Newsletter

Kia ora koutou.

From the Principal's desk:

• Kamahi Reserve: Thank you to the parents who came along with us to the Kamahi Reserve on Tuesday. We have entered into an agreement with the SDC to be able to use this area as a 'Bush School'. It was great to have the whole school visit and begin the school's relationship with this area that is so close to us. Thank you to Mrs Jenny Coyle for all her work in bringing this together and to Rodney Trainor from Ngai Tahu for being our on the spot expert.

• Weekbix Stat Attack Cards: If you have spare Weetbix Stat Attack cards drop them into school and I can use them as part of the Swap Meet that we will begin for the children to help them get their sets of these.

• Principal's Challenge: Term Three's Principal's Challenge is below. It is for our creative and artistic children and gives them a chance to have their artwork on public display for years to come. I look forward to seeing the entries.

• Inquiry Learning DRIVE Topic Areas: There is a survey below about what type of inquiry topic areas you know your child really enjoys learning about. For example, space, dinosaurs. We are building our 2022 Inquiry Learning DRIVE outline and want to align it with the needs and interests of our community. We are also surveying the children for their input. DRIVE is the process that we go about our discoveries. Each letter stands for a step in the process of inquiry learning. They are...

1. D = discover new ideas and information
2. R = reflect and ask questions
3. I = investigate an area of interest
4. V = vision and create
5. E = evaluate

• Community of Learning Combined BOT Training: On Tuesday 3rd August the Community of Learning hosted its second Board of Trustees training session at Menzies College library for this year. The focus of this was the role and functions of a BOT. It was very engaging. Representatives from our seven Community of Learning Boards of Trustees benefited from this localised training from Mrs Gigi Hollyer, a New Zealand School Trustees Association facilitator from Queenstown.

• Tokyo Olympics: We have loved tuning in to the Olympics this week cheering on our athletes and their many exploits. So much of what these athletes do is a representation of our values (excellence, respect, integrity and responsibility) and our key competencies (participating and contributing, managing self, relating to others and critical thinking). To get to the top and achieve so highly shows real grit and hard mahi.

• Class Lists 2022: As we move into the second half of the year I begin to think into 2022 and how things will look for us. Our MOE roll count, done on July 1st this year, is the roll count that generates our 2022 staffing. Based on that, it is highly likely that we will be six teachers in 2022. As a result, it is most likely that we will have more composite classrooms i.e. classrooms with two age levels in them. In the coming months, we as a staff will work hard to get these 2022 class list mixes right. I also work to keep our class sizes manageable for the age and stage of the children. This means our senior rooms are slightly larger than our junior rooms. I want to make sure, with the knowledge that we have at the time, that our teachers' workload is sustainable across a whole year. If there is anything that you think I need to know specifically in relation to your child, please get in touch with me well before November 12th (when we will lock down our lists). I know that this feels a long way off, but it soon rolls around.

Thank Yous - Team Edendale

• Jenny Coyle: A big thank you to Mrs Jenny Coyle for her work in organising our Kamahi Reserve trip for the whole school. It was great to literally put feet on the ground with this and begin our association with this area as part of our 'bush school'.

• Kim Nicol: Kim has stepped forward to support our school's journey in Maoritanga. She is organising a senior Marae trip, our whole school Polyfest, overseeing our Kapahaka group and has plans for a hangi in early December. It's a substantial workload with lots of fine details to pin down. Good work Kim for doing the hard mahi behind the scenes that benefits our whole school.

Ka kite

David McKenzie

The Project

We have been approached by the Southland District Council (SDC) to help design a 'wrap' for a new toilet that will be going in at the Recreation Grounds in early 2022. See an example of the toilets with their wrap in the photos below.

The Design Brief

The design brief that we have been given is 'Something that will represent Edendale'.

The Challenge

Design a picture that can be incorporated into an Edendale mural 'wrap' that can go around the toilets.

It must in some way represent the area that we live in.

Questions that may help with your creativity...

• When you think of Edendale you think of...?
• What makes us in Edendale special and unique?
• What would you tell a person about Edendale, if they asked you?

It is open to any Edendale Primary School student.

The artwork needs to be able to be scanned in high resolution so do it on white paper (not pre-lined paper).

Do not include any words on it. It is straight artwork.

Due

Submissions are due on Friday 10th of September. (So there is plenty of time. Start in the holidays).

Submissions need to include your name and age on the back of them. (Not the front, that's for your artwork).

The Process From There

I will gather the submissions up and work with the SDC to select the best and most appropriate to become part of the Edendale mural artwork for the toilet.

Then in 2022, the winners will see their artwork on public display for all at the Recreation Grounds to admire. Very cool.

