Notices

Parerā: Week 5, Term 4

Kia ora whānau,

During Kimihia, we are learning all about different artists. Today we learnt about Vincent Van Gogh and his famous painting “The Starry Night”. We discovered that he painted his picture using a painting technique called Impasto. Impasto is a painting term that refers to the use of thickly textured, undiluted, paint that appears almost three-dimensional on the canvas. When an artist uses the impasto technique, they usually leave visible brush strokes on the finished painting.

When the tamariki are involved and engage in learning activities like this, they are discovering how to use a paintbrush, how to move the paint on paper, how creativity is unique to each individual and that it allows them to express themselves in different ways through paint.

Sun Safety:

We have also had a fabulous week enjoying the fantastic weather. The sunblock stations are out, and in use, please encourage your child to put sunscreen on during the day if it is something that you think that they need. SUN HATS are a must for term 4.

Pencil grip

Developing your child’s pencil grip is essential in establishing the correct grip for them to be able to manipulate and use a pencil with ease throughout their lives. Please take a wee minute to watch this youtube clip and spend time where possible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq6ggYR-aeY

Parerā 8:

For all our new children, Angela has sent home magenta sight word cards. Cut these cards out and choose 2-3 words for them to learn to say them aloud. For our children who have mastered these already see your teacher for the red sight word cards or try spelling the words.

Parerā 8 welcomes Haydee starting Monday.

Value of the Week: FUN

Our focus sounds for Week 5 are:

P6: p, n, c/k, e

P7: ch

P8: h and r

Swimming

In the next couple of weeks, the children will start swimming at school. The children will need swimming togs, towel, and big swimming bag to whole it all. All of these items need to be labelled. It is essential to label your child’s school uniform as they will need to get dressed and undressed. Over the weekend can you, please take a minute or two to teach your child to take their school uniform off and on by themselves and put into their swimming bag.

Junior Athletics - Run, Jump and Throw

This term the children will be a participant in Athletics on Monday 25th November 10 am till 12 pm. In the lead up to this, the children will be practising on Monday and Tuesday. The children will be participating in activities that involved lots of running and jumping please send your child wearing appropriate running shoes.

Market Day

Market Day is coming soon on Sunday, 10th November! Only a few adult stalls left at $20 so be in quick – kids stalls sold out. It’s looking to be an awesome event! Eliminate the need to have lots of coins on you at Market Day and purchase a kids fun pass on sale for $10 in the café. How they work is it allows your child to buy five $2 items - they can then, for example, purchase a pony ride, candy floss, face painting, bouncy castle session or a sausage all without the need to have cash on the day! Perfect solution! Kids can, therefore, determine what they want to spend their money on.

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK

We have an assembly this week on Friday at 9:10 am in the hall. All whānau are welcome to attend. Assemblies generally take half an hour. New students will receive their welcome to school certificates. If you can’t make it to this Friday email Angela and she will hold your child’s certificate for the next assembly.

LIBRARY

Our Hub Library Day is Thursday from 1 pm. Please ensure you return your child’s library book by Thursday morning each week so that a new book can be issued. There is a library book return box in each space.

Photos

As part of our ‘All About Me’ focus, We would love to create a ‘whānau wall’ with family photos of all the children. If you are able, please email a photo of your family to your Homebase teacher, we can colour print it for you and pop it up on our whanau wall.

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall, and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available upon request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 4, Term 4

Kia ora whānau

This week the children have loved going to see their buddy class every Wednesday afternoon. The children read their reading books to each other. This was wonderful to see the interaction between the year 3 and 4 children with our little ones. There will be something different each week. Miss Mcvicar’s Mum came in on Friday afternoon to help make playdough, we also got some exciting new toys such as Mobilo and a puppet show for us to play with during Kimihia.

This term children need to wear navy blue hats. These can be bucket hats, cricket hats or a cap but, need to be navy blue. These can be purchased from Kmart, The Warehouse, Mainland uniform or the PTA cafe. Please put your child’s first and last name. Also, a little reminder to make sure there is a spare change of clothes for your child just in case of an accident.

Over the weekend can you please take a minute or two to teach your child to take their jerseys off and on by themselves.

Parerā 8 welcomes Isabelle starting on Monday. Hunter and Haydee have their second pre-entry visit on Tuesday and Hunter starts Thursday.

Value of the Week: EXCELLENCE

Our focus sounds for Week 4 are:

P6: a, s, i and t

P7: x and qu

P8: c/k and e

Junior Athletics - Run, Jump and Throw

Market Day

Market Day is coming soon on Sunday 10th November! Only a few adult stalls left at $20 so be in quick – kids stalls sold out. It’s looking to be an awesome event! Eliminate the need to have lots of coins on you at Market Day and purchase a kids fun pass on sale for $10 in the café. How they work is it allows your child to purchase five $2 items - they can then, for example, purchase a pony ride, candy floss, face painting, bouncy castle session or a sausage all without the need to have cash on the day! Perfect solution! Kids can, therefore, determine what they want to spend their money on.

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK

We have an assembly this week on Friday at 9:10 am in the hall. All whānau are welcome to attend. Assemblies generally take half an hour. Parera 6 is on assembly this week. New students will receive their welcome to school certificates. If you can't make it to this Friday email Angela and she will hold your child's certificate for the next assembly.

LIBRARY

Our Hub Library Day is Thursday from 1 pm. Please ensure you return your child's library book by Thursday morning each week so that a new book can be issued. There is a library book return box in each space.

Photos

As part of our 'All About Me' focus, We would love to create a 'whānau wall' with family photos of all the children. If you are able, please email a photo of your family to your Homebase teacher, we can colour print it for you and pop it up on our whanau wall.

LUNCH ORDERS

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 2, Term 4

Kia ora whānau

This week we have transitioned into our regular daily timetable. Students have enjoyed getting back to visiting the library and having a longer amount of time to spend browsing the wonderful books that our library has to offer. Remember Library book is of value to all of the students here at St Albans, so please respect our books while they are in your care.

During Kimhia (Discovery time) Angela demonstrated ‘Still Life’ using dry painting to all the students…. Its was all very quiet while the children watched with interest. Please take a minute to have a look at the very creative expressions of the ‘Still life’ on display beside the sign in table.

Just a reminder that Sheppard place is only 3 minute parking, please make sure you pick your child up within this time. Alternatively, park further away and walk-in.

St Albans have registered for the annual Switch to Water Challenge. We invite our tamariki, whānau and kaiako to join in this challenge. St Albans is already a water only school but we want to spread the message of the benefits of drinking water not just at school, but at home too. We are asking everyone to make water their drink of choice for 30 days in November and ditch the sugary drinks.

Parerā welcomes Madison, Quinn, joining us on Tuesday. Isabelle, Hunter and Haydee have their first pre-entry visit on Tuesday and then start school on Thursday.

Value of the Week: MANAAKITANGA

Our focus sounds for Week 2 are:

P6: x and qu

P7: v and y

P8: p and n

Junior Athletics - Run, Jump and Throw

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK

Thank you to those parents who took a moment from their day to attend our assembly, how great was it to see the happy smiling expression of the certificate receivers. We have an assembly this week on Friday at 9:10 am in the hall. All whānau are welcome to attend. Assemblies generally take half an hour. New students will receive their welcome to school certificates. If you can't make it to this Friday email Angela and she will hold your child's certificate for the next assembly.

LIBRARY

Photos

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall, and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 1, Term 4

Kia ora whānau

We have had a wonderful culture week to start Term 4. Thank you to our parent's for their contributions to the vegetables fried rice on Wednesday. This was a success, and the children enjoyed making and eating it. Next week sunhat amnesty is over. This means children must be wearing hats by Monday or they play under the shade by Pukeko at morning tea and lunchtime. Make sure these are labelled. Parerā 8 has made a fantastic start and enjoyed a successful first week. The students are loving the new spaces and have been busy exploring, experimenting and meeting all the new children.

Parerā welcomes Xuancong joining us on Monday. Quinn and Isabella have their second pre-entry visit on Tuesday and then start school on Thursday.

Value of the Week: INITIATIVE

Our focus sounds for Week 2 are:

P6: v and y

P7: z and w

P8: t and i

CALENDAR ART - applies for only Parerā 6 and 7 children

Don't forget to order your child's calendar before this coming Tuesday. Order forms were sent last term. Your individual order form will have a specific code that will allow you to view your child's artwork. For parents with no internet access at home, we will have provisions in the office for you to place your order. Samples of the products on offer will also be on show. In addition to last year, we are offering mouse pads. Orders close 9 am Tuesday 22nd October (Week 2, Term 4).

