"Together we are lifelong CREST learners"
Principal's Message
Kia ora PBS whānau
Buckle in, I have concerns about student use of social media outside of school hours and I am displeased that my staff are the ones who end up trying to resolve the mess created. This message needs to reach everyone, however particularly the parents of senior students.
Clearly, the digital world we live in adds another layer of complexity to our daily interactions, which primary-aged children are not equipped to handle. For this reason, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Meta and other platforms have an age requirement of 13 years+. Therefore, if you are allowing your child to have access to these platforms, then that is your decision but also your responsibility.
For the last 10 years or so, PBS has maintained the same stance. Our stance is if social media use (outside of school hours) results in problems within the school environment, staff will look into it and try to mitigate any residual issues. However, it’s getting to the stage where I feel it is unfair that my staff are spending hours of their time sorting out issues, which are not of the school’s making. Some days I wonder if it’s time to draw a line in the sand and say that school staff will not have any dealings resulting from misuse of social media, but ultimately I know that we cannot overlook it because kids suffer emotional harm.
So, my plea to all parents and caregivers is this:
- Don’t let your child have social media until 13 years+
- Monitor your child’s device use. Not knowing what they are up to is not an excuse
- Understand that misuse of social media causes harm to your child, to other peoples’ children and harm to the positive school environment
This article provides information on the pressures kids put on parents, monitoring kids on social media, rules for social media, parental controls and more. It’s written for an American context, so when it refers to 8th grade this equals Year 9 in New Zealand. https://childmind.org/article/when-are-kids-ready-for-social-media/
Please keep reading as today’s newsletter contains information about:
- Booking in for Learning Conferences – Wednesday, 3 July (PBS closed for instruction)
- Matariki – see you there!
- Kids arriving to school TOO early
- Seeking business sponsorship to repaint our pool
Ngā mihi nui,
Jess Ward
Principal – Tumuaki
Upcoming dates for your awareness:
- Tuesday, 25 June – Matariki event at PBS (Wednesday, 26 June p/p day)
- Friday, 28 June – Matariki Public holiday
- Wednesday, 3 July – Learning Conferences – school closed for instruction
PRINCIPAL’S GREAT NEWS CORNER:
Sharing good news spreads positivity, changes attitudes and ultimately leads to more people feeling encouraged and happy
CREST value of CURIOSITY:
Kush in Rm 5 loves planes. He has taken a lot of care and effort creating this model of an A380 from scratch. Kush was delighted to share this with me and I think you can see how proud he is too.
CREST value of EXCELLENCE:
Corey Whitfield has been playing junior cricket for the Paraparaumu College junior team. The team won the Wellington Secondary Schools grade for the 2023-2024 season. He was the only primary school player in the grade! Here is a photo of Corey, with former PBS students Otis Blake (Captain of the 1st VI), who awarded Corey his medal. Tu Meke!
CREST value of TEAMWORK:
PBS kids have been busy prepping for Matariki recently. They have been busy creating artworks, practising performances and even building pallet tables! Check out the tables below that some of our Te Moana students have been building; they are so cool!
Welcome to Our Recent New Students
There were no new students this week
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/
Tātahi Matariki Breakfast
Reminder that Tātahi syndicate will be holding a special Matariki breakfast event on Friday, 21 June in the hall from 8.30am. We ask that each child is provided with a small plate of healthy finger food to bring along for a shared morning kai.
Matariki - Fun for the Whole Whānau
Thank You to Our Matariki Sponsors
Delicious Authentic Hāngi for Sale
Learning Conferences (Parent-Student-Teacher Interviews) Wednesday, 3 July
This year our mid-year learning conferences will be held on Wednesday, 3 July (in the last week of the school term). Please note that school will be closed for instruction on this day, however we will offer childcare for families who cannot arrange alternative care on this day. Complete this form if you have no alternative care for your child/ren https://forms.gle/bcEPPt3iujw5BEYK9
To book your learning conference slot, see the info below.
At PBS, we recognise the importance of involving students in discussions about their learning. This enables the student to feel more ownership over their learning, be praised for their progress, and encouraged in their next steps by the important adults at home and school.
