Parnell District School Pānui

Wednesday 11 September, 2024

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

2024

Term 3: Monday 22 July - Friday 27 September

Term 4: Monday 14 October - Wednesday 18 December (School closes at 1pm)

2025

Term 1: Tuesday 28 January - Friday 11 April

Term 2: Monday 28 April - Friday 27 June

Last week, we held the impressive PDS Rehu Tai Oral Language Competition, where students wowed us with speeches, raps, and spoken word poetry. Life Education is here, teaching our tamariki essential life skills through interactive lessons, and we look forward to welcoming you to our upcoming Whānau Day, a beautiful celebration of our community's cultures.

Thank you to all who supported the successful Tokomaru Bake Sale today; well done Tokomaru Waka!

As we approach the end of Term 3, caregiver reports will be available on Friday, 20th September. These will cover reporting on Inquiry, Health and PE, The Arts, and the latest PAT results, along with student self-evaluations of key competencies.

Let’s continue to make the final weeks of the term enjoyable and productive!

Ngā mihi nui,

Richard George

Principal

It's that time again when we start the complex process of planning our classes for 2025.

If you have specific information you want us to consider when placing your child in their class for 2024, please email placement@parnell.school.nz by the 2nd of October to let us know. This might include things like particular curriculum areas that are strengths, learning goals, or information about how your child best learns.

Any requests, including names of other students outside your family or teachers' names, will be disregarded.

We understand that for some of our families, there are complex factors outside of school that could help us best place their children if we knew. If this sounds like you, the best thing to do is email the Deputy Principal of the area they will be in for 2025 and organise a time to chat to discuss the specifics of your situation.

If your child is in year 0-3 in 2025, email Kathryn Whelan at Kathrynw@parnell.school.nz

If your child is in year 4-6 in 2025, email Kate Surgison at Kates@parnell.school.nz

If your child is in year 7-8 in 2025, email Anna Sephton at Annas@parnell.school.nz

If your family's circumstances have changed and you won't be returning to Parnell District School in 2025, please let us know so we can plan effectively. Email: enrolment@parnell.school.nz to let us know if you're not returning

If you have moved out of our school zone since you started with us and have a sibling starting in Year 1 in 2025, please let us know so we can arrange a place through the out-of-zone process. Email enrolment@parnell.school.nz to let us know.

Please, if any of the above applies to you, we kindly request that you let us know by the 2nd of October. This deadline is crucial for effectively planning for the upcoming school year.

Kia ora whānau,

Whānau Day is coming up on Friday, 27th September, the last day of Term 3. We are excited to invite students to enjoy a shared lunch from 12.30-1.45pm, featuring bite-sized tasters from around the world, prepared by our wonderful community. This is an excellent way for us to celebrate the diverse cultures that make up our school.

We are seeking families to provide these tasters. Please deliver food to the STEAM Room kitchen by 11.00-11.15am, ready to serve by 12.30pm. If you need assistance with school facilities, reheating, or serving, let us know via the form below. For information on reimbursement, contact me (Annabel Holderness) at annabelh@parnell.school.nz.

If you can help, please complete the form by using the QR code or by following the button link below. Paper copies are available from the office. Feel free to collaborate with others—email me if you need help connecting with families.

To support sustainability, we encourage using named, returnable containers, which can be collected from the Steam Room after the event.

Kind regards,

Annabel Holderness

ESOL Specialist

Year 4-6 and Year 7-8, PDS Finals

Our school Rehu Tai finals were held over two days last week; twelve Year 7-8 finalists competed on Wednesday, and fifteen Year 4-6 finalists completed on Thursday.

Judged by Deputy Principals Anna Sephton and Kate Surgison along with our librarian Kath Twomey, It was a hotly contested competition! Ahi and Taniwha teams were entertained, informed and moved by various Speeches, Raps, Spoken Word Poetry and Flash Talks. All based on the theme of Kotahitanga - Unity, topics ranged from climate change and whānau and friends to team building and kindness.

After much deliberation, the winners were:

Year 4-6

• Sara, Room 29 - Rap "PDS Unity"
  
• Kimaya Room 30 - Flash Talk "Global Warming"
• Abby Room 13 - Spoken Word Poem "Kotahitanga in Your Dreams"

All three winners competed this morning at the Remuera Schools cluster.

Year 7-8

1st: Vivian - Room 26 - Rap - Uniting Together

2nd: Saanvi - Room 25 - Spoken word - Choir

3rd: Iva - Room 24 - Speech - Racism

Special mention: Kate - Room 23 - Flash Talk

Thank you to our student journalists for this report...

Camp Form - If you have not done so already, please complete the applicable intention form below as soon as possible.

The form asks if you intend to send your child to camp; therefore, a form must be completed for every child in Years 4 - 8 so that we can confidently ascertain numbers. To inform your decision, please click on the information buttons below this text.

Year 4 Intention, Parent Consent and Student Health Form

Year 5 Intention, Parent Consent and Student Health Information Form

Year 6 Intention, Parent Consent and Student Health Information Form

Payment

Camp is optional and incurs a fee. Children not attending camp will participate in a free, alternate E.O.T.C programme provided at school.

To secure your child’s place, a non-refundable deposit is required as soon as possible:

Years 4-6: $50 deposit

Years 7-8: $75 deposit

Over the next two weeks, we welcome Harold and the Life Education team to Parnell District School. You may have seen the large Life Education caravan outside Room 23.

Each class will have timetabled lessons inside the purpose-built "mobile classroom" to learn about essential life skills through engaging lessons. The program helps students understand how their body works and the importance of healthy choices while promoting a positive sense of self and community. PDS sessions will focus on human body systems and digital citizenship. Through interactive sessions, students can make informed decisions for their well-being.

For further information about Life Education and what they do, please visit: https://www.harold.co.nz/

Thank you, Tokomaru whānau, for your fabulous cupcake donations today. The Whānau and Friends team worked tirelessly with Waka leaders this morning to set up what proved to be a superb sell-out success raising over $??? for our school.

C4 is excited to release the programme for the upcoming school holidays!

Please remember to book early as we have a limit on how many children we can take.

Several days are nearly at capacity!

Go to PDS.aimyplus.com to book or contact Claire for more information.

clairej@parnell.school.nz or 0272706810