Newsletter - Week 11 Term 1

Greenmeadows School 15th April 2021

Principal's Message

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou (Greetings to you all),

Quarter of the 2021 year gone ALREADY!!!

You can be very proud of your tamariki and mokopuna this term - GMS has been humming fantastically. The children have made some wonderful progress to date and are ready for a break.

We also have an assembly tomorrow to farewell Mrs Pixie Bryan . Pixie started working at our school in 2005 and has been a highly respected member of our staff. She has been a leader in so many facets of school life and we shall really miss her. Haere ra e hoa.

We also say farewell to Jenny Marshall from GMS OSCAR who is retiring after many years of dedicated service. She did not want a fuss! Typical Jenny. Thanks for all you have done for the students and their families who have been involved since OSCAR first commenced in 2005.

Have a safe and happy holiday - we shall see you all back on the 3rd May.

Our Newest Arrivals at GMS

The latest arrivals to GMS are Axel Conroy, Jake Drew-Marsh, Presley-Jane Roberts and Mylo Massuers-Hislop. A special welcome to you all as you start at our school.

We finish the term with 456 children enrolled.

Trial Adjustment to the End of the Day ... Another One!?

Since we returned to school from lockdown in 2020, we have had a staggered end to the school day. This has been very successful as a way of making the end of the day safer by reducing the amount of traffic around the school at the peak time. When we used to release 500 students at once it was extremely unsafe with so many vehicles around, and unfortunately some dangerous traffic maneuvers evident.

However we have noticed that by the third bell at 3.00pm very few students are leaving. SO for the first four weeks of Term 2 we going to trial adjusted times to the end of the day.

2.50pm

We will release the Kōwhai classes (Years 1 and 2) along with any older siblings.

3.00pm

We will release all remaining pupils - Years 3 to 6.

The ten minute gap between the two end of day times should allow for the vehicles to depart and car parks become free for older children pick ups.

We will review this by Queen's Birthday weekend in terms of effectiveness, and more importantly, the safety of your children.

A Thank you from Mrs Bryan

Kia ora koutou,

I would like to say a huge thank you to the wonderful Kapa Haka roopu for their outstanding performance. It filled my heart with so much aroha.

I also would like to say a big thank you to the GMS community for the amazing support I have been given over the last 15 years.

I will always treasure the fond memories that I have made with so many wonderful people.

Arohanui Pixie Bryan

Thank you to John Bayley

The Kapa Haka crew would like to say a huge thank you to a wonderful grandad we have in our school community ... - Mr John Bayley. He is a very clever joiner and has created another thirty taiaha for our growing Kapa Haka roopu. Being able to twirl a beautiful taiaha around has proven to be a fabulous draw card for our tama and we now have approximately sixty boys learning Kapa Haka ... a school record!

We could not have done this without the help of John, so we are extremely grateful. Go Kapa Haka!

Notifying Parents about Head Knocks

In the past we have telephoned parents or caregivers each time a child bumps their head, whether it be minor or serious. We now text parents when their child bumps their head if it’s a ‘minor’ bump. By ‘minor’ we mean that the child is not showing any symptoms of feeling unwell or in distress. If the child appears to be showing any signs of being concussed, confused or distressed, we will phone if we consider it to be more serious in line with the existing school practise.

zoom_out_map

Recognise This?

Normally they go missing ... but this one has been lying around for weeks!

Ōtātara/Taradale Whānau Hui - Resilience "How do we as teachers, parents, and the community support and ensure our students/children are resilient?"

Greenmeadows School is part of the Ōtātara Kāhui Ako. This is based around the schools and early childhood centres in the Taradale/Greenmeadows area.

The Kāhui Ako invite teachers, staff, parents, and extended family from all schools to a presentation on 'resilience' delivered by Edmond Otis, Wednesday 12 May Taradale High School, 6.00-7.00pm in the school hall.

Edmond is a certified counsellor who is employed by Health Hawkes Bay, who has been delivering in-school workshops to help youth develop strategies when dealing with change. The presentation will address the above question to ensure our rangatahi have the support and skills from the important people in their life. There will be an opportunity at the end for a Q & A section.

Enjoy your holiday break!

Ka kite anō

Mark Johnson

Principal/Tumuaki