement with Te Hurihanganui.

• The principal tabled his Compliance Report and Annual Plan Progress Report.
• Financial reports were tabled from Solutions and Services the school's accountant.
• 2021 Health Consultation was presented.
• One staff leaving survey was presented.
• Information around COVID mandatory vaccinations for school staff and school volunteers was tabled from the Public Health Orders, Ministry of Education, New Zealand School Trustees Association and the New Zealand Educational Insititute.
• Meeting minutes from the LMV Kahui Ako Stewardship Group were tabled.
• Meeting minutes from the Edendale Community Pool Society were tabled.
• Information was tabled regarding the change in Principal appraisal to a Professional Growth Cycle from 2022 onwards.
• The 2022 staffing and funding from the MOE was tabled.

• The 2022 draft budget was tabled.
• The 2022 - 2024 draft strategic plan was discussed.
• The 2022 School Board meeting dates were tabled.
• The 2022 School Board election process dates were tabled.
• The 2022 school term dates were tabled.

A big thank you to Mr Jacob Smyth for his insight and guidance to the BOT as they work through a considerable workload at this time of the year coupled with the complexities of the COVID pandemic.

Future Property Projects

• Administration Office: The Principal's office is being shifted to the office resource room adjacent to the reception office and the old Principal's office will become a Learning and Support Coordinators space. This is programmed for the school holidays.
• Boiler: The boiler is set to be replaced before next winter with a new boiler that is not coal-fired.
• Pool Roof and Junior Veranda: The architect has visited and will be drawing up plans for the replacement of the pool and junior veranda cladding. We hope this occurs in the first half of 2022.

Board Elections 2022

Board Elections are 2022 and we will be looking for parents who have strength in strategic thinking, teamwork and analysis of trends and patterns to help build the school of tomorrow. Talk to a BOT member and even come along to a meeting to see how this works in practice.

End of Year Christmas Hamper - Coordinator

The Home and School is looking for a parent volunteer to coordinate the End of Year Concert Christmas hamper fundraiser for this year.

Should you be able to offer your services please contact Louise Duffy (Home and School President) on louisecduffy@hotmail.com.

Next Meeting - Term Four

The Term Four meeting of the Home and School is scheduled for Monday 8th November starting at 7.30pm in the school staffroom.

Alert Level Two - School Requirements

We are at COVID Alert Level Two.

At Edendale Primary School this looks like...

• If children are sick with flu-like symptoms they should remain at home. We would encourage that they get tested to ensure that it is not COVID-19.
• Classrooms are for school personnel.
• Kiss and Hug Drop Off/Pick Up Zones: There is a specified point where parents drop off and pick up their children from.
• Communication should be kept as best as possible to email, app and phone.
• Children require named drink bottles as the fountains are turned off.
• Children on buses are encouraged, but not required to wear masks.
• Children eat their lunch outside their own rooms.
• School fitness is with their class only.
• Interclass mixing is kept to a minimum.
• Celebration Time is not occurring and certificates are presented to each class.
• Events that are publically faced have thresholds of 100. This impacts what we are able to do as a school.

Protocols - Dealing with a Covid Case in our School

When there is a COVID case in our school community we would take advice from the Ministry of Education and Public Health. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the case it is possible that the following could happen.

1. The school would close for three days for cleaning and contact tracing.
2. The school would then most probably close for a further 14 days to restrict the spread of the virus.

We would be grateful for any information should you or your family member contract COVID. We would contact the MOE and take advice from them.

E-School - Being Prepared With a Strong Home Set-Up

We anticipate in the coming months that we will need to reactive our E-School for our students.

• E-School uses Seesaw Class app (which is different from the Seesaw Family which you currently connect through.)
• Your child's teacher will provide you with a QR code to directly link your child to their Seesaw Class activities.
• Activities are provided by the teachers for reading, writing, mathematics and inquiry. They are set for a week.
• Teachers will respond back and forth through the school day supporting the children with their learning.

For E-School to work best a home needs to have...

