Newsletter: Week 5, Term 1, 2020 Do not reply to this email please compose a new email to: [email protected] What's On: Tuesdays RSS Garden Army, 1:30 – 2:55pm, School Garden Wednesdays Pita Pit 3 March PTA Annual General Meeting, 7:00pm Staffroom 10 March RSS Swimming Carnival, Waikanae Pool 11 March William Pike Challenge Launch, 4:00pm – 7:00pm 17 March Year 7 and 8 Triathlon, Raumati South School 2 April Interschool Swimming Sports 9 April End of Term 1, 3:00pm finish _________________________________________________________________________ Principal's Message Dear Whānau, Kia ora koutou, School Vision and Three Year Strategic Plan Last year we consulted widely with staff, parents and students about the direction and vision of the school. This was an in depth process that was extremely powerful and meaningful for all stakeholders. The Board of Trustees has set a new vision and three year strategic plan which is exciting and innovative. Our new vision "Using our hearts, heads and hands to grow courageous learners" sets the way in which we want to create rich and relevant learning opportunities for our tamariki. It is clear from our community, staff and children that we want learning to be hands on, exciting, relevant and related to nature, wellbeing, the arts, world issues as well as weaving reading, writing and maths throughout the day. It was also clear that learning needs to take place not just in the classroom but in and outside of the school boundaries. Our Tawa syndicate gave a great example of this with their Education Outside the Classroom week. The three year strategic plan is attached for you to become familiar with and also so you can see where we are heading as a school. We welcome your support to help us achieve our vision as the learning opportunities we want to provide require a whole community effort. Thank you for all your input in the process and it is going to be an amazing and exciting time for all at RSS. Teacher Only Day – thank you for your support I would also like to thank you for your support as I know Teacher Only days can be inconvenient as you need to find child care. Yesterday was a valuable chance for our staff to work together around curriculum and development as a staff to improve how we plan rich authentic lessons for our children. We had facilitators on site to work alongside us and I know the teachers valued this time out of class so they could concentrate on this work for the whole day. HERO update I mentioned we had been working closely with the developers at HERO in regards to the issues some of you are experiencing opening newsletters and opening the HERO app. This has been especially troublesome for IOS device users. The developers have done an update and these issues should now be resolved. I have checked in with many of you and all seems fine, please contact me or Stefan if you are experiencing problems. School House Groups Last Friday we launched our House system with great success and excitement. The Houses are a way for our students to get to know each other from across the school. We have four house groups - Kea, Kaka, Kakapo and Kereru all consisting of around 100 students. The Houses are mixed with students from years 1-8 and siblings are in the same House. As I mentioned this is another way we are promoting connectedness and whanaungatanga - relationship through shared experiences and working together which provides people with a sense of belonging. Well done to Christina Haggett and the Kahikatea team for getting this organised. School Donations At Raumati South School we ask for school donations of $120 per student or $150 per family. The donations are used for Teacher Aide hours beyond what the Ministry of Education fund. This allows teachers to plan and implement exciting programmes and have Teacher Aides on hand to help out. Please remember donations are voluntary payments and are greatly received if you can manage it. Donations are also used to fund additional learning programmes and teaching resources. Martin Hett Principal [email protected] _________________________________________________________________________ Movin' March Raumati South primary school is proud to join over 100 schools around Wellington who are participating in Movin’ March! Movin’ March celebrates the benefits of active travel to and from school. Walking, cycling and scooting to school have many benefits for tamariki. As well as being a great opportunity for regular exercise in the outdoors, they improve independence, physical and mental health, decision making, risk assessment and road safety skills. We can’t wait to make the most of this beautiful weather and encourage your child/ren to Walk or Wheel to and from school. WOW (Walk or Wheel) Passport Challenge All students will receive a WOW Passport card to be stamped each time they walk, bike or scoot to and from school during March - even if they