Principal's Message
Kia ora whānau
I hope you’re all well in the lead up to Christmas. It’s such a busy time of year for everyone and PBS is no exception.
Our Kapa Haka group performed fantastically at the local schools’ hui, “Takiri o te Ata”, last Thursday. I was so proud of their hard work and attitude. The hours of practice they have put in was very obvious; their voices were in tune, their lines disciplined and straight, and their waiata and haka on point. The work of our fabulous staff, Cath Franks, Bek Winter and Colin Siversen really enabled our group to shine. Thank you for all your mahi!
Our whole school assembly was wonderful this morning. Thank you to all the parents and whanau who came along to join us. We love the opportunity to get together as a whole school at these outdoor assemblies once each term. It is so important to celebrate together and to share in the various achievements of the students.
Last week, Ngaru Syndicate held a special
farewell assembly for ‘Mr Mac’ (see photo of Mr Mac on his throne), but it was nice to have the opportunity to farewell him and Teacher Aide Kay Buckland-Jones with a haka today. Please stay in touch; we will all miss you!
We also would like to bid a ‘fond farewell but see you again’ to Tara Vertongen and Kaye Gilman. Both Kaye and Tara have been teaching at PBS this year, and although they are not back teaching full time in 2023, we know that we will see them back as relief teachers. Thank you Tara and Kaye for your valuable support and work this year!
PRINCIPAL’S GREAT NEWS CORNER:
Sharing good news spreads positivity, changes attitudes and ultimately leads to more people feeling encouraged and happy
Our FANTASTIC PBS kids have had some other great achievements in the last week, which we are thrilled to share with you:
- Congratulations to Our E-Pro8 Team “Technically Cool” who came 5th place in the Wellington Schools competition! Nice work, Bailey, Mackenzie, Ruby and Monty!
- Congratulations to our Te Moana (Year 5-6) Speech Cup finalists for 2023; you all did such a splendid job of public speaking. The judges had an incredibly difficult job but in the end selected 1st Equal winners Madi Shalders and Holly McCullagh, 2nd place Phoebe Corin and 3rd place Ruby Graham. Ka Rawe!
- Congratulations to our fabulous Road Patrollers for 2023 who were placed 3rd in the Otaki-Kapiti region for their efforts. It was wonderful to see you accept a certificate and gift voucher from the Mayor yesterday!
Last but not least, congratulations to our CREST certificate winners selected from Tātahi (Years 0-2) and Ngaru (Years 3-4) for showing the school’s values throughout the year. (Te Moana and Te Motu recipients will be awarded at Prize Giving next week). We were delighted to award the following students: Haylee Huse, Romie Direen, Charlie Whitaker, James Kirton, Rico Phelps, Frankie Willis, Kayden Perrett, Zuri Latimer, Andreas Torrie, Lucious Phillips, Jade Vertongen, Noah Woodford, Cameron Beck, Cayden Foliaki, Quinn Taylor, James Lawton, Danielle Leah, Logan Anderson, Jermayne Inoke, Seiji Tavendale, Jake Sale, Charlotte Chisholm, Isaac Ransfield and Alyssa Kilsby. Excellent achievement everyone!
Ngā mihi nui,
Jess Ward
Tumuaki ~ Principal
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
There were no new students this week
Classes for 2023 and Transition Visits
In preparation for 2023 we have scheduled ‘Transition Visits’ to allow students in Years 0-7 to meet their next year’s teacher and classmates before Term 4 ends. This year transition visits will take place on Monday, 12 December. On this day students will spend 40 minutes with their 2023 class and they will bring home a letter informing parents. Class lists will then be displayed in the Library windows from Tuesday morning (13 December) onwards.
PBS Aroha Fund
One thing our school community is rich in is KINDNESS. It’s something we work hard to promote amongst our students. When we know someone is in need we try to give some additional support because not everyone’s circumstances are the same. We do our best as a school to ensure every child has equal opportunities regardless of finance or personal circumstance. Our PBS AROHA fund was set up to enable our whole community to offer support to such families.
The PBS AROHA fund enables anyone in our school community, including businesses, to donate money to help those in our school community who find it hard to make ends meet. It also means that we can provide lunches when kids don’t have any.
If you would like to contribute to this fund you can find it in KINDO labelled PBS AROHA. You can contribute $5, $10 or $20 at any time during the year. If a local business wants to make a contribution they can contact Libby on lrichardson@pbs.school.nz
Please talk to the office or to me, if you would like to know more about our PBS AROHA fund. All discussions will be confidential.
Giving a little means a lot!
Kid's Quote
“The Office Elves got told off today!”
(I hope the kids weren’t referring to Marie, Paula and Libby).
Using Māori Language at Home
It’s important for all Kiwi to learn te reo. Each week our newsletter will include phrases that you might like to try out at your place. After all, it will take the whole nation to keep this unique language alive.
Here’s some more phrases for the festive season.
Did Santa eat his cookies? = I pau i a Hana Koko ana pihikete?
Merry Christmas to you and your whānau = Meri Kirihimete ki a koutou ko te whānau.