Junior Athletics - Run, Jump and Throw

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK

We have an assembly this week on Friday at 9:10 am in the hall. All whānau are welcome to attend. Assemblies generally take half an hour. Miss McVicar's Class is running it. All Parerā 8 children and Ava will receive their welcome to school certificates. If you can't make it to this Friday email Angela and she will hold your child's certificate for the next assembly.

LIBRARY

TISSUES

If you haven't already done so, could each family please bring along a large box of tissues for classroom use. Thanks to those families who have already done this.

Photos

As part of our 'All About Me' focus, We would love to create a 'whānau wall' with family photos of all the children. If you are able, please print an A4 size photo of your family and bring it along to school, or simply email a photo to your class homebase teacher and we can colour print it for you.

PARERĀ BLOG

Check out our class blog using the link below. There are some great photos of the children involved in various activities from throughout the week. There are also a number of other posts and pages with helpful information which would be great for you to peruse.

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall, and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 10, Term 3

Kia ora whānau

This week the children and teachers have been polishing our folk dance demonstration performance. We are very excited to share our dancing with our families next week.

We welcome Parerā 8 children for their second pre-entry visit on Thursday and Sunbeam Kindergarten will visit on Wednesday morning.

Value of the Week: EXCELLENCE

Our focus sounds for Week 9 are:

P5: CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant) - beginning, middle and end sounds

P6: j and z

P7: f and l

GRANDPARENTS' DAY AND FOLK DANCING DEMONSTRATION

This special event will be held on Tuesday 24th September, from 10.30am to 1 pm. We are inviting our Grandparents to school to join us in the classrooms to do a fun activity together and afterwards to watch our Folk Dancing demonstration. If you have yet to let us know how many grandparents from your family are attending, please do this by Monday morning.

After these activities, we will have a shared lunch with our special family members and so we would ask that all the children please bring a plate of food suitable for sharing with their grandparents on this day.

The children will need to bring a morning tea snack in their lunch boxes on this day, but not lunch.

Having collated the return forms, we are aware a large number of grandparents across our hub will be attending the classroom activity session. We are thrilled with this wonderful response! However, this does create a challenge, as space in the classroom is limited. Therefore, we respectfully ask that any parents intending on joining us on this day, come for the folk dancing display (11.30 am - 12.30pm) and lunch (12.30 - 1pm) only, please. We're sure you will appreciate the need to maintain appropriate safety, comfort and noise levels for our children and their guests. We also ask that during the folk dancing display, seats in the hall are reserved for our grandparents.

Thank you for your support and understanding. Please ask if you have any questions regarding this event.

NEW ENTRANT INTERVIEWS

Parerā 6 is continuing their parent/child and teacher interviews next week.

REPORTS

Parerā 5 reports go live on STAr at 7am on Wednesday 25 September. Parerā 6 and 7 do not have written reports this term as they have had their School Entry and Goal Setting interviews.

CALENDAR ART

On Monday you will receive your class order forms for purchasing Calendar Art. An image of your child's art work will be available to view online from 9am Monday. Your individual order form will have a specific code that will allow you to view your child's art work. For parents with no internet access at home we will have provisions in the office for you to place your order. Samples of the products on offer will also be on show. In addition to last year, we are offering mouse pads. Orders close 9am Tuesday 22nd October (Week 2, Term 4).

FAIRY TALES

Our writing topic this term is Fairy Tales. This week's fairy tale will be 'The Ugly Duckling'. It would be great if you could send along any fairy tale resources you have at home to support the children's learning at school.

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK

There will be a Heart of Achievement assembly this week on Friday at 9:10 am in the hall. All whānau are welcome to attend. Assemblies generally take half an hour.

LIBRARY

Our Hub Library Day is Thursday from 11.00am. Please ensure you return your child's library book by Thursday morning each week so that a new book can be issued. There is a library book return box in each space.

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall, and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 9, Term 3

Kia ora whānau

On Friday the students attended the Court Theatre performance, 'O Le Malaga Fa'a'atua' in our school hall. Wow, what a wonderful show! The students learnt about the Samoan culture and the connection that Pasifika has with our māori culture.

Neave will start this week in Parerā 7. We welcome Parerā 8 children will have their first pre-entry visit on Thursday and Montessori Preschool will visit on Wednesday morning.

Montessori Preschool visit Parerā (x8)

Value of the Week: INITIATIVE

Our focus sounds for Week 9 are:

P5: CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant) - beginning and end sounds

P6: f and b

P7: o and u

RELEASE

Miss McVicar will be on release on Wednesday and Mrs Tasker on Thursday. Lydia Lipscombe will be teaching on those days.

NEW ENTRANT INTERVIEWS

Parerā 6 and 7 are continuing our parent/child and teacher interviews next week. Please put your name on the schedule on the entrance whiteboard for an appointment and in Parerā 7's classroom.

FAIRY TALES

Our writing topic this term is Fairy Tales. This week's fairy tale will be 'The Three Billy Goat Gruff'. It would be great if you could send along any fairy tale resources you have at home to support the children's learning at school.

WEARABLE ARTS PERFORMANCE

This Monday, 16th September, we will have the Wearable Arts Showcase in our school hall.

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK

There will be a junior assembly this week on Friday at 9:10 am in the hall. All whānau are welcome to attend. Assemblies generally take half an hour.

GRANDPARENT'S DAY AND FOLK DANCING DEMONSTRATION

This special event will be held on Tuesday 24th September, from 10.30am to 1 pm. Please read the pink notice that went home with the children on Friday afternoon for further information. There is a return slip at the bottom of this notice to indicate how many people your child will be bringing on this day. Please send this in or email with numbers of guests as soon as possible.

LOCKDOWN PRACTICE

On Tuesday 17th September at 2 pm, for 20 minutes, we will have a lockdown drill at the school. As you will understand this still remains a very sensitive issue for our community due to the events of 15th March, and we want to undertake this drill in a way that is both effective as a practice, but also sensitive to all involved. It is a legal requirement for us to have lockdown drills as part of our Health and Safety compliance. Please read the information in the Week 7 School Newsletter for further information. Here is the link:

http://www.stalbans.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5-Sep.pdf

LIBRARY

Our Hub Library Day is Thursday from 11.30am. Please ensure you return your child's library book by Thursday morning each week so that a new book can be issued. There is a library book return box in each space.

FAMILY PHOTOS

For our newer families, when you get a chance, please print an A4 size photo of your family and bring it along to school, or simply email a photo to your home base teacher and she can colour print it for you. We will add these to our 'Whanau Wall' displays.

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall, and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 8, Term 3

Kia ora whānau

We have had many children across the hub away from school this week. Thank you for keeping your tamariki at home when they are unwell. This most certainly helps to stem the spread of germs throughout the hub. We encourage the children to use the hand sanitiser in the classroom before eating and regularly remind them of good hygiene practices when coughing, sneezing, blowing noses and toileting. We would appreciate your support in reiterating these messages at home.

Neave will visit this week in Parerā 7.

Value of the Week: RESPECT

Our focus sounds for Week 8 are:
P5: CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant) - beginning and end sounds
P6: u and l
P7: d and g

RELEASE

Miss McVicar will be on release on Wednesday and Cara on Thursday. Lydia Lipscombe will be teaching in Parerā 5 and 7.

NEW ENTRANT INTERVIEWS
Parerā 6 and 7 are starting parent/child and teacher interviews next week. Please put your name on the schedule on the entrance whiteboard for an appointment.

FAIRY TALES

Our writing topic this term is Fairy Tales. This week's fairy tale will be 'Hansel and Gretel'. It would be great if you could send along any fairy tale resources you have at home to support the children's learning at school.

ROAD PATROL DUTY
Cara will be on Road Patrol duty after school each day this week from 2.55-3.20pm. Miss McVicar and Mrs Tasker will release the P5 children from class at 3pm.

COURT THEATRE PERFORMANCE
This Friday 13 September we will attend a touring Court Theatre performance, 'O Le Malaga Fa'a'atua', in our school hall.

NO JUNIOR ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK
Due to the Court Theatre performance on Friday, there will be no Junior Assembly this week.

GRANDPARENT'S DAY AND FOLK DANCING DEMONSTRATION

This special event will held on Tuesday 24 September, from 10.30am to 1pm. Please read the pink notice that went home with the children on Friday afternoon for further information. There is a return slip at the bottom of this notice to indicate how many people your child will be bringing on this day. Please send this in or email with numbers of guests as soon as possible.

