Newsletter – 9 October 2023

Principal’s Message: Monday, 9 October 2023

Nau mai, haere mai, parents and whānau,

Reminder:  SCHOOL CLOSED: Friday of Week 2, 20 October – Teacher Only Day 

Welcome to Term 4! A special welcome is extended to our new students joining us today. They are: Dylan T (Room 8), Wanyu Z (Room 10), Paige T (Room 22), Lucas W (Room 27), Lawson B (Room 32), and Jack B, Luna C, Daniel C, Avyaan K, Mirha K, Samuel L, Brian X, Ashley Y and Dylan Q (Room 34).

We hope you and your families settle into our school community easily, and participate in school events as they are offered. We look forward to working with you.

Well, I’m back!

I’m delighted to be returning to Cockle Bay School after a 10 week sabbatical. During this time I visited my son who lives in Denmark and have visited fourteen schools, four in Denmark and ten in Auckland. This was to investigate current issues for principals and innovations to meet the needs of students and communities. I have learnt  that schools overseas and here face similar challenges and are doing really good work. I’m extraordinarily proud to work at Cockle Bay School with the board, staff and parent community.  Together, we can achieve our goals and plans.

I would like to thank the Cockle Bay School Board for approving my sabbatical leave, and staff at Cockle Bay School for their extra work and support during my absence. In particular, thanks go to Kimberley Rivett and Phebe Rossiter for all their sound leadership while I was on sabbatical.

Communication

Cockle Bay School has a new website and KiwiSchools App to improve communication with parents. Please download the new KiwiSchools App (from the website) to access our messages. Normally a school newsletter goes out fortnightly on a Wednesday  (but today as the first day of term), with other messaging as needed. Team Leaders will be sending home newsletters early each term. The school calendar is on our website. (Please see a further message below for more details around changes to our communication platforms.)

While in the transition phase to the KiwiSchools App, we are using Audiri (to be phased out at the end of Term 4), eTAP emails, our school website and new KiwiSchools App.

Property

An update on the fire and temporary accommodation for Rooms 7 and 8 was sent out last Friday. Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing. At this stage we understand that the fire originated in the toilet block in Room 8 where construction works were taking place. The Ministry of Education has engaged contractors to deliver two temporary classrooms into the staff car park on the corner of Sandspit Road. These will become replacement classrooms for Rooms 7 and 8. A huge thanks goes to parents who gave support at the end of term. This made a real difference to the staff, who were as shocked as our students by what happened. Together, we looked after each other and did what was needed. This is the true strength of our school, with parents and staff working together, so our children are well cared for.

Special thanks to Dale Manson for organising $20 vouchers for parents who lost property through fire/water/smoke damage. KMart very generously donated vouchers and we can’t thank them enough for this donation.

Temporary Changes:

• Room 7 is working in the library
• Our new entrant class, Room 34, is located in the library
• Mrs Jones and her mobile library is based in Room 33 (old dental clinic)
• Room 8 is working from MPR2 (between Rooms 16 and 17, Peterson Block)

Toilet upgrades in the junior blocks are expected to be completed by the end of Week 1, and I’m sure all students will enjoy these brand new facilities and treat them with respect. Please talk to your children about appropriate toilet behaviours, as in Terms 2 and 3 it was upsetting when silly behaviours resulted in extra cleaning up and damage. This is a good time to remind your children of how to use the toilets properly: only using the toilets for going to the toilet (not for playing in), ensuring that toilet paper is used appropriately, reminding your child to wash their hands and make sure that they seek help if they have any issues with toileting.

The large macrocarpa tree behind Room 25 has been cut down, with some of the wood being saved for Nature Trail developments (planning underway).

Buildings have been washed down and general cleaning and tidying of grounds undertaken. All classrooms adjacent to the fire have had a deep clean. 

The field has had its spring renovation of coring, sanding and fertilising.

Positive Behaviour For Learning

Cockle Bay School teaches students the behaviours we want them to practise and learn. We ask parents to reinforce these at home. In this way, with home/school teaching the same expectations, our students will demonstrate our school’s values: caring for ourselves, each other and the environment, collaboration with others and continuous improvement. We celebrate their continuous improvement  and successes in behaving appropriately. Each school newsletter will share an aspect of P.B.4.L. so you know more about how we manage students’ behaviour and work to eliminate hurtful behaviours/bullying etc.

In the first week back, teachers will be going over expectations for how to wear our uniform correctly and with pride. Students will be discussing why it is important to wear a hat in summer terms. Students in the senior school will be talking about when to wear our PE gear and the importance of changing clothes for physical activity as part of personal hygiene.