1. Good WIFI
2. A keyboard device such as a laptop or Chromebook. We have found that using a cell phone is frustrating for children as it is too small.

We would encourage you to invest in a strong home infrastructure so that we can quickly activate E-School at a moment's notice, knowing that all our school community is ready. Check out the Noel Leeming link below for Chromebooks.

Mandatory Vaccination - Includes Volunteer Support As Well

The new Public Health Order has mandated that to be onsite working with children, everyone must be able to demonstrate a full vaccination record.

This directive also applies to "unpaid workers, such as volunteers (including parent volunteers) and any members of the community " (Ministry of Education, Bulletin: 12th October 2021).

The implications are that when we move to Alert Level One, if you would like to be a parent help in class, trip helper when we go away, camp helper etc you will need to demonstrate full vaccination.

From the 16th of November, any adult interacting with children must have had their first dose. From 1st January you must have had your second dose.

We will be required to have proof of vaccination to confirm any parental or volunteer involvement in the school with children. This proof will be copied, stored securely, and entered into a register of parent and volunteer vaccination status. The advice we have been given is if parents are 'offering a service' to the school then we need to request your vaccination status. Please note, that not providing any evidence is seen as not being vaccinated.

Where parents are coming in as an observer/spectator of their children the advice we have recently been given is that the vaccination mandate does not apply. The MOE Bulletin dated 2nd November states "the COVID-19 Required Vaccinations Order covers those who work (paid or unpaid) in the education sector and who will be on-site when children or students are present. The Order doesn’t require parents to be vaccinated where they are on-site for the purposes of 'being a parent' ".

Swimming - Started Up

The children are swimming now and so please look out for information from your child's teacher in regards to when their swimming days are.

Kia Ora e te Whanau,

Term Four is moving fast, with us already reaching the end of Week Three and for the Year Sixes in Team Kereru, their final term at Edendale Primary School.

As always, we are in for another busy term with swimming, reports and interviews.

For DRIVE this term students have been finishing off and presenting, their projects from Term Three, where they were Being Kaitiaki. The children were able to choose their projects and their working partners while looking at things like pest control and native tree identification using QR codes. They were also able to choose how they would present their work, for example, models, videos, and creating books. This has allowed the children to have more student agency, which put them in great stead for their future learning in Year Six.

In Maths we are all excited to reach the end of our current PR1ME book and are currently doing revision where we are showing that we are understanding and retaining everything that we have learned this year. We continue learning and growing in our daily reading and writing programmes.

For Art we were able to complete our native animal masks, that we made using milk bottles and paper mache. We painted them to look like our chosen animal and they turned out looking great.

As mentioned earlier, all the teachers will be busy writing reports this term. We will be having interviews to discuss these in week eight and I hope to see you all there to discuss the great learning your child has done this year.

Enjoy the rest of the term.

Regards,

Miss Kim Nicol (Teacher, Team Kereru)

The aim of our values is to nurture positive, purposeful and meaningful relationships of aroha.

When we come from so many different families our values draw us together as one big school whanau.

Integrity means behave to a high standard of character everywhere we are and is shown through honesty, truthfulness, accuracy, consistent behaviour, selflessness and self-discipline.

At all times and in all places we can show integrity when we

• Are honest and trustworthy.
• Do the right thing even when no-one is looking.
• Make positive choices that we are proud of.

Every time our values are shown they make our school a great place to be for children and adults.

When we use our values on a day by day basis, in the relationships that we have, one with another, in our school, we contribute to making our school a great place for all to come along.

This week the Principal/Tumuaki would like to acknowledge Madden McKelvie for being a strong contributor, living out our school values every day.

This week the MVP in Team Tui for Ponotanga - Integrity is Jack Duffy!

Jack is a kind and caring class member who greets his peers and myself every morning. He is always cheerful, starts up a conversation with you every morning and knows how to brighten anyone’s day. Jack is very caring, always looking out for people who are hurt, or encouraging people that have done well with something.