LOCK DOWN PRACTICE
On Tuesday 17th September at 2pm, for 20 minutes, we will be having a lockdown drill at the school. As you will understand this still remains a very sensitive issue for our community due to the events of 15th March and we want to undertake this drill in a way that is both effective as a practice, but also sensitive to all involved. It is a legal requirement for us to have lockdown drills as part of our Health and Safety compliance. Please read the information in the Week 7 School Newsletter for further information. Here is the link:
http://www.stalbans.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5-Sep.pdf

LIBRARY

FAMILY PHOTOS

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 7, Term 3

Kia ora whānau

What a fabulous time we had on Wednesday during our Book Character Day. Check out our class blog for some photos of the children in their costumes.

Tommy will start school this week in Parerā 7 and Neave will visit throughout the week.

Value of the Week: COMMUNITY

Our focus sounds for Week 3 are: P5: x, qu, ch, th, sh P6: d and g P7: m and r

KERERŪ BAKE SALE

On Tuesday 3 September, the Kererū hub are holding a bake sale. Proceeds will go towards the upkeep of our school vegetable gardens and a donation to refugees who have come to live in Christchurch. The Parerā children will visit at 9.35am. Children are invited to bring a small amount of money to spend. Items range in price from 50c to $2. It is very helpful if your child's spending money is in a small snaplock bag or purse/wallet. The teacher's will help the children to purchase their items and monitor their spending. Please discuss with your child your expectations around what they are allowed to purchase.

RELEASE

Miss McVicar will be on release on Wednesday and Thursday. Lydia Lipscombe will be teaching in Parerā 7.

Culture Awareness
The culture awareness has been postponed until week 1 term 4. Therefore the dressing up will be next term not next Monday.

FAIRY TALES

Our writing topic this term is Fairy Tales. This week's fairy tale will be 'Little Red Riding Hood'. It would be great if you could send along any fairy tale resources you have at home to support the children's learning at school.

LIBRARY

FAMILY PHOTOS

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 6, Term 3

Kia ora whānau

Congratulations to all the children who gained a place in the finals of the poetry competition.

Year 0
1st Mia
2nd Sai-Aroha
3rd Vihaan and Evie

Year 1
3rd Nityajit

Leo and Esme will start school this week in Parerā 7 and Tommy will visit throughout the week. We also welcome children from Montessori St Albans Preschool who will visit on Wednesday morning.

Value of the Week: FUN

Our focus sounds for Week 3 are: P5: z,w,v,y P6: m,d P7: e,h

RELEASE

Miss McVicar will be away Tuesday morning and has her release on Thursday. Her fill in teacher is Lydia Lipscombe.

BOOK WEEK
Dress up as your favourite book character on Wednesday 28th August. Bring along the book if you can so we can share it.

The Parerā children and teachers will be visiting the Scholastic Book Fair, in the hall between 11-12pm on Tuesday the 27th August. You are welcome to come and purchase books between 8:30-9:15am and 3:00-3:30pm each day from Monday afternoon next week.

FAIRY TALES

Our writing topic this term is Fairy Tales. This week's fairy tale will be 'The Gingerbread Man'. It would be great if you could send along any fairy tale resources you have at home to support the children's learning at school.

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY

Heart of Achievement assembly this Friday in the school hall at 9.10am. Parerā 6 will be leading the assembly. All welcome.

LIBRARY

FAMILY PHOTOS

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 5, Term 3

Kia ora whānau

Congratulations to all the children who took part in our class Poetry competition. You did a fantastic job learning, practising and reciting your poems. Thank you also to our judges and audience members.

Isabelle will start school this week in Parerā 7 and Esme, Leo and Thomas will visit throughout the week. We also welcome children from Forfar Preschool who will visit on Wednesday morning.

Value of the Week: EXCELLENCE

Our focus sounds for Week 3 are: P5: l, f, b, j P6: h, r P7: n, c/k

RELEASE

Miss McVicar will be away at her graduation on Monday and has her release on Wednesday. Her fill in teacher is Lydia Lipscombe.

POETRY COMPETITION FINALS
Congratulations to our finalists:

P6: Sai-Aroha and Evie

P7: Mia and Isabel

The Year 0/1 Poetry Competition final will be held in the Hall on Tuesday 20 August, from 11am - 12pm. Family members of finalists are welcome to attend.

ESOL WHĀNAU POT LUCK DINNER

This fun event will be held on Thursday 22 August at 6pm - 7.30 pm. English language learners and their families are invited to come together for a shared dinner in the Kāhu teaching space. Please bring along a plate of food to share - this can be a traditional dish from your home country if you wish. After our shared dinner we will have fun games organised for you all to participate in. This is a great time for the staff to meet you all and for you to meet other families.

FAIRY TALES

Our writing topic this term is Fairy Tales. This week's fairy tale will be 'The Elves and the Shoemaker'. It would be great if you could send along any fairy tale resources you have at home to support the children's learning at school.

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY

No Assembly this week due to Quiz night set up in the hall. Heart of Achievement assembly next Friday in the school hall at 9.10am.

LIBRARY

FAMILY PHOTOS

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 4, Term 3

Kia ora whānau

It has been great for the children to be outside this week and enjoy the wonderful weather. Parerā 7 has made a fantastic start and enjoyed a successful first week. Parerā 5 and 6 had a great time at Ferrymead Heritage Park. Again, a huge thank you to the parent helpers who accompanied us. We greatly appreciate your help.

Ava and Charlie will start school this week in Parerā 7 and Esme, Leo and Isabelle will visit throughout the week. We also welcome children from Montessori St Albans who will visit on Wednesday morning.

Value of the Week: CREATIVITY

Our focus sounds for Week 3 are: P5: d, g, o, u P6: c/k, e P7: i, p

RELEASE

Every Wednesday, Miss McVicar will be on release. Her release teacher is Lydia Lipscombe. This week Mrs Tasker is on release on Monday to work on School Entry Assessments and Lillian Glasson will be teaching in Parerā 6. Cara will be on release on Thursday and Lydia Lipscombe will be teaching in Parerā 5.

POETRY COMPETITION - THIS FRIDAY!

Please continue to work on your poem at home to support the work we do in class. We are focussing on:

• Volume

• Speed

• Interesting voice

• Eye contact

• Gestures/actions

Class competitions will begin promptly at 9.10am on Friday 16th August. Parents are welcome to attend. To be fair to the children, we ask not to have any preschoolers present, please. Each child will be presented with a participation certificate at the end of the competition. First, second and third places will be awarded, with first and second place getters going through to the finals on Tuesday 20 August, Week 5.

ELL Connectivity Day

Next Thursday the 15th September we are holding another student connectivity day in the hall. It was such a success in Term 2 making and flying our kites together that we have planned another 'make and do ' based activity. The children are grouped according to their home languages to attend at certain times throughout the day. Your child will take part if English is their second language. Please see your home base if you have any questions.

FAIRY TALES

Our writing topic this term is Fairy Tales. This week's fairy tale will be 'The Princess and the Pea'. It would be great if you could send along any fairy tale resources you have at home to support the children's learning at school.

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY

Thanks to the flexibility of our orchestra leader, our Junior School Assembly will now move back to the original day of Friday at 9.10am in the Hall. All whānau are welcome to attend. Assemblies generally take half an hour.

LIBRARY

FAMILY PHOTOS

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 3, Term 3

Kia ora whānau

The weather was on our side today and the children were able to enjoy a wonderful Wheelie Day. Thank you to those families who supported this fun event.

The first eleven Parerā 7 children will start school on Monday. We are excited to have Miss McVicar join our team.

Value of the Week: MANAAKITANGA

Our focus sounds for Week 2 are: P5: e, h, r, m P6: p, n P7: s, a

'KINDNESS BEGINS WITH ME'
On Monday we will begin this term's Inquiry with a 'Friendship Big Day In'. Throughout the day the children will take part in a number of activities related to our topic. This will be a fun day to ignite our unit.

FERRYMEAD TRIP

This trip will take place on this coming Thursday 8 August. Thank you to Kimberly Rose, Bindu, Tori, Wade, Lisa and Moira from P6 and to Hannah S, Sachi, Pinky and Libby from P5, for accompanying us on our trip. Parerā 5 would love one more helper if anyone is available please. This could be a grandparent, aunty or uncle.

For the trip the children will need:

• a packed lunch and full drink bottle of water

• a raincoat/jacket

* NO reading folder on this day

POETRY COMPETITION
Most children have now selected their poem. If you are yet to do so, please let your child's teacher know on Monday. Please work on these at home to support the work we do in class. We are focussing on:
• Volume
• Speed
• Interesting voice
• Eye contact
• Gestures/actions

FIRE SAFETY LESSON
Ollie's Mum Tori has kindly offered to facilitate a fire safety lesson with the Parerā children. This will take place on Wednesday afternoon. Our sincere thanks to Tori for sharing her knowledge with our tamariki.

CAN DRIVE

You would have read in last Thursday's School Newsletter that we are requesting each family brings in one can of fruit to be stored and used in the event of an emergency or lockdown situation. We will have a container in the classroom for you to put these into please.

FAIRY TALES

Our writing topic this term is Fairy Tales. This week's fairy tale will be 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. It would be great if you could send along any fairy tale resources you have at home to support the children's learning at school.

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY

Our Junior School Assembly will be held this Thursday at 9.10am in the Hall. All whanaū are welcome to attend. Assemblies generally take half an hour.

LIBRARY

FAMILY PHOTOS

For our newer families, when you get a chance, please print an A4 size photo of your family and bring it along to school, or simply email a photo to your homebase teacher and she can colour print it for you. We will add these to our 'All about me' displays.

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā: Week 2, Term 3

Kia ora whānau

What a fantastic first week we have had together. The Parerā 6 children have settled into routines beautifully and it is wonderful to have so many new friends join our hub.

We welcome Ariyah, Evie and Jayceon to Parerā 6 next week. Parerā 7 children will have their second pre-entry visit on Thursday and will start school the following Monday.

Value of the Week: INITIATIVE

Our focus sounds for Week 2 are: P5: p, n, c, k P6: t, i

FERRYMEAD TRIP

For this trip, on Thursday 8 August, both P5 and P6 require 4-5 parent helpers. P5 currently has no volunteers and P6 has 2. Please let us know if you or a grandparent is able to help us with this trip. If we are unable to get the required number of helpers, the trip will be cancelled.

CAN DRIVE

You would have read in Thursday's School Newsletter that we are requesting each family brings in one can of fruit to be stored and used in the event of an emergency or lockdown situation. We will have a container in the classroom for you to put these into from Monday morning.

FAIRY TALES

Our writing topic this term is Fairy Tales. This week's fairy tale will be 'The Three Little Pigs'. It would be great if you could send along any fairy tale resources you have at home to support the children's learning at school.

SCHOOL PHOTOS

School photos will be taken this Wednesday 31 July. Polar fleeces are not to be worn during photos. Correct school uniform including school sweatshirts or cardigans and navy socks or tights must be worn on this day. Please make sure your child's hair is neat and tidy and comes to school with their best smile.

SECOND-HAND UNIFORM SALE
This will take place, before and after school, on Wednesday this week.

WHEELIE DAY
As our Wheelie Day was cancelled last term due to rain, we have scheduled a new date for this: Friday 2 August. Children can bring bikes, scooters, skates or skateboards and a helmet, please. We will park our bikes or scooters behind the Kahu hub building. Please enter from the library end of the building.

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY

Our Junior School Assembly will be held this Thursday at 9.10am in the Hall. All whanaū are welcome to attend. Parerā 5 will be hosting assembly this week. Assemblies generally take half an hour.

LIBRARY

Our Hub Library Day is Thursday from 11.50am. Please ensure you return your child's library book by Thursday morning each week so that a new book can be issued. There is a library book return box in each space.

FAMILY PHOTOS

For our newer families, when you get a chance, please print an A4 size photo of your family and bring it along to school, or simply email a photo to your homebase teacher and she can colour print it for you. We will add these to our 'All about me' displays.

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Parerā Newsletter, Term 3

Kia ora Whānau

Welcome to Term 3. Our inquiry this term is titled ‘Kindness begins with Me’. Within this theme we will be exploring ways in which we all contribute to our community. We will look at ways we can make our world a happier place by the way we treat people, our environment, animals and the world around us. Our writing focus will be Fairy Tales.

This term our adventures will include Wheelie Day, a trip to Ferrymead Heritage Park, the school poetry competition, Book Fair week and Book Character Day, Māori Language Week, a Court Theatre performance and our folk dancing performance and Grandparents’ day.

Below is a term calendar with all events and important dates noted. The fairy tale that we will be studying each week is included so that the children can bring along any books or resources you may have at home to support our learning.

Week and Fairytale	Event
Week 1: 22-26 July Goldilocks	Mon: 9.30 Mihi Whakatau to welcome all new whanau. First day of school for the next eleven Parerā 6 students Thurs: First pre-entry visit for Parerā 7 students
Week 2: 29 July-2 Aug Three little pigs	Wed: School photos. Second-hand school uniform sale before and after school Thurs: Second pre-entry visit for Parerā 7 students Fri: Wheelie Day
Week 3: 5-9 Aug Jack and the beanstalk	Thurs: First day of school for the first eight Parerā 7 students Thurs: Parerā 5/6 Ferrymead trip
Week 4: 12-16 Aug Princess and the Pea	Fri: Homebase Poetry Competition
Week 5: 19-23 Aug Elves and the Shoemaker	Tue: Pīwakawaka and Parerā Poetry Competition final Thurs: ELL Whānau potluck tea Fri: PTA Quiz night
Week 6: 26-30 Aug Gingerbread Man	Book Week: Theme - Dinosaurs
Week 7: 2-6 Sept Little Red Riding Hood	Cultural Awareness Week
Week 8: 9-13 Sept Hansel and Gretel	Māori Language Week Fri: Court Theatre Performance at school
Week 9: 16-20 Sept Billy Goats Gruff
Week 10: 23-27 Sept The Ugly Duckling.	Tues: Grandparents’ day with folk dancing demonstration 10.30 – 1pm.

What an amazing term we are looking forward to with your tamariki. Please check our Parerā blog for weekly notices and photos of our adventures.

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

Yours sincerely

Cara Wallace, Hannah Tasker, December McVicar and Jo Lidstone

Week 10, Term 2

Kia ora whānau

We only have one more week until the school holidays, and we've got an action packed final week planned! Thank you so much for all your support this term - it has been amazing. I feel privileged to work with such wonderful children and wonderful families. I am so excited for the journey ahead of us in Term 3!

Mackenzie will visit school on Monday morning and the remaining twelve children who will join Parerā 6 will visit on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to work with their teacher, Hannah Tasker. In addition, a group of children from Montessori St Albans will visit on Wednesday morning with their teacher, Sarah.

Value of the Week: EXCELLENCE

Our focus sounds for Week 10 are: the vowels - a e i o u

SCHOOL ENTRY ASSESSMENT MEETINGS

I have now completed the Parerā 5 School Entry Meetings with whānau. I would like to thank all those who attended these meetings for your time and interest and for sharing valuable insights into your child. I greatly value the opportunity to sit and meet with parents, face to face. The discussions are invaluable and I enjoy them immensely. It really has been a pleasure meeting with you all.

EARLY FINISH - THURSDAY 4 JULY

A reminder that school will finish at 2pm this Thursday 4 July as the rest of the school are involved in parent-teacher interviews. Parerā children and their families will not be taking part in this round of interviews as we have just completed our School Entry Assessment meetings. We will, however, finish school at 2pm along with the rest of the school. Please arrange for your child to be picked up from the classroom at 2pm.

SCHOOL REPORTS

Only the seven Parerā 5 children that began school in Term One this year will receive written reports this term. These go live on STAr, our online reporting system, on Monday 1 July. Please inquire at the school office if you need assistance in accessing your account.

JUNIOR ASSEMBLY - THURSDAY THIS WEEK

Our final Junior Assembly this term will be held on Thursday 4 July at 9.10am in the Hall. This will be a Heart of Achievement Assembly. All whanaū are welcome to attend. The change of day is due to a Whole School Assembly on Friday.

WHEELIE DAY AND WACKY HAIR DAY

This Friday, the children are invited to bring along their bike, trike, scooter or skateboard to use during Kimihia (10.30am - 12pm). Please ensure your child also brings along their helmet. I will let you know where to 'park' bikes and scooters closer to the time.

Friday will also be a Wacky Hair Day to raise money for the Child Cancer Foundation. Please bring along a gold coin donation if you wish to take part.

LIBRARY BOOKS

Our class Library Day is Thursday at 12pm. Please ensure you return your child's library book by Thursday morning each week so that a new book can be issued. The children are really enjoying exploring our wonderful school library. Several children have overdue books, please have a good look at home and return them to school as soon as possible.

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Are you receiving our School Newsletter via email each Thursday? This contains a great deal of important school information, updates and news you should be aware of. Below is the link to this week's newsletter. You can also access the newsletters through the school app and the school website.

http://www.stalbans.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/27-Jun.pdf

FAMILY PHOTOS

For our newer families, when you get a chance, please print an A4 size photo of your family and bring it along to school, or simply email a photo to me and I can colour print it for you. I will add these to our 'All about me' display.

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Ngā mihi

Week 9, Term 2

Kia ora whānau

Only two more weeks until the school holidays - hasn't this term flown by!

Evie will visit school on Tuesday morning and a group of children from Sunbeam Kindy will visit on Wednesday morning with their teacher, Rihari.

Value of the Week: RESPECT

Our focus sound for Week 9 is: th

TEACHER AIDE

I would like to formally welcome Naomi Fogden to our hub. Naomi is our Parerā teacher aide and currently works with us Monday to Friday from 9am to 12.30pm. We are very lucky to have her working alongside us each day. Please take the time to introduce yourself to Naomi and make her feel welcome.

CARA'S RELEASE

I will be on release this Wednesday. I will be available before school should you need to talk to me. Lydia Lipscombe will be teaching Parerā 5 and 6.

SCHOOL ENTRY ASSESSMENT MEETINGS

I would like to schedule meetings with the families of the following children: Lucy and Maddison.

Please check the meeting schedule on the classroom noticeboard to book a time.

EARLY FINISH - THURSDAY 4 JULY

A reminder that school will finish at 2pm on Thursday 4 July (Week 10) as the rest of the school are involved in parent-teacher interviews. Parerā children and their families will not be taking part in this round of interviews as we will have just completed our School Entry Assessment meetings. We will, however, finish school at 2pm along with the rest of the school. Please arrange for your child to be picked up from the classroom at 2pm.

SCHOOL REPORTS

LIBRARY BOOKS

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

http://www.stalbans.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/20-Jun.pdf

FAMILY PHOTOS

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Ngā mihi

Week 8, Term 2

Kia ora whānau

The weather looks to be a bit chilly for the week ahead! Remember to send your child to school with a warm jacket.

Coleman will start school on Monday morning, joining Parerā 6. Welcome to our hub Coleman.

Value of the Week: INITIATIVE

Our focus sound for Week 8 is: sh

CARA'S RELEASE
I will be on release this Thursday to complete School Entry Assessments and also to work with Hannah Tasker to prepare for her starting in Term 3. I will be available before school should you need to talk to me. Lydia Lipscombe will teaching Parerā 5 and 6.

LIBRARY BOOKS
Our class Library Day is Thursday at 12pm. Please ensure you return your child's library book by Thursday morning each week so that a new book can be issued. The children are really enjoying exploring our wonderful school library. Several children have overdue books, please have a good look at home and return them to school as soon as possible.

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

http://www.stalbans.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/13-Jun.pdf

FAMILY PHOTOS

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Ngā mihi

Week 7, Term 2

Kia ora whānau

We have a very busy and exciting week ahead. What an exciting way to start school for our new children, with a class trip!

Maddison will start school on Monday morning, joining Parerā 5, along with Rudra, Trey, Amelia and Hayne, the first children of Parerā 6. Coleman will start school on Wednesday. Mrs Hannah Tasker will be the teacher of Parerā 6, and will join us after the school holidays at the beginning of Term 3. Until then, we welcome these children to our class. We also welcome Naomi Fogden who will be our wonderful teacher aide over the next four weeks. Naomi will be with us until lunchtime each day. Nau mai, haere mai!

We also welcome groups of children and their teachers from Sunbeam Kindergarten, Best Start Cranford St and Montessori St Albans, visiting us over the course of the week. It is a privilege to host these wonderful children and their teachers as they embark on their transition to school process.

Value of the Week: CREATIVITY

Our focus sound for Week 7 is: ch

CLASS TRIP

As part of our inquiry unit, ‘Stories Matter’, Parerā 5 will be travelling by bus to the Christchurch Botanical Gardens tomorrow, Monday 10 June 2019. We will take part in an educational programme, provided by the Park Rangers of the Botanical Gardens, called 'Junior Park Explorers'.

The schedule for Parerā 5 is as follows:

Leave school: 9am

Lesson: 9.30am – 11.45am

Return to school: 12.15pm

The children are to wear school uniform. Please ensure they are wearing warm layers and have a warm jacket and hat. Appropriate footwear, such as gumboots is advisable. The children will need a drink bottle to take with them. I will provide morning tea.

If you know your child will be absent from school tomorrow, please notify the school office as soon as possible before 9am. Any children that are late will spend the morning with Pīwakawaka 1/2. We will be leaving the classroom at 9am sharp to board the bus on Cranford Street.

Many thanks to our parent helpers for the trip: Caroline, Pinky, Hannah S, Kazue and Sophie.

Could all parent helpers please meet in the classroom by 8.45am.

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

http://www.stalbans.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/6-Jun.pdf

MATHS-A-THON

The children completed their Maths-a-thon test on Tuesday 4 June. If you haven't already done so, you will find their marked test and score in the zipped pocket of their reading folders. You can now return your completed sponsorship/donation form to the blue drop box in the office. Please make sure the money and form are in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and home base written on it. This is so we can determine prizes for our top sponsored home base and the top performing home base. Please let me know if you have lost your form and I can print you a new one.

Please return completed forms and money by Friday 21st June.

SCHOOL ENTRY ASSESSMENT MEETINGS

Thank you so much to all the families I have met with over the last few weeks. I always enjoy the wonderful conversations these meetings allow and value the insights they provide. Could the families of the following children please make a time to meet with me on the meeting schedule on the noticeboard in our classroom: Jaydon, Julia and Nityajit.

FAMILY PHOTOS

TISSUES

If you haven't already done so, could each family please bring along a large box of tissues for classroom use. Thanks to those families who have already done this.

PARERĀ BLOG

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Ngā mihi

Week 6, Term 2

Kia ora whānau

I hope you're all enjoying the long weekend and managing to stay warm and dry in this wintry weather.

Maddison will have her second visit on Tuesday morning, and the first five children of Parerā 6, Rudra, Trey, Amelia, Coleman and Hayne, will have their second visit on Wednesday. Hannah Tasker, the new teacher of Parerā 6, will once again join us for the morning to support the children during their visit.

Value of the Week: FUN

Our focus sounds/letters for Week 6 are: x and qu.

CARA ON RELEASE THURSDAY

I have a release day this Thursday 6 June. I will be visiting the contributing Early Childhood Centres in our zone with Jo Lidstone. We will be meeting with teachers and children and discussing transition to school programmes. Our wonderful reliever Lydia Lipscombe will be teaching Parerā 5.

CLASS TRIP

As part of our inquiry unit, ‘Stories Matter’, Parerā 5 will be travelling by bus to the Christchurch Botanical Gardens on Monday 10 June 2019. We will take part in an educational programme, provided by the Park Rangers of the Botanical Gardens, called 'Junior Park Explorers'.

The schedule for Parerā 5 is as follows:
Leave school: 9am
Lesson: 9.30am – 11.45am
Return to school: 12.15pm

For this excursion, we will require a minimum of 6 parent/grandparent helpers. If you can come please fill in a form in the classroom or email me. Due to health and safety requirements, preschoolers are not permitted on school trips.

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

http://www.stalbans.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/30-May.pdf

MATHS-A-THON
Remember to practice the tasks for your child's level and to continue asking family and friends to sponsor your child for our school Maths-a-thon. The test will be in Week 7. Any questions please ask.

PARERĀ BLOG
Check out our class blog using the link below. There are some great photos of the children involved in various activities from throughout the week. There are also a number of other posts and pages with helpful information which would be great for you to peruse.

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

LUNCH ORDERS
If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Ngā mihi

Week 5, Term 2

Kia ora whānau

It was great to see so many Parerā 5 children and their families at the school disco last night! What a great way to finish off the week. Thanks to the PTA for putting on such a well-organised, fun event.

Thanks also to June and Trish, our wonderful ESOL co-ordinators, and the teacher aides for putting on three highly successful 'English Language Learner Connectivity' sessions on Wednesday. It was a fantastic way to provide an opportunity for our ELL children to join with others from the same cultural background, to feel free to speak in their own languages and have fun together, all at the same time!

This week we welcome Lucy to Parerā 5. Lucy will join our home base on Monday, taking our class number to 17. Maddison will have her first visit on Tuesday morning, along with the first five children of Parerā 6: Rudra, Trey, Amelia, Coleman and Havne. Hannah Tasker, the new teacher of Parerā 6, will also join us for the morning to meet her new students and their families, and support the children during their visit.

Value of the Week: Excellence

Our focus sounds/letters for Week 5 are: v and y.

NO SCHOOL ON WEDNESDAY
A reminder that school will be CLOSED ON WEDNESDAY 29th MAY as both primary and secondary teachers across the country will be on strike. It is important that you make alternative arrangements for the care of your child on the day of the strike. There will be no supervision available at school on that day.

CARA ON RELEASE THURSDAY
I have a release day this Thursday 30 May. I will be completing assessments in my office, so will be available before school should you need to see me. The lovely Lydia Lipscombe will be teaching Parerā 5.

ESOL parents and preschoolers - Morning Tea

Friday 31 May, 9:00-10:00am in P23. All ESOL parents welcome.

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

http://www.stalbans.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-May.pdf

Maths-a-thon

Remember to practice the tasks for your child's level and to continue asking family and friends to sponsor your child for our school Maths-a-thon. The test will be in Week 7. Any questions please ask.

Parerā Blog

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

Lunch Orders

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.
REMINDER: If you have purchased a $20 sausage card, you are still required to make an order each Friday morning. Orders are not placed automatically.

Week 4, Term 2

Kia ora whānau

We have a wonderful week of events in store for Week 4! Read on for details.

This week we welcome Lucy on her second visit to Parerā 5.

Value of the Week: Community

Our focus sounds/letters for Week 4 are: z and w.

School Disco

This Friday 24 May, the PTA is running a school disco. The theme is 'Bright Colours'. The Year 0-2 disco will run from 4.15-5pm. Ticket prices are $3 per child or $6 per family. I will be there to enjoy the fun too!

Maths-a-thon

Remember to practice the tasks on the test papers I gave out earlier this week and to start asking family and friends to sponsor your child for our school Maths-a-thon. The test will be in Week 7. Any questions please ask.

Cross Country

The St Albans School Cross Country event will be held this Tuesday 21 May. The Year 1 children complete one lap around English park, finishing in the stadium in front of the stand. As a team, we have been practising our running at P.E. and fitness times and the children are familiar with the course. Support will be provided for our youngest and newest children by teachers and senior students. Parents and family are welcome to come along and watch from the English Park stadium. The approximate timing of events is as follows:

Year 1 girls: 11.10am start

Year 1 boys: 11.20am start

We will be seated in the stand by 10.45am approx.

What to wear...

Children are to come to school in appropriate running clothes - running shoes, shorts/track pants/leggings and a t-shirt or top in their house colour. Please ensure children also have a drink bottle of water and a warm jersey or jacket for before and after the race. School uniform is not required on this day.

The children's house colours are as follows:

RED - Arthur, Yahara, Sofia, Nityajit

YELLOW - Sahel, Jaydon, Gurnoor, Beckett
BLUE - Zoe, Monty, Oscar, Julia
GREEN - Frankie, Shay, Maia, Kapish

Wednesday ELL Student Connectivity Day

Next Wednesday all the ELL (English Language Learners) children at our school will be involved in a special morning session of activities which will involve connecting with both their own culture and Māori culture. This will take place in the school hall and will be lead by June Sutherland and Trish Bunting, our ESOL co-ordinators, with the support of our wonderful ESOL teacher aides.

The children attending from Parerā 5 are: Yahara, Sahel, Sofia, Nityajit, Gurnoor, Shay and Kapish.

Parerā Blog

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

Lunch Orders

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

Week 3, Term 2

Kia ora whānau

What a mixed bag of weather we have had this week! It was wonderful to see the sun yesterday and for the children to enjoy time outside. I was very proud of the children who presented at our junior assembly yesterday. Their behaviour was excellent throughout and their confidence when speaking in front of a large audience was impressive. The Parerā Band performed admirably and was enjoyed by all.

This week Lucy will visit Parerā 5. We also welcome Beckett who will start school on Monday and Nityajit who starts on Thursday, taking our class number to 16.

Value of the Week: Manaakitanga

Our focus sounds/letters for Week 3 are: j and z.

Class Trip

Our class trip to Tūranga: City Library is this coming Monday 13 May. We will be leaving the classroom at 9am sharp and boarding the bus at 9.05am. Please ensure you are at school by 8.45am. We will return at 11am. Thank you so much to our wonderful parent helpers, Sheree, Hannah, Sophie, Cynthia and Hannah S. This trip would not be possible without you.

School Disco

For your diaries: On Friday 24 May, the PTA will be running a school disco. The theme is 'Bright Colours'. The Year 0-2 disco will run from 4.15-5pm. Information regarding ticket price and purchase will be sent out shortly.

Maths-a-thon

Hopefully you received your pink Maths-a-thon notice on Friday afternoon. Please read the information carefully. This is a wonderful fundraising opportunity for our school. If you have any questions please ask.

Cross Country

The new date for the cross country is Tuesday 21 May. Fingers crossed for fine weather!

Year 1 girls: 11.10am start

Year 1 boys: 11.20am start

Parerā Blog

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

Lunch Orders

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce and mustard.

Week 1, Term 2

Kia ora whānau,

I hope you have all enjoyed a fun and relaxing holiday break with your children. My family enjoyed a few days in Hanmer and spending time looking after our 5 year old nephew Flynn.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all next week and catching up on all your holiday adventures. Oscar, Gurnoor and Shay start school on Monday, Maia on Wednesday and Sofia on Thursday. Julia, Maxx, Nitayjitsinh and Kapish all have visits throughout the week. An exciting and busy week for everyone!

On Monday morning the school will hold a Mihi Whakatau (a welcome, which takes place off the marae across the Ngāi Tahu tribal region) to welcome all new students and staff across the school. Your children will all be officially welcomed at this special gathering of students, staff and whānau. You are invited to stay and be part of the process if you are able. Parents will sit with their children. I will also sit with the children and support them throughout. Tea and coffee for parents will follow if you are able to stay. Please let me know if you have any questions about this event.

Also, a quick message to let you know I will be on leave this Friday 3 May and Monday 6 May. My husband Chris and I are having a long weekend in Melbourne as a combined celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary and Chris' birthday. The relieving teacher will be the wonderful Lydia Lipscombe. Lydia is an experienced Junior teacher and has relieved in our school throughout term one. I know you will make her feel welcome.

Enjoy the weekend.

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Parerā Newsletter

Term 2, 2019

Kia ora Whānau,

Welcome back to Term 2. A special welcome to the new families joining Parerā this term. We look forward to getting to know you all. We have some amazing activities, adventures and learning planned for the children this term. Our Inquiry for the year is 'Stories Matter: Tuia-Mātauranga'. This term’s Inquiry is entitled ‘My Tree’. The focus will be on investigating St Albans School’s mighty oak tree and linking this to a variety of concepts including native New Zealand birds, our family trees and how things change over time.

Our excursions will be to Turanga; the Christchurch City Library and the Botanical Gardens where we will take part in the Christchurch City Council’s Learning through Action programme, Junior Park Explorers. Other exciting activities include the whole school Cross Country race which will be held in week two, Tuesday 7 May, and our ‘Wheelie Day’ which will be held in the last week of term. Relevant information about these adventures will be sent home closer to the time, either through email or on the notices page of our blog.

Please remember to read our Parerā Blog every week to check our weekly newsletter and posts showcasing what we’ve been doing at school. The essential list words (the first words that children learn to spell) are also on the blog for you to download and utilise at home. There are also other relevant links including the Jolly Phonics songs and waiata. The children enjoy singing along with these tunes.

Initiative is one of our school values and this term we are focusing on how the children can show initiative in the classroom and come up with ideas on how to solve their own problems and help solve those of others. This will assist the children in developing independent thinking and creative skills. Please help us at home by encouraging the children to organise themselves by thinking about what they need to have ready for the day ahead.

During Term 2, you will see the newly printed signage in each of our hubs with the manu (birds) on them. Our hub is called Parerā. This is the Māori name for our native grey duck. All Parerā learning spaces will have this beautiful sign as well as the room number. As part of our learning in dance and drama this term, we will be looking at how the Parerā moves and what they eat so if you get a chance to show your child these birds in their natural environment, please take a photo so we can display it.

We are looking forward to an amazing second term with your tamariki.

