NEWS Stepping Up & Reaching Out 01 DEC 2014
Important Notes/Dates / A note from the PrincipalTerm Dates 2015:
Teacher Only Day – Fri 30 Jan
Term 1 - 02 FEB – 02 APR
Term 2 - 20 APR – 03 JUL
Term 3 - 20 JUL – 25 SEP
Term 4 - 12 OCT – 18 DEC (TBC)
Holidays
Waitangi Day, Friday 6 February
Good Friday, Friday 3 April
Easter Monday, Monday 6 April
Easter Tuesday, Tuesday 7 April
Anzac Day, Friday 25 April observed on Monday 27 April
Queens Birthday, Monday 1 June
Labour Day, Monday 26 October
Show Day, Friday 13 November
What’s coming up:
DECEMBER:
01 DEC - BOT Meeting 7pm
03 DEC - Canterbury Athletics
04 DEC - Choir visits the Cathedral 10.30
05 DEC - DISCO
09 DEC - YR 3 Final Assembly 11.15am
09 DEC - YR 8 Awards Evening
09 DEC - YR 4 Visit to Christmas Grotto /Team Picnic
10 DEC - NE /YR1 Final Assembly 9.15am
11 DEC - YR2 Final Assembly 9.15am
11 DEC - YR8 Leavers Camp - Hanmer Springs
12 DEC - YR 5/6 Final Assembly 11.30
12 DEC - End of Year Reports go home
15 DEC - Whole school final assembly 9.15-10.45am
15 DEC - Meet new 2015 class /teacher 2 – 2.45pm
16 DEC - School Year ends - 12.30pm
Are you missing a pet cat???
We have 2 extra cats hanging around our school. One is black and one is ginger. As we approach the school holidays we are concerned if they do not return to their homes. We have limited staff here to feed them over this time. If you know of any family that may be missing their pet, please contact the school office on 383-1578. Thank you. / Dear Parents / Caregivers
Dear Parents / Caregivers
We hope that you are getting through these busy days well as we head to the year end. It is hard to believe that we are up to end of year events and all the related details as we bring one year to an end and get set up for 2015. The children are doing well even though they are getting tired. Those early nights and good sleeps are making all the difference! :)) Please have that chat with them about making good choices and what showing responsibility looks like as we head into this busy time
· Welcome to Pauline Jansen (2nd Deputy Principal)
This week at school assembly we welcomed Pauline back to our school in her new role as 2nd Deputy Principal. We are all looking forward to the many contributions that Pauline will make to our team as we go forward and that her time with us will be most enjoyable.
· Christine Gallagher
Christine has recently announced that she will be leaving teaching after 20 years service at Queenspark. We thank Christine for all her contributions to Queenspark School and wish her all the very best for the future.
· Teacher Only Day
At our recent Teacher Only day Derek Wenmoth from Core Education spoke about Future Focussed Learning and Garry Taylor took us through the PACT assessment tool. This was a day of reflecting and visionary thinking in the morning and practical work in the afternoon. Some of the big questions that were put to us were:
· Future Focused Learning - What could this look like for Queenspark School?
· What skills/knowledge/competencies do we need to be developing now in order to cope with what the future might hold?
· How can we prepare students to address future focussed issues such as sustainability, globalisation, citizenship and enterprise?
· How can schooling change to meet the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century?
This was a fascinating day and it was one in which we had the chance to apply some creative thought as to what the future might hold and how we as a school could prepare children for that future. One of the interesting discussions was about some of the surprising jobs our young people might be doing by the 2030’s. Can you imagine the following: Robot Counsellor, Rubbish designer, Neighbourhood Watch Specialist, Simplicity Expert, Solar Technology Specialist, Aquaponic Fish Farmer, the list goes on. You might like to brainstorm with your children about the type of jobs they think might be created in the future. This could be a really interesting discussion.
School Decile Ratings:
You would have noticed in the media lately, talk about schools having a decile recalculation. The Ministry has now completed the process of recalculating school’s deciles using data from Census 2013.
The decile for Queenspark School has not changed as a result of the recalculation and is still 8.
Ross Willocks
Principal J
General News . . .
Road Patrol 2015
We are once again asking for Parent assistance for Road Patrol next year. Our patrol is on duty each morning from 8.40 - 8.55am and every afternoon from 2.55 - 3.15pm. If you are available to help on any day, morning or afternoon, please contact the office.
SCHOOL DISCO:
Our final disco for 2014 is on this Friday 5 December! No theme. $2 entry. A reminder for parents to pick children up from inside the hall at the end of their disco please. Times are as follows:
YR0-4: 6.7pm
YR5-8: 7.15 – 8.15pm
YR7&8 only – able to stay on until 9pm.
School Website:
A reminder to keep an eye on the school website from time to time. Apart from school information we also have a ‘community’ section where you can check on all sorts of things available for children to do in & around our area. From sport clubs to holiday programmes and lots more. Go in and out of the sections at the top to also view school photos, videos, children stepping up, stationery lists, newsletters, enrolment information etc.
2015 Enrolments:
If you have a child turning 5 years of age anytime throughout 2015 (or know someone who does) and have not yet enrolled at Queenspark School, please see the school office for an enrolment form. It is very important for us to have all children enrolled so our planning is correct for the coming year. All 4 year old kindy children should now be enrolled if they wish to go to QPS. If you already have children at our school but are yet to enrol siblings, please do so as soon as possible. Please see the office if you need to double check on any enrolment details.
School Accounts:
As the 2014 school year is winding up, we ask that your school account is fully paid please. Please make arrangements for payments to be made or alternative options may be discussed with our office staff.
