Windy Ridge School Newsletter
25 September 2019
Term 3 Week 10
KINDO: online school shop (click on KINDO to register)
Respect, Resilience, Kindness, Integrity
Hello, Kamusta, Hola a todos, As-salāmu ʿalaykum, Kumusta, Annyeonghaseyo, Ni Hao, Konichiwa, Namaste, Zdravstvuyte, Ciao, Cześć, Szia, Hallo, Bonjour, Salut, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Talofa Lava, Malo e Leilei, Orana, Kia Ora Koutou
News from the Principal
Nga mihi nui kia koutou katoa
End of term – thank you to all the parents and whanau who have supported the school this term with your time and positive messages. It has been an especially busy term, and our children have benefited from a huge range of events and activities, only made possible through the efforts and organisation of the adults at school and volunteers from home. The weather has been especially challenging, and sickness has impacted on the school in a number of ways. As we move to the end of the term, we are seeing a lot of very tired children (and teachers) who are in need of a few weeks of rest and relaxation.
Just a reminder that during the holidays there will not be adults around regularly to supervise children, so you will need to supervise your children if they come up to the school to play. We are happy for you to be here and to enjoy the facilities that we have available. The Hall, including toilets, will not be open for public use as it is hired over this period. If you see any behaviour or damage that concerns you at the school, please make email contact with us, or you can phone the Police directly (111 for emergencies or 105 for non-emergencies). Thanks for your help to keep our school safe for all to use sensibly.
School closes this FRIDAY at 3pm for the term 3 holiday break. Term 4 starts on October 14th.
Assembly – Our final assembly for the term this Friday will start a little earlier at 9.30am.
Wear your most colourful Loud Shirt this Friday in support of Hearing House.
News From The Board:
Kia ora Windy Ridge School community.
Before staff and students take a well deserved break over the holidays, I wanted to take this opportunity to give you an update on some of the things that the Board will be looking at over the next month or two, as well as some other news.
As you may be aware, from 2020 onwards many schools in New Zealand will be eligible for funding through the Government’s school donations scheme. When a school opts into the scheme they will receive $150 per student which will be applied to the operations grant – schools that do so will not be able to ask the parents and guardians of students for the usual annual donation. These funds will then be available collectively to help run the school and some of the student activities. There are some finer points to this scheme which the Board is currently reviewing, but we will be communicating the outcome of these discussions with you shortly. If you’d like to read more, I’d encourage you to take a look at the release from the Ministry of Education – see link below:
In addition to the above the Board will shortly be embarking on a planning day in which we will be looking at the strategic direction of the school over the next 12, 24 and 36 months. We look forward to sharing the key focuses and direction as the plans come to fruition.
Finally, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you that the new classroom build project now has a timeline. Many of you will know that there are plans in place to remove the Falcon block, and to replace this with a new building which will accommodate students in our growing school. In November of this year we can expect the initial design work to begin, with a start-date for the build being November 2020. All being well we should have our new classroom facilities available for use in September 2021.
Ngā manaakitanga
James Stuart
The symptoms of measles include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Sore and watery ‘pink eyes’
- Rash
If you catch measles, you can infect others from five days before the rash appears until five days after the rash appears (counting the day of rash onset as day 1). The virus is highly contagious and spreads easily from person to person through the air. If you or a family member suspect you have measles you should stay at home and call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116. If you have measles, it’s really important to limit spreading it to others, so avoid waiting rooms and please stay at home. https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/diseases-and-illnesses/measles/2019-measles-outbreak-information#schools
KickStart Breakfast – is held in the hall everyday from 8.30am to 8.50am, this is for any child who would like to have some weetbix, milk and fruit before school. We are looking for adults to help supervise the breakfast, if you have some free time in the morning please contact the office or complete the attached form. The weetbix and milk are donated by Sanitarium and Fonterra. The canned fruit is an optional extra and we rely on donations to offer this, so if you would like to donate a can please drop them into the office. Kickstart Breakfast Club Parent Volunteers
- Rippa Rugby – The children have been participating in some Rippa taster sessions this term. We will finish with a fun lunch time tournament at the end of the week. The teachers have handed out some forms to children who were interested in finding out more about club Rippa. These are expression of interest forms only. If you would like the club to contact you at the start of next year with more information please fill out the forms and return them to school this week. NORTH HARBOUR RIPPA RUGBY SIGN UP FORM
- Team Pukeko Trip – In our final week of this term the Pukeko’s will also be visiting the PumpHouse Theatre to see the Little Yellow Digger production. Friday 27th September Rooms 7 & 8. Rooms 7 & 8 – PumpHouse Theatre Trip Letter
- Assembly Term 3: This Friday – All Teams, Inquiry Progess/Wonderings. Assembly will start at 9.30am, prior to this we have a coffee and chat for parents in the staffroom from 9am with our Principal Brenda McPherson.
Reminders
- Sun Safety – Just a reminder that as we head into summer (hopefully) children will need sunhats at school every day next term. Please make sure they are named.
- Spare Clothing – We recommend the students always have a change of clothes in their bags.
