Isolating Families: I would like to extend my thoughts and best wishes to the growing number of families that are going through the required isolation period due to a positive COVID-19 infection in your household. We wish you all the best and hope that everyone in your household has only mild symptoms and recovers quickly.

Staffing the School: We are very conscious that in order to be able to carry on in our role of providing education for our children, we need to be able to staff the school.

This becomes precarious in a COVID environment where, at any time, multiple staff members may be taken out for 7 days due to themselves or a household member testing positive for COVID. Compounding on that is a limited supply of relief staff.

We have procured our own limited supply of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) for our teaching staff so, at the very least, we can keep the classrooms going, if a teacher is required to isolate, due to a member in their household testing positive, but they themselves are not positive. These RATs will enable the teacher to test themselves at home and check they are negative before coming to school.

We are doing our best to keep going, as normally as we can, for the benefit of our children. Every day that we are fully open is a good day for the children, teachers and you, our school community.

You can help us by ensuring any child with symptoms is kept at home and so reduces the chances of staff contracting the virus in their work environment.

Notifying the MOE: We are required to notify the Ministry of Education (MOE) of any positive COVID-19 student cases. This helps them know the stress that the education system is experiencing as we move through this COVID wave.

Please make sure that you phone the office, or if after hours, call our own EPS COVID-19 Hotline 0n 027 614 6740. Thank you.

Market Day: Miss McVicar is very good with her video work and did a great job on our in-school Market Day promotion video of what the children had made in their classrooms to sell to each other for today's Market Day.

Thank You - Team Edendale

• Liz Pask: Liz covers a variety of roles within our school. She looks after our library, ensuring it is a well-presented environment that promotes recreational reading for our children. On a Tuesday and Friday, Liz also works in our office with a particular emphasis upon being our Edpay (the Ministry of Education's payroll system for schools) expert. Liz's attention to detail and people-focused service is a real asset to our school.

EPS Covid Contact Numbers: Every day we are fully open is a good day for the children, teachers and school community. Good information helps this to occur.

Our COVID contact numbers are...

• Operational hours: 03 206 6959.
• After Hours EPS COVID Hotline is: 027 614 6740.

COVID Symptoms: As COVID 19 is now among us please keep any children with symptoms at home and get them tested. The symptoms can include one or more of the following:

• a new or worsening cough
• sneezing and runny nose
• a fever
• temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste
• sore throat
• shortness of breath.

Less common symptoms may include:

• diarrhoea
• headache
• muscle pain or body aches
• nausea
• vomiting
• malaise — a general feeling of discomfort, illness or unease
• chest pain
• abdominal pain
• joint pain
• confusion or irritability.

Thank you for your understanding, support and cooperation with this as we seek to keep our school open and fully staffed, for as long as possible, for as many children as possible.

E-School: We have already had to move very quickly to put two classrooms into an E-School platform for learning for a short time. We anticipate as the outbreak spreads, we will have to act again if cases overwhelm us or if isolation rules produce staffing shortages.

For E-School to work well we would encourage all families to be ready with...

• Good internet
• Digital devices e.g. iPad, Chromebook, laptop.
• Ensure that Zoom is downloaded onto your device.
• A workspace for children.

All the children have the Seesaw Classroom E-Learning information pasted into the back of their Learning Partnership Book ready for E-School (and a loose copy has also been sent home so it can be kept at home in case the homework book is still at school).

We expect that the warning we are moving to E-School will be quick when it comes.

Please be prepared.

Principal's Term One Challenge - Leonardo da Vinci Portrait Artists

My challenge for Term One is to become an artist like Leonardo da Vinci and paint a portrait.

Entry Details

• The portrait is of a person alive today. It can be a self-portrait or of someone else. Maybe even a teacher!
• There will be a filled-in background that places the person in a context.
• The portrait can be by any handcrafted media (e.g. painted, colouring-in pencils, felt tips, pencil sketch, pastel). Not digital.
  
• Your name, year level and team need to be on the back of the artwork.
• There is an adults section available for any parents or community members who want to submit their work.
• The paper is an A4 orientated portrait (not landscape). We can supply A4 paper if needed for any artist.
• They are due Friday 8th April.
• By submitting a piece of artwork you are agreeing to have the portrait scanned and shared on our social media and website.

Prizes

• Year 1 & 2
• Year 3 & 4
• Year 5 & 6
• Adults

TERM ONE 2022

All activities and events are subject to the government's Covid-19 'Traffic Light' settings and local requirements when there is an outbreak within our community.

Week Seven (of 11)

• Wednesday 16th March - Kamahi ReserveTrip

Week Eight (of 11)

• Tuesday 22nd - Year 6 Big Day Out

Week Nine (of 11)

• Tuesday 29th March - School Board Meeting Two, 7.00pm, staffroom

Week Eleven (of 11)

• Friday 15th April - Good Friday. School Closed Easter.

Vests - Being Seen

As we move into the darker months of our year, where children are walking to school or waiting for the bus when the sun hasn't fully come up, or it is foggy, please ensure they are wearing their vest.

This is so that drivers, who may not be expecting to see a child, can spot them as quickly and as easily as possible and drive in a cautious and considerate manner.

Vests need to be clearly named, as at the end of the day when all the children are in the cloak bay together they can make sure to get their own vest and not their friend's.

Masks - On Buses

A reminder that from Year Four up masks should be worn on buses. Now that we well and truly have COVID in our community this is a helpful precaution to slow the spread.

Book Club - Issue 2

Scholastic Book Club Issue 2 has gone home.

All orders need to be returned to the office by Monday 28th March. You can also order online.