In week 2 students will be reviewing and discussing how we play during morning tea and lunchtime. This includes where we store our drink bottles, how to access them during play time, how to find out about and join lunchtime clubs, what kinds of games are appropriate to play at school, how to access P.E. gear and which play spaces each year group can use. Students will also talk about ideas for play and what to do if there is a problem in the playground.

Celebrating the end of Term 3

• School Production

The show went on! Despite our school fire, Kākāpō (Year 5) and Takahē (Year 6) performed Madagascar Jr magnificently in the last week of term. The standard of acting and singing was truly exceptional, and all students are congratulated on their hard work. They were confident, full of personality, and sang and danced amazingly. I don’t know how you remembered your lines, because there were a lot! Huge thanks go to Lynnette Leggett, ably supported by Mandy Kearney and Louise Parker and a big team of staff. Thanks to the many parents who supported us as well.

• The Junior Cross Country: We were fortunate to have a beautiful sunny morning for our Junior Cross Country for Year 0-3. Thanks to all the parents who supervised students on the course, it was great to have your encouraging cheers for all our students who gave the race their best. We celebrated our place getters at a Celebration Assembly. 
• EPro8: ‘Team A – Amazing’ came 5th/12 in the semi-finals at Papatoetoe Intermediate. The semi finals had a whole new set of challenges, covering more aspects of engineering, physics and practical maths. The four students who made up the team should be very proud of their achievements in making it through to the semi final event. 
• Mandarin Speech Finals: We hosted a very successful Mandarin Speech Final with 7 contestants. The content and delivery was of a very high standard, making the judges’ decision very difficult. All students that speak Mandarin in Year 5 and 6 were invited to this event. It was well attended by the parents of the contestants.
• Science Competition: The Science Challenge at Point View School involved 5 children from Years 3 and 4. They rotated activities and collaborated to complete STEM challenges. The first activity was to use wooden blocks to create a stable structure that would remain standing against the force of a leaf blower! The favourite of the day was building a lego vehicle that slid down a runway, with points awarded for speed. Our students collaborated and shared their ideas enthusiastically.

This will be another busy term. Team Leaders’ newsletters give parents some forward planning details, and we share our school calendar as well.. 

Coming up….

SCHOOL  is CLOSED Friday of Week 2,  20 October  Teacher Only Day 

Bizzy Bodz has been asked to confirm if they will offer childcare on this day, and we will let you know.

For Parents…

• Road Patrol

Can you give us 15 minutes of your time (3-3.15pm)  one afternoon per week, to supervise the Trelawn pedestrian crossing? We have two gaps in the afternoon at present. Full training and support is given. Please contact Amber May (amberm@cocklebay.school.nz) or the office  if you might be able to help.

• Parent / Teacher Network (P.T.N.)  Meeting 

This is scheduled for 7.30pm tomorrow, Tuesday 10th October, in the school staffroom. All parents are welcome, especially those who have recently joined the school. Come along, get to know other parents and find out more about what is happening.

• Puberty Meeting online: Tākāhē (Year 6)

This is just before the P.T.N. meeting on Tuesday 10 October 6-7pm. Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81529145310?pwd=WVhnN1pqUno5M2dxRlUydkQzaWNwZz0

Meeting ID: 815 2914 5310

Passcode: 380806.

For Students…

• Tākāhē Team (Year 6)  visit to Marae
• Positive Puberty lessons
• Grandparents’ Morning (9.30 – 10.45am) – Kea (Year 1) and Tūi (Year 2) teams
• Eco Warriors Clean Up Day (12.30 – 1.30pm Friday Week 1)
• Art Expo (Week 2, more details to follow)
• Photo Life for New Entrants and catch ups (Wednesday 18th, Week 2)
• Board meeting Wednesday 18th October, 5.30pm
• H.P.P.A. Touch Rugby Competition Thursday 19th October
• Shake Out Thursday 19th October 9.30am
• Friday 20th October: School closed, Teacher Only Day.
• Maths Morning (Week 3) – for Year 3 – 6 on Friday 27 October

Ngā mihi

Dorothy Bigwood

Room 8 in their temporary classroom (library) with their KMart gift cards.

Eco Warriors

The Eco Warriors entered a Waste Creation in the Beautification Trust Waste competition. It is on display in the Botanic Gardens Visitors Centre. Feel free to pop in and vote for the People’s Choice Award. They have made a mistake with our school name, so make sure you write CBS instead of Tamaoha School.

PTN

A reminder that the PTN will be meeting in the staffroom on Tuesday, 10 October, at 7:30pm. All welcome.

Uniform Shop

The uniform shop is open today Monday 9th October – 2:30 pm-3:15 pm.

Following our recent Uniform Review, please see below the first of our new items – a full zip, polar fleece jacket.