FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Kia ora Koutou,

Good morning everyone, I had thought perhaps this newsletter was going to be welcoming everyone back on Thursday. It was a big relief to hear we are moving back to Alert Level 2 at the beginning of next week though!! We look forward to welcoming all our students and staff back onsite at that time! For us, this means continuing with our distance learning and a small bubble at school.  Keep up the great work everyone, we will soon be back together!!

I know for you as parents it is not easy to step into the role of guide and teacher, but every time I join some of the online Meets I see you gently supporting your children, some who find it easy to distance learn, others do not and are not motivated. Thank you once more to our parents and caregivers for the support and resilience you have shown through Alert Level 3. If you are finding it difficult to engage your child please make contact with the teacher or myself.  We can set up 1-1 sessions and provide alternatives. If the internet is not strong enough or intermittent we can also provide photocopied work. It is a different experience for every family!!

With this news, a few more dates will need to be rejigged so please keep an eye on these and ask if you are not sure.

RETURNING TO SCHOOL IN LEVEL 2
Just a reminder that while everyone is onsite at Alert Level 2 next week, we must adhere to key health measures including:

  • Good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette.
  • Staying away if sick.
  • Keeping the appropriate physical distance from others (in class this means no touching each other and keeping out of breathing distance).
  • Cleaning and disinfecting our high touch surfaces daily.
  • Displaying QR code posters at our entrances and encouraging all of our community to download the NZ COVID-19 Tracer App and use it if they come onsite.
  • Keeping a visitor register for anyone who cannot use the app and for other visitors who come onsite for a period of time.

We know all these things will help to keep our community as safe as possible. Because of these measures, your child does not need to wear a face-covering while at school. We will of course support them should they choose to do so.

For those of you who might be finding things more difficult than usual, a reminder that there is a large range of support available for businesses and the community. We encourage you to go to covid19.govt.nz for more information or get in touch and we will help you to find the information and support you need.

THIS WEEK 

Kate Doherty picking up two baby chicks !!!!

Lucky Chicks off to the Doherty’s for a happy life!!!

AG Day and Country Fair

Baby Chicks – All 61 baby chicks from “Wilsons Farm, Helensville” were able to be picked up and re-homed for raising and then to be ready to show at Ag Day. Thank you Mrs. Taylor for organising this and making it work in such tricky times, but it all worked “contactless”. I commend all the families who had their boxes delivered and labeled. Our 5R’s of being “Resourceful/ Auahatanga” well and truly in action, congratulations everyone.

Donations for Country Fair 

The FOWS have put together a donations list for the weeks coming up to Ag Day as believe or not it is actually only 7 school weeks or 9 including the holidays.  Ag Day with the Country Fair is still after all these years our biggest and most popular community day.  It is one of those traditions we all love, has been part of the “ways we do things around here for many, many years”.  Things get modified and new things tried or added. Some new families may question why we have it on a school day on Friday. It actually used to be for many years on the Thursday before Labour day. We moved it to Friday as most people found they could fit in a special leave day or half-day more easily on a Friday.  We have considered moving to the weekend, but there are a number of reasons we keep to a school day. Primarily it is to ensure all children are there and part of this day, at the weekend some would have difficulty coming, difficult to find a Saturday free that other local schools don’t have their Ag Days on. The date is well planned, so please if you have one day off this year please make it Ag Day and join us as it is a great day for everyone.  Attached is the Donations List – Ag Day Donations 2020

“Connecta” offer of a free wireless connection for 6 months is not a scam!!!

An offer is being made to some of the Wainui School parents of free wireless connection for 6 months to help with accessing schoolwork (300 gigabytes per month for learning purposes ). It is a genuine Ministry of Education Equity project to address after the last lockdown the issues of rural broadband and lack of connection for some of the rural families around the country. Unfortunately, Connecta didn’t let us know as schools this was happening, they are now going to inform all the School Principals they have on their books this is a bona fide free offer, not a scam before they ring the parents. 
 
After the last lockdown, we were asked as principals to send in the names of those who had issues with wifi connection your family would have been identified here. The Ministry has all families’ names in their database. 
 
I have included further information about Connecta you will recognise the name change as I did.
“Connecta is the wireless internet division of Compass Communications. They are a separate business unit that specialises in providing wireless Internet services to homes and businesses in New Zealand, especially those located in rural areas that are often not served well by other providers. They have been providing these services for over 15 years initially under the Wired Country and Radionet brands as one of the first of these in the country.  Being part of the Compass Group gives them access to a nationwide network and a full range of telecommunication services allowing us to compete with larger providers but still remain small, flexible, and responsive.”
It is not often we get offered things for free!! I hope, this clears it up if you were rung and offered this, you are not the only family to think it could be a scam.

