March 2023 Edition
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The Connection

Week 8

Term 1

Huapai District School

March 30th 2023

Principal's Message

Next week is our last week of this term - this has gone really fast!!

Education seems to be in the headlines at the moment. Certainly, there appears to be some validity in our global literacy and numeracy trends. I find it interesting that at the moment there are actions being taken by teacher groups to improve their lot and the resourcing in schools, from my Principals groups there is a real desperation to address the increasing needs and demands within limiting financial resources. And now we have a political focus on education.

At our school, we are working hard on improving our literacy and maths skills and capability. I worry that the solution to this will be on programmes and structures, rather than quality and skilled teaching.

John Petrie
Principal

Upcoming Events

  • Thursday 30th March (Tonight) - School Disco
  • Thursday 5th April - Last Day Of Term 1
  • Monday 24th April - Teacher only Day
  • Tuesday 25th April - ANZAC Day
  • Wednesday 26th April - First Day Of Term 2

School Disco - TONIGHT

Our HFN is holding a disco for the students on tonight, Thursday 30th March.
Entry will be $5 per child at the door. (Please bring this in small notes or coins for faster entry).The theme is BEACH.
Juniors (Year 1-4) will be 5:30pm-7pm and Seniors (Year 5-8) from 7:30pm-9pm.
Lots of glow in the dark items, chips, drinks and sweets to purchase inside.

Teacher Only Day

Monday 24th April
A reminder that Monday 24th (the day before ANZAC Day and usually our first day back for Term 2) is identified as a Teacher Only Day. The school will not be open on this day.
Term 2 will start on Wednesday 26th April
Our focus with staff will be on the new curriculum.

Safety Concerns

We are noticing a pattern of safety concerns increasing at our school gate:
  1. Crossing the road and not using the supervised pedestrian crossing.
  2. Entering and riding bikes up the school driveway rather than using the student entry points.
  3. Parking across driveways.
  4. Driving into the school (the school driveway is for permitted vehicles only).
Please work with us in following our safety and good practice expectations.

Breakfast Club

Our breakfast club is going from strength to strength thanks to an awesome team of volunteers.
We are keen for some more parent volunteers in Term 2.
If you can spare half an hour from 8.30am to 9.00am once a week, please contact Stephanie Wales on stephanie.wales@hds.school.nz
We look forward to hearing from you!

House T-Shirts

They're back!
We are excited to advise that we now have house t-shirts! Perfect for sports events and house mufti days. These will be a compulsory part of the school uniform this year as children enter our school and for the full school from 2024. The t-shirts are $25 each and are available in a range of sizes from our normal uniform provider. Want to get one now? You can shop at the link below.

Ice Blocks

Our HFN will be selling ice blocks and drinks for $1 each at the school gates after school tomorrow (Friday). The funds raised through this ongoing project will go towards camp fees for students who are unable to otherwise attend.

Go Zen

Over the past few years, we have noticed a rise in the number of students and adults who are dealing with anxiety. We have had many enquiries from parents asking for advice and strategies for their children. As a school, we are fortunate to be able to integrate the Go Zen program into our Health curriculum this year. Health coach Roz Ryan will be delivering the workshops alongside the classroom teachers throughout the school. Please find attached an information sheet for the course (our apologise that this was not attached in last week's newsletter). More information can be found at gozen.com. Should you wish, Roz is available for 1:1 follow up sessions with you and your family. Please contact roslyn.proto@gmail.com

Scholastic Book Club

Term one Issue 2 orders are to be placed by TODAY, Thursday 30th March :) Please use the online LOOP ordering system.

Yummy Apple Sticker Promotion

Each year we have the opportunity to trade in stickers collected from the Yummy apple range for sports gear. This is an annual promotion that has seen the school earn some great gear that is used across the school. It’s that time again to remember to collect the stickers.

A collection sheet is linked below, or each of the classrooms have one on their wall for use at school. Paper copies of the sheet can be collect from the school office should you wish.

The Big Little Sponsorship Is Back

Winning takes teamwork, so let's get the whole community involved by nominating our school.
Teachers, students, parents, friends and whānau can all share the love and show their support for our school by nominating us at the link below.
Entries close 11:59pm Sunday 23 April 2023.

School Donation Receipts

Thank you so much to those that have already paid their school donation for the 2023 school year. Your contribution to the school is very much appreciated.
If you are wanting to claim back your 30% tax rebate on your school donation payment, you will need a copy of your donation receipt, which you are able to retrieve from your HERO account. The receipts are downloadable via the Android app (this option is still a work in progress in the Apple app), or alternatively you can login to your HERO account using a web page on a desktop/laptop computer. Simply click into the ‘Finance’ section, then click the ‘View All Payments’ button and on this page you will see a green ‘View Donation Receipts’ button. From here you are able to download a copy of your donation receipt.
Please contact the School Office if you have any issues: office@hds.school.nz

Don’t forget that every family who has paid their school donation in full by Wednesday 5th April will automatically go into our sponsored prize draw. The prize draw will occur Tuesday 11th April to allow bank payment clearance with winners contacted, and announcement in the school newsletter occurring in Week 1 of Term 2. You can pay your donation at the link below.

Soccer / Football

We have had several enquiries regarding school football teams. In this region, all soccer is played through clubs. Our local club is West Coast Rangers based out of Huapai Domain and Fred Taylor park. Registrations are now open via their website.

Check Us Out!

Photos from across the school this week.

Huapai Plus School Holiday Programme

Creative Matters

Creative Matters are back for the 2023 year. With classes on Mondays, 3pm - 5pm in Room 17. Please book at the link below.

Music Lessons With MusiqHub

MusiqHub are looking forward to another awesome year of music in 2023 at Huapai School! They will have a bunch of slots available for Guitar, Drums, Piano and Ukulele lessons. If you're interested, be sure to get in touch to reserve your spot or ask any questions you may have. Contact details below:

Drums: paul.barry@musiqhub.co.nz

Guitar, Keyboard and Ukulele:
scott.wotherspoon@musiqhub.co.nz

2023 Term Dates

These are the Term Dates for 2023:

Term 1: Tuesday 7th February - Thursday 6th April
Term 2: Wednesday 26th April - Friday 30th June
Term 3: Monday 17th July - Friday 22nd September
Term 4: Monday 9th October - Tuesday 19th December

Teacher Only Days:
Monday 24th April (the day before Anzac Day)
Tuesday 6th June (King's Birthday weekend)

HERO Notifications

We use HERO to send classroom updates, to share regular learning posts and now for payment on all in-school costs. HERO sends push notifications or emails. You can now choose how you receive HERO notifications as well as manage devices that receive them.

To set your own notification preferences:
  1. Click on your profile image
  2. Select EDIT PROFILE
  3. Scroll down to My Devices and select your preferences.
Or please see the full instructions linked below.

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