School Newsletter – 19 November 2019

Cheerleading

Congratulations to our first ever cheerleading squad who took part in the Cheerbandz Nationals competition for schools. This group was across a range of year groups and coached by Sheridan Read and Rachelle Hall over a period of three weeks. This hard work paid off as they received first in their division – grade 2 and also received first overall.  What a fantastic achievement. Go Kohimarama School.

A message from the Principal

Dear Parents

Communications Survey – Initial findings and feedback

What’s working well

We had some fantastic feedback about the communication changes the school has made over the past couple of years. Specifically, the Newsletter, school calendar, FlexiBuzz app, Class Dojo, and the updated website. The feedback was that these are working well. 

Parents also appreciated the communication from their children’s teachers and the ability to have direct conversations with them.

What could be improved

The main area that people would like to see improved is the day-to-day communication about the learning taking place in the classroom. This tells us how engaged our learning community is with our children’s learning. In particular, some parents want to see more regular and detailed communication from teachers to support learning conversations they are having with their children at home. 

The other area where parents would like to see communications improved is in the early consultation on changes happening in the school, particularly around teaching practices. When asked about specific changes taking place, there was a mix in terms of what parents were most interested in. The 3 main priorities that emerged were:

– School Talk and the end of year report.

– The new digital curriculum and how that will look at Kohimarama School

– Changes to the physical classroom environment

Next steps

In the first instance we are setting up a question and answer section in the newsletter. 

Today will be the first in responding to questions and answers raised in the survey and general questions through the email address questionsandanswers@kohimarama.school.nz. 

Q: Are we able to get more regular updates on how our children are achieving?

A: The best way to regularly check on your how child is achieving is to have a look at the ‘Progressions’ section in School Talk. Here you’ll be able to see how your child is tracking on core subjects and learner dispositions relative to where they should be based on the curriculum. You can drill down to see how they are doing in particular areas and where they will be progressing to next. If you then have any questions or concerns, you’re in a great position to have an informed discussion with your child’s teacher. Find out more about using School Talk by clicking here.

Q: What extra curricular opportunities are there on offer and is there an easy way to find them out?

A: We are fortunate that we are able to offer a broad range of extracurricular opportunities.

• Academic – Programmes available include Mathex, Otago Problem Solving, and ICAS. To find out more click here.
• Arts – Students can participate in the Choir, Band Programme, Rock Band, and Kapa Haka. To find out more click here.
• Sports – In addition to the school physical education programme, there are a wide range of school sports events and sports teams for the children to get involved in. To find out more click here.

In addition to our school opportunities, a wide range of after school activities are on offer. More information can be found here on our website. 

Do you want to keep your children safe on the Internet?  That is what we are doing at Kohimarama School. We have partnered with Family zone to roll out changes to our cyber safety measures at school to ensure that all students are protected on the internet, no matter what device they are on or what network they are using to access it.

During this year and in discussion with parents, we decided to extend the standard Ministry of Education protection to ensure that all students are safe and secure when using devices. We are able to extend this to you, the parents, so that you can be assured that your children are safe at home as well. Family Zone offers us comprehensive management tools to ensure that everyone is safe so sharing this with you enables us to work together.  

To find out more please attend our parent meeting on Thursday 21 November at 7pm

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR STUDENTS’ DEVICES AT KOHIMARAMA SCHOOL?

Any device a student brings to school needs to be protected by Family Zone’s Mobile Zone application (see below). This ensures that the devices will comply with the school’s expectations for internet usage during school hours, regardless of internet connection. Outside of school hours, parents can use their Family Zone account to get insights into internet access for devices with Mobile Zone activated and protect them if they choose. See below for more information.

HOW ARE ACCOUNTS CREATED?

On Thursday 21 November, we will invite you to create a Family Zone account. If you don’t already have a Family Zone account, you will receive an email from Family Zone with instructions on how to set up your account and install and activate the Mobile Zone app on your child’s device. All families will start with a Family Zone Insights pack. See below for more information.

