Newsletter No 12 December 16th 2008
Christmas
Greetings to you all.
With
only half a day left of the school year it is time to say well done and thank
you! Remember the final assembly
TOMORROW AT 11A.M.
Firstly,
well done to the children who have worked so well throughout the year. It has been a very busy time in the school
and there have been many highlights. On
the whole the children been wonderful and have done really well with their
learning, in their music and on the sports fields. The Regent Theatre concert was a highlight
for me! Next year will bring different
demands for our year 6 children who are moving on. They are a big group, but their presentation
to their parents at graduation, at the Speirs Centre, was tribute to them. Well
done.
They
will be great ambassadors of
Staffing
To
the staff, a huge well done and thank you for the wonderful work put in through
out the year for the benefit of the CNS children. You all deserve a good holiday
! We wish the staff leaving us, all the
very best. In particular we thank
Assistant Principal Robyn Tootill for the excellence of her work in the school
and wish her the very best as she takes up the position of Principal at
Congratulations
to Mrs Jo Scott who has been appointed acting Assistant Principal for terms
1-2, 2009.
I
am pleased to inform you that the school is fully staffed with a new Principal
in Mrs Shona
Oliver and a
staff that will see a very successful 2009.
The start of school 2009.
School
commences for the children on Wednesday 4th February. Class lists will be placed in the windows of
the various blocks on the afternoon of Monday 2nd February.
On
Wednesday 4th Te Arawaru (bilingual team) and the middle and senior
children (main stream) will go directly to their classes, the junior children
will meet in the hall on the 8.55a.m. bell.
Stationery
packs will be available from
the office from 29th January, 09.
Board of Trustees and the
PTA
A
huge thank you to the Board and PTA. You
have all done excellent work for the school throughout a very busy 2008. We wish you a great holiday and look forward
to all that 2009 will have to offer.
On going learning
There
is much that the family can do through the Summer holidays to support and
develop learning, you will find that your child will get off to a great start
in 2009 if you:
Go places and do things together; – do lots of
talking, questioning and sharing, do
lots of reading, to the children and from the children, visits to the
library (but make it all fun!) do some writing (thank you letters, little diaries etc) Get lots of fresh air, outside play and in
the sun (but without sun burn!) Talk
with your children about, and encourage on going development in the Key
Competencies – Thinking, Language
symbols and texts, Managing themselves, Participating and co-operating, and
Relating to others.
I
trust that Christmas and the holidays will be a special time for you all.
The swimming pool: If you want access to the pool over the
holidays please come in and buy a key. Keys will not be available after midday on
the 17th December. Please do look after the pool, and keep to
the rules, for the good of everyone.
Remember that the keys are sold to school families and must only be used
by school families, that there is a maximum of 6 swimmers per key and that the
pool rules must be kept. If at the pool
and people are not complying with the rules, please speak with them about
it. If they do not respond positively,
call Securitas 0800339999.
A Poem From Marama Poland
Room 5
Crunchy
wrapping paper rattling in my ear.
Hatching
people singing beautiful songs
Ringing
bells go jingle, jingle
I
can see all the wonderful decorations.
Santa
is coming down the chimney. Oh no he’s
stuck! Tricky shapes, Santa.
Morning
is finally here. Hooray
Amazing,
yummy, feast, dig in guys.
Super
colours brighten my eyes.
The school grounds:
It
has been recommended to me by a parent that if children are playing in the
grounds they would be best supervised by a parent or trusted adult. At times there are ‘undesirable’ youth in and
around the school and children have not felt safe!
Clothing/Shoes
If
your child’s drawers are looking on the empty side, it is because their clothes
are here at school! They will be put
outside in front of the staffroom tomorrow.
PLEASE come and collect all that belongs to your family. Left over clothing will be given to charity.
Signing Off!
As
this is my last newsletter as Principal of Central Normal School I want to say
a huge thank you to you all – children, staff and families. My twenty years here have been almost half of
my teaching career! – but the years seem to have flown by, and in that time I
have been challenged, encouraged, frustrated, supported, and challenged
again.
But
in it all I have worked with amazing staff, wonderful Boards of Trustees and
PTAs and lovely children. The vast
majority of the children have been pleased to come to school, have been keen to
learn and have kept themselves and others safe and happy in their
learning. I thank them most of all, and
continue to trust for the very best for every child who passes through this
great school.
The
school can look forward with much anticipation to the coming years under the
leadership of Mrs Shona Oliver. She is a
person with great skills and ability, but as well, a warm heart, wanting and expecting
the very best for the children. I wish
Shona and the school all the very best for the future.
Thought for the
month:
For to us a child
is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his
shoulders. He will be called Wonderful
Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9 v 6