KI NGA MATUA NGA MIHI KI A KOUTOU KATOAGREETINGS TO EVERYONE
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
Tēnā koutou
Teacher Only Day
On Monday the 28th of June our school, as well as the other schools in Picton will all be closed for a ‘Teacher Only Day.’
I realise this could be an inconvenience for some, but the benefits the staff will gain from the Professional Learning will be fantastic.
Staff from Picton School, Queen Charlotte College, preschools and our school will all be joining together at the Waikawa Marae for a day of lectures and activities based on our local histories and environment, which will build our capabilities in formalising our own unique curriculum.
Conferences
On Tuesday the 6th July school will be finishing for students at 1pm so the Teachers can be available for Mid Year Conferences, which will run from 1.30pm until 7pm. The senior children will run their conferences, with the teachers available to assist when needed. There will be no need to book a time. The junior classes will be sending out booking information shortly.
Your child's Mid Year report will be given to you at the conference.
Cyber Safety
I would like to remind everyone about the importance of keeping our children safe on the Internet. At school we have safety programmes and monitoring available to us, but these do not reach to the children's use of devices outside school hours. Most of our students have school based google accounts so they can access some school apps, which can be used on devices at home. It is very important that the students never share their passwords or any personal details to anyone, talk openly with your child about their online activity and keep screens and devices where parents can see them
Practical advice on internet safety for parents from Netsafe:
Spend time online with your children and explore websites together. Take an interest in what they like to do online.
Help your children use the Internet as an effective research tool – learn about handy homework tips for children and also good searching ideas.
Be aware of you children communicating with people they don’t know, particularly in chat rooms. Set house rules about what information your children can give out.
Put the Internet enabled computer in a public area of the home, such as the living room, rather than a child’s bedroom.
Talk to your children about their Internet experiences – the good and the bad. Let them know it is OK to tell you if they come across something that worries them and that it does not mean that they are going to get into trouble.
Teach your children the ways to deal with disturbing material – they should not respond if someone says something inappropriate and they should immediately exit any site if they feel uncomfortable or worried by it.
Teach children that information on the Internet is not always reliable.
Encourage children to treat others in the same way that they would in real life by giving them an understanding of netiquette.
Know the best ways of avoiding spam and how to identify it when it when it first appears.
Set some appropriate guidelines for Internet use and discuss them with the children in your care.
Thank you for your support
Enjoy the weekend
Ka Kite anō
Peter Knowles