TERM THREE

Week Three (of 10)

• Tuesday 10th August - Sports Activator
• Tuesday 10th August - Board of Trustees General Meeting, 6.00 pm (Staffroom)

Week Four (of 10)

• Monday 16th August - Home and School Meeting, 7.30pm, staffroom.
• Tuesday 17th August - Year 5/6 Marae Trip to Bluff
• Wednesday 18th August - LMV Speech Contest at Tuturau

Week Five (of 10)

• Monday 23rd August - Polyfest (Stadium Southland, 11.50 am)

Week Six (of 10)

• Monday 30th August - Teachers Only Day (School Closed)
• Tuesday 31st August - Sports Activator

Week Eight (of 10)

• Tuesday 14th September - Board of Tustees General Meeting, 7 pm (Staffroom)

Week Nine (of 10)

• Tuesday 21st September - Sports Activator

Week Ten (of 10)

• Tuesday 28th - Thursday 30th September - Life Education

General BOT Meeting - Tuesday 10th August

The fifth general meeting for the BOT is to be held on Tuesday 10th August, starting at 6.00 pm. The agenda is closed.

Board of Trustee elections are coming up in the first half of next year, so if you are interested in being part of the BOT you are most welcome to come along and observe. BOT meetings are meetings held in public (as opposed to public meetings). Contact the BOT Chairperson Jacob Smyth if you are interested.

Out of Zone Enrolments - Term Four

Enrolment at Edendale Primary School is governed by an enrolment scheme.

The Board has 20 places available for out of zone students for the 2021 school year. The exact number of places is subject to the number of eligible in-zone enrolments received.

Term Four enrolment period - Monday 18th October to Monday 13th December

• Out of zone students seeking enrolment within this enrolment period, the deadline for receipt of applications is Monday 18th October.
  

Information and application forms can be picked up at the school office and are also available on our website www.edendaleps.school.nz.

If the number of out of zone applications exceeds the number of places available, students will be selected by ballot. If a ballot for out of zone places is required, it will be held on the following Monday from the deadline dates.

Parents will be informed of the outcome of the ballot as early as possible (and within three school days of the ballot being held).

Term Three Meeting - Monday 16th August

The Term Three meeting for the Home and School is Monday 16th August in the school staffroom, starting at 7.30pm.

Home and School Fundraiser - Winter Wood

The Home and School has cut 50 cubic metres of old man pine. This is $70 per cubic metre.

If you want to put an order in please contact Hamish Blackmore 027 636 0421.

Uniform - Keeping Up the Excellent Standard

We really appreciate how parents ensure a standard of excellence with our uniform in relation to the pants (plain black with no branding) and the tops (regulation sports top or polar fleece). This really helps.

We have a uniform shop at school that has preloved items still in good condition. If you need any items pop into the office.

School Photos - Orders Out

The order forms for our school photos went out on Tuesday. There are lots of options available for you to select from. Orders are due by Wednesday 18th of August.

Menzies - 2022

On Wednesday 4th August three past students (Brock Stuart - Head Boy, Maddix Dickson and Jessica Alksne) along with Menzies College Principal, Kath Luoni, visited us to talk to our Year Six children about Menzies 2022.

Menzies has their Open Day this coming Wednesday 11th August from 3.30 pm to 7.00 pm. See the notice at the end of this newsletter.

Kia ora!

We have just come back from a busy and exciting Term 2. It was jam packed with new learning and fun. Throughout the term, Team Kāhu had a relieving teacher, Mr Russell, teaching them each Thursday. They really enjoyed this time doing the usual, reading, writing and math but also getting to build paper planes, learn about coding and to practise their football skills.

In Term Two, we had Sharne Parkinson, as part of our Creatives in Schools programme, work with us to introduce flax weaving and the tikanga (rules and customs) of collecting and working with flax. This was an exciting experience and we had a lot of fun collecting and softening flax. We then made Matariki flax stars. Sharne will be continuing to work with the teams for the rest of the year and by the end of this process all the classrooms will have contributed to a collaborative art piece to be displayed in the library. We have also been fortunate to have Sharne working with our Kapa Haka group. There is some beautiful waiata being heard each Wednesday afternoon.

Last term was finished off with an awesome trip to the snow, with many Year Five and Six students heading to Remarkables Ski Field. Students had a wide range of skills, with many students learning to ski for the first time. Thank you to Mrs Clarke, Mr McKenzie and all the parents that supported those students that attended. It was a big thumbs up from them all.

So far, we have had a busy but great start to Term 3. We really enjoyed heading out to Kamahi Scenic Reserve and learning from Rodney Trainor about all the different trees that we have in our local bush. It was amazing to see trees as old as 800-1000 years growing in our backyard. This experience links nicely to this term’s DRIVE topic, Being Kaitiaki (Guardians). Students have all thought about experiences and learning that they would like to undertake during this term. Some students want to explore collecting and planting seeds, while others would like to design a “Bush school”. I am excited to see where this topic leads us.

As we look forward to the rest of Term Three, the Year Fives and Sixes are heading to Te Rau Aroha Marae, in Bluff. While there, we hope to learn more about the importance of the marae, as well as the history and stories that are represented by the carvings around the walls of its wharenui.

Last term we worked on developing interesting and engaging speeches. The top two Year Sixes will go to the LMV speech contest, later this month, to compete against other schools. We wish our competitors all the best.

As we continue on our writing journey, students have been learning about rhythm and rhyme as we work on some humorous poems. I can’t wait to share these with you.

