4th February 2016 - Week 1 Term 1
Welcome back to our returning and new families for 2016
We would like to welcome everyone back to school for another action packed year. There were a lot of excited parents on Tuesday as they dropped their children off and were looking forward to a bit more freedom and ease with childcare. We have started 2016 with 107 children.
Welcome to our new students We would like to welcome all our new students to Motupipi. They have settled into their new school well and we wish them all the best for the year ahead.
School Calendar February 8th 10th 16th 19th 24th
Waitangi Day Assembly 2.10pm Parent Information Evening Mini Reports sent home Assembly 2.10pm
March 6th 9th 23rd 25th 28th 29th
Weetbix Tryathlon Assembly 2.10pm Assembly 2.10pm Good Friday Easter Monday Easter Tuesday
April 15th April Term 1 ends
2016 Dates
Emily (Rm 4) Seamus (Rm 1), Gabriel (Rm 4), and Shawn (Rm 3) Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4
2nd Feb - 15th April 2nd May - 8th July 25th July - 28th Sept 10th Oct - 15th Dec
ABSENCES Please remember to phone us before 9.15am if your child is absent. After 9.15am Jane will phone parents to check where any unaccounted children are. This is a Ministry requirement, so please be patient when we phone.
Motupipi School Details:
Our New Entrant Children in Room 2 giving us their competition winning smiles. Chloe, Finn, Chase, Quinn, Matt, Saxon, Wiremu, Kye and Rowan.
435 Abel Tasman Drive Takaka 7183 Phone: 03 525 9986 EMAIL:
[email protected] Or:
[email protected] Internet Banking No: 03 1711 0013347 00
Class Swimming Each class has a swimming session each day and all of the children are expected to take part. The pool temperature is currently 24 degrees. With daily swims the progress the children are making is already noticeable.
Swimming Sports / School Tryathlon We are waiting for the dates of the Golden Bay Schools Swimming Sports which is for all 7-11yr olds who can swim a length of the High School Pool. Once the date has been decided we will be able to plan a date for our School Tryathlon which will be held at the Golden Bay Top 10 Holiday Park. Prior to the swimming sports we will take the children to the GBHS pool for training. The Junior rooms will hold a swimming demonstration towards the end of the swim season.
Parent Information Evening We will be holding an information evening for parents on Tuesday 16th February. The evening will be staggered so that parents can get to hear what is happening in each class. There will also be a time for parents to catch up with a teacher should class talks coincide. Information to be shared will be: Explaining the reading, writing and maths programme Homework expectation What you can do at home to help support the children
Naming your Children’s Things… Please remember to write your children's name on their clothing, lunch boxes, hats, shoes and especially any health products eg Inhalers. Lost property is located outside the Library. Unclaimed items will be given away or donated to Trash palace every few weeks.
School T-Shirts
Please send in any school T-shirts that are sitting in drawers at home. We will need these soon for swimming sports.
WANTED - FANS Room 1 and Room 2 are looking to borrow fans until the building job is finished. Do you have one the school could borrow?
Staff Changes for 2016 There are a few staff changes happening at School this year. Mark has won a Principals Ten Week Sabbatical, during which he will be doing some research on Dyslexia. Included in his leave will be a trip to the UK where he will visit some schools specialising in this field. Mark’s leave will begin in the last week of Term 2 and all of Term 3. Nick Farr will be relieving for Mark during his Sabbatical. Jude has been granted four weeks leave to travel with Mark to the UK. Jodie has been granted a years leave to travel and this will start from the end of Term 1 2016 until the beginning of Term 2 2017. A replacement for Jodie has been advertised. Wendy is back teaching in Room 2 for four days per week, Monday until Thursday, and Rose Williams is staying on with us teaching on a Friday. Mark will teach in Room 5 every second Friday. Sol Morgan, our Garden Facilitator comes in each Friday and does whole class and/or group teaching with the children. Jane is in the office from 8.30am – 3.00pm
Staffing for 2016 Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5
Jodie Grant Year 6 Wendy Webster / Rose Williams (Fri) Year 1 Helen Young Year 2/3 Judy Cullen Year 3/4 Renford Crump Year 5
Health Notice One of our new entrants, Chloe Coleman, has a severe peanut/nut allergy. Strict avoidance of peanut/nut products is the only way to prevent a life threatening allergic reaction. If exposed to peanuts/nuts, Chloe may develop a life-threatening allergic reaction that requires emergency medical treatment. The greatest potential for exposure at school is to peanut products and nut products. To reduce the risk of exposure and to provide Chloe with a safe learning environment, we have decided to make Room 2 peanut/nut free, so we have asked Room 2 parents to not send any peanut or nut containing products in their child’s lunch box. Any exposure to peanuts or nuts through contact or ingestion can cause a severe reaction. We appreciate that this will be an inconvenience to Room 2 parents when preparing their child’s lunchbox, however we want to keep Chloe safe.
