Dear Parents/Caregivers Talofa lava -Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa
Our second week back at school has been fantastic. We now have 95% of students back at school and we are well into the swing of Alert Level 2 @School. The children are very focused and calm and you can see they are enjoying being back in to school routines.
It is interesting to see the increase in students’ levels of independence. I think they have learned a few new skills while at home, you have done a great job helping them build these skills. Each morning I watch our younger students getting out of cars on their own, managing to carry their bag, sanitising hands, and then walking to class. They are able to organise themselves for the day. Being more independent will certainly help them with their learning.
Also… no more lockdown sleep-ins, please try to drop off children by 8.30am, as this gives them time to get to class and get prepared for the day. The gates close at 8.45am promptly.
ENIRO Projects
Our enviro team are certainly enjoying being back at school and they have three projects getting underway;
- Our work with the For the Love of Bees Project is ongoing, we continue to work at Highwic House developing this site as a regenerative park, and we have pasture painting at school and have created a safe place for bees. The Enviro Team are now learning how we might install bee hives at school, and they have enlisted the help of an expert Bee Keeper from Newmarket Rotary to help with their learning. Thank you to rotary for providing a new shed to store our resources.
- Thank you to the Government Sustainability Fund who provided the enviro team with $9000 for the installation of three new wooden compost bins. These were installed during Alert Level 3 at the bottom of the old stairs. We will get a little shed next to the bins to store any equipment the students need for this project.
- Pest Free Newmarket The Rotary Club of Newmarket are a catalyst for actions required to develop a pest free Newmarket, this is in line with the Government Pest Free NZ aim for 2050. The Rotary Club is working on a pilot scheme with the Auckland City Environmental team, and Newmarket School have agreed to take part in a pilot scheme.
Chromebooks -1:1 devices across the school.Last year we trialled the use of Chromebooks with our year 2 students. Initially I was a bit resistant to having these devices as a as a learning tool for our year two students. Last yearduring the trial, and this year during the lock down, students’ use of Seesaw and the work they produced, proved me wrong. So this week we added to our stock and now the year two children can use these. And, this has meant our year 1 students now have 1-1 use of our iPads for some aspects of their learning. While the Chromebooks do not replace good old pen and paper activities, they are another tool they can use for aspects of their learning.
Enrolments If you have any children turning five this year please let Patti know office@newmarket.school.nz. Please fill in our enrolment form and return it to the office. We like children to have a visit or two before starting school and we schedule these well in advance. Download the enrolment form here If your enrolment has been on hold at Alert Level 2-4 please contact the office as we are resuming Term 2 enrolments from next week.
Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/samoan-language-week-vaiaso-o-le-gaganasamoa/
