25 November 2015

NEWSLETTER NO. 10

Dear Parents
We are not too far away from the school holidays. The teachers are currently in the middle of writing the children’s reports on their year’s progress. Please remember that the reports typically cover a relatively narrow range of academic progress. There is so much more to your child than what we are able to fit in a report.
Disco
I would like to say a huge thanks to Rosemarie and her helpers for what I understand was a great disco. If you feel that you would like to assist with any future fundraising or school activity please let the office know and we will pass your name onto Rosemarie.
New Enrolments
I would like to welcome the following children and their families to Avalon School. I am sure that you will enjoy your time here with us. Welcome to Hirundee Weerakoon, Tamana Ferris, Angelo Antony, Fea Taifai, Brenan Mark and Lincoln Vaofusi.
Staffing 2016
We are fortunate to have most of our staff back for 2016. The only person of the current staff who will not be returning in 2016 is Lee Baker. Lee has been in a relieving position for much of this year, firstly in the junior school and for the last two terms she has been teaching in Year 3/4. I want to thank Lee for the commitment and effort that she has demonstrated this year for the good of our children.
School Donations
As many of you know we operate a koha system at Avalon School. That means you can give as much or as little as you wish. There is no expectation of any particular amount. However the Board has been discussing ways that we could make it easier for parents to pay for the events that come up throughout the year, e.g. swimming, sports programmes, performances in school and field trips etc. The Board has asked me to get an indication from our community to see whether it would be easier to get a regular amount paid straight into the school bank account rather than request money when specific events arise. I will put a tear off slip at the end of this newsletter to get an indication of your thoughts. Please return your response as soon as possible.
Property
We are in the process of getting some of the classes upgraded early next year. The down side to that is that the work will take 10-12 weeks and we will not be able to use those classes in that time. We will be trying to keep the disruption to your child’s learning to a minimum, however if you are at all concerned with the arrangements please get in touch with me.
Senior Athletics
Some of our senior school children attended the inter-school athletics competition recently and several of them have progressed to the next level. I would like to congratulate all the kids on how they behaved and performed. but in particular I want to congratulate Selina Vaofusi, Get Ly Tea, Zephaniah Leaupepe and Salome Masson who will be representing our zone at the inter-zone competitions. I would also like to mention and congratulate Fa’amoemoe Lesa, Patrick Croxson and Trinity Walters Dahm who will also be representing our zone in the AWD category. This is the first time they have had this category in our zone so we are delighted with their success.
Sun Protection
Please send your child to school with a named sunhat for this term. The sun can be quite vicious at this time of year and kids can get badly burned if they are not protected. We have sunscreen in the classes and will encourage kids to wear it at break time. There is plenty of shade around and the library is open every day for children if they want to stay out of the sun.
Library
Liza is working very hard to make the library more accessible to our kids and our community. She is opening the library between 3.15 and 4 p.m. over the next three days to enable your whanau to come and read together and take home a free book. She would be delighted to see you there.
Community Generosity
Once again I want to thank you for your generosity when responding to the burglary of our elderly neighbour. He was very touched and humbled by your support and love.
Dirk

I would support the Board of Trustees in setting up a system that enabled me to make a small regular contribution for school activities.

Yes/ No (cross out one)