Parnell District School Pānui

Wednesday 25 September, 2024

Week 10: 23/09 - 27/09

• Assembly: Tokomaru

Term 4

Week 1: 14/10 - 18/10

Friday

• Assembly: Room 11
• O.E.

Week 2: 21/10 - 25/10

• Assembly: Room 5
• O.E

Week 3: 28/10 - 01/11

• LABOUR DAY - School Closed

Friday

• Assembly: Room 2
• O.E.

Week 4: 04/11 - 08/11

• Athletics Years 0 - 3 (At school)

Thursday

• Athletics Years 4 - 6 (Glover Park)

Friday

• Assembly: Room 9
• O.E.

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

As we reach the end of another term, it is wonderful to reflect on the incredible learning, diverse activities, and achievements across our vibrant school community.

Following the Design Thinking Process, children have been actively exploring and gaining a deeper understanding of individuals' diverse needs. Classroom programmes have been well-supported through STEAM lessons, various hands-on activities, and visits from organisations representing our diverse community. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of the inquiry next term.

There have been many highlights this term. Our children showed tremendous perseverance and sportsmanship at both junior and senior cross-country events. The Focus Week, dedicated to Te Ao Kori, immersed children in Māori movement and tikanga and "Parnell's Got Talent" also proved to be a huge success, showcasing our students' range of skills and creativity. Another key event was the Rehu Tai Oral Language competition, where students honed and displayed their oral language skills in a competitive but supportive environment.

The children enjoyed visiting "Harold" and Audrey from The Life Education Trust, who have been with us for last three weeks. Harold and his team deliver important health and well-being lessons to complement our class programmes.

Our Opportunities for Excellence (O.E.) programme has given students exciting experiences and challenged them to explore their potential. O.E. continues in Term 4.

We are already looking forward to next term’s activities and adventures. Classes have been practising athletics skills for our Athletics Days in Week 4, and E.O.T.C. week and camp preparations are well underway. There is great anticipation as students prepare for outdoor education experiences that will challenge them physically and mentally, and we can't wait to see them rise to the challenge.

It has been a busy and rewarding term, and we thank our staff, students, and whanau for their continued support and enthusiasm. We look forward to a wonderful Whānau Day tomorrow. Stay safe over the break, and enjoy some time with your tamariki.

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 this Friday, 27 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 YOU our wonderful community! This is an excellent way for us to celebrate the diverse cultures that make up our school.

Children need a $5 "Passport" to take part. These are available from the school office.

We have had a fantastic response, with over 60 families providing food and sharing their cultures!

If you would also like to participate and provide, 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. (annabelh@parnell.school.nz)

To support sustainability, we encourage the use of named, returnable containers, which can be collected from the STEAM Room after the event.

Kind regards,

Annabel Holderness

ESOL Specialist

On Monday, we were visited by Dan from Blind Low Vision NZ and his Guide Dog, Ezra. Dan told us many things about his life, work, and experiences as a low-vision person. He visited us as part of our Inquiry learning for ‘Designing for Diversity’; blindness is a form of diversity in our community.

One of the most interesting things he told us about is the bumpy yellow slabs on the pavement (you’ve probably seen them at crossings!). I had never known what they did, but the circular ones tell people and Guide Dogs to stop, and the lined ones indicate which direction to go in and that it is a safe route. Dan even showed us how his Guide Dog, Ezra, has been trained to follow these guidelines. Also, they’re yellow because it’s easy to see, and it is the last colour you see before you go blind.

We were told many things about Ezra, his guide dog. Guide Dogs train for 19 months, then they must take an exam to qualify as an official Guide Dog, and many don’t pass! Because of this, the wait list for Guide Dogs is extremely long… Dan had to wait four years to be matched with Ezra! He told us one of the common commands he gives Ezra is ‘find a seat’ or ‘find a door’, which gave us an understanding of the daily struggles blind and low vision people experience that many of us take for granted. Ezra communicates with Dan using his harness, and because of this, he can keep Dan safe when they are out walking.

This visit was a valuable and important lesson for all of us. It showed us the importance of being kind and patient in our community, among many other lessons. It linked to our Inquiry, ‘Designing for Diversity,’ and gave us all an insight into the lives of people who are different in our community and what we can do to help. We are, after all, Kaitiakitanga!

Camp preparations are now well underway! Our numbers all have passed the thresholds, and we are delighted that all four camps will go ahead in December. If you are still making up your mind about sending your child to camp, please contact your child's Deputy Principal ON or BEFORE this Friday 27 September.

Year 4-6: Kate Surgison (kates@parnell.school.nz)

Year 4-6: Anna Sephton (annas@parnell.school.nz)

Payment reminder

To secure your child’s place, the non-refundable deposit is required now:

Year 4: $50 deposit (balance $135)

Year 5-6: (balance $275)

Years 7-8: $75 deposit (balance $325)

The balance of the camp cost is due by Friday, 1 November. If you want to set up a payment plan, please contact adrienneb@parnell.school.nz

Send a Child to Camp

In an ideal world, EVERY child who wants to go on school camp CAN go on school camp, but for some of our whānau, the cost can be a barrier.

If you would like to help another child to camp and are in a position to do so, please donate to our school bank account.

12-3075-0126269-00 (Reference – Camp donation)

What a wonderful term full of enthusiastic readers, language weeks and new initiatives.
Our tamariki have really stepped up their reading and are enjoying the challenges of filling in their Hell's Pizza Wheels, trying to reach the goal of reading 50 books to feature on the Wall of Fame and experimenting with new genre.
A big thank you to the families who have kindly donated their used children’s books to the library. They really help with our collection and are always popular. We are delighted to accept books in excellent condition.
We do have many children with books that are over 100 days overdue. Unfortunately, they cannot borrow any more books until the books have been returned. Please ask your child if they have any overdue books and help find them. We would love to see all our tamariki regularly taking books home to improve their reading skills and literacy.

This week, we sent home a form to sign up for Auckland Libraries membership. This is a fantastic way to supplement your child’s reading at no cost. In addition to physical books, there are audiobooks, eBooks, and magazines, as well as afterschool and holiday programmes that children can attend.

Thank you for your support in encouraging your child to become a lifelong reader.

We are very excited to share the link to the disco photos provided by PartyBooths. Follow the link below and enter the password to see some amazing photos of your children having a great time at the PDS Olympics Student Disco 2024!

https://www.partybooths.co.nz/

Password: Olympics

Hi there!

The C4 team is looking forward to seeing some of your children at the upcoming school holiday programme. We’ll be running a fun and exciting programme with a wide variety of activities. Bookings via Aimyplus have now closed, but there is limited availability on some days. Please contact Claire directly for more information.

Due to term 4 being slightly shorter and with EOTC running in Week 8, we have decided to start all after-school classes in Week 1 next term. They are also running for only 7 weeks instead of the usual 8. It is imperative you book as soon as possible, as classes start on Monday, 14 October, kicking off with Shine & Brain Play (Years 4-8).

Please go to PDS.aimyplus.com and book now!

Bookings are also open for regular Before & After School Care.

Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Claire

PDS.aimyplus.com

clairej@parnell.school.nz or 0272706810