End of Year Reporting
At PBS all our reporting is online throughout the year. Parents can access their child’s learning progress via the @Schoolapp for students in Years 3-8 and SeeSaw for students in Years 0-2.
Learning Summary (was Reports) On the @Schoolapp dashboard click on the icon called “Learning Summary” this will have a downloadable mid and end of year report which wiil be accessible in the last week of school.
What else can parents see? Online reporting, via the Learning Space, the Blog and Seesaw gives parents the opportunity to log in and view their child’s progress and evidence of their learning at any time during the school year. Throughout the year teachers will upload progress on your child’s reading, writing and maths, as well as general comments on learning, attitude and behaviour.
When you are viewing reading, writing and maths comments about your child via these portals, you will notice a reference to the NZ Curriculum level your child is working at, at the beginning of the comment: For example EL1 = Early Level 1, L1 =Level 1, EL2 = Early Level 2, L2 = Level 2 and so on.
NB: Typically students in Years 0-2 are working at NZ Curriculum Level 1, Years 3-4 students are working at NZ Curriculum Level 2, Years 5-6 students are working at NZ Curriculum Level 3 and Years 7-8 students are working at NZ Curriculum Level 4.
What are the benefits of online reporting? The benefits of reporting online mean that the information parents are receiving about their child’s progress is more timely and accessible. When we used to write paper reports we recognised that by the time the reports were sent home at mid and end of each year, the assessments and comments were already outdated due to the 6-8 weeks it takes to compile them. This new way of reporting also enables teachers to support students with individual goals throughout the year as opposed to sitting and writing reports for blocks of time which have all passed by. With Spotlight, the Blog and SeeSaw students have greater ownership of their learning, especially when they can upload evidence to show their achievements. Furthermore, parents have the ability to comment on their child’s progress, which helps to encourage and reinforce the gains they are making.
Why are we using SeeSaw for Years 0-2? We have assessed the Spotlight tool for use with Year 0-2 students and feel it does not yet cater well enough for their needs. Therefore, we have made the decision to broaden the Junior team’s use of Seesaw to include reporting.
Fundraiser for Foodbank
Room 4’s Student Volunteer Army has been hard at work to organise an event to fundraise for the local Food Bank by hosting a movie for the Tatahi (today) and Ngaru Syndicates (13 December). At this time of the year, it can be extremely stressful for families with the extra costs of Christmas celebrations. Our Student Volunteer Army has identified this as an area where we could all help by getting each child to donate one can of food to show we care.
To enter, students will need to bring a can of food. Spot prizes will be given during the movie. Please help us to support people in need by donating one can of food.
By Emily Hamdan and the SVA
Absence for Sickness
Please remember to advise the office if your child is away from school sick. You can advise us via text (027 755 7915), phone 298 5775, email office@pbs.school.nz, our school website pbs.school.nz or the schoolloop app.
Please also remember that if your child is away due to a tummy bug, they need to stay home for 48 hours after the last time they have vomiting/diarrhoea. Thank you.
Lost Property
Lost property will be on display for the rest of the term and for parents or children to come past the tennis courts to check.
Anything unnamed or unclaimed will be donated to the Koha Shed.
School Leavers – Notice re ezlunch / Kindo School Shop
If your family is leaving our school and has been using ezlunch or Kindo, please make sure to stop any regular automatic payments that have been set up before the school year finishes. You may also need to transfer or close your account which can be done as follows:
- Not sure if your new school is using Kindo? If you’re not sure if your new school is using Kindo, you can either ask them directly or go to “My Details” in your Kindo account and click on the list of schools to see if your new school is listed.
- New school IS using Kindo. If your new school is using Kindo, simply click on the new school from the list in “My Details” of your Kindo account and you’ll be attached to the new school’s menu. Any balance on your Kindo account will remain available to spend with the new school.
- New school is NOT using Kindo, or you no longer need Kindo. If you need to close your Kindo account, use the “Close Account” button within the “My Details” section of your Kindo account. You can either withdraw your account balance or choose to donate your balance to the school. Please note that all withdrawals will be made via electronic payment to your New Zealand bank account. Kindo is unable to process cash withdrawals.
If you are wanting to withdraw your Kindo account balance or make a donation that exceeds Kindo’s threshold (currently more than $10,000 total within one year), Kindo may need to undertake some identity checks on you to comply with its obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Countering Financing of Terrorism (CFT) Act 2009. Please action the withdrawal or donation in your Kindo account as outlined above and if these AML checks are necessary Kindo will advise of the next steps required in this regard. Kindo has endeavoured to make this process as pain-free as possible and appreciates your patience.
Future Student Achievements
If your child has an achievement you would like us to share in our newsletter, then please send details (and a picture if you would like) to mbarfoote@pbs.school.nz
Have You Checked Out Our Community Notices Directory?
Do you need to advertise your business, an upcoming event, need child care, or looking for a gift or new club to join? Check out the PBS Community Directory on our website https://kapiti.pbs.school.nz/
Below is an example of what you will find in the art and craft section:
