School Newsletter – 14 May 2019

Term 2, Week 3 — School news, upcoming dates and notices

A Message from the Deputy Principals

We were able to take our Student Leaders, House Captains and Ambassadors to the National Young Leaders Day last Wednesday.  Thank you to the parents who supported us with transport and those able to stay for the day.  We had a day hearing from a variety of speakers under the conference’s title – What is the food of a Leader? –  It is conversation.  Hana Tapiata, once in the development squad for the NZ touch rugby team, until injury snatched that dream from her grasp, shared her battle with overcoming this with us.  She also shared about that voice in our head, that mostly talks about what we are not doing well, saying – “deafen your mind to things that are insignificant” and “listen to the positive voice”.

Dr Lehan Stemmet shared we all know what the golden rule is – “Treat people the way you want to be treated”, he introduced the platinum rule – “Treat people as they would want to be treated, with respect, acceptance and appreciation.”

Kings – New Zealand’s top selling music artist shared how he started his music career on pots and pans from his mum’s kitchen and how he had to work so hard to convince his family that music was his career path.  He spoke about keeping on trying and keeping on doing what you know you are supposed to do.  We were so fortunate that he shared two of his favourite songs with us as well, most of our students made up the mosh pit and we all boogied down!  Ronnie Taulafo also spoke of this, coming from Samoa and not knowing the language, he persevered to learn this and also from his elders who have made the same mistakes that young people will be making, so listen to them and learn from them. The other speaker was Christian Gallen, who entertained us with his stories, the funniest being when he ate dog roll for three days thinking it was luncheon sausage – we shouldn’t judge a book by its’ cover!

The key to the conference was that conversation is the key to leadership.  Being a leader doesn’t make you better than anyone else, but it means you should listen to others and learn from their experience and knowledge.

Meegan Hill and Debbie Ellery

The Kohimarama Way – Reliability

News

Information Evening on use of Devices for Learning – Tuesday 14th May – 7pm School Hall

We hope to see parents/caregivers at this information evening tonight.This will give you an opportunity to hear from speakers about the use of devices and the ways that they support and enhance learning.Our presenters are Mark Osborne
and Nathaniel Kandregula.

We look forward to seeing everyone tonight.

Pink Shirt Day – Friday 17th May

Kohimarama School has joined the Pink Shirt Day movement to Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying!

On Friday 17th May, we’re pinking out the school to show our commitment to creating an environment that is safe, welcoming and inclusive of all tauira/students.

Aotearoa has the second-highest rate of school bullying out of 51 countries. Many studies show people who are bullied are more likely to experience mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts.

With your help we can turn this around by ensuring our school celebrates diversity and is a place where all tauira everyone can feel safe, valued and respected.

On Friday please students are encouraged to wear a pink shirt in replacement of their usual school uniform polo to show their support for the cause. Please note that this is not a full mufti day and students are still expected to wear the rest of their school uniform.

Proposed Teacher Strike Day – Wednesday 29th May

You may have seen in the media that following the Teacher Paid Union Meeting, the NZEI members have voted for a full day Teacher strike.  Note that this is the week of our Teacher Only Day and Queens Birthday weekend.  We apologise about this inconvenience.  The Teacher Only Day was planned by the school well in advance and presenters organised.  It is unfortunate that the NZEI Teachers strike has now been scheduled for the same week as the Teacher Only Day.

Teacher Only Day – Friday 31st May

All Teachers will be involved in a full day of professional learning and development on Friday 31st May. This is the Friday prior to Queens Birthday weekend.

Teachers will be exploring new curriculum developments, deepening our understanding of learner assessment capability, development of Te Reo in our school in light of the NZ curriculum. We also have Dr Melanie Woodfield coming to share strategies and deepen our understanding about students with anxieties.

Board of Trustees Elections

The New Zealand School Trustees Association (https://www.nzsta.org.nz/) is the official resource to assist trustees. They have set up a website to assist people who are considering standing as a Parent Representative: https://www.trustee-election.co.nz/

The Returning Officer for Kohimarama School has provided additional resources on the process for submitting your nominations for the Board. You can find these on the 2019 Board Elections page.

Weekly Results

Flippaball Results

• Year 3/4 Kohi Kinas, won 8-0, PoD Conrad C
• Year 5/6 Kohi Jellyfish, won 3-1, PoD Alexander C
• Year 5/6 Kohi Narwhals, lost 0-4, PoD Annabelle W

Community Notices