|
|
|
|
Newsletter ~ 6 March, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From the Principal
Tena koutou ngā whānau, ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa,
|
It is hard to believe we are already week 5, half way through the term. Everyone has been working so hard the weeks have just flown by. At the beginning of last week we had our swimming sports at Governors Bay community pool. It was a wonderful day, stunning weather and there was lots of support from whānau. Well done to all the swimmers who raced, congratulations to winners and place-getters and extra congratulations to those swimmers who have qualified for the South East Zones. Thank you to Kate who has been running the swim squad for these swimmers in the morning before school. We wish those swimmers all the best for the competition on 17 March.
|
Coming up over the next couple of weeks we also have the year 7 & 8 PCT competition to which we send 2 groups of 4 students, then on Sunday, 16 March we have the Roganine at Port Levy which helps to support the school Trust, and the following week Cycle Safe which involves our Year 6 & 7 students this year.
|
The Board has their March meeting on Monday night. At this we will discuss the strategic plan so if you wish to comment before the meeting you are able to view a summary of our strategic plan here and provide feedback via the Google Form here.
|
Best wishes for an enjoyable rest of the week, and a wonderful weekend.
|
|
|
|
|
Year 4 - 8 Swimming Sports
|
|
|
On the 25th of February the Year 4-8s went to Governors Bay pool for our School Swimming Sports. We all arrived at Nine o'clock and got into our House Groups. The first stroke was freestyle. The Year 8s started off the races. Each house did their chants to cheer on each swimmer. The next stroke was backstroke. It was really good to hear all the different ages cheering the swimmers on. After backstroke it was the breaststroke races. There were lots of races for breaststroke. But lastly was the butterfly race, there were only three people racing and at the end were the relays. The senior relays went first, four swimmers from each house each swam one length of freestyle. Then was the junior relay which also went really well. At the end of the races the house leaders (Year 8’s) went down the slide into the pool. Then everyone got free play until we had to go back to school.
|
|
|
|
|
Junior Miniball
Junior miniball has started for term one and this is our first time having a year 3-4 team. They are very excited to be playing since most of them have watched their older siblings compete in the year 5 team. They are off to an amazing start and looking forward to the rest of the term.
|
Basketball is really fun. We play at Pioneer and we have 8 people in our team. We are still learning the rules and how to play. Some people at first were quite excited and nervous for our first game and that is how I felt but now I'm counting down all of the days till we play again. We are called the Diamond Dragons, after our game we had a photo taken of all of us and some of the parents said Sweaty Dragons!!
|
|
|
|
Rights and Responsibilities Unit
|
|
|
Ākonga have now complete their Rights and Responsibilities unit in the ākomanga (classrooms). A right is the entitlement to aspects such as education, safety, health and even freedom of speech. Aligned with these rights are responsibilities, which include aspects such as ensuring the rights of others are respected, and engaging with learning so that we all make the most of the opportunities that are available to us. Even though these units have been completed, the learning continues throughout the year and these are revisited as needed.
|
Kenzie says "We have the right to work in a quiet environment and the responsibility is to work quietly in the classroom."
|
Joseph says, "My favourite one is my right to come to school and feel safe. This is because I think it's important for others to make people feel included'.
|
Te Kohanga says, "If we don't follow our agreement our classroom will be really noisy, messy and destroyed which means we won't be able to learn"
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year 4 Camp Living Springs
|
|
|
|
On Thursday 20th February the year 4 kids went to Living Springs Camp. We played dodge ball and it was fun. We were all dodging the balls. We played mini golf and I found an earwig. It was disgusting. We played on the trampoline. Everyone was bouncing a lot and it was super hard to stand up as it was slippery. I went on the monorail. It was so fast my butt cheeks lifted off a little. I felt like was was literally going to scream my lungs out.
|
The bushwalk was super tiring but we found these cool leaves that were made out of bone. They were skeleton leaves and felt like they were made out of fabric. Next was dinner. I had a burger with only lettuce in it, and I had a lot of fries that were extremely salty. Then we had dessert. I had a lemon sorbet. Then we headed to bed.
|
|
Next it was breakfast but I wasn't there. We did a game on the climbing wall and I tried escaping out of the fish tank. I was so close to escaping. I also found a cool rock that looks like a dragon's head. My favourite thing about camp was the lemon sorbet because it was like a slushie.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Camp was so much fun. I loved almost everything about it. I got a bunk bed like a monitor.
|
|
The next day I woke up brushed my hair, brushed my teeth, ate breakfast too, and … drum roll please … ate a sorbet!
|
My favourite thing about camp was having the top bunk because I had never slept in one.
|
|
|
|
On the 20th February I went on my first camp. In the morning I woke up and I drove to school with my Mum then I put my bags down and iI got into Matthew's Dad's car and we took off to the cabins. I unpacked my stuff and set up my bed with books and toy's, then me and my friends played a quick game. My teachers called us all over to go for a bush walk, it was fun I saw lots of birds. Then we went on the monorail, it is like a rollercoaster and it feels like you will fall off on the corners and plants passed you on the way down. Then we had desert it was vanilla ice cream.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Seaweed and poo collection
|
On the 14 of February the year 6's went to Camp Bay to collect seaweed and sheep poo. On the way there Harry and I were in the bus. It was so loud it felt like an elephant was at the back of the bus. When we got there we were split into two groups. Group one went seaweed collecting. We were seaweed collecting and Harry and I worked together we are making seaweed tea for the school garden.
|
|
Then we switched jobs. Harry and I filled three big bags of sheep poo. Then we got to meet some sheep. On the way back to school we listened to Believer and Harry got to sit in the front.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Library News
|
|
|
|
It has been a busy start to the year in the library with some new Library Leaders and Library Assistants onboard to keep it open during break times for all students to enjoy.