NEXT WEEK

All activities can resume

SKIDS  – Message from sKids Wainui – Due to Auckland Regional lockdown, sKids Wainui start has been moved to Monday 31 August. We are very keen to open so hopefully, there is no Level 3 extension. If you have any questions, you can email wainui@skids.co.nz or call 027 846 1725

Kelly Sports – Kelly Sports will continue to operate at Wainui School from next week Monday the 31st of August. We will be applying additional processes to make sure your children are kept safe. This includes hand sanitation at the start and finish of every session, keeping ‘aeroplane arm’ distance apart and we ask that parents stay in their cars until the end of the session where we will walk the students over to the car park to be picked up. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

School Visits – Of prospective New Entrants can begin again on Wednesday mornings to the New Entrant room.  Please contact the office at exo@wainui.school.nz  if you need to enroll or find out more.

Board Of Trustees – Meeting next Tuesday 1st September at 6.30pm in the staffroom.

FINALLY  

See you all on Monday.  Keep safe and smiling!!

Ka kite ano,

Gillian Bray

FOR YOUR CALENDAR

  • Tuesday 1st September – BOT Meeting – Staffroom – 6.30pm
  • Friday 4th September – Tui / Takahe Assembly – 9.10am
  • Friday 11th September – Pukeko / Kiwi Assembly – 9.10am
  • Monday 14th September – Boostrix (Yr 7) and HPV (Yr 8)
  • Thursday 17th September and Friday 18th September – Learning Conversations
  • Friday 18th September – Teacher Only Day (To be confirmed)
  • Friday 18th September – Last day to order Calendar Art via Kindo
  • Tuesday 22 September – Photo Day
  • Wednesday 23rd September – FOWS Meeting – Staffroom – 7.00pm
  • Friday 25th September – Whole School Assembly – 2.00pm
  • Friday 25th September – Last day of Term 3

OTHER

Calendar Fundraiser – From Wednesday 2nd to Friday 18th September you will have the opportunity to order fabulous 2021 calendars, diaries, cards, sketch pads and mouse mats featuring your child’s artwork!  You can see product examples at the office.  Children’s art will be displayed in classrooms Monday 31st August to Wednesday 9th September, then will be available to view at the office.  We are also hoping to be able to email photos of class art, in case you can’t get to school. 

All items are priced at $15 each:  calendar, pack of 8 cards, diary, sketch pad, mouse mat.  These make fabulous gifts for family members, or to have yourself as a keepsake of your child’s work.

Orders and payment are made done online via Kindo.

We will be placing our only order at the end of Term 3 – so ensure your order is made via Kindo by Friday 18th September.  Items will be distributed in the first few weeks of Term 4 (depends on how quickly the printing company process our order).

Calves for Ag Day – If any school families are still looking for a calf to raise we have plenty available.  Surplus Murray Grey, Angus, Jersey and Friesian X Bull and Heifer feeder calces from small organis family farm near Wainui.  From 4 days to 5 weeks old.  From $50.00 to $150.00 depending on age, breed and sex.  Raise naturally on cows from our closed herd.  Herd TB status is C10 with latest test 06/01/2020.  All NAIT registered and tagged.

Please contact:

Janice Penney, Magnolia Dairy Limited, 1139 Weranui Road, RD1, Silverdale, Auckland 0994

Phone: (09) 426 5713, E-mail: Janice@magnoliadairy.co.nz

 

COMMUNITY

Touch – Starting Wednesday 21st October –  The dates have been announced for this year’s touch module next Term (fingers crossed we are outside by then). Staton Ranby (Snr) will be organising again this year. He will coach one of the Y 5-6 teams, but would be looking for managers and coaches to step up also.  If you are keen for your child to play this year, please get back to me at Staton.Ranby@asb.co.nz with all the required data, child’s name, gender, dob, age and school year, parents name and contact information.  Also let me know if you are keen to manage / coach. Think the cost is $40, payable to the Sharks before start of season.

Note: Usually there is a mad scramble at the last minute trying to get kids into teams, so trying to alleviate that now. Let me know if any issues or questions you have.  Please see attached registration details HBC Sharks Touch 2020

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