WHAT IS MOBILE ZONE?

Mobile Zone is Family Zone’s application which you can download onto your children’s devices (smartphones, tablets & laptops) to protect and manage their internet use no matter where they are or what network they are connected to. The school will manage this during school hours and parents can manage their children’s internet settings, access and routines – anywhere, anytime via their Family Zone account called the Zone Manager. This can be done online or via the Zone Manager app.

WHAT IS A FAMILY ZONE INSIGHTS PACK?

Family Zone Insights is a FREE pack available to all families at the school providing them with powerful insights to view internet usage on up to 6 devices with Mobile Zone activated. This includes snapshots of usage and detailed reports, along with visibility into installed apps and (where activated by parents) device location. Simply log into your Family Zone account and install the Mobile Zone App on your child’s device to view insights.

WHAT IS A FAMILY ZONE PREMIUM PACK?

A Family Zone Premium pack allows families to filter the internet (eg block adult content) and apply routines (eg study and sleep times) on up to 6 devices with Mobile Zone activated. Families can subscribe to Family Zone’s Premium pack for $59 incl. GST per year from the subscription settings within their account. If you have more than 6 devices, you can purchase an Extension Pack via the Family Zone Shop.

At the meeting we will be giving some premium family packs away, so come along you might be a lucky recipient. 

WHO IS ySafe?

Family Zone works with a number of Cyber Experts dedicated to helping keep young people safe online. Kohimarama School is proud to partner with ySafe. They’ll manage your filters and settings, and keep you up to date with the latest apps, trends and online risks.

Visit this special website to learn more about how this software is being made available to families and the school’s expectations regarding devices being brought to school: familyzone.com/kohimarama-nz

Confirmed 2020 term dates

Term 1: Monday 3rd February – Thursday 9th April

Term 2: Tuesday 28th April – Friday 3rd July

Term 3: Monday 20th July – Friday 25th September

Term 4: Monday 12th October – Tuesday 15 December

News

New Entrant Parent Information Session

Band Sign Up Night  –  Tuesday 19th November @6.30pm

Student Fundraiser  –  Cancer Research

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management’s upcoming emergency mobile alert test on Sunday 24 November.

The Ministry wants to make sure all New Zealanders with a mobile phone, including visitors such as international students, are aware of the upcoming mobile alert test.

Emergency Mobile Alerts are messages about emergencies sent by authorised emergency agencies to capable mobile phones. The alerts are designed to keep people safe and are broadcast to all capable phones from targeted cell towers. They can be targeted to areas affected by serious hazards and will only be sent when there is a serious threat to life, health or property, and, in some cases, for test purposes.

An advertising campaign will run from 17-24 November on TV, radio and online, along with other communications activity.

We apologise if you have already received this information from other channels.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management

• 70-84 Lambton Quay, PO Box 5010, Wellington 6145
• 04 830 5100
• 04 817 8554
• emergency.management@dpmc.govt.nz
• www.civildefence.govt.nz

Weekly Results

House Points Update: Term 4, Week 5

Class Certificates

Congratulations to these outstanding students:

Walking School Bus

Hamish M, Alex C, Sam D, Mia J

Eco Warrior

Ashton C

Caught Being Good – “Greenies”
Congratulations to all for being caught doing the right thing in the playground, you are winners.  This fortnight our winners are:

Flippaball Results

• • • Year 3/4, Kohi Kinas, lost by default, PoD none
    • Year 5/6, Kohi Jellyfish, 5-1 win, PoD Andrew F
    • Year 5/6, Kohi Narwhals, 4-1 win, PoD Annabelle W

Touch Results

• • • Year 6, Kohi Eastern Dodgers, 1-2 loss, PoD Mackenzie R
    • Year 6, Kohi Eastern Dodgers, 6-2 win, PoD Mia P & Bella J

Community Notices