Jack is trustworthy and honest. I can rely on him to do a job, and I know it will be done properly. He shows honesty by owning up to something that may have gone wrong, this takes courage, and it makes you a very truthful and trustworthy person.

Jack is very polite, always saying "excuse me", instead of interrupting, and always using his manners – please and thank you, whenever he can. Jack holds the door open for teachers and students alike and expects nothing in return, just does it out of kindness.

You are a great role model for integrity Jack, we are lucky to have you in Team Tui.

Keep being awesome!

Caitlyn Abbott is Team Kiwi’s MVP this week for Ponotanga – Integrity.

Caitlyn is a great role-model of integrity as she is a young polite lady who can be trusted to be doing the right thing even when no-one is looking. Caitlyn knows the class routines well and follows all class instructions without a doubt.

Caitlyn has a caring nature who will offer a helping hand to her peers or other adults in the room. Caitlyn gets along with everyone as she plays fairly and treats others how she would want to be treated.

Caitlyn makes the most of her learning opportunities by staying focused, listening and always completing tasks to the best of her ability. Caitlyn takes on any feedback of how to improve her learning with a smile.

Caitlyn, you have fitted into Edendale Primary School fantastically; you are a student who demonstrates all the school values and you’re a delight to teach.

You should be proud of the year you have had in Team Kiwi and at Edendale Primary School.

Keep shining bright superstar!

Beau Pemberton is Team Kahu's MVP this week for Ponotanga - Integrity.

Our quote this week says, “Speak with honesty. Think with sincerity. Act with integrity”.

Beau has consistently proven this year that he is a person of true ponotanga - integrity - and we are very lucky to have him here as a senior student of Edendale Primary School.

Beau is an honest, caring and hard-working Year Six student - he shows respect for all others that he meets, whether they be students, staff or visitors. Beau is a friendly, reliable young man with a fantastic attitude to learning.

Beau always pushes himself to do his best work, no matter the task, and because of this he has had great success with his learning this year. Beau always displays a positive attitude and has developed a strong sense of self.

All of us in Team Kahu know that we can trust Beau and that he is an active, helpful member of our team. Nothing is a problem - he is always quick to help with learning tasks or jobs and can often see when jobs need done before anyone else does.

Beau, you have the whole world ahead of you -

make the most of every opportunity that comes your way and enjoy every new experience.

Dragon Slayer by James McKenzie

Finally! School’s out! I lay down on my bed and started reading Dragon Slayer.

Suddenly, the book felt like fire! I leapt off the bed and blew on my hands. The book grew bigger and bigger and then… I fell in!

KABOOM! I left my room and landed on the soft, sandy grounds of a scavenger hut. In Pyrrhia, scavengers are humans. The main inhabitants are dragons, of 7 tribes: Sea Wings; Mud Wings; Sand Wings; and Night Wings. By the looks of it, I was the only one to survive what looks like a Sand Wing attack.

Two Sand Wing soldiers were making their way back to the palace so I wanted to follow them, but what I was wearing was not appropriate for an assault. I looked like I was wearing rags. I found some armour and even a decent sword. I sneaked behind the scaly backs of the Sand Wings. Every Sand Wing has a venomous tail barb, so that was really dangerous.

We crossed the Sand Wing desert and climbed over dunes. I made my way into the palace and sneaked behind the Queen. My goal was to make her unable to move so I could steal the treasure. I have no idea how I gave her the ‘treatment’ and escaped, but I made it out with the treasure and a good sense of victory.

Making my way back, I was chased by a whole hoard of dragons! Somehow, I made it back without a scratch, but maybe it’s the whole ‘getting sucked into a book’ thing, where I can’t get hurt.

Suddenly, the world started changing again and I was back in my room. Mum called out, “Dinner’s ready!”

“Woah, what just happened?!!”

Email: admin@edendaleps.school.nz
Website: https://sites.google.com/edendaleps.school.nz/edendale-primary-school
Location: Edendale Primary School, 24 Salford Street, Edendale 9825, New Zealand
Phone: 03 206 6959
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdendalePrimarySchool
Twitter: @EdendaleSchool

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