School Newsletter – 4 May 2021

Term 2, Week 1 — School news

A Messsage from the Principal

Dear Parents

Welcome back to Term 2.  Our teachers and students have had a positive start and are getting back into the learning. The weather has been kind to us both in the holiday period and as we start the new term. During the holiday break we have had a number of small jobs undertaken across the school including; pruning some of our trees in the Kiri playground and near the senior playground, work in the staffroom to improve the flow and update appliances that were at the end of life and similar work in the office kitchen. Numbers of these jobs support our preparation for the Centennial celebrations on the 10th and 11th September. This will be a highlight of the school calendar and preparations for the Centennial will be interwoven into our day to day work to support this being a successful event for all of us. 

School Buildings

The Board of Trustees and I have been working with the Ministry of Education to secure accommodation for our students. The Ministry has agreed to provide modular buildings as temporary accommodation. We are informed that the first modular rooms will be in place by the beginning of Term 3. The building will house two classes of students and be an open space to allow a hub to operate within the building. 

Please make a note of the following dates for upcoming events:

Friday 4th June Greats and Grans

This is scheduled to be held on the Friday prior to Queens birthday weekend when we often have family members from out of town visiting for the long weekend.

This event asks our students to invite their special older family members or friends to come along to school to see them at work in the classroom.  This is then followed by a morning tea for our special guests. We were unable to hold this popular event in 2020 due to COVID.  We look forward to welcoming our guests to school on Friday 4th June.

Tuesday 8th June School Photograph

This whole school photograph hangs on the wall of the administration office.

This whole school photo was taken in 2000 to celebrate the millennium. 

To celebrate our Centennial Year we are once again going to take a photo of the whole school.  This will be done on Tuesday 8th June in the morning. Please make sure your child is at school on time and in their Kohimarama School uniform, for this exciting event which will become part of our records of our 100th year within the Kohimarama School Community.

Tax Gift

You will have read in the Board of Trustees newsletter that Kohimarama School has now entered into an agreement with TaxGift. Individuals can now opt in to donating their tax credit to the school by registering with TaxGift here:

https://onboarding.taxgift.co.nz/register/604fd692df0caa0a36eaf817

How does this work?

Most individuals are able to claim a tax credit for donations in New Zealand. This includes a tax credit of 33.3% on the annual Kohimarama School donation which is currently set at $495 per child. In most instances TaxGift will be able to obtain a tax credit of $165 which is then donated, less a fee of 10%, back to the school on behalf of the individual. This additional donation is eligible for a further tax credit (not otherwise available to an individual) which is then donated again and again back to the school until the donation value drops below the minimum $5 threshold set by the IRD. The net effect is that an initial donation of $495 can result in a total of $701 (when the donated tax credits are added) received by the school.

To make this happen TaxGift needs to act as your tax agent for Kohimarama School donations only. Please note once you have signed up you will not be able to claim the Kohimarama School donation tax credit for yourself. You can opt out of TaxGift at any time by emailing admin@taxgift.co.nz

We are hoping that you will take this opportunity to further support the school through this process. Thank you in advance.

Paul Engles
Principal

The Kohimarama Way – Compassion

It is an exciting year for Kohimarama School as we celebrate its Centennial. To assist with our planning and to help the Centennial celebrations be as successful as possible we are actively seeking for help with the following:

• Photographer
• Videographer
• Copywriter
• AV technician skills

If you have any expertise in these areas or know of someone who is able to assist, please contact us on centennial@kohimarama.school.nz

Planned Centennial Events: 10^th & 11th September 2021

Fri 10^th Sep
9am-11.30am          Alumni Classroom visits
A chance for past students to visit the classroom and see how school life has changed over the years, followed by morning tea

Sat 11^th Sep
11am to 4.30pm  School Open Day & Formalities
Learn about the history of Kohimarama School with our ‘History Walk’, and see Old School photos & memorabilia
Be entertained with our Kapa Haka, choir, band, cheerleading & jump jam performances, kids games & activities, food trucks & more!
Formalities 2-3pm:  Official speeches, Centennial Tree planting & Centennial Cake followed by ‘Natter & Nibbles’ Afternoon tea
(Free public event)

7pm – Midnight   Centennial Gala Dinner including Fundraising Auction
(Ticketed event)

(Registrations & ticket sales from May)