Wairau Valley School

Dear families/whanau,

As I sit down to write this first newsletter of Term 3, the sun is finally shining. I hope none of you sustained too much damage during our floods.

This is a very exciting term for school, and Katie Herbert sent home a calendar of events for you to put up on your fridge. Our new website is up and running with the same URL as before www.wairauvalleyschool.co.nz. The staff will endeavour to make sure this is fully up to date for families to share.

We are also moving our school student management system to HERO, which will provide families with a more efficient online payment system and direct news updates. Eventually, you will be able to have real-time visibility over your children's progress against the NZ and localised curriculums, including current learning goals and next steps. Whānau will be able to actively engage in rich learning conversations in 2026, through posting, commenting, and reacting to their child’s digital samples of work. The right information to the right people. Parents/ caregivers only receive information relevant to their family, boosting engagement, and you can pay online for stationery and trips. Our staff training to use this new system begins this afternoon.

Next Tuesday, 22nd July, is the Marlborough Cross Country for Years 5-8 students. Letters have gone home outlining the event with relevant permission slips.

Technology for Year 7 and 8 learners began this week and will continue every other Tuesday. The newsletter comes out on Wednesday of that week as well.

We also have the Life Education bus at school in week 4, with a big focus on helping our learners know themselves. St Arnaud School will visit the bus on the Monday of that week, so we will see if they want to have a lunchtime game of soccer or netball. Last year, we played soccer, and a few of our students played for their team. It was great fun.

I will send out the ski trip information later this week, but the only date we could secure was September 8, so fingers crossed for snow. The way the weather is currently, you just never know.

Good luck to our netball teams for this term. We are currently at the top of the ladder with our senior team. It's also great when you share the rugby and soccer news, as I can post it on our Wairau Valley School Facebook page, and we can all share our learners' sporting successes.

Ngā mihi ki a koe

Dr Anne Malcolm

Acting Principal

0274926060

School Board elections are crucial for schools, and the first call for nominations goes out today. Susan Fox is our Returning Officer, so she will send you all the necessary information. If you are considering standing for the Board, please submit your nomination.

The electoral roll has already been prepared - voting is open to all caregivers of students attending or pre-enrolled for 2025.

You do not have to be a parent to be on a School Board (however, you do have to be nominated by a parent/caregiver on the School Electoral Roll). Often, lawyers, accountants, and property people will be elected to school boards as parent/community representatives, if they are well-known, as part of their give-back to the community.

Boards and school management work very much in partnership, with a governance focus on student learning, school finances, property, and personnel management. Health and safety governance is also in their purview.

All skills and capabilities support a Board in representing the parent/caregiver body. We need you to put your hand up. This is a 3-year role, and our Board will have 4 elected members, a staff representative, and the Principal, who is ex officio.

Please talk to current Board members Bram, Jamie, or Stacey about their roles. Their school emails are their first name, lowercase@wairauvalley.school.co.nz, e.g. anne@wairauvalley.school.nz

Firstly, we have a card for Karen in the office. If you can’t get in to sign it by next Friday, you could send an email to Lisa (lisa@wairauvalley.school.nz) and she will format all of them into an insert for the card.

This is a 10 week term and the current Board hopes to appoint a new principal by week 7. We have already had 5 people interested so that bodes well for us. During the break I asked you all to think about some non-negotiables you might have for our new principal. This is what we have asked for:

• A leader/teacher who is passionate about learners and their learning

• A leader/teacher focused on student achievement, and success, enabled by delivering a broad localised curriculum

• Experienced in multilevel teaching

• Able to maintain positive relationships in a closely knit community and workplace

• Professional, firm, fair - a systems thinker who is also a strong problem solver

• A leader who communicates in a timely manner; who understands the importance of networking; and is a flexible, creative thinker

• A leader who is also a learner; a person who seeks knowledge and can apply quality leadership practices

• Able to multitask and lead with empathy and humour.

If there is anything you think we have missed, please do not hesitate to email your thoughts to any Board member or Anne.

A reminder that if any student in the senior room decides they are not going to complete the 3 or 4 simple homework tasks they are set, then I will be asking that they remain after school with me, and that you pick them up from school at 4.15pm. I do not want this to be a parent/child battle, so if staying with me on a Tuesday takes the pressure off home, then let’s give that a try. I will ring you if your child needs to stay.

This really is all about creating great work habits as they move up through school to high school, and practising core skills like basic facts. If any parents/caregivers have issues with home learning, please talk to me.

Your survey results, along with concerns raised by so many schools, have hopefully effected a change. We received a menu on Monday that said lunches would include: a sub sandwich, fruit, carrot sticks, a sandwich with ham or chicken/cheese/salad, three hot meals, a curry, meatballs, and a potato and meat meal. Sadly, that did not happen, and we were sent a new menu, and the mince and potatoes instead of a sub sandwich was most disappointing. So, each day for 3 weeks, we will note how many children eat the lunch and how many like the lunch. That data will be sent to families and the Ministry of Education. The government tells us 73 % of those surveyed love the new meals - our data after 2 days says - 60 % on Monday really like the meal, 30% actively disliked Tuesday's mince meal, and 20 % really liked it. The rest said it was mediocre.

It is good to have a look at our school policies especially those that are under review.

Website: www.schooldocs.co.nz

USERNAME: wairauvalley

PASSWORD: sunshine

Who reviews our policies - all reviews are open to board members, staff, students, and the school community (parents/caregivers/whānau). Anyone can review any policy that has a review button.

Every Monday at 9am, we have a start of the week full school meeting led by the junior students.

Every 2nd even week, Friday at 2.15pm in the Chalice Room, we have a Principal’s assembly. Parents and caregivers are always welcome to attend.

Week 8 is the finals of the school speech competition. So, class competitions will be held over week 7, 25th- 28th August. The theme for this year is “My World.” The focus this term on persuasive writing will help the kids to make an argument for their speech, e.g. some examples - "A world with no poverty” or “A world where everyone's dreams come true” .

Both classes are working with the structured literacy expectations. This is the latest research on findings about structured literacy in NZ classrooms. Both classrooms are using the new DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) tests which provide a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills. Link to research: https://newzealandcurriculum.tahurangi.education.govt.nz/accelerating-learning-in-english-and-maths/5637255598.

'Participating and contributing' is a key competency focus as is the value - 'love of learning'.

The health focus is developed through the Life Education experience.

Inquiry - linking Science and Technology into the programme.

Arts - Visual, paint and crayon portraits/music.

Maths - number knowledge: multiplication, division and our strand is measurement.

Have you purchased your ticket yet? This will be a great night!

Calender

Marlborough Cross Country - 22 July

Fundraiser Jingo Night - 2 August

Life Education Trust - 5, 6 August

Cricket Coaching - 19 August

Speech Competition - 4 September

Ski Trip - 8 September

Board Election Voting Closes - 10 September

Disco - 18 Sept

Last day of Term 3 - 19 September

Reminders

Please remember to call or message the school office if your child is sick.

Students are welcome to arrive at school from 8.15 am.

Please inform the school if you are removing your child from class early.