Parnell District School Pānui

Wednesday 05 February, 2025

Week 2: 03/02 - 07/02

Tuesday

• Meet the Teacher Picnic

Thursday

• Waitangi Day - School Closed

Friday

• Teacher Only Day - School Closed

Week 3: 10/02 - 14/02

Wednesday

• Whānau and Friends Meeting

Friday

• Assembly - Student Leaders

Week 4: 17/02 - 21-02

Monday

• Auckland Art Gallery Trip – Rooms 16 and 20

Tuesday

• Auckland Art Gallery Trip – Rooms 14 and 11

Wednesday

• Non-uniform Day
• Auckland Art Gallery Trip – Rooms 12 and 13

• Road Patrol Training Years 6-8

Thursday

• Auckland Art Gallery Trip - Rooms 23 and 26

Friday

• Auckland Art Gallery Trip – Rooms 24 and 25
  
• Friday Fizz begins
• Assembly - Room 26

Week 5: 24/02 - 28/02

Monday

• Auckland Art Gallery Trip – Rooms 28 and 4

Tuesday

• Auckland Art Gallery Trip – Rooms 7 and 27

Wednesday

• Auckland Art Gallery Trip – Rooms 29 and 1

Thursday

• Auckland Art Gallery Trip – Rooms 30 and 2

Friday

• Auckland Art Gallery Trip - Rooms 6, 8, 9
  
• Assembly - 29

2025

Term 1: Tuesday 28 January - Friday 11 April

Term 2: Monday 28 April - Friday 27 June

Term 3: Monday 14 July - Friday 19 September

Term 4: Monday 6 October - Friday 12 December

Kia ora e te whānau,

A warm welcome to all our new families joining us this year and a heartfelt welcome back to our returning students and whānau. I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable summer break. As we begin this new school year, I’d also like to wish you all a Happy New Year—and a special acknowledgement to those in our community celebrating the upcoming Chinese New Year. 2025 marks the Year of the Snake, symbolising wisdom, resilience, and transformation—qualities we hope to inspire in our learners this year!

It was wonderful to see so many of you at our Meet the Teacher Picnic last night. The beautiful summer evening provided the perfect backdrop for families to connect, enjoy a sausage sizzle, and indulge in a treat from Mr Whippy. We know the relationship between home and school is one of the most significant factors in supporting every child to excel in learning, and our meet-the-teacher picnic is always the first step in ensuring those strong home-school partnerships. As mentioned at the event, there are many ways you, as a parent, can support the school. Talk with your teacher about how you can help your child and every child at Parnell District School through volunteering.

Looking ahead, we are excited to launch our new mathematics programme next week, inspired by the highly successful Singapore Maths approach. This programme has helped Singaporean students achieve top rankings in the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results across all OECD countries. With its emphasis on deep understanding, problem-solving, and critical thinking, it will make a significant impact on our students' mathematical confidence and achievement.

It has been fantastic to see our students settling into their classrooms as they form new friendships and embrace their learning with enthusiasm. Their smiling faces and positive start bode well for an exciting and successful year ahead.

One reminder as we return to school. Please ensure you and your whanau are safe on the roads around our school. Remember your helmets when cycling or scootering to and from school. For those families who drive to school, please ensure you choose a safe place to drop off and pick up children.

Thank you for your ongoing support—we look forward to a fantastic 2025 at Parnell District School!

Ngā mihi nui,

Richard George

Principal

Classes have been busy working on their first (mini) Inquiry for the year, "Creating Our Culture", ensuring their spaces are welcoming, inclusive and learning-ready!

In Weeks 4 and 5 of this term, every class in our school will visit Auckland Art Gallery for a tour and hands-on workshop. Please check your emails for more information from your child’s class teacher, including the permission slip. Permission is required by Monday 10th of February.

Please ensure that your child has their school hat every day. Our Sun Protection policy states that children must wear their school hat "whenever they are outdoors during school hours and/or activities, e.g. interval and lunch breaks, P.E., sports days, outdoor EOTC trips, and other school activities."

The school office has new and second-hand options if your child needs a hat.

Looking for a way to help out the school community this year? PDS Whānau & Friends is seeking volunteers to help us in reaching our fundraising goal for 2025 of $50,000. We hope to raise this through the following events:

• Ice Cream Fridays (every Friday on the court)

• Bake Sales (once per term)

• Non-uniform days / Sausage Sizzle (once per term)

• Student Disco

• Fete (Community event)

All funds raised by Whānau & Friends will go towards the school's overall budget, which this year will include additional classroom teachers, specialist teachers (eg literacy support, ESOL, STEAM, and extension classes), digital devices for students, Friday Fizz and OE enrichment programmes, and upkeep of the playgrounds.

Our first Whānau & Friends meeting for 2025 will be on Wednesday 12 February at 08:55am in the Staffroom. We'll discuss the calendar of events for the year, planning for the upcoming Fete, and any other fundraising ideas you'd like to sharer and discuss.

Information about Whānau & Friends events and fundraising will be sent via your Class Representatives (Class Reps) and appear in the Parnell Pānui. If you'd like to be a Class Rep for your child's classroom, please contact their teacher and offer your services. Class Reps provide a link between classroom teachers, parents and caregivers, and Whānau & Friends.

Whether you'd like to be a Class Representative, help out at the Bake Sales, assist with the Fete, or donate your time in another way, please complete our online volunteer form at https://bit.ly/pds-waf. You can also email us at pta@parnell.school.nz.

You can now sign your children up for the Weethbix Tryathlon. The Eastern Auckland triathlon is 30 March 2025.

Simply click on this link and be sure to sign up under Parnell School so we can keep in touch in preparation for the day.

https://raceroster.com/events/2025/93895/central-east-auckland-weet-bix-kids-tryathlon