Kind regards

Cara Wallace (Parerā 5 home base teacher) cara.wallace@stalbans.school.nz

Jo Lidstone (Parerā Team Leader and Deputy Principal) jo.lidstone@stalbans.school.nz

Week 11, Term 1

It is hard to believe our first term is already drawing to an end. What a wonderful start to school the children have had - so much fun and learning! Thank you whānau for your kindness and support this term. I hope you all have a relaxing holiday break with your lovely children and I look forward to an exciting second term as we welcome the newest members of our class and Parerā hub continues to grow.

Value of the week: Excellence

This week Gurnoor, Maia, Sofia, Shay, Beckett, Kapish and Oscar will visit Parerā 5. We also welcome Zoe who will start school on Monday.

Our focus sounds/letters for Week 11 are: g and o.

Class Trip

As part of our inquiry unit, ‘Stories Matter’, Pīwakawaka and Parerā will be travelling by bus to the Christchurch museum on Wednesday 10 April. We will take part in an educational tour of the Christchurch museum and have time to explore in the discovery room. We will leave school at 12pm and return at approximately 3.05pm. Please let me know on Monday if you are able to parent help please. I require 2 helpers, but 3 would be ideal!

Great St Albans Easter Hunt

On Friday afternoon, the children, supported by their buddies, will take part in an Easter Hunt. At the end of the hunt the children will receive two small easter eggs. This is a long-standing tradition at our school and always lots of fun - the Easter Bunny may even make an appearance!

Photos

When you get a chance, please print an A4 size photo of your family and bring it along to school, or simply email a photo to me and I can colour print it for you. I will add these to our 'All about me' display. Thanks for the gorgeous pics I have already received.

Tissues

Could each family please bring along a large box of tissues for classroom use. Thanks to those families who have already done this.

Happy holidays!

Week 10, Term 1

Value of the week: Manaakitanga

This week Zoe and Oscar will visit Parerā 5. Kidsfirst Sunbeam will bring 10 children to visit on Thursday.

Our focus sounds/letters for Week 9 are: m and d. We will continue to review s, a, t, i, p, n, c, k, e, h and r. Keep practising your sounds at home using the Jolly Phonics songs. You'll find the link on the homepage.

School Entry Assessment (SEA) meetings
A reminder for the following families with meetings this Tuesday 2 April - we ask that your child attends this meeting with you. Please remember to bring the SEA meeting form with you.

3.15-3.45pm Sheree and Dan

Cara on a Course

I will be attending a full day course on Wednesday 3 April. The children will spend the day with Julie Baker and her Year One class, Pīwakawaka 2 (this is the space where we have Junior Assembly on a Friday.) Please take the children straight to Julie's room in the morning, with their bags, and pick them up from there at 3pm. If you are not sure where to go, I will show you on Monday.

Photos

Apirana Storytelling Performances

On Monday, we will attend a storytelling performance at 11.15am, along with the rest of the junior team, in the school hall.

ESOL Whānau picnic tea

Thursday, 5.30-7pm in the hall. All welcome.

Gumboot Friday

This Friday, everyone is invited to wear gumboots to school to support mental health awareness. Please bring a gold coin donation.

Tissues

Could each family please bring along a large box of tissues for classroom use.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 9, Term 1

Value of the week: RESPECT

This week Sethmi will start school and Zoe will have her first visit. Ten children and their teachers from Best Start Cranford Street will be visiting our space on Thursday. We look forward to welcoming these children to the Parerā hub.

Our focus sounds/letters for Week 9 are: h and r. We will continue to review s, a, t, i, p, n, c, k and e. Keep practising your sounds at home using the Jolly Phonics songs. You'll find the link on the homepage.

School Entry Assessment (SEA) meetings
A reminder for the following families with meetings this Monday 25 March - we ask that your child attends this meeting with you. Please remember to bring the SEA meeting form with you.

8.00-8.30am Laura and Luke
3.15-3.45pm Tamali and Gihan
3.45-4.15pm Hannah and Simon

Cara on Release

On Tuesday 26 March, I will be on release from 9-11.30am. I will be completing school entry assessments in my office - so not too far away! The release teacher will be Nicola Evans.

I will also be attending a full day course in Week 10, on Wednesday 3 April. The children will spend the day with Julie Baker and her Year One class, Pīwakawaka 2. (FYI - this is the space where we have Junior Assembly on a Friday.)

Whole School Assembly
There will be no Junior Assembly this week as we will be having a whole school assembly on Friday.

Photos

The PTA is in need of Sausage Sizzle volunteers to help with this activity each Friday.
Croissant orders close Friday 29th March - $20 for 20.
Entertainment books now on sale. Visit: www.entbook.co.nz/134943x
Disco: In light of recent events, this has been postponed until Term 2. Date to be advised.

Week 8, Term 1

This week Gurnoor will have her first visit and Sethmi will return for her second visit.

Now that school swimming has ceased, the Junior Team will begin our new Physical Education unit this coming week. Lessons will take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and focus on developing skills within the context of 'Team Games'. Please ensure your child is wearing appropriate footwear.

Our focus sounds/letters for Week 8 are: c/k and e. We will continue to review s, a, t, i, p and n. Making time to practise letter names, sounds and identification of words beginning with these sounds/letters would be beneficial to the development of your child's phonics knowledge.

Sight Word Cards
Keep practising your cards each night - it really makes a difference to your child's progress in reading. Please ask if you have any questions about using these cards.

Photos

Parerā Blog

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

Lunch Orders

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce.

From the PTA

The PTA held their AGM this week. The positions of Chair, co-chair and Marketing Manager were filled, however, the position of Secretary was not filled. If you feel you have the necessary skills and are interested in applying for this position, or simply becoming a member of the PTA, please let me know and I can connect you with the key people to talk to.
The PTA is also in need of Sausage Sizzle volunteers to help with this activity each Friday.
Croissant orders close Friday 29th March - $20 for 20.
Entertainment books now on sale. Visit: www.entbook.co.nz/134943x
Disco: This is now being held in Week 9, Friday 29th March. Year 0-2: 4.15-5.00pm. The theme is: Bright Colours

Week 7, Term 1

'Time flies when you're having fun' and this has certainly been the case for Parerā 5 over the past week. It is hard to believe we have completed two weeks of school already! The children have adapted brilliantly to all the routines and expectations associated with school life and are thriving in the classroom and wider school environment. We have had so much fun getting to know each other and immersing ourselves in our learning. What wonderful role models the children will be when our new friends start school in the coming weeks. We welcome Arthur and Jaydon to Parerā 5 next week, taking our class to five students!

Thank you to Tamali for accompanying us to the Marae on Wednesday. Your help was invaluable and greatly appreciated by the teachers and children. What a fantastic insight into Māori culture this trip provided.

Our focus sounds/letters for Week 7 are: p and n. We will continue to review s, a, t, and i. Making time to practise letter names, sounds and identification of words beginning with these sounds/letters would be beneficial to the development of your child's phonics knowledge.

Sight Word Cards
Please read the instruction page I put in your child's reading folder today. Practising your child's sight words each night will significantly impact their progress in reading and is an effective way in which you can support the classroom programme. Please ask if you have any questions about using these cards.

Photos

As part of our 'All About Me' focus, I would love to create a 'whānau wall' with family photos of all the children. If you are able, please print an A4 size photo of your family and bring it along to school, or simply email a photo to me and I can colour print it for you. We will also be creating self-portraits and family portraits over the next week also. Later on in the term we will be focussing on learning our addresses and phone numbers, but you are welcome to make a start on this now if you're keen!

Parerā Blog

Check out our class blog using the link below. There are some great photos of the children during our Marae trip and making our cardboard box car today. There are also a number of other posts and pages with helpful information which would be great for you to peruse. I will post a copy of the weekly notices on the 'Notices' page each week also.

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

Lunch Orders

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce.

Week 6, Term 1

What a wonderful first week we've had together in Parerā 5. Starting school can be an overwhelming and exhausting experience and I am so impressed with how well all the children have taken all the new routines, rules and experiences in their stride. They have coped extremely well and have every right to be exhausted! What a wonderful job you have done as parents in preparing them for school and supporting them (and me!) this week - thank you.

Class Trip

As part of our ‘Our Stories Matter – Tuia Mātauranga’ inquiry, Pīwakawaka, Parerā and Te Tikanga Rua Reo will be visiting our local marae. We will be walking to Rehua Marae on Springfield Road on Wednesday 6^th March. We will leave school at 9.05am and return by 12.30pm. After being formally welcomed onto the marae, we will learn about the history of the marae and enjoy shared kai. We will be accompanied by Maria Hema, Mike Davey and our Resource Teacher of Māori Stephanie Richardson.

