Newsletter – Wednesday 8 November 2023

Cockle Bay School

School Newsletter

Children and their learning at the heart of all we do.

Principal’s Message

Nau mai, haere mai, parents and whānau,

Teacher Only Day

Monday, 13th November, is a Teacher Only Day. Enjoy your long weekend! Bizzy Bodz is operating on this day.

PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning)

Each week a new focus is introduced at the Monday PB4L assembly. Lessons come directly from our school wide behaviour matrix or behaviours that have been observed / identified. Following the assembly, each class takes part in activities and discussions that support the teaching of the expected behaviour.

This week our students have been learning about making good choices. We have to make choices all the time. Some choices are simple and easy, others are more challenging and can have a big impact on us.

Students will talk about what to do when they are faced with a difficult choice.

When making a choice some things to consider are:

Is it kind?
Is it safe?
Is it healthy?
Would it make someone proud?

When we make a choice we need to make it for ourselves and not follow what others do.

Year 3 Playground and Nature Trail upgrade

You may have noticed the temporary fencing that was installed yesterday. It goes around the Nature Trail and the Year 3 playground, and provides a safe area for vehicles and deliveries. Some children will need to come to school/go home using slightly different access points, so please discuss this at home as needed.

As communicated yesterday, the Year 3 playground and Nature Trail are being upgraded, thanks to funding from the P.T.N. and our Board. A huge thanks goes to all parents who support the fundraising of the P.T.N. Both upgrades are expected to be finished just prior to the end of the year.

Litten Road Crossing

Several of our parents have contacted me with concerns about driver behaviour and the safety of our students when using the Litten Road crossing (by the Litten Road shops). One parent has kindly volunteered to help with supervision after school. If you are usually parked on the roadside in that area in the afternoons and are available to help out, we would love to hear from you. To all those who use that road, please take care when driving and lower your speed. Thank you.

Donations

What a busy year it has been at Cockle Bay School with our students participating in many wonderful events, experiences and challenges. We thank everyone who has contributed to costs associated with some of these events. Without your contributions we would be unable to offer such a range of meaningful and motivating experiences for your children.

The end of the year is fast approaching. If possible, can you please log into your Kindo account and contribute to the outstanding events your child has participated in this year.

The donation requested for this year is $320.00 per child for the full year. While all children are entitled to free education in N.Z., you will be aware that our school relies on donations to offer current programmes and is vital in providing the resources and support needed for Cockle Bay School to deliver the quality of education that our students receive. Cockle Bay School is not eligible for the government’s free donation scheme.

Contributions can be made from your Kindo account, by internet banking (02-0168-0013657-00) or by eftpos at the school office. Remember that you can claim a tax credit from Inland Revenue of up to one-third of all school donations paid.

Thank you in advance for your continued support of our amazing students and school.

Regards.

Dorothy Bigwood

Health Consultation

Thank you very much to all the parents who completed our Health Curriculum Survey at the end of Term 3. We have considered your feedback and are pleased to share the results with you. Overall it shows that parents are very happy with what we currently offer as part of our Health and Physical Education curriculum. We have also included a section at the end of our proposed next steps.

We really value your feedback and the results will be used to influence our curriculum planning and the development of our Annual Plan for 2024.

Best regards,

Phebe Rossiter

Analysis of Health and wellbeing consultation

Yearbook Orders

Orders for the yearbook will close this Friday, 10 November. Please note that we will not have spare copies available for those who have forgotten to place an order, so please ensure you order this week via Kindo.

Sun Protection

Cockle Bay School promotes sun protection practices to reduce the risk of sun-related harm to students and staff as part of our commitment to providing a safe place to learn and work. We take measures to protect our students and staff from overexposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) while they are at school or involved with off-site school activities, including sports and Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC).

Cockle Bay School is a SunSmart accredited school and it is school policy that all students wear a hat while outside during the summer terms. Students may be asked to sit in the shade during morning tea and lunch breaks if they do not bring their hat to school.

We recommend that students apply sunblock each morning and bring sunblock to school with them every day so that it can be reapplied at lunchtime. The Cancer Society recommends a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a high SPF, in combination with the slip, slop, slap and wrap principles below.

Individual/Catch-Up Photos

You will have been emailed your individual Key Code to purchase 2023 school photos. Please note that *** FREE DELIVERY ENDS Midnight Sunday 12^TH NOVEMBER***

Uniform Shop

The next opening for the uniform shop is Monday, 27 November, from 8:30am-9:15am and 2:30 pm-3:15 pm.

Health & Safety

If you wish to record additional people who are authorised to collect your child (including any older siblings), please email the office (office@cocklebay.school.nz) with details – their name, relationship to you, and mobile number.

Dates for your Diary:

Term 4

13 November: Teacher Only Day

17 November – HPPA Athletics

28 November – Junior Athletics

30 November: 1 December – Year 4 camp

14 December – Celebration Night

18 December: Report to go home

20 December: Last day of school

Quick links to our school website:

School Calendar

Term Dates (At the bottom of home page)

School events

We are pleased to introduce our refreshed and renewed school website. The URL has not changed, so you will still find all the information on www.https://www.cocklebay.school.nz/ You will notice, however, the refreshed look of the website and the ease of being able to locate what you need. We welcome feedback and hope to hear that this is a great connection/communication tool for new families to the school.

The new app replaces Audiri (formerly SkoolBag) as our main means of communication. Forms that were previously on Audiri can be located on the website, which is linked directly through the app. You can still register an absence and locate all up to date information, as well as current/previous newsletters. The new app is located in your phone’s app store and is called KiwiSchools Connect – use the QR code to the left to download this.

Once you have downloaded the app, search for Cockle Bay School and then save this as your school of choice. You will then be able to keep up to date with regular communication and notifications. Please ask at the office if you have any problems accessing the app.

Botany Taekwon-Do has been training the ITF style of Taekwon-Do at Cockle Bay School for over 15 years.

Come and have some fun with us get fit and learn a new skill with qualifications that are recognised around the world.

We operate a 2 week free trial. Want to know more visit our web site at botanytaekwondo.co.nz or just turn up at 6pm on Wednesday nights and say hi all ages and abilities are welcome.