Newsletter Term 3 Week 3

Windy Ridge School Newsletter

August 9th 2017

Term 3  Week 3

www.windyridge.school.nz

School Bank Account:  ASB 12 3072 033 4812 00

PTA Bank Account:   ASB 12 3072 038 4799 00

KINDO: online school shop (click on KINDO to register)

Respect, Resilience, Kindness, Integrity

Hello, Hola a todos, Kumusta, Annyeonghaseyo, Ni Hao, Konichiwa, Namaste, Zdravstvuyte, Ciao, Cześć, Hallo, Bonjour, Salut, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Talofa Lava, Kia Orana,  Kia Ora Koutou

News from the Principal 

Student Led Conferences – Thank you 

Thank you to the families that joined us last Wednesday for the Student Led Conferences.  Our students are increasingly confident in sharing their learning with others, and are very proud of the responsibility to share it with you.  This is another way that we are working to encourage greater responsibility for learning from our students.  Our goal is to ensure that our students leave our school as confident, connected and self managing learners.  The world needs creative, critical and collaborative people to solve the problems that still challenge us.  To do this they need to know what they know, what they don’t know yet and how to get there.

Learning Environments and the Media

There has been a lot of comment in the media recently about the decisions being made by the Ministry of Education in relation to the shape of learning environments across NZ schools, in particular the shape and size of classrooms and learning spaces.  Whether they be the traditional classroom space or the large open-plan space, there will be opinions about which is best and why.  We all remember what we had at school and when things look different it can create some anxiety or questions.  However there has been little reference in the media stories to the vast amount of international research that is available that supports the changes being made in our education system.

Every school is looking for ways to engage students and raise their achievement, particularly for those students who are not making expected progress.  We investigate and research different programmes, strategies and structures that will impact positively on student learning.   One of those strategies is the implementation of a collaborative teaching and learning environment.   WRS always puts its learners at the centre of our decision making process, and as a team we are currently reflecting on our practice to ensure that our students are given the best opportunities we can provide for them.   The physical space is only one very small aspect of a flexible learning environment; more of it is about the student’s ownership of their learning.  While we have modified some of our teaching spaces to allow for a flexible use of space, we can control the size and use of those spaces to best suit the activities we have planned.  The design was deliberate and meets the needs of our teachers and students.

Here is one of the international research papers that explains the thinking and recommendations behind the change in learning and teaching that helps us to prepare our students for the world they are living in.  The Nature Of Learning (OECD)

The question we need to be asking ourselves is How do we prepare students for their future, not our past?  

• Science in a Van – 30th August  – newsletter on the school website and Facebook  Science in a Van
• Dance – Hip Hop Yr 4 Dance Hip Hop Year 4 starting yesterday and every Tuesday afternoon for the next 5 weeks.
• Dance – Ballroom Yrs 5 & 6 Dance Ballroom Year 5 & 6 starting tomorrow and every Thursday afternoon for 6 weeks.
• Assemblies for this term:  Week 4 Fantail team, Week 6 Tui team, Week 8 Falcon team, Week 10 All teams (Inquiry presentation)
• Team Falcon Trip –  Kelly Tartltons Friday 18th August Team Falcon – Kelly Tarltons Trip
• Cross Country – Monday 4th September

• Reviewing school policies –
  1. Visit the website SchoolDocs – WRS
  2. Enter the username (windyridge) and password (WRS0629).
  3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
  4. Read the policy.
  5. Click the Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
  6. Select the reviewer type “Parent”.
  7. Enter your name (optional).
  8. Submit your ratings and comments.
• THERE IS NO CAR-PARKING FOR PARENTS TO DROP OFF AND PICK UP CHILDREN FROM WITHIN THE SCHOOL GATES.  Please ensure you park sensibly and legally on the road outside the school. School carpark gates will be shut from 8.30am. Visitors to the school during school hours can park in the visitor parking in the back carpark between 9.00 am and 2.30 pm. (Mobility taxis use this space otherwise).
• Online Learning Support – Sunshine Online; www.sunshineonline.co.nz or iPad and android app (yellow).  Username : windyridge1     Password : windyridge
• Lost Property- collected and stored in the Health Room.
• Attendance – Please ensure that your children arrive at school on time and that we are aware of their absence by 9 am each day.  We do follow up lateness and absence as we are required to report on both to the Ministry of Education and the Board of Trustees.  If you are planning a holiday in term time please advise your child’s teacher and the office.
• Banking day is Thursday – please send ASB envelopes to the office.
• Ez Lunch is available all days of the week. Please go to ezlunch.co.nz  to register and order.  More information available at the office.
• WINDY RIDGE PARENTS Facebook – We have a closed Facebook page for Windy Ridge parents – you need to request to be part of this page. Search – Windy Ridge Parents. It is a valuable page for reminders, information, and general WRS ‘stuff.

Term dates 

School Terms 2017

Term 3      Monday 24 July – Friday 29 Sept

Term 4      Monday 16 October – Friday 15 Dec

                   Labour Day – Monday 23/10

School Terms 2018

Term 1     Thursday 1 February – Friday 13 April

                   EASTER: Friday 30/03 – Tuesday 3/04

Term 2     Monday 30/04 – Friday 6/07

                   Queens Birthday: Monday 4/06

Term 3     Monday 23/07 – Friday 28/09

Term 4     Monday 15/10 –  17th or 18th Dec (tbc)

                    Labour Day – Monday 22/10

PTA News 

• Ice Skate Tour – We are excited to have the ice skating rink back with us again in the  school hall from Thursday 10th – Friday 11th August from 3pm to 7pm & Saturday 12th August from 10am to 4pm.  Prices include ice skates, helmets and gloves.  Lessons can be purchased from the office with this from which came home today. IceSkateTour
• Chocolates –  REMINDER!!!!
  Thank you for the amazing support we have received in our Whittakers Chocolate fundraising project! Please bring your money into the school office as soon as possible
• Entertainment Books – This month and next we are selling entertainment books as a fundraiser with $14 from each book being donated to the school.  We have a sample book in the office with order forms or see the attached link to order a book or digital membership online www.entbook.co.nz/992s96
• Mindfulness & Yoga – We have the lovely ladies from Jayayoga Studio coming to give a Yoga Class at our Hall on Saturday 19th August 2-4pm it will be focused around Breath, Mindfulness and Gentle Movement. The PTA will be providing refreshments after the class. This is a great way for you to take some time out de-stress and unwind. Tickets are $10 they will be going on sale shortly. Mindfulness & Yoga Fundraiser

Print or Save this Post