Newsletter Wednesday 6 December

Newsletter – Wednesday 6 December

Kia ora, Talofa, Malo e leleli, Kia orana, Fakalofa lahi Atu, Taloha Ni, Ni sa bula, 你好, Namaste, 안녕하세요, Hola, Xin chao, السلام عليكم. 

Welcome

Welcome to Summer Mills who started with us this week. Our current roll is 860.

 

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to Violette Goldsmith-Betts, Hannah-Belle Dixon, Mia Malherbe, Ryan Goodall, Livi Peyper, Melinke Visser, Lexis Paranihi, Alex Stevens, Lorelei Peat, Thomas Wright, Ji Won Ahn and Freya Bakhshov.

 

Mufti Day Friday 15 December

On Friday 15 December we will have a Christmas mufti day for the Salt Community Trust. We are asking that children bring in a can of food as a donation to the Salt Community Trust for their Christmas food bank.

Salt Community Trust runs multiple programmes on the Hibiscus Coast and surrounding rural areas to help bring about positive change for our community. Impact initiatives include Youth Workers & Youth Educators in Orewa College and surrounding primary schools, including Silverdale School.  Operation Reach Foodbank, & a Music and movement programme for adults with disability. 

Each fortnight, SALT Operation Reach Foodbank provides food parcels to 130 families experiencing food insecurity in our local community. Their parcels include fresh and non-perishable items and aim to feed the whole family 3 meals a day for 4 days. As the need continues to grow and government funding has been significantly reduced in 2023, they would greatly appreciate any donations of non-perishable items towards our parcels. 

They would specifically appreciate donations of: Simmer Sauce, Pasta Sauce, Watties Baked Beans/Spaghetti/Corn, and Gluten Free pasta.   

Any financial donations can be made to SALT COMMUNITY TRUST  02-1298-0071569-000

Please use your name/organisation in the particulars and FOODBANK in the reference, so that we can ensure any donations go directly to Operation Reach and a donation receipt can be sent via email at the end of the financial year.

 

Dates

Reports emailed to parents/caregivers – Friday 15 December

Last day for Go Deli Lunches – Friday 15 December

Staff Farewell Assembly – Monday 18 December 2.00pm. Parents are welcome.

Year 6 Leavers Assembly – Thursday 14 December 9.30 am. Year 6 Parents welcome.

School finishes – Tuesday 19 December 3.00 pm

Office open for Enrolments 10am – 2pm – Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 January 2024: 

 

Farewell Assembly

We will be having a farewell assembly for staff who are leaving us at the end of the year. This assembly will take place on Monday 18 December at 2.00pm in the school hall. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The staff who are leaving us are:

• Melody Harries (teacher) – Rangitoto College ESOL Department
• Marnie Macdonald (teacher) – Whangaparaoa School
• Heath Boot (teacher) – end of fixed term appointment
• Mia Vincent (learning assistant) – study
• Suzanne Prakash (teacher) – Wentworth School

 

Term 1 2024

Term 1 2024 starts on Wednesday 7 February. Children will go straight to their classrooms. 

 

New Bell Times for 2024

In 2024 we are changing our bell times. These changes fit in with current thinking about how children best learn with more breaks. Integrating breaks into a child’s learning routine is important for several reasons. Here are some ways in which children can benefit from having more breaks:

Enhanced Attention and Focus

Short breaks between learning sessions can help prevent mental fatigue and increase a child’s overall attention span. This can lead to better focus when they return to their tasks.

Improved Information Retention

Taking breaks allows the brain to process and consolidate information. This consolidation is crucial for memory formation and helps children retain what they’ve learned.

Reduced Stress and Anxiety

Breaks provide a mental and emotional reset, helping to alleviate stress and anxiety. This is particularly important during challenging or demanding learning tasks.

Increased Creativity

Breaks provide an opportunity for children to engage in activities that stimulate creativity. Whether it’s drawing, playing, or daydreaming, these moments can foster creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Better Physical Health

Regular breaks allow for physical movement and activity, contributing to better overall health. It helps prevent the negative effects of prolonged sitting and encourages physical exercise.

