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Newsletter - Term 2 Week 10
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Important Notices
Kia ora whānau, nau mai ki te pānui a te kura o Wairau Valley | Hello family, welcome to the newsletter of Wairau Valley School.
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Reports will be coming this Friday! A significant amount of work has been done by the teachers to get these ready for your children including all the necessary assessments and 'looking through of books' to ensure our informed decisions are right for your child(ren). As this reporting process is new, there may be some teething issues. The report comments for Reading, Writing and Mathematics are automatically generated by Hero depending on the information we give it, coupled with the regulatory requirements set by the Ministry of Education. The general comments are the teachers words. They are then checked over by the teachers to ensure accuracy, and then by the principal. On Friday, they will be published for you to read. Please bear with us as we navigate these changes too. Next week, we have our parent-teacher conferences and this will be your opportunity to question anything you read in the report.
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The Fundraising Committee met last week to discuss upcoming events and have a think about how best to use the funds that have been raised. A number of events and opportunities have been identified where we would love some help from our parent community. Events include a used battery drive, Jingo Night at The Woody, Pets Day, some ideas around the Village Fair and a small possibility of hosting Group Day this year. If you would like to become involved, have some ideas, or are happy to take on a role, please let Lisa in the office know. On this note, we want to extend a heartfelt thanks to the whānau and community members that have chosen us as their Fuel for Schools school through Fern Energy. As of this week, we have $2329.31 in credit. We will look at what we can buy from their packages in due course.
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Quick Bits:
- School tops will be handed out before Cross Country on Friday and before we leave on Tuesday. Students will not keep them, we will wash them in between. If you have one hiding at home, can we ask that either your child wears it with a spare underneath or it is brought back to the Office please.
- Transition information has been sent to relevant whānau for Marlborough Girls' College via email.
- SAVE THE DATE - Friday 11th September - Jingo Night & Dinner Fundraiser @ The Woody.
What's coming in Term 3:
- Y7-8 Technology - Odd Weeks
- District Cross Country
- Y7-8 Virtual Reality Underwater Experience
- Harold and the Life Education Truck
- Speech Competition
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Upcoming/Important Dates
- Small & Rural Schools Cross Country - Friday 26 June (ACTION REQUIRED ON HERO - Events)
- Mid-Year Reports sent via Hero - Friday 26 June (Available on Hero - Reports)
- School Big Day Out! - Tuesday 30 June (ACTION REQUIRED ON HERO - Events)
- School Interviews - Tuesday 30th/Wednesday 1st July (ACTION REQUIRED ON HERO - School Bookings)
- Matariki Celebration and last Day of Term 2 - Friday 3 July
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We highly recommend you sign up/subscribe to our school community calendar. Click the link here to access it. The calendar is also visible on our school website.
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Is My Child Well Enough to be At School?
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The Ministry of Education and Health New Zealand have recently updated their advice to parents and whānau around child wellbeing and health advice. We all know coming into winter that wellness can take a bit of a pounding, so we are sharing with you this helpful guide full of information that should make the decision-making process easier when determining whether kids should be at school.
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Wairau Valley School's trip to town (repeat/reminder)
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Next Tuesday, our Year 0-5 students will be travelling to Blenheim to visit the Library and Theatre. Students are required to wear a school top which we will give them the morning of.
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Students need to be at school by 8:45 AM as the bus needs to leave at 8:55 AM sharp.
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We will be walking between venues and children will be carrying their own bags throughout the day. Please ensure bags are kept as light as possible, particularly for our younger students.
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- A named drink bottle
- Appropriate walking shoes
- A jersey and warm clothing suitable for the weather
- Morning tea
- Lunch (if you do not eat the school lunches)
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Mucking In and Doing Out Bit
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A couple of weeks ago, 4 students got the opportunity to represent Wairau Valley School for Arbour Day, an event run by the MDC Enviroschools team, planting at Thompson's Ford Road. Ollie, Xanthe, Mac and Eva were selected to attend, getting a great workout and being "shattered" when they returned to school. A huge shout out to Judith who took the children and looked after them on the trip. She reported that our community would be so proud of how they represented us, and we have since had comments from other teachers attending how awesome and 'stuck into it' the Wairau Valley kids were. Tino pai tō mahi, team! Well done.