We have had a 'spring clean' of one of the resource rooms and boxed up some of the class reader books our school no longer needs and are giving them to other children to benefit from who would otherwise not have had access too. These books will sail to the Pacific Islands by expedition ship and be delivered to villages for their schools where these resources are very much appreciated and valued.
|
|
|
|
At the end of last year, with the help of the Diamond Harbour School Education Charitable Trust, we purchased new books for the library, both fiction and non-fiction. As these are being covered (to prolong their life) they are being put out on the library shelves eager to be read and issued many many times. We have invested in some new fictional book series for our readers to get immersed into and are looking forward to getting feedback on these.
|
Book Week is coming up and this year it is week 9 of term 1 (Monday 31 March - Friday 4 April 2025) and our school library will have activities throughout the week. These will be detailed in the next newsletter but days to make special note of are:
|
|
Tuesday 1 April 5.30pm - 7pm Storytime in PJ's and Hot Chocolate in Te Kohanga with some guest readers. If you would like to read a story to those who attend, please email lorna.carnaby@diamondharbour.school.nz
|
|
Wednesday 2 April 9.15am Dress-up as a book character parade.It is not compulsory to get involved in these events but traditionally it has been a lot of fun.
|
|
|
|
Mana Ake Drop In Session
Mana Ake will be visiting school on the 28th March. We will introduce the Mana Ake workers during assembly and they will then be free after assembly for you to introduce yourselves. There will also be some time available to book a 'Drop In' session if you would like to take up this offer
|
What is a 'Drop-in' Mana Ake can provide advice and guidance through a 'drop-in'. Some examples of what other parents ask about at a drop-in:
|
- Child experiencing big emotions
- Positive parenting
- Child's physical health eg sleep, eating, screen time etc
- Supporting boundaries and routines at home
- Supporting a child through grief, loss or change
- Concerns around child's friendships
- Anything that impacts the child's wellbeing
|
How to I request a 'drop-in' session?
|
|
Please contact Karen S to register interest karen.steedman@diamondharbour.school.nz
|
|
This is a confidential service, school does not need to know what you wish to discuss
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Diamond Harbour Education Trust is running a Rogaine event on the 16th March. As part of this we will be having a bake sale to help fundraise for the school.
|
|
We require volunteers to bake items which we can sell. Slices, biscuits, cakes etc would be very much appreciated!
|
|
There will be more details to come regarding when/where to drop baking off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
We are looking for people who are willing to help run our Friday Coffee's this year, it would only be one or two Friday's a term.
|
- able to use the coffee machine and are willing to be on the roster
- would like to learn how to use the coffee machine and be on the roster
|
please contact Karen S - karen.steedman@diamondharbour.school.nz
|
|
|
|
What's Coming Up at Diamond Harbour School
|
- Friday, 7 March, Non-Uniform Day (supporting Cholmondeley Children's Centre)
- Monday, 10 March, Year 7 & 8 Police Competency Test competition (selected students)
- Monday, 10 March, Board Meeting - School Staff Room @ 6:30pm
- Friday, 14 March, Year 2 & 3 Te Kōhanga Assembly
- Sunday, 16 March, Diamond Harbour School Charitable Education Trust Fundraising Rogaine at Port Levy
- Tuesday - Wednesday, 18 & 19 March, Year 6 & 7 Cycle Safety
- Tuesday, 25 March, School Enviroafternoon
- Thursday, 27 March, Junior School Swimming Display
- Monday 31 March - Friday 4 April, Book Week
- Wednesday, 2 March, Book Character Parade - 9:15am
- Monday, 7 April, Board Meeting - School Staff Room @ 6:30pm
- Thursday, 10 April, Celebration of Learning 5:00pm - 6:30pm
- Friday, 11 April, Diamond Challenge Assembly
- Friday, 11 April, Final Day of Term 1
|
Lunch programme $3:50 per week (a slight increase from the last few years) - Thursdays
|
|
After School Care: Contact Ursi - ursina.riederer@diamondharbour.school.nz
|
|
|
|
What's Up In The Local Community
|
|
|
Art Tuition with Bex Gibbs
|
Join Bex Gibbs for creative art sessions every Friday from 2:45 pm to 4:00 pm at Diamond Harbour School. These classes are a fantastic opportunity for aspiring artists to enhance their skills.
|
|
Each session costs $25.00, and all materials are provided,
|
|
To enroll or for more information, text 021 250 1596. — spaces are limited!
|
|
|
|
What's Up Outside Diamond Harbour
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
