Principal's Message
Tēnā koutou katoa,
Welcome to Van Heasley who started today in Room 1.
We’ve had a wonderfully productive, fun-filled, and learning-rich term so far. A recent highlight for students, staff, and parents was our visit to the Packard Museum. We’re so fortunate to have such a fantastic resource in our community, and we encourage you to visit over the weekend if you haven’t already. The students were captivated by the exhibits, with particular excitement around the old cars, steam tractors, vintage phones, and of course, the armoured army vehicles and machine guns. Inspired by their visit, students have been conducting their own investigations into the history of transport. Below are some examples of the impressive work from Room 6.
A special congratulations to our students who competed in the WPSSA Interschool Cross Country. You made your whānau, school, and yourselves proud with your efforts!
In terms of property updates, we’re pleased to report that the project is progressing smoothly, thanks to the cooperative weather. We’re still on track with our timelines. Just a reminder, the old teachers' parking area is available, and it usually has plenty of space in the afternoons. You may have noticed temporary fencing going up on the field, signalling that contractors will soon begin work on the new concrete pathways leading down from the new top car park.
On a personal note, over the holidays I am heading deep into the Uruwera Ranges for a fly fishing mission. If anyone has a Garmin InReach that they would be willing to lend me please get in touch.
At our recent Board of Trustees meeting, I presented our mid-year assessment data analysis. I’d like to highlight that our Year 8 maths achievement significantly contradicts the Minister of Education's recent claim that only 22% of students are passing maths. Our results tell a different, much more positive story.
Maths
· Overall 80% of the School is At/Above.
· 89% of year 8 are At/Above.
· 100% of year 6 are At/Above.
· 92% of year 2 are At/Above.
· Girls and boys achieve at similar rates. This is an improvement from last year with girls out performing boys by 20%.
Reading
· Overall 77% of the School is At/Above.
· 92% of year 6 students are At or Above.
· 67% of year 8 students are Above.
· 85% of year 4 students are At or Above.
· 86% of year 5 students are At or Above.
· Over 1/3 of the school is Above
Writing
• Overall 72% of the School is At/Above. Up from 61% in 2020.
• 86% of year 3 are At or Above.
• 85% of year 2 are At or Above.
• 92% of year 6 are At or Above.
• Girls and boys are achieving at a similar rate. This is a major change to the norm. 12 months ago there was a 20% difference in favour of girls.
• The gap between Maori and non-Maori has closed this year.
Nga Mihi
Yaron Overeem
Principal
Kōkopu School
Wacky Hair and Wig Wednesday 18th Sep.
A reminder that the Student Council is running Wacky Hair and Wig Wednesday to support The Child Cancer Foundation next Wednesday 18th Sep.
Children can wear a wig or do their hair up in a wacky way and bring a gold coin donation. We will have a parade and some prizes in the morning.
Important Notice: Teacher Only Day – 22nd November
Please be advised that on Friday 22nd November, we will be holding a Teacher Only Day (TOD). On this day, the school and after-school care will be closed to all students.
This day has been allocated by the government for teachers to work through the new Maths and English curriculum updates. We appreciate your understanding and support as we engage with these significant changes to our teaching systems.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Social Media and Bullying Help for Parents.
At our school, the safety and wellbeing of our tamariki, both in and out of the classroom, is a top priority. We understand that bullying can occur anywhere—at school, outside of school, and increasingly online. As technology plays a larger role in our daily lives, it’s important to address the growing use of social media platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and gaming systems.
These platforms have set a minimum age requirement of 13, and this is for good reason. Children under 13 face several significant risks when using social media, including:
- Exposure to inappropriate content: Young children can easily encounter material that is unsuitable or harmful.
- Cyberbullying: Social media often becomes a space where bullying occurs, impacting children both emotionally and socially.
- Privacy concerns: Children may struggle to understand how to protect their personal information, leading to unintended risks.
- Unsafe interactions: The likelihood of strangers contacting children online is higher, raising concerns about their safety.
We strongly advise parents to follow the 13+ age guideline set by these platforms. By keeping younger children off social media, you’re helping to protect them from these risks, which they may not yet have the maturity to handle.
In addition to the online risks, we have also observed that issues arising from social media often spill over into school life. Disagreements or conflicts that start online can impact friendships, behaviour, and classroom dynamics, disrupting both learning and wellbeing.
To support you in navigating this important issue, there are valuable resources available on the Netsafe website. These provide practical advice and conversation starters to help you talk to your child about online safety.
- Conversation Starters: Tips on starting conversations about online behaviour.
- Snapchat Safety: Guidance on keeping your child safe on Snapchat.
- TikTok Safety: Information on safety features and parental controls for TikTok.
- Gaming Toolkit: Advice for keeping children safe while gaming.
- Bullying Prevention (BullyFreeNZ): Resources on handling bullying both online and offline.
Mangakahia Lions Speech Competition
All the best to Caitlin Riley and Riley Bourke, the two year 8 students who will represent Kokopu School at the Mangakahia Lions Club Speech competition. This will be held Wednesday 25th September at 7.00pm at The Mangakahia Community Sports Complex. Everyone is welcome to attend and support the children at this event.
AG Day / Calf Club
***Ag Day Reminder - Saturday 2nd of November 2024***
Read More on our Ag Day website. www.kokopu.school.nz/agday
Please register your animal and garden now by clicking the link below.
Dates to Note
Mon 22 July - Start of Term 3
Thu 12 Sep - Vision and Hearing Test Year 7 Postponed until 24th October
Wed 18 Sep - Wacky Hair Day
March 2025 - Mangakahia Country Meal Kokopu School Hosting POSTPONED
Wed 25 Sep - Mangakahia Lions Speech Competition
Thu 26 Sep - House Day
Fri 27 Sep - Last day of Term 3
Mon 14 Oct - Term 4 Starts
Thu 24 Oct - Vision and Hearing Test Year 7
Mon 28 Oct - Labour Day
Sat 2 Nov - Ag Day
Tue 5 Nov - Poroti Athletics TBC
Thu 7 Nov - Central Ag Day
Fri 22 Nov - Teacher Only Day
Yummy Stickers
Don't forget we are collecting Yummy Stickers. So please collect the Yummy cut-out labels from bags (each cut-out label is worth 10 stickers) and individual Yummy apple stickers. Yummy apples are available from New World, PAK’nSAVE and participating Four Square stores. The more you collect, the more sports gear you get so get going and start collecting your Yummy cut-out labels and stickers now!
Kokopu School
Email: office@kokopu.school.nz
Website: www.kokopu.school.nz
Location: 921 Kokopu Road, Kokopu, New Zealand
Phone: 094346765
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokopuschool