Parnell District School Pānui

Wednesday 14 August, 2024

Week 4: 12/08 - 16/08 (FOCUS WEEK - Te Ao Kori)

Tuesday

• Eastern Zones Basketball (Girls)

• Parent Camp Information Evening, 6pm in the staffroom.

Thursday

• Eastern Zones Basketball (Boys)

Friday

• Assembly - Curriculum Council

Week 5: 19/08 - 23/08 (INQUIRY 3 BEGINS - Designing for Diversity)

Monday

• Parnell's Got Talent Auditions begin (lunchtimes this week)

Wednesday

• Non-uniform Day (bring a gold coin donation if participating)

Friday

• Assembly - Room 25

• O.E. continues
• PDS DISCO - brought to you by PDS Whānau & Friends

Week 6: 26/08 - 30/08

Wednesday

• Parnell's Got Talent Final

• Eastern Zones and Bay Suburbs Cross-Country events

• Assembly: Service Leaders
• O.E

Week 7: 2/09 - 6/09

Friday

• Assembly: Room 14

Week 8: 9/09 - 13/09

Wednesday

• Whānau & Friends Meeting
  
• Tokomaru Bake Sale

• Assembly: Room 24
• O.E

Week 9: 16/09 - 20/09

• Assembly: Sports Leaders
• O.E
• Reports go home

Week 10: 23/09 - 27/09

• Assembly: Tokomaru Waka
• Whānau Day

We hear a lot about what's happening across the education sector as our government aims to tighten the system as a whole. It is tough when we hear about the current levels of achievement across New Zealand, particularly for those heading into high school. Having just completed our term three standardised testing, I wanted to give you a snapshot of our children's current achievements. We have long chosen to use the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT), which is one of the tools the government has identified for use in all schools moving forward.

What do our tests tell us?

In Math, 97% of our children are at or above curriculum expectation, of whom:

• 37% of our children are achieving within curriculum expectation

• 60% are a year or more ahead of curriculum expectation

In Reading Comprehension, 88% of our children are at or above curriculum expectations, of whom:

• 42% of our children are achieving within curriculum expectation

• 46% are a year or more ahead of curriculum expectation

When we consulted our community about our new vision of 'Growing Great Humans', we heard the importance of ensuring all students are succeeding academically and that they are great people who show our values every day. It is a testament to the concerted effort of our amazing staff and the high-quality relationships between the school, whānau, our community that we can show such incredible results in these standardised tests.

Cross Country Success – Friday Recap

Last Friday, our school was buzzing with excitement as we held our annual Cross Country event. It was a fantastic day with two separate events for our tamariki.

Our Year 0-3 students participated in their event at school, and it was wonderful to see their enthusiasm. Each and every runner was keen to get involved, and the smiles on their faces showed how much they enjoyed the experience. From start to finish, our youngest athletes displayed a fantastic spirit, making the day a memorable one for all.

Meanwhile, our Year 4-8 students took on the challenge at Shore Road Park. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the parent volunteers who generously gave up their time to help with the event. Your support was invaluable, ensuring everything ran smoothly.

We were fortunate with the weather, just managing to return to school before the heavy rain set in. It was a close call, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of our students or the success of the event.

Te Ao Kori Focus Week

This week, our students have been immersed in Te Ao Kori Focus Week, where they’ve had the opportunity to engage in a variety of activities. From learning traditional games to exploring crafts and Tikanga, our tamariki have been actively involved in understanding and appreciating this important aspect of our culture. It’s been a week of discovery, fun, and learning, and it’s wonderful to see the pride our students are taking in participating in these activities.

Camp Information Evening

A reminder to all parents and caregivers of students in Years 4-8 to attend the upcoming Camp Information Evening. This is an important opportunity to learn more about the camp, ask any questions you may have, and ensure your child is prepared for this exciting experience. We look forward to seeing you there.

Ngā mihi nui,

Richard George

Principal

Junior Cross Country

Senior Cross Country

Looking ahead, we are excited to introduce our new inquiry starting next week—"Designing for Diversity." During this inquiry, students will be problem-solving and designing a world accessible to everyone, regardless of their needs. This is an excellent opportunity for our tamariki to think creatively and empathetically as they explore ways to make our world more inclusive. We are eager to see the innovative ideas and solutions they come up with and will be sharing their work with you in the coming weeks.

Our camp information evening is on TONIGHT at 6pm, in the staffroom. During this session, we will provide detailed information about camp costs, locations, behaviour expectations, safety measures, well-being considerations, and the exciting activities planned. There will also be an opportunity for parents to ask questions.

We strongly encourage you to attend and support your children in participating in this valuable experience.

Being a road patroller is a great way for your child to take on an important responsibility and give back to their school. Road patrollers are essential to keep our tamariki safe on the crossings outside our school. We are looking for new patrollers to join the team.

Perhaps have a conversation with your child and encourage them to collect a permission slip from Ms Surgison this Friday after assembly. Alternatively, download a copy below.

Cross Country Fundraiser

Congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s Cross Country. Those who have completed their sponsorship forms and returned them to the office will be entered into the prize draw to win sports-related prizes donated by local businesses, to be drawn at the assembly on Friday this week. If you still have a form, please return it with your sponsorship money to the office now to be in for a chance to win!

Many thanks to the following companies who have supplied prizes for the Cross Country Fundraiser this year.

Olympics Disco

Whānau & Friends are excited to announce this year's student disco will be an Olympic-themed extravaganza. Get on your marks for an evening of dancing to your favourite songs mixed by DJ Lo, fun & games, chill-out zone, and photo-finish opportunities!

Tickets on sale now - $8 from the office

Grab your gold medals, wear sports gear to represent your country, or get together with your friends to make the Olympic rings - the dress-up possibilities are endless! Spot prizes for the best costumes.

Bring plenty of gold coins - pizza slices, sausage sizzle, snacks and drinks, and a photo booth - priced $1 - $5.

Entry is strictly for PDS students only. No parents in the disco hall, but the dance room will be open for

younger siblings to wait with their parents, or if you're child-free, join us in the staff room's "Parent Safe

Haven.”

NOTE: C4 collection will be from the library

We’re now 2/3 of the way through winter! Spring is around the corner but in the meantime, it’s still important to keep active and participate in outdoor activities!

We still have places available for Young Guns Skate School & Wynrs (soccer).

YGSS & Wynrs run after school from 3.30-4.30pm. Care is available at C4 from 3-3.30pm.

Both classes start this week, YGSS on Thursday 1st August and Wynrs on Friday 2nd August.

If you are interested in your child joining one of these classes, please book as soon as possible at PDS.aimyplus.com or contact Claire on 0272706810 for more information.