Wairau Valley School
Newsletter Week 1, Term 4, 2025
Dear families,
It is great to have the children back at school for their last term of 2025. On Monday 6th October, the term calendar was sent home in a hard copy. There is also a copy on our school website www.wairauvalley.school.nz. However, as with any hard copy, it is only current on the day of printing, so other activities and events will most likely be added throughout the term and I will keep you updated through our Facebook page and newsletters.
An example of this, is that I left off the date for the talent quest, which is Friday, 21st November. This is an opportunity for the kids to demonstrate their talents, and we will choose 1 or 2 of those items to be performed at the end-of-year prizegiving on 11th December. Playing an instrument, a dance, magic tricks, and/or stand-up comedian acts are all great. So, please add this to your calendar.
On 16th October, which is Thursday next week, we are part of the New Zealand earthquake drill “Shake-Out”. At 9.30 am, all the staff and children will Drop, Cover and Hold.
Pet Day is the highlight of the term, and it sounds like everyone is getting organised. A reminder that the Pet Day booklets went home last term, and the booklet has all the criteria for entering animals. I just loved the floral decorations last year and the decorated wooden spoons and rocks. So there is something there for every child to ensure maximum participation. The cakes get auctioned off during the day, last year the cakes were just stunning. So remember, it is a family day, 24th October, and entries for pets need to be to the office by 17th October.
Our first Friday assembly is next week, 17th October, at 2.15pm in the Fishtail room. All family members are welcome. Assemblies are every fortnight, as are newsletters.
Our Curriculum focus in Mathematics, continues to be on building number knowledge using the Oxford Structured Mathematics Programme. Structured literacy is all about growing language fluency through reading, building vocabulary, and writing. Sport and PE has a focus on small ball skills and athletics, and we cover music with our Te Reo Māori/Tikanga rotations. This term, the rotations are 2.15pm on Mondays and Thursdays with a focus on waiata, traditional games and language. A big focus will be getting ready for Mr Alexander's powhiri /formal welcome to the school on December 11th at 10am.
For parent/caregiver information, our staff at Wairau Valley School will all be at school on 23rd October, which is a scheduled teacher strike day you are seeing advertised, so please make sure you send your children to school on that day.
This newsletter has 6 subtopics:
- Pet Day raffle
Parent Interviews and Reports
Hats
New Board and our school's Strategic Plan
I hope everyone has a fabulous term. I know the staff and I are excited by all the things we have planned.
Ngā mihi ki a koe
Dr Anne Malcolm
Acting Principal
0274926060
The school is looking for any parent grocery donations for the raffle. We have a box in the office for you to drop off any donations.
Your support for this is so appreciated.
Raffle tickets are all due back the day before Pets Day. Money collected can be paid directly into our account with reference WVS Raffle. Account number Wairau Valley School 12-3167-0163163-00
The raffle is drawn at Pets Day.
Parent interviews are on 21st and 22nd October, Tuesday and Wednesday Week 3.
To book an interview please go to schoolinterviews.co.nz and our token is K762a.
If you have a problem with a booking, contact one of the staff.
Reports are given out at the parent meetings and learning progress and achievement are discussed. This is a true partnership in learning, as often parents/caregivers share other issues facing learners that need to be considered by the school.
The Progress and Achievement reports for years 4-8 will also be available and these reports show the ups and downs in literacy and numeracy aspects of learning and general progress learners make over time. The PAT test is one test on one day, so can be influenced by many things, like a child not sleeping well the night before, but generally over time you see a progress trajectory.
From the day after Labour day, 28th October, brimmed hats are compulsory at school during outdoor learning. The children do not need to buy a school brimmed hat. But they do need a hat that either covers the neck and ears, like the desert hats, or a hat with a brim. Caps are not acceptable. There is already a rise in skin cancers on ears of teenagers because the cap does not fully protect them. We have some school hats available, but they are $14.00, and we know most kids today have their own hats. Naturally, we have some of our 2nd-hand school hats that we will use as 'borrow hats' if kids forget to bring one. It makes it really simple if the hats are named and can stay at school.
Our first Board meeting for our newly elected Board of Stacey Lowther, Bram Hoogeveen, Steve McCabe, Hayleigh Kahu, Katie Herbert as elected members and Anne Malcolm as Acting Principal Ex Officio member, have their first meeting on 16th October at 4.40pm in the school Boardroom.
Their first task will be to appoint their Presiding Member (Chair) and allocate roles to the Board members such as Property, Finance, Human resources, Fundraising and Policy.
The next big focus will be on developing the school's 2026-2028 Strategic goals that then feed into the Annual Plan, Budget and Curriculum Plans.
One area where the Board really needs help, is in developing a relationship with local iwi. Then through that process, see if there is a person in our community who feels they have the right to, and the mana, to be our speaker, at events like welcoming our new Principal to the school. If you can help the Board with this, we would be incredibly appreciative.