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Sharing Spotlight
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Here is some of the fantastic work from around the kura the last two weeks.
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Fishtail have been learning about whaling in the Marlborough Sounds. Tanveer wrote this amazing piece of writing independently using a piece of software called ReadWrite. This has allowed several of our tamariki to access the curriculum easier and allow their ideas flow without the cognitive overload of physically having to write their ideas.
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We would like to showcase some wonderful artwork from two of our senior students who attend pencil drawing classes with Beverley Ward. Beverley taught herself to draw later in life and has developed a real passion for both creating art and sharing her skills with others.
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Valentina has been learning with Beverley for two years, while Eva has been attending for just under a year. Both girls have shown remarkable talent and dedication, producing some outstanding pencil drawings. Over the years, Beverley has also taught a number of other students, helping them develop their artistic abilities.
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Congratulations, Valentina and Eva — your talent and hard work are truly impressive!
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Valentina drew the owl, Eva the dolphin.
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Cross Country Information (repeat/reminder)
When? THIS FRIDAY! at 1pm sharp. Year 7-8’s first at 1pm, Year’s 1-2 at 1.20pm, Year 3-4’s at 1.40pm and the Year 5-6’s at 2pm.
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Where? Waiview Farm - Campbell’s Road, Tua Marina.
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Clothing: Children are expected to wear a Wairau Valley School sports top (most are now kept at the school office). All runners need sneakers and shorts. A change of footwear is suggested as there is a stream crossing, mud and wet grass. Warm jackets, pants and hats are advised as the venue is exposed and can be cold.
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Travel: We will be traveling as a school on the bus. Your child needs to be on the bus going to the event, and in our care/control during the event. This is an EOTC expectation. After the event, you are welcome to take your child - this needs to be indicated on the Hero excursion event.
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Congratulations, Superstars!
This fortnight, we celebrate the following superstars:
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Gracie Howard: Every day you come to school with a positive attitude and a hunger to learn. I hear all about how hard you focus on your learning both at school and at home and that it is paying off. To top things off, your smile brightens up our space and is a reflection of your kind, thoughtful nature. Keep being awesome, Gracie!
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Ella McCabe: Ella has shown great growth in confidence and was an excellent host during our school assembly. Continues to work hard and make steady progress across all curriculum areas. We are all proud of the effort and determination shown this term.
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Quinn Wolland: Quinn works hard to understand new and challenging concepts and shows great perseverance when learning becomes difficult. In Mathematics especially, she continues to tackle problems with determination and does not give up easily. This positive attitude is helping to build confidence and success.
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Cadence Dean: Cadence, you have flourished this year in the senior classroom, embracing the Fishtail Room routines and approaching new learning and academic challenges with confidence. You are fully engaged in all aspects of classroom life and regularly contribute thoughtful ideas and different perspectives. Your willingness to ask questions, seek clarification, and strive to deepen your understanding has been a real strength.
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Board Update - Meeting #4
At Tuesday's Board meeting, we were pleased to welcome Paul Johnstone from the Ministry of Education to discuss our Positive Practice for Learning (PP4L) journey. Paul shared a 'one-pager' for parents and whānau which explains the theory behind PP4L and it can be found here. Unfortunately, with the graphic, it has been make two pages! The Board endorsed the implementation of our new R.I.V.E.R. Values Framework and vision, "Navigating the R.I.V.E.R. with Courage." These values - Relationships, Integrity, Venture, Effort and Respect - will become an increasingly visible part of school life and provide a consistent framework for supporting positive behaviour, learning and wellbeing both at school and at home. The Board also reviewed the recent Wellbeing@School survey results, which provided a positive baseline and confirmed that current initiatives are moving us in the right direction.
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The Board also considered a range of governance matters, including student transport eligibility, Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) procedures, student achievement, finance and property. Updated EOTC systems are being implemented to strengthen planning and risk management for school trips and activities. Student achievement data showed strong progress in Reading and Mathematics, while writing remains an area of ongoing focus. The Board remains committed to ensuring all decisions support the long-term sustainability of our school and the success of every student.
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