Enhanced Productivity

Breaks can have a positive impact on productivity. When children have the chance to recharge, they are more likely to approach tasks with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Improved Behaviour and Classroom Atmosphere

Breaks can contribute to a positive classroom atmosphere by reducing restlessness and boredom. Children are more likely to engage in learning when they have the opportunity for short breaks.

Comparison

	2023	2024
Break Times	65 minutes – 2 break times	85 minutes – 4 break times
Learning Times	275 minutes – 3 learning blocks	275 minutes – 5 learning blocks
Eating Time	20 minutes – 2, eating outside the classroom	0 minutes – 0, eating inside the classroom at the teachers discretion

 

Principal Awards

Congratulations to the following children who received principal awards at last week’s assembly.

KERI Awards

Well done to the following children who received Caught by KERI awards at this week’s assembly. 

	Te Ōhanga	Kiwi	Pūkeko	Tūi
Kindness/Atawhai	Amaya	Jace	Lexi	Savith
Excellence/Hiranga	Diana	Zantē	Wian	John
Respect/Whakaute	Eesa	Harry	Chloe	Jaimee
Integrity/Ngāku pono	Lucus	Kaden	Suzie	Wilson

Assembly Presenters

Congratulations to our assembly presenters.

Congratulations

Congratulations to  Steven Luo, gold most improved, Grace Hart, silver most improved and Sammy Hart, bronze most improved, medal winners in Most Improved 2023 in Maths-Whizz.

End of Year Achievement and Progress Report

Your child’s End of Year Achievement and Progress Report will be emailed to you on Friday 15 December. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive your child’s report.

How to read your child’s End of Year Achievement Report?

Reading, Writing and Mathematics Reporting

The report shows you how your child is achieving against each of the areas of Reading, Writing and Mathematics. The achievement snapshot can be broken into three parts:

1. The first graph shows your child’s achievement on a continuum of working towards the expected level (yellow), working within or working above the expected level (green).  As your child moves through the school it will track their progress across each year level. This is displayed by the white dots and the connecting blue line. Please note that the year level at the bottom of the graph indicates the end of that year level.

The top blue bar shows the Overall Teacher Judgement of what your child has achieved to date for that subject. The remaining blue bars further break down achievement in each aspect of the curriculum.

Your child’s next steps for learning are detailed in the right hand column of the snapshot.  Up to 3 next steps are highlighted for each curriculum area.

By logging into SchoolTalk you can find out further detail on your child’s achievement, progress and next steps. 

What can I do if I do not receive my child’s report via email?

1. Please check your spam/junk folder or your promotions folder.
2. If you can still not find the report you can access your child’s 2023 End of Year Report (and all previous SchoolTalk reports), by logging into SchoolTalk. Click on reports, the drop down arrow and then click on the report you would like to see. These reports can then be printed or downloaded.
3. If you cannot log into SchoolTalk please ensure our school office has your correct email address and then email lynnscott@silverdaleprimary.school.nz

Year 5 and 6 HBC Athletics Results Update

In last week’s newsletter we missed a couple of placings, apologies for this.

Spencer Konik 2nd in the Year 5 800m 

Archie Connolly 2nd in the Year 6 80m sprint

Thank you to our Newsletter Sponsors

Community Notices

Flute and Music Theory Lessons Available 2024

 Lessons are held after school at My Music Studio, 116 Lakeside drive, Orewa and run
for half an hour.
 I cater for beginners either in groups or as individuals.
 Students will be required to rent or buy their own flute, and it is highly
recommended to discuss with me first to avoid renting or buying an inappropriate
instrument.
 Students will also need to buy a tutor book and a theory book.
 Cost is $300 per student per school term for group lessons, or $450 per student per
school term for individual tuition.
A little about me:
I am a registered music teacher with over 45 years experience teaching flute at all levels
from absolute beginners up to Grade 8, with some of my past students having gone on to
professional music careers.
I am past president of the New Zealand Flute Society, and play flute and piccolo in the
Auckland Symphony Orchestra.
I believe that all students should have fun and a sense of accomplishment, and I have
developed a practice diary system that actively motivates and rewards students accordingly.
For more information please contact Mary O’Brien:
Phone: 027 676 8741
Email: brienomary@gmail.com