We have been putting a lot of work into practising for Polyfest. As a whole school we will head to Invercargill on Monday 23 August to take part in this year’s Polyfest. We will be performing four songs which will be led by our awesome Kapa Haka group.

With all these events and activities throughout the term, we continue to enjoy and focus upon the important areas of reading, writing and maths.

Ngā mihi,

Miss Sanne den Boon (Team Kāhu Teacher)

The aim of our values is to nurture positive, purposeful and meaningful relationships of aroha.

When we come from so many different families our values draw us together as one big school whanau.

Excellence means we aim for a high standard and continuous improvement and is shown through reliability, consistency, flexibility, reflection, change, innovation, accuracy, completion, dedication, practise, effort and attitude.

We show excellence tohungatanga when we...

• Work hard, have a go and do our best.
• Leave everything how we would want to find it.
• Wear our uniform with pride.

Every time our values are shown they make our school a great place to be for children and adults.

When we use our values on a day by day basis, in the relationships that we have, one with another, in our school, we contribute to making our school a great place for all to come along.

This week the Principal Tumuaki would like to acknowledge Kyra Cripps for being a contributor of values to our school.

Liam McCullen is a lovely young man who shows many of our school values. This week he is Team Kea’s MVP for Tohungatanga - Excellence.

Liam walks into school wearing his uniform with pride. He arrives with a smile and quietly gets organised for the day by unpacking his bag and getting his desk ready.

Liam consistently works hard and this is shown through the progress he has made in all learning areas. He is willing to try new things and completes tasks to a high standard. Liam takes responsibility for his own learning by listening, following instructions and staying focused.

Liam has a fantastic attitude towards school. I can trust him to be doing the right thing in class and during play times. Liam has been an awesome buddy to the new children starting school.

Liam is a valued Team Kea member. He shows respect to all the peers and adults around him by being honest, trustworthy and using excellent manners.

Liam, we are super lucky to have such an amazing role model like you in Team Kea. I look forward to seeing all your future achievements. Aim high and keep being you!

Nova Barrett is a wonderful role-model for her peers in showing our school value of Tohungatanga - Excellence.

Throughout the day, and all day, Nova consistently makes the right choices to ensure that she is ready for learning, able to complete her tasks to the best of her ability, and that other people enjoy spending time with her.

Nova is a reliable and trustworthy young lady who always works hard - she presents her work neatly and tidily, with well-thought answers and carefully drawn illustrations. Nova asks relevant questions, and offers appropriate ideas, during group or class discussions.

We always see Nova wearing her school uniform with pride and she is very good at making sure her belongings, or any school equipment that she uses, are carefully looked after and tidied away.

It is great to have a hard-working, responsible student like you in Team Pukeko, Nova. You listen carefully to instructions, get on with the job without making a fuss, and you are friendly and helpful at all times.

Keep having a good year!

Fleur Blackmore is Team Kereru’s MVP for Tohungatanga - Excellence.

Our quote this week says “Excellence is not being the best; it is doing your best.” Fleur consistently does her best in the classroom and always seeks to improve on her best. She knows it takes effort and practise.

Fleur shows excellence when working individually and in a group. She will ask questions and show how to work things out, rather than just giving the answers.

Fleur knows that excellence means she must have a go and try to be the best she can be. She does not give up when set with a difficult task but works away at it until she achieves it. Fleur is willing to try new things to help her to succeed and because of this she is making good progress in her learning.

Fleur shows up every day with a smile on her face. She wears her uniform with pride and shows everyone that she is proud to be a learner at Edendale School.

Fleur, Edendale School is the place where our dreams begin and I know that with your hard work you will certainly achieve your goals in life.

Keep striving for excellence, Fleur and you will go far!

Edendale Community Pool Society - AGM and General Meeting

AGM and General Meeting

• Monday 23rd August; 7.30pm
• Edendale School staffroom

We invite all members and pool-users to attend - join the committee to help us keep the pool open for our community.

Any queries or apologies to Jenny at ecpscontact@gmail.com

Wyndham Pioneer Lions Club - Recycling

The Wyndham Pioneer Lions collect many things that raise money for the underprivileged and disadvantaged but we can do more with your help.

• Bread tags raise funds for wheelchairs
• Tear tabs from aluminium cans and wine bottle tops raise funds for "Kidney Kids"

If you would like to start collecting the above items they can be dropped into the school office.

Junior Rugby League - Registrations

Junior Rugby League is starting October 17th, contact Rachel Haenga for registrations ASAP 027 600 7027 or rjhaenga@gmail.com

We are having a registration day with skills and drills with some Southland Rams players.

Saturday 28th August 12 noon at the Edendale Rugby Club, sausage sizzle. Come have a go!

Email: admin@edendaleps.school.nz
Website: https://sites.google.com/edendaleps.school.nz/edendale-primary-school
Location: Edendale Primary School, 24 Salford Street, Edendale 9825, New Zealand
Phone: 03 206 6959
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdendalePrimarySchool
Twitter: @EdendaleSchool

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