During these conferences…
- The role of the teacher is to facilitate and lead the conversation about the student’s learning
- The role of the student is to share some of their learning and join in the discussion as they feel comfortable or as prompted by their teacher
- The role of the parent or whānau member is to listen, ask questions (of their child or the teacher) and encourage their child to participate
Important information for parents:
- Parents will need to book an interview slot and bring their child/children along to school at that time. See the instructions on Skool Loop (below)
- If for whatever reason you cannot make it along on this day, I encourage you to email your child’s teacher and try to set up another time or set up a zoom call on another date
- Know that the school playgrounds and library will be available for siblings to wait or play during the interview slots. This means your child can have your full focus during their learning conference slot
- Know that these conferences are not the time to raise complex social issues or sensitive matters, as it may be preferential to discuss these without your child present. You can arrange a time to do this with your child’s teacher by emailing them
- Note that there is only one interview slot per child. Therefore, we encourage parents living apart to attend together – what better way to show your child that they come first
Learning Conferences (Parent-Student-Teacher Interviews) Wednesday, 26 June for Rm 5 Only
This year our mid-year learning conferences for Room 5 will be held on Wednesday, 26 June.
To book your learning conference slot, see the info above as for the rest of the school. Bookings will close at 3pm on Tuesday, 25 June.
Kids Arriving to School Too Early
Recently, I have noticed an increase in kids arriving at school too early. PBS kids should not be arriving at school before 8.15 am.
Though many local schools stipulate 8.30am as their earliest time, we understand that our kids do like lots of time to socialise before school starts. However, most teachers use the morning as prep-time so children are often required to play outside until the learning day begins.
Using the @School App
I will regularly highlight a button on the @school app. This week it is
This button is important if you want to get notifications of updates that have been sent to you. These updates can range from ‘Sick Bay’ entries, ‘Spotlight’ entries, ‘Learning Space’, ‘Blog’ and the ‘Learning Summary’.
At mid-year we send information home via the @school app on your child’s learning. For Year 1 – Year 2 students you will receive this through the ‘Blog’ button on the @school app.
For Year 3 – Year 8 students you will receive this through the ‘Learning Summary’ button on the @school app.
This is what you see when you push the ‘Settings’ button.
Blue circle: enables you to change your password
Pink circle: enables you to set a Pincode so you do not need to use a password
Yellow circle: you need to tick this if you want to receive notifications on the @school app. Also, you need to enable ‘receive notifications from @school app’ on your device
Green circle: you need to tick this if you want to receive email notifications informing you of new information
Using Māori Language at Home
Learning another language provides many benefits including greater academic achievement, greater cognitive development, and more positive attitudes towards other languages and cultures. So, let’s give it a go and help to revitalise this unique language to Aotearoa for our tamariki. Each week our newsletter will include words or phrases that you might like to try out at your kāinga/home.
Puanga: Many iwi observe the rise of Puanga to mark the new year instead of Matariki as it made more sense to their geographical settings.
Puanaga (the star Rigel) is the brightest star in the Orion Constellation in the late autumn and early winter sky. The iwi of Taranaki, Whanganui, parts of the far North, parts of the South Island and the Chatham Islands observe Puanga.
Matariki: Around the end of May or early June in New Zealand, the Pleiades cluster of stars can be seen low on the north-eastern horizon just before dawn. This cluster carries the Māori name, Matariki. The rise of Matariki and the sighting of the next new moon during June/July mark the Māori New Year.
Over the next few weeks we will look at each whetū (star).
Tupuānuku: is the whetū
associated with food grown in the ground. This whetū is connected to all cultivated and uncultivated food. “Tupu” means ‘to grow’ and “nuku” is the shorted version of “Papatūānuku”
Tupuārangi: is the whetū associated with food that comes from the sky. Tupuārangi is linked to birds. Tupuārangi connects the cluster to the harvesting of birds and other elevated food such as fruit and berries from trees.