- Head Lice – Please check your child’s hair weekly as unfortunately head lice are very common in the community. We have attached the link to the Ministry of Education parent information website with more information. https://parents.education.govt.nz/primary-school/wellbeing/head-lice/ For advice on treatments: https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/h/head-lice/#Chemicalproducts Will my child have to stay away from school? No, the school will not exclude your child or ask you to keep them at home because they have lice. You don’t need to keep your child at home while you’re treating lice either. We have combs available in the office, but also your local chemist and supermarket will sell products.
- Sunshine Online – www.sunshineonline.co.nz Free access to all families to use these books – Login – windyridge1 – Password – windyridge
- Walking School Bus – We have 4 Walking School Buses at WRS. They leave from Stephanie Close, Stanley Road, Roberts Road and Hiwihau Place. Most of them leave around 8.15am in the morning to get the students to school for 8.30am. If you would like your child(ren) to come on the Walking School Bus AND are able to help just one morning or afternoon a week, see Mrs Boyce in the office for a form and she will pass your details on to the right person. The Walking School Buses are solely run by awesome volunteers so your help is always appreciated.
- Lost Property – Please remember to check our lost property bin on the hall deck for any lost items, please name all items of clothing, lunch boxes and drink bottles.
- Kindo – To avoid office queues please go online to make payments through your mykindo account. If you haven’t used Kindo before, click this link to get started (all you need is the email address we have on record) Kindo Shop If you already have a mykindo account, go to www.mykindo.co.nz or via the link on our school website. www.facebook.com/kindo.co.nz This site also hosts our online lunch ordering system Ezlunch – All orders must be made before 9am. Kindo_Parent_Flyer_CHINESE Ezlunch Term 3 Menu
- Attendance – Please ensure that your children arrive at school on time and that we are aware of their absence by 9.00am each day. You can telephone the office and leave an absence message or go online to the school website and use the Report an absence tab or use the Skool Loop app. 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.
- WINDY RIDGE PARENTS Facebook – We have a closed Facebook page for Windy Ridge parents – you need to request to be part of this page, we are only able to accept parents and caregivers to this page. It is a valuable page for reminders, information, and general WRS ‘stuff. https://www.facebook.com/groups/windyridgeparents/
- School Library – The library is open from 8.30am to 8.50am and at lunchtimes from 12.45pm to 1.25pm.
- Music Lessons – John Casson from MusiqHub is now offering music lessons in Guitar & Ukulele at our school, see the attached notice for more information. John Casson Flyer
- Before & After-School Care – The sKids organisation provide this service from our school hall, please feel free to drop in and see them or register online through their website. www.skids.co.nz/locations/windy_ridge/
Term dates
School Terms 2019
Term 3 Monday 22/07 – Friday 27/09
Term 4 Monday 14/10 – Wednesday 18/12 (midday)
School Terms 2020
Term 1 Monday 03/02 – Thursday 09/04
Term 2 Tuesday 28/04 – Friday 03/07
Term 3 Monday 20/07 – Friday 25/09
Term 4 Monday 12/10 – TBC
PTA News
- Calendar Art – Order forms will be sent home tomorrow, each student has been assigned a code to use for ordering online. Please contact the office if you do not receive a notice for your child. Calendars $15, greeting cards $12.50, mouse pads $14, diaries $15 and sketch pads $13. Samples of these can be viewed in the office. Online ordering closes Monday 28th October.
After School programme Term 4 starting from October 15th. We will be organising some match play for the students, please see below:
Harcourts Cooper & Co North Harbour Badminton Centre,
47 Bond Crescent, Forrest Hill
3.30-5pm on every Tuesdays
3.30-5pm on every Thursdays
From Oct 15th – Dec 12th 2019.
Apollo Badminton Centre,
46 Apollo Drive, Mairangi Bay
3.30-5pm on every Tuesdays
From Oct 15th – Dec 10th 2019
Orewa Badminton Centre,
4-5.30pm on every Wednesdays
From Oct 16th – Dec 11th 2019.
Who: 7-17 years old
Cost: FREE
What to Bring: Just bring yourself (we will be providing racquets and shuttles)
Also, students will need to fill out an online form, see below:
______________
______________
_______________
Art in the Holidays (for ages 7 – 12 yrs.)
With step-by-step instruction children will draw then create a vibrant acrylic painting learning tips and techniques along the way. Fun and focused.
Venue: Beach Haven Community House, Wednesday 9th October,
Highbury House Tuesday 1st October 10am – 3.00pm, $55
BOOKINGS: eion@eionbryant.com, ph 0211327033 or 0210606641
_________________
_____________
_____________
Good news! We still have a couple of spaces in our Marrzipan Class on Thursdays in the Hall! This is a great opportunity for your child to come and give it a go! Marrzipan is a New Zealand renowned self-confidence programme aimed at bringing out the absolute best in students. This term we are working on a play called “Monster Ball” and we’ll be performing it at the end of term! If you would like your child to come along for a non-obligatory Trial Lesson and experience Marrzipan first, please send an email to info@marrzipandrama.co.nz or call us on 0275217352. See you there!
www.whanaumarama-parenting.co.nz
You can enrol on line or phone Haiying 551 6974 or
Elizabeth 441 0209 or Betty 551 6960
___________
Welcome to the Home of Kids Party Entertainment.
At Party At Yours we love to entertain your children with our super fun, innovative party ideas and
activities to suit birthday boys and girls of all ages. www.partyatyours.co.nz