Permission for this trip has been given as part of the school-wide permission form you were given this week to sign and return. Payment for the marae visit is included in your activity fee. If you have not paid the $20.00 activity fee for the term please do so at the office.

Photos

Parerā Blog

Check out our class blog using the link below. There are some gorgeous photos of the children enjoying their first week of school. There are also a number of other posts and pages with helpful information which would be great for you to peruse. I will post a copy of the weekly notices on the 'Notices' page each week also.

https://parerastalbans.blogspot.com/

Lunch Orders

If you are interested, children are able to order Subway lunch packs on a Tuesday for delivery on a Wednesday. These contain a six-inch sandwich with fillings of your choice, a cookie and an apple and cost $5. Order forms are available in the classroom. We also have a sausage sizzle every Friday. Orders are made before school on a Friday outside the hall and I will support the children to collect their sausage at lunchtime. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available on request. The cost is $2 for a sausage in bread with optional tomato sauce.

Week 5, Term 1

Dear Families

Welcome to the St Albans School whānau. My name is Cara Wallace and I will be your child’s home base teacher this year. I have been teaching for over 20 years now, having taught in several schools within Christchurch over this time. This will be my sixth year as part of the St Albans School Junior Team. My husband Chris and I have two children; Max is in his first year at Burnside High School and Lachie is in Year 6 at St Albans School. We live in St Albans and love being part of our local community. Throughout our boys’ time at St Albans School, Chris has enjoyed five years as the chairperson of the Board of Trustees. I feel privileged to be a member of both the parent community and teaching and learning team at our wonderful school. I have experienced the transition to school process with our two boys and understand what an exciting and nerve-racking time this can be.

It is a special privilege to be a child’s first teacher and an incredibly rewarding job. Being able to see a child feeling settled and safe, enjoying school life and succeeding is truly gratifying. I look forward to getting to know you and your child and having a great 2019 in the Parerā hub.

We are the first class in our hub and will be called Parerā 5. All of the hubs in our school are named after native New Zealand birds and Parerā is the Māori word for our native Grey Duck. As the roll grows, we will welcome new teachers and children into our large collaborative teaching and learning space. Initially, we will join with the year one students and teachers of Pīwakawaka hub for some key activities, including Junior Assembly and Kimihia. As the number of children and classes in the Parerā hub grows we will establish our own hub, led by Deputy Principal Jo Lidstone. I look forward to providing a supportive, stimulating and positive learning environment for your child.

Before your child starts school, I would greatly appreciate you filling out a ‘Getting to Know Your Child’ form and returning it to me, or the school office. These will be available at your child's first pre-entry visit. This helps us to begin building a picture of your child’s personality, interests and needs. You will also have the opportunity to add your contact details to a class list to enable families to organise ‘play dates’ and get to know other children, parents and caregivers in our home base class.

I am looking forward to teaching your child and getting to know all the families in our home base. The focus for the first term will be to establish routines, develop self-management and independence skills and feel successful and positive about school. Please approach me if you have any questions. Beginning school is a very special time for both you and your child and I am eager to share their learning journey with you.

Ngā Mihi

Cara Wallace

cara.wallace@stalbans.school.nz

Information for Parerā 5

Stationery Packs: Please name all books and give them to me as soon as possible. You are welcome to cover the books if you wish to.

Personal belongings: Pencil cases, felts and colouring pencils are best left at home as the school provides these items. Toys or precious items are also best kept at home as breakage or loss can be very upsetting.

Naming items: Please ensure that all of your child’s clothing is clearly named. Hats are compulsory in Terms 1 and 4. The lost property box is located outside Room 1.

We have a full school uniform at St Albans School that each child is required to wear. School sunhats are compulsory in Terms 1 and 4. Please leave these hats in your child’s locker at the end of each day ready for the next day. If your child goes to after school care e.g., OSCAR, they ask that the children wear their hats home. So please return them with the child the following day.

Please make sure all items of your child’s clothing are named. In case of accidents, packing a spare change of uniform, including underwear and socks, in your child’s school bag is also helpful. There is a lost property box located outside the office.

School bags, lunch boxes and drink bottles: Please ensure your child’s school bag is large enough to hold all of their belongings including: reading folder, lunch box, drink bottle, jacket and, in summer, swimming togs and hat. We are a ‘water only’ school. Ensure your child is able to open and close their lunch box and drink bottle independently.

Allergies: At St Albans school it is important to us to keep everyone safe. Until such time as we are made aware of any children in the hub with an extreme food allergy (e.g., nuts) there will be no restrictions on any specific food you may include in your child’s lunchbox.

Reading folders: Reading folders need to come to school every day. Children will be given a guided reading book from Monday to Thursday to share at home and a poem to share on Friday. They will also have a Reading Log that will have the child’s reading book listed inside it. Please write a comment each night and write the number of nights in the space provided. Once your child has read for 25 nights they get a sticker and every 25 nights thereafter. Your child’s Phonics/Alphabet book will also be kept in their reading folder to be taken home each night for practice. Please check your child’s folder each day for notices. Reading folders need to be placed in cubby holes each morning.

Newsletters: There will be a weekly class newsletter, which will be uploaded to our hub blog prior to the start of each week. It will also be displayed on the classroom noticeboard. Please take time to read this so that you know what is happening in class and what your child may need for the week. There is also a weekly school newsletter that is published on Thursdays. You can have this emailed to you or access the newsletter through the school website www.stalbans.school.nz . Most of our correspondence with you will be via email. If you don’t have email access please let me know.

Junior Team Assemblies: These are held every Friday morning at 9.10am in P1/2's classroom and are led by the children. All new entrants will receive a ‘Welcome to School’ certificate at these assemblies in the week that they start school. All whānau are welcome to attend these assemblies.

Absences: Please ring or text the office if your child is going to be absent. The roll is taken at 9.00am. Any absences will be noted and if the absence has not been notified the office staff will contact you. If you arrive at school after 9.00am with your child, please call in at the office and collect a late pass before coming to class.

Starting the day - 8.30 am: School does not officially open until the 8.30am bell. If your child arrives before 8.30am they will need to wait on the astro turf until the 8.30 bell rings. It is a great idea if your child can be at school at least 15 minutes before school begins for the morning. This is so they have enough time to put away their belongings and unpack what is needed for the day. To help develop independence and establish class routines, we ask that you leave as soon as your child is settled. Please help your child to become independent by encouraging them to say ‘good morning’ to their teacher, put their lunchbox and drink bottle out, put their reading folder in the right place and put their school bag in their locker.

Three o’clock: This is a very busy time of the day, making sure all children have notices and belongings. Once children see their wonderful parent that is all they want to focus on. Please wait outside the classroom then the children can focus on the instructions given. If there is no one to meet your child outside the classroom after school, they must come back inside the classroom. If your child has not been collected by 3.15pm they are sent to the school office, due to teacher meetings.

Play dates and class blog: A phone contact list will be on the classroom notice board if you wish to add your name to make play dates with other children in our home base. The Parerā hub will have a joint blog and the link can be found on the homepage of the school website. This blog will be updated frequently with all the exciting things that are happening across the hub.

Contact details: Please make sure that we have your correct email, phone and address details.

Parent help: Should you be available for parent help, please let me know. There are a number of ways you can provide assistance. These include supporting children in the classroom during reading and writing and other curriculum areas, returning reading books to the resource room, preparing handwriting books and accompanying the class on trips. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

General Daily Timetable: Monday to Thursday

9.00am School starts: Roll/Notices/Community Time

9.10am Phonics

9.25am Writing

10.15am Interval – Children go outside to play

10.30am Children eat morning tea in classroom

10.40am Maths

11.15am Fitness

11.30am Reading

12.30pm Lunch

1.25pm Roll/Story/News

1.40pm Handwriting

2.00pm Inquiry/PE/Art

2.45pm Pack up and Reflection

3.00pm Home time

Friday’s timetable will differ from above to include Assembly, Te Reo Māori, Music, Poetry and Kimihia. Every Friday from 11.00 am – 2.30 pm the children will be involved in Kimihia. Kimihia means to seek, search, or find out. Through child-directed learning, with teachers as facilitators, the children will engage in a variety of planned activities. These activities will involve creating, exploring and working with others to extend their knowledge and develop the key competencies through a ‘learn through play’ programme. We would love your help during this time to engage with the children. We would also like a parent to be available at this time to read to the children in the quiet space. If you are keen to come along please let me know.

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