Newsletter | Term 1, Week 6

As we settle into the term, I want to take a moment to discuss how we can work together to ensure every student has the best possible opportunity to succeed.

We have noticed an increasing number of students arriving late to school or being picked up early. While we understand that appointments are sometimes unavoidable, arriving even 15 minutes late means a child misses the crucial "set up" for the day. These small windows of lost time quickly add up, creating gaps in learning that can be difficult to close.

Our Current Focus:

• The 5-Day Mark: Several families have already received initial letters regarding their child accumulating 5 days of absence this term. This is simply to keep you informed of the total time away from the classroom.

• The 10-Day Threshold: Please be aware that if a student reaches 10 days of absence, we are required to hold a formal meeting with parents to create an attendance plan. Our goal is always to support you in getting your child back to a regular, healthy school routine.

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 will be holding Teacher Only Days. We are currently negotiating these dates with our external facilitators to ensure the least amount of disruption possible. We will get these confirmed dates to you as soon as they are finalised.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school a healthy, focused, and productive place for our tamariki.

Ngā mihi nui,

Whaea Elaine

Tumuaki | Principal

Friday, 20th March

• Swimming Sports - 12:30pm @ Lido Aquatic Centre

Monday, 23rd March

• Board Meeting - 4:45pm @ Staff Room

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
• Pōwhiri for new students - 9:00am

Please keep a close eye on the school events calendar for all our upcoming activities. A highlight on the horizon is our Swimming Sports on March 20th. We would love to see as many of you there as possible! We will need support on the day for various events and tasks—your help is incredibly appreciated and makes these days run smoothly. Please come along, support your child, and cheer on our school community.

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.

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.

We have our Takaro AFC Junior Open Days coming up on Saturday 14th and Sunday 22nd of March from 10am–12noon. This is a great chance for current, new and potential players to register, meet coaches, play games and enjoy the sausage sizzle!

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.