Team Kea have had a fantastic start to 2022!

At the moment we have 8 superstars in our class. We are looking forward to welcoming more friendly Keas later in the year. We have had a busy term already and cannot wait for more exciting things to happen this term. Recently we have been enjoying making our product for our in-school market day. We made stress balls with balloons, rice and flour. We look forward to seeing what other teams have made and to see how many we sell.

Everyone has been settling into school by learning our expectations, routines and getting to know new friends. We do lots of reading, writing and math learning and it has been awesome to see the progress already in the first few weeks of school.

• Rose – I like reading time and learning new words. It is fun reading to other people. I read to my little brother.

• Bonnie M– We made monsters and we had to wrap the wool around a paper plate. My monster has 4 eyes and blue horns.

• Sasha – We made hedgehogs. We had to cut out brown paper and put spikes on the back.

A favourite activity during the day is action stations. The children get to choose an activity they would like to go to. During this time, the children are using their social skills, creative skills and their key competencies.

• Jake W – I like playing at the bakery. I make coffee, muffins, cake, doughnuts and ice cream for the customers and Miss McVicar.

Laura McVicar - Team Kea

The aim of our values is to nurture positive, purposeful and meaningful relationships of aroha. Respect helps us to do this.

Respect means we honour other people equally as we would honour ourselves and is shown through manners, courtesy, politeness, self-control, co-operation, obedience and participation.

At Edendale Primary School respect is demonstrated when we..

• Use our manners and talk politely to each other.
• Follow rules and instructions.
• Listen actively.
• Are aware of the needs of others and offer to help.

Every time our values are shown they make our school a great place to be for children and adults.

When we use our values on a day by day basis, in the relationships that we have, one with another, in our school, we contribute to making our school a great place for all to come along.

This week the Principal/Tumuaki would like to acknowledge Emma Penney for being a strong contributor, living out our school values every day.

This week’s MVP for Manaakitanga - Respect for Team Kereru is Briar McKenzie.

Team Kereru has the pleasure of having Briar in our class this year. She is a focused individual who stays on task when the teacher is in and out of the classroom.

Briar is respectful towards her peers and works well with others in group situations.

She shows her personality in a positive way. She is respectful to other teachers in the classroom and uses her manners when receiving information.

She listens on the whāriki (mat), and she takes the time to listen to others, while also valuing advice. Briar will also contribute to discussions when she feels confident. When she is working, she will ask questions and try to fix her work.

I love seeing how you show respect, Briar!

I can’t wait to see what the year brings for you. Ka rawe!

This week’s MVP for Manaakitanga - Respect, in Team Kiwi, is Fletcher Martyn.

Fletcher has had a great start to the year, displaying this term’s value of Manaakitanga - Respect on a daily basis.

Fletcher starts the day with a cheery greeting to his teachers and goes about his morning routine without needing to be asked.

Fletcher is a respectful and kind young man who uses his manners and always says thank you. He speaks politely to his teammates and teachers and always lends a hand where needed. We often hear Fletcher offering to help other students in Team Kiwi.

Fletcher is an active listener on the mat - showing respect to the person speaking. He knows to raise his hand if he wants to speak. Fletcher confidently shares his thoughts and opinions.

Fletcher is able to work independently and quietly on classroom tasks which shows respect to the teachers and other students around him.

You are a great role model in Team Kiwi and we can’t wait to see what you achieve this year.

Ka pai, Fletcher!

The Bear

The bear is eating the fish.

Next School Board Meeting - 2022

The next School Board meeting is to be held on Tuesday 29th March at 7.00 pm in the school staffroom. All material for this needs to be in the week before so that it can be sent out to the School Board members before the meeting.

Situations Vacant - After School Care Job-Share Coordinator

The position of an After School Care Job-Share Coordinator has come up.

If you are interested please send a CV with all your details to the principal at principal@edendaleps.school.nz. Include references, referees and evidence of identity (copy of your passport and driver's licence).

Employment is conditional on vaccination and a clear police vet. An up to date First Aid certificate would be helpful. Training will be required around child safety procedures.

Next Meeting - Term Two 2022

The Term Two 2022 meeting of the Home and School is scheduled for Monday 23rd May starting at 7.30pm in the school staffroom.

Cull Cows and Beef - Nominate the Home and School

The Home and School would be most grateful, as you come to sending away cull cows, or have some beef cattle, that you nominate the Edendale Home and School by way of a donation. This helps us so much to advance our support for the school.

If you are doing this please let Hamish Blackmore know. His contact details are 027 636 0421

Raising and Grazing - Another Way of Helping

The Home and School has a number of supportive families who are raising and grazing stock. Over the years this has developed into a healthy stream of funds for the Home and School.

If you are able to contribute to this please let Hamish Blackmore know. His contact details are 027 636 0421.

Edendale Netball Club - 2022

Edendale Netball will again have netball teams this year and registration will be done online through Sporty (website).

• Year 1-2 - Future Ferns
• Year 3-4 - Future Ferns + Mini Games
• Year 5-6 - 6 aside games
• Year 7-8 - 7 aside games

Games played Friday night in Wyndham.

Further information will come out after the Menzies Centre Meeting next week. Begins Term 2.

Sarah Cupido President 021 181 5145

Jane Muir Secretary 0276 265 467

Email: admin@edendaleps.school.nz
Website: https://sites.google.com/edendaleps.school.nz/edendale-primary-school
Location: Edendale Primary School, 24 Salford Street, Edendale 9825, New Zealand
Phone: 03 206 6959
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdendalePrimarySchool
Twitter: @EdendaleSchool