Newsletter – 13 March 2024

PAID UNION MEETING: Thursday 28 MARCH 2024

CHILDREN GO HOME 12:30PM

Union members are entitled to a paid union meeting on Thursday 28 March, in the afternoon. All students are asked to go home at 12:30pm. We have very few non-union staff to supervise students who cannot go home, so seek your cooperation in finding an alternative for your child/children for the afternoon. Each classroom teacher will send out a form so we can confirm which students have no alternative but to remain at school. Thanks.

Principal’s Message

Dear Parents and Whānau

Cockle Bay School is a busy place. 

• Last week the juniors enjoyed a fabulous Splish Splash Day, and Kakapo Team went on a very successful school camp. 
• Next week Kotuku Team visit Sonshine Ranch, Room 17 goes to the Botanic Gardens, and sporting fixtures (Cricket, Waterwise, coaching in Table Tennis and Rugby) are offered to the senior school.
• The P.T.N. Colour Run is getting closer (Thursday 11 April). It is time to start finding sponsors from your family and friends. Please follow this link to learn more about what you can do to help the school in its major fundraiser for 2024. Our playgrounds, which all students enjoy, reflect the wonderful fundraising work of the P.T.N., and we want further improvements in 2024.
• This week is Book Week, with authors and activities to encourage a love of literacy. We are all very excited about our annual Book Character Parade this Friday 15th March. The parade takes place under the Dome and we welcome family and friends! Come along and cheer our students on as they join their buddy class to parade their character costumes. See below for parade times. We ask our audience to sit/stand around the outside of the class groups (there will be cones and some seating to help).

Thank you, parents, for your support of all these events, which make learning at school relevant and fun for students. Without your financial commitment and offers to help, these events would not take place. Again, sincere thanks!

Travel Around the School

I offer a huge thank you to parents in our school community for responding so positively to recent requests around the use of roads adjacent to the school, and safe walking. There is a marked improvement in drivers’ consideration of road rules and reduced congestion due to an increase in walking to/from school. Let’s keep this up as the weather starts to deteriorate, but thanks so much for minimising risks to our students outside the school gates.

On this note, a reminder not to park in the Howick College parking on Sandspit Road. This is private property, not a public parking area.

PB4L

As part of the PB4L lessons during the past few weeks, students have been learning about what it means to be a good role model, and how to listen to instructions. The skills taught in these lessons are to make explicit links on what positive behaviour looks like, sounds like and feels like. They are continually reinforced in the classroom. Students are aware of the importance of these skills in everyday life. 

As part of fostering caring relationships within the school, our buddy class system has started. Senior and junior classes are partnered together to build relationships throughout the year. When classes meet, it gives students the opportunity to show their skills of being a role model. It also supports the health and wellbeing of our older students and gives them student agency, as well as our younger students having an older buddy to look up to in a positive way.

Discussions around this at home are always greatly appreciated. Positive reinforcement of your child being seen as a positive role model would align well with the PB4L reward system at school. Who are good role models you know out of school? They might be grandparents, a sports coach, or a neighbour.  How can older children help younger students and those starting school for the first time?

School Vision and Strategic/Plans

The school’s website has these published for your information and interest. It also lists our Board members, with Jared Dinneen continuing as the Presiding Member. All board members work hard for the school and are thanked for their ongoing governance. Scheduled meetings are on the school calendar. Anyone wanting to attend a meeting should advise the principal the week prior.

Each term we review some policies. You are welcome to give feedback on any of the Term 1 topics for review (see below). You can do this by going to School Docs Current Review and following the instructions.

Please note a summary of our Concerns and Complaints policy is also on the school’s website.

Swimming Pool

A neighbour has complained repeatedly about noise at the swimming pool, which he finds to be a serious intrusion on his weekends.

Therefore, please note the following:

• Changed swimming pool hours:  8:00am – 5:00pm weekends and public holidays
• Please supervise users so that they are safe and not making excessive noise 

He also reports unsafe usage, especially young people playing under/around the swimming pool cover. This behaviour is NOT acceptable and may be life-threatening if someone were to be trapped underneath. If we are to continue to allow community access to the pool in summers to come, active supervision and responsible behaviour is essential.

The swimming pool was accessed using an unauthorized pool token on Sunday afternoon around 5:00pm. If you notice people accessing the pool by jumping the fence, climbing over the changing sheds etc, please notify the police immediately. Photographs of people abusing the rules might be helpful, but please do not put yourself at risk. I can be contacted on 021 2433687. Swimming pool tag holders are reminded that only Cockle Bay School students and their families are to have access to the pool and that non-compliance may result in key access being withdrawn.

We hope to keep the swimming pool open until the end of term (Friday 5 April) but can only do this with the support and goodwill of key holders. You are asked to re-read the swimming pool rules (see attached) and monitor your family’s usage.

2023/2024 School Pool: Conditions of Use

Thanks

Dorothy Bigwood

Your Kindo Account

School donations and contributions towards excursions, camps, etc, should be made through Kindo. If you do not have an account, please log in to Kindo and create one.

Note: to receive a tax credit on your donation this year, payment needs to be made by the end of the financial year (Friday 31 March 2024).

Each term we review the content and implementation of our school policies and we ask our school community to participate in this process. Please go to our website, and under “Our School”, select “Policies and Procedures”. Here you will find a Push Button that says “Go to Policies” and this will take you through to the SchoolDocs site where you will see a blue button labelled “Reviews”. Select the policy that you wish to review from the list of topics, then select the push button “Start your Review”. Username: cocklebay. Password: sandspit.

This term the policies under review are:

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Board Responsibility

Parent Involvement

Communicating with Parents

Community Conduct Expectations

School Planning and Reporting

Reporting to parents on school progress and achievement

Pakuranga United Rugby Club

We have had a really good response to our Girls Under 13’s and Under 15’s musters and are excited to get trainings going on Tuesday the 19^th of March!

We will be having trainings on Tuesday and Thursday nights with Coach Sophia from 530pm to 630pm here at Pakuranga United Rugby Club.

The teams are still open to more players and we still need a few in each grade to make sure we get the teams off the ground!