Help Make a Splash! Seeking Business Sponsorship for Our School Pool
We all know how important it is to teach kiwi kids to swim and be water-confident, right? Well, we need your support in continuing on this mission as our school pool needs sandblasting and repainting, with a quote of $16,000. Grant applications haven’t been successful, so we’re turning to our amazing community for support.
The Solution: With your help, we can reach our goal! If 16 businesses contribute $1,000 each, we’ll be able to complete the project and be ready for next summer!
Be a Part of Something Special: Sponsoring businesses will be recognised on a prominent display board by the pool, showcasing their commitment to our students’ safety and well-being.
If your business is able to contribute please email Marie on mbarfoote@pbs.school.nz and together, let’s make a splash!
From the Board Chair
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the annual Te Whakarōputanga (NZ School Boards) conference in Wellington, which was highlighted by keynote speakers The Hon. Erica Stanford (Minister of Education), The Hon. David Seymour (Associate Minister of Education).
Paraparaumu Beach School was the only school in the Wellington region north of Tawa to attend, joining over 900 attendees from 200 schools across New Zealand.
Although the keynote speakers were interesting, the real highlights were the focus sessions, where I got to participate in focus groups about:
- Social cohesion in schools from The Human Rights Commission
- Managing conflicting components of Governance and Employment in school
- Student Suspensions
- Complaints and Investigations
- Updates from the Education Review Office (ERO’s) Education Evaluation Centre
The sessions were enlightening and refreshed my appreciation of the importance of the board’s work and obligations as the formal employer of all school staff.
I will share my thoughts in greater depth with the board as we look to implement these insights and continue to enhance the educational experience and outcomes for all our tamariki.
If you have any questions about the board, its purpose, or what we do or are working on, please send your questions and thoughts to boardchair@pbs.school.nz.
Hotdogs - Te Motu Camp Fundraiser
Student Work
Te Moana Cross-Country Championship
Recently, our Te Moana tamariki put their best feet forward at our annual Cross Country Championships. The 1.7km course was a challenge, with a tough hill to conquer, but our students showed incredible effort and determination.
We’d like to thank Craig Thomson and our Sports Ambassadors for setting up the course and marshalling, and a special thanks to the parents who helped supervise the students at the event.
Congratulations to the following students who achieved podium finishes!
- Year 5 Boys: 1st Theo Tucker-Nathan, 2nd Ardie Cooper, 3rd Nico Van Reenan
- Year 5 Girls: 1st May Newlove, 2nd Indie Bennett, 3rd Aglika Angelova
- Year 6 Boys: 1st Ty Gardiner, 2nd Isaac Ransfield, 3rd Ashton Chester
- Year 6 Girls: 1st Lucie Thomson, 2nd Sophie Tee, 3rd Frankie Houston-Manuel
We’d also like to extend a special congratulations to all our students who qualified for the Kapiti Interschool Event on June 18th! We wish you all the best!
Recent Student Achievements
Karate: Our karate club JKA KCoast had some great success in the South Island over the weekend. Three students and a former student were awarded medals for their achievements in Kata and Kumite events: Aurora van reenen – gold for Kata; Nico van reenen – gold for Kumite; Ema Katreva – silver for Kata and former student Amania Akavi – bronze Kumite. Congratulations!
Ezlunch Giveaway
Giveaway – 3 x $50 holiday vouchers!
Attention ezlunch families!
We’ve got an exciting opportunity for you to win a fantastic family adventure these school holidays.
Simply order your kid’s lunches through ezlunch, and you’ll be automatically entered into our giveaway to score one of three $50 vouchers for Event Cinemas, the Zoo, or your local Climbing gym. Or, if you prefer, we can top up your myKindo account for term 3 lunches!
Imagine starting your mornings without the hassle of packing lunchboxes or dealing with picky eaters. With ezlunch’s delicious and nutritious options, you can save time and energy while ensuring your kid’s have a satisfying meal to power them through their day.
Order your school lunches today and let the excitement begin!
T&C’s apply. Every order goes in the draw. Three chances to win per order. Competition open to all New Zealand myKindo account holders. Competition closes and winners will be drawn at 11am on Friday 5 July 2024. No adult only gift vouchers permitted. No correspondence will be entered into