The last day for coming in to make payments will be Monday 15 December.
Many thanks for your co-operation here.
SANITARIUM WEETBIX TRYATHLON: JELLIE PARK – 15 MARCH 2015!!
It’s time to register! Earlier this year we had a fantastic day out with a huge group from Queenspark School. Let’s try and beat the numbers we had!
This year it is possible for you to register your children as part of the school group from home. On the Sanitarium Weetbix Tryathlon website, click to register for Christchurch. Once you are part way through the application it prompts for what school your child attends. Select Queenspark from the dropbox and then it prompts for whether you wish to register as part of the school group. Select Yes and then select Queenspark School.
If you are not able to register from home please contact me for an application form and I am able to register your child on your behalf as part of the school group.
Bridget Hanrahan
Queenspark School Sanitarium Weetbix Try Co-ordinator
0277273913
POLISH CHILDRENS 70TH REUNION !!
Hi I’m Maddy Roberts and I am in Year 5, Room 24. 1 week ago I went to Wellington forthe 70th Anniversary of Polish children coming to New Zealand.
What: 70 years since 733 polish children, mainly orphans, accompanied by 105 adults came from Poland to New Zealand.
Why : Because it was a reunion, it was important for Dziadzu(my grandad) and I wanted to be there with him.
When the event was held : On Saturday 1 November and Sunday 2 November 2014. I only attended the Sunday events. My Dziadzu and Uncle went on Saturday.
How I was Invited : I am a granddaughter of one of the 733 polish children. On the day, only 151 of the original children were attending the event. They had come from as far away as Canada, Australia, England, Singapore and New Zealand.
Where the event was held : Celebrations on Sunday started by a Jubilee Mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Thorndon followed by a lunch at Shed 6, along with a sing-along and some Polish cuisine and the cutting of the Jubilee cake.
Who came with me : Dziadzu (Grandad in polish) my Mum, Uncle Tony and Mark and me.
JUMP JAM 2014
Our Jump Jam teams competed in the Regional South Island Competition out at Lincoln this Term. With fierce competition this year, all 3 teams performed to the highest level and although they did not receive a placing we are so proud of you all. The teams did receive a certificate to show how well they participated so that was awesome! A massive Thank you to Mrs Karen Pearce & Ms Karen Hutchings for their creative thinking, fantastic costumes and hard work with these groups! This is some of what the children thought about it all:
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING AT QUEENSPARK THIS YEAR…
FROM CANTAMATHS TO CHOIR, JUNIOR DISCOVERY, ORANA PARK VISIT, A & P SHOW, SWIMMING, TABLE TENNIS COMPETITIONS, SCHOOL WORKING BEE, SENIOR OUTDOOR EDUCATION & LOADS MORE. IT’S ALL HAPPENING AT QUEENSPARK SCHOOL & WE ARE SO GLAD YOU ARE ALL ABLE TO BE PART OF IT WITH US! WE WISH TO THANK ALL THE MUMS, DADS, GRANDPARENTS, FRIENDS & FAMILIY WHO GAVE UP THEIR TIME TO COME AND HELP US WITH VISITS & VARIOUS EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. YOUR SUPPORT MEANS SO MUCH TO US, AND TO THE CHILDREN AS WELL.
& LETS NOT FORGET OUR AMAZING 2014 SCHOOL PRODUCTION . . .
Congratulations to all our star performers! It is not easy to get up on stage and perform they way you did. Your endless hours of practice and hard work really paid off. You did us all extremely proud.
Thank you to Mrs Laura Jeffries and Mr Cam Gordon for your dedication, time and effort working with this group.
SCHOOL STATIONERY & BOOK LISTS 2015
Queenspark School is now set up with the OfficeMax My School online ordering system. All of the class stationery lists are just a click away to being delivered to your door at amazing prices. They offer an “open shopping cart system” where you can delete items you already have from your stationery list or add in extras you might need for around home. You can also login in at any stage during the year and purchase other items you may need.
Queenspark School benefits from each sale by earning itself a 10% rebate, which will go directly to the School. This is a great opportunity to get your school stationery ordered before Christmas and be able to pick a date that it is delivered to your door! Any order made online over $57.50 is delivered free of charge (you can order for more than 1 child at a time as well).
Our specific class stationery lists will be available for ordering from 16 December 2014.
NOTE: You are welcome to purchase your own stationary if you prefer, this is not compulsory.
At the end of the term your child will get a form home with a complete list of their stationery requirements for 2015. You can either go and buy your own stationery OR order online with My School.
To order your online stationery with My School:
1. Go to www.myschool.co.nz
2. Type Queenspark School in the box and select it as it appears below where you typed.
3. Enter your child’s name (please ignore student ID section).
4. Select the room number your child is in for 2015, click on ”Save & Continue”
- A list of all the items your child requires for their room will appear.
- You can remove or add items by adjusting the number in the “Qty” column.
- You can buy other items that are not shown in your cart by scrolling to the top of the page and clicking on the “Products” tab. On the right hand side of the page you can select which category your item might be in or you can search for it in the search box. Add your additional items and they will be added automatically to your shopping cart.
5. If you have other children at school you can scroll to the bottom of the page and “add another student” at any time.
6. When you have completed your order you select your order method:
- Mail order: You can mail your order to Office Max (cheque or credit card)
- Order Online: Payment by credit card, internet banking or paypal
7. If you order online and your order is over $57.50 it will be delivered to your door freight free!
8. Select the date you wish your order to be delivered by.
9. Enter your Delivery Address
10. Make your payment (credit card, internet Banking or paypal).
MySchool…..Easy as!