walk part of the way to school. Make sure you get your WOW passport stamped so you get earn some sweet prizes! _________________________________________________________________________ PTA Annual General Meeting, Tuesday 3 March 7:00pm in the Staffroom This is an official notification that the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Annual General Meeting will be held in the school staffroom on Tuesday 3 March at 7:00pm. Last year YOUR PTA raised over $40,000 for our school. This has been used to fund projects like the school pool upgrade, art supplies, graduation dinner and bike track to name but a few. We are now looking for parents to join the PTA to help us to continue raising funds for school projects. Please come and join us in the school staffroom on Tuesday 3 March at 7pm. _________________________________________________________________________ RSS Garden Army The RSS Garden Army, in collaboration with syndicate representatives, have established The Kaitiaki Project. Once a week, a class will come to the school garden from 1:50pm- 2:55pm for learning in relation to their inquiry. This will happen for one syndicate a term, starting with Ngā Tipuranga as Kaitiaki in the garden this term with ‘Connections’. Tawa classes will be Kaitiaki in Term Two, Kōwhai in Term Three and Kahikatea in Term Four. Exciting! If you’re a parent and would like to join the Garden Army, we’d love to have you. It involves being present in the garden from 1:30pm till 3pm on a Tuesday to assist in guiding small groups of learners in simple garden growing tasks. Let’s get this garden humming! To join, What’s App Sarah Hopkinson on 027 428 1655 and she will add you to the chat group. Yours in green fingers, Jo Clouden, Sarah Hopkinson and the RSS garden army group. _________________________________________________________________________ Whānau Forms and Emergency Food Bags Please complete the yellow whānau forms as soon as possible and return them to the school office – we still have approximately 91 forms outstanding. Emergency Food bags should be taken to the classrooms. _________________________________________________________________________ School Policy Review 'Recognition of Cultural Diversity' This term we have the Recognition of Cultural Diversity policy up for review. 1. Visit the website http://raumatisouth.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm 2. Enter the username (raumatisouth) and password (rss2975). 3. Click on the link "Recognition of Cultural Diversity" 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. If you don't have internet access, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form. _________________________________________________________________________ Entertainment Books For the first time ever, you can choose from 3 NEW digital Memberships. The new Entertainment Memberships start anytime and are valid for 12 months from activation. Packed with thousands of substantial savings to delight and inspire, an Entertainment Membership is your pass to exclusive offers and quality experiences, activities and benefits. March Offer: receive a $10 Caltex Star Cash Gift Card with every Membership purchase (T&C’s apply). The Multi City edition is valid for 12 months and unlocks 21 cities in Australia, New Zealand and Bali. Fantastic value for $119.99, and Raumati South School receives $24 per multi city membership purchased. BUY NOW Cities included: Australia: Adelaide, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Surrounds, Cairns, Palm Cove and Port Douglas, Canberra, Darwin, Geelong and Ballarat, Gold Coast and Northern NSW, Hobart and Surrounds, Launceston, North West Tasmania and Surrounds, Melbourne, Newcastle, Central Coast and Hunter, Perth, Sydney, Townsville and Wollongong, The South Coast and Southern Highlands. New Zealand: Auckland, Christchurch, Canterbury and Nelson, Dunedin, Invercargill and Queenstown, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, Wellington and Manawatu. Bali _________________________________________________________________________ Kapiti Sports Bank – Official Opening Saturday 7 March, 2:00 - 4:00pm So bring any unwanted sports equipment, in good condition, have a go at some sports, and maybe meet a Sports Star or two. All ages welcome. The Sports Bank is a Wellington region wide initiative to support everybody to play sport, by providing sports equipment to children and adults who might not be able to afford it for themselves. Sports Bank cards will be issued to those who need the equipment through schools, clubs, coaches and agencies. The recipients then take their card to the Sports Bank and they will receive whatever sporting equipment they need. All the Sports Banks in the region are linked so if one Bank doesn’t have something then we can resource it from another Bank in the area. No questions asked – just whatever you need to play sport.