Chloe has started in Room 2
Friday Lunches
Lorraine and Kerry our wonderful cleaners asked us to thank all the kids of Motupipi for their lovely cards and letters.
We will be starting school lunches next Friday. Once again we are calling for parents who would be happy to go on the Term 1 roster! Thanks to all of the parents who in 2015 so kindly helped by baking, making, and helping to serve school lunches. Did you know all money raised helps reduce camp fees, pays for buses on class trips and buys equipment for school? Please give Jane your name or phone the office on 525 9986.
WEET-BIX KIDS TRYATHLON The Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon is to be held at the Tahunanui Recreation Ground in Nelson on Sunday 6 th March for those keen to enter. The cost is $35 and can be done individually or as a team. Participant packs include Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon Official Kids TRYathlon T shirt Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon Official Swim Cap Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon Official Kit Bag Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon numbers On completing the triathlon the children receive a Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon certificate. Celebrities and sporting stars at each event cheer kids on and award certificates! The Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon in Nelson is located at Tahunanui Recreation Ground. The swim is at Tahunanui Beach, which is adjacent to the Transition area on the recreation fields. The bike and run leg of the Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon are around the field and surrounding streets.
Event Course
7 yrs Swim 50m
8-10 yrs Swim 100m
Swim Type: Water Depth:
11-15 yrs Swim 200m
7-10 year olds Bike Leg (approx 4km)
11-15 year olds Bike Leg (approx 8km)
All ages Run Leg (approx 1.5km)
2 short laps
3 long laps
1 lap
Ocean swim Around average chest height for age group. Max 1.5m.
Check out the Weet-Bix Tryathlon website to register and for further information and training tips at ww.try.weetbix.co.nz
Room Five
We made this tree and it shows what Room Five stands for and we are all of the leaves on the tree. By Bayleigh
These are our shield’s we made to show some things that are special to us. By Tara
Do you have an interest in making a radio show? Fresh FM has had some wonderful programmes made by primary and young high school students: Cool Kids Chat Channel, AFK and The Afternoon Breakfast Show… but they have all ended and I’d love to get more on air. A children's programme could include a book, game or movie review, school notices, stupid jokes, weird facts, interesting guests, stories, poetry, music – whatever you dream up. Perhaps you and some of your friends have half an hour or more, one day a fortnight after school, to present a radio show of your own? You’d need to find an adult willing to train in how to operate the studio equipment, or supervise you while you do it. I’ll teach you all you need to know. Or perhaps you’re a parent or carer who has time to operate the desk for a show? Or create a regular show especially for children? If you’re interested, let’s talk. Call Sage Forest 5258779 or 0273351395, or email
[email protected] On Saturdays at 8am (repeated Sun 7am), you could listen to The Great Big Kids Show on Fresh FM on 104.8 or 95.0 fm or live-stream it on our website www.freshfm.net
Motupipi Newsletter has gone Electronic for 2016 We are no longer sending out printed copies of the School Newsletter. It will be emailed out to parents and be published on our School Website— www.motupipischool.co.nz . Please give Jane in the office your email address if you or any of your family wish to be sent it electronically.
