Newsletter | Term 1, Week 8

We’re in our last week of the term! A big thank you needs to go out to all our teachers and support staff who have made this term an amazing learning term! Teachers have been busy using this time to set their routines and expectations and thanks to their hard work, our tamariki have been settled and happy in their learning environments.

A special thanks to Tim and Harold for coming and sharing their insights with us and I’m sure all the tamariki had some great learning as well as lots of fun.

From Tim and Harold: "Hi all you amazing people at Awapuni School! What an action-packed three days that was! It was just fantastic being among you all again; it really does feel like whānau at your kura. The warmth and aroha we were shown, and the really individual observations from the pupils, were completely overwhelming! I wish I had way more time to do this, as you’re all so interesting! I take my hat off to you all regarding what you achieve with your students—it is very inspirational to me. The students are so lucky to have you."

Thank you to Whaea Sarai for putting on a great swimming sports for our school. Great organisation meant fun was had all around. Thank you to all our whānau that turned up to support their tamariki and our kura. Mei kore ake koutou!

A friendly reminder to please ensure your child has a refillable drink bottle in their schoolbag every day. We ask that these bottles are clearly named and filled with water only—no juice or sugary drinks, please!! Staying hydrated with water helps our tamariki keep their focus and energy levels up throughout the day.

Don’t forget to check the calendar of events for next term. We have the School Cross Country planned and a couple of teacher only days happening as well. You can check what's coming up anytime via the Hero app and our school website.

Have a great holiday everybody, keep safe and rest up for an exciting term 2!

Elaine Dyason

Principal

Wednesday, 25th - Friday, 27th March

• Life Education Bus

Thursday, 2nd April

• Last day of Term 1

Friday, 3rd April

• Good Friday - School closed 🚫
• School holidays

Monday, 20th April

• First day of Term 2

Tuesday, 21st April

• Pōwhiri for new students - 9:30am

Wednesday, 23rd April

• ANZAC Mounts Horses Visit – 9:30am

Monday, 27th April

• ANZAC Day Observed - School closed 🚫

Tuesday, 28th April

• Teacher Only Day - School closed 🚫

Friday, 8th May

• Cross Country

Monday, 15th June

• Teacher Only Day - School closed 🚫

Our teaching staff will soon begin intensive professional development focused on Literacy and Assessment. This is an exciting step that will directly benefit your children’s progress. To facilitate this, we have had to change the dates of our Teacher Only Days to align with our external facilitators. These will be held on the following dates:

• Tuesday, 28th April (Term 2, Week 2)
• Monday, 15th June (Term 2, Week 9)

Thank you for your cooperation and flexibility!

We have identified several cases of head lice across various year levels. To prevent a school-wide infestation, we ask that you check your child’s hair tonight.

• Treatment: If you find eggs or lice, please keep your child home until they have been treated.

• Support: We are here to help! We have shampoo and combs available at the office for any families who need them.

• Check Bags: We have already sent treatment products home with some students today; please check your child’s school bag to see if they have brought these home.

Please wait until 3pm before students are picked up from classes at the end of they day. On occasions when there is an important reason why a student needs to be picked up early, please let the teacher know beforehand (in the morning).

For all children, please ensure they are picked up as soon as possible after 3pm (or 2pm Wednesdays). If you will be late, please let the office know as early as possible. With the office being very busy at the end of the day, it is very difficult to get last minute messages to students about changes to after school plans. Thank you for your support with this.

This year, you may have heard about the Government’s new Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) framework. Consistent attendance is the single greatest predictor of student success, and our goal is to support every child in reaching "regular attendance" (attending more than 90% of the time).

To keep you informed, we are implementing a tiered response to absences each term:

• 5 Days Absent: We will get in touch to check in, discuss any hurdles, and clarify expectations.
• 10 Days Absent: A meeting with school leadership to identify specific barriers and create a support plan.

• 15 Days Absent: This level of absence is considered "chronic." At this stage, we are required to involve the Ministry of Education to provide more intensive support.

We know that life happens—illness and family emergencies are part of reality. Our focus is on open communication so we can help your child stay connected to their learning.

Parents and caregivers can view their child’s billing statement at any time via the Finance page in Hero. We kindly ask you to check for any outstanding payments, particularly as we near the end of Term 1.

If you have any questions about student billing or would like to set up a payment plan, please don’t hesitate to contact the office.

Payments can be made directly from the app, or by direct credit to the school’s bank account:
ASB | 12-3142-0505673-00

We strongly encourage all parents and caregivers to download the Hero app to stay up to date with what’s happening at Awapuni School. This is our main platform for sharing important messages, notices, and updates about your child/ren’s learning..

Please click here to download the Hero app and login. Follow the steps to sign up with the email address you provided the school at enrolment. If you have any trouble logging in, please get in touch with the school office so we can check that we have the correct email on file.

Please keep an eye on the Awapuni Primary School Facebook page and the Hero app for regular updates and notices. If you’re having trouble accessing the Hero app, please let us know — it’s a fantastic tool for notifying us when your child is away, and for staying up to date with what’s happening at kura.

Parents/caregivers need let the school know if your child is going to be absent for each day they are away during the school term. You can let us know in the following ways, please include the reason for absence so we can record this correctly in our system:

1. Hero: Report an absence function
2. Phone: 06 358 1735 (absentee line)
3. Email: admin@awapuni-primary.school.nz

Each term, the school community is invited to review and comment on specific policies and procedures. This feedback is captured using the review button on topic for the board to consider.

This term our Health, Safety and Welfare policies are under review. Login to our SchoolDocs with the username (awapuni-primary) and password (rochester) to read these topics and provide your feedback.

Sport Manawatū is also hosting two Wild Explorers nature play sessions during the April school holidays, alongside Palmerston North City Council and Wild Nature School. These holiday sessions are completely free and will be held at Ahimate Reserve (at the fire pit area).

Tamariki will have opportunities to:

• Engage in loose‑parts nature play
• Learn to whittle
• Cook damper over the fire
• And enjoy unstructured outdoor play

We’re really excited to bring something new and engaging to Palmerston North for whānau and tamariki to enjoy.

Junior Rangers is a fantastic opportunity for tamariki to get out of the house and into nature, learning through hands on activities and exploration. We are running three full day sessions over the holidays (9:00am–3:00pm), each with its own unique theme and activities.

Alongside Junior Rangers, we also have a range of family friendly experiences happening over the break, including:

• Twilight Tours
• Easter Egg Hunts (3–10 April)
• A trapping workshop for parents and/or older children keen to get involved in conservation

You can find more information on our website here:
Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre | Mt Bruce Wairarapa Aotearoa NZ

Egg-scuse me!? Did someone say The BIG Easter Weekend at Nga Manu? From Friday 3rd – Monday 6th April, Ngā Manu turns into four days of whānau fun!

What’s on?

• Annual Easter Rock Hunt
• Face painting
• Sausage sizzle
• Easter Hub activities and games

There are over $3,000 of prizes to be found, and heaps of Easter Eggs to be won. Come and enjoy nature, explore the reserve and be part of the fun activities! No need to book – just turn up for fun and games and egg-stra special Easter fun.

The BIG Easter Weekend @ Nga Manu

Music lessons held during school hours on Mondays, $50 per term. Please see the office for a form if your child is interested in signing-up.