Newsletter Term 2 Week 7 Friday 17 June 2011
From The Principal
Kia ora tatou katoa, Talofa, Malo e lelei, Bula vi naka, Kia orana Nga mihi nui ki a koutou, Namaste, Nihao, He mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa! Greetings to you all.
Here we are more than half way through this term already.
e-Portfolios - e-Portfolios are our method of reporting to parents and not a summative report, they are an on-going formative assessment of where your child is at at a given time.
A few issues have arisen regarding e-Portfolios that I would like to clarify to allay any anxieties that people may have.
Unfortunately when we renumbered our new rooms and some of the old rooms, there was a huge technical hitch with KnowledgeNET and eTAP, our computer software student management systems. The children and teachers lost all their data from the e-Portfolios and it was several weeks before the outside providers could retrieve all the data. Hence, our staff and children lost valuable time in class to enter their information and make comments about their learning. Everyone is in catch up mode as a result of this difficulty. Some areas will be blank until the teacher has done the assessment or that area is included in the Inquiry topic or study.
Please understand that everyone is working hard to rectify this as soon as possible.
Student Led conferences - Elm Park School has been involved in a number of initiatives over the past few years, all focused on improving student achievement. We believe that Student Led conferences will promote learning and help strengthen the partnership between the learner, teacher and parent/caregiver.
What is a student led conference? - Student-led conferences provide students with an opportunity to talk with significant adults about their educational progress.
A student led conference is a meeting run by the student for parents/caregivers, entirely focused on the student’s recent learning. The meeting is facilitated by the student and follows a format that has been developed and practiced before the meeting. The major focus will be on reading, writing and mathematics at this stage, but the student will share other curriculum areas as well. The student will analyze their strengths and reflect on the progress they have made in achieving their learning goals.
We will hold two parent meetings in the staffroom on Monday 4th July to discuss student led conferences – one at 9.00 am and one at 2.30 pm. There will be an information brochure available from the office if you wish to collect one prior to this meeting.
Have a great weekend.
Trish Plowright
PRINCIPAL
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB - Last date for orders is Tuesday 28th June. Orders must be sent to Mrs Commins in Room 2. A reminder that cheques need to be made out to Scholastic NZ.
MATHS OLYMPIAD – Our Maths Olympiad has been moved to coincide with Maths Week which is in Week 2 of Term 3. Details will follow later in the term.
Student Achievement
GUITAR COMPETITION SATURDAY 11TH JUNE The following children from Elm Park School participated in this competition:
| Kobey Kenrick | |
| Seth DeVilliers | |
| Kalani Posinkovich | |
| James Ladopoulos | - Very Highly Commended |
| Serena Ashmore | - Highly Commended |
| Anya John-Francke | - 2 Very Highly Commended awards |
| Jasmine Wood | - Bronze Medal |
| Aleisha Moor | - Very Highly Commended |
They all played and sang very well and I am very proud of all of them – Alison Terry, Guitar Teacher.
Key Events For Your Diary
Mon 20 June....... Photolife Studios
Wed 13 July........ Y1-3 Student Lead Conferences
Thur 14 July........ Y4-6 Student Lead Conferences
Fri 15 July........... Term 2 Ends
Mon 1 August...... Term 3 Begins
Mon 8 August...... Maths Week Commences
Wed 17 August.... New Parents Orientation Forum
This Week in Review
Native Trees Planting Has Begun! - Over the last two weeks the Year 5 classes and the Envirogroup went to the back field to plant native trees.
Our work was the start of the first part of the plan. In groups we dug holes, put plants into the ground and carried mulch to put around the planted area. It was busy work! In the end we were so proud of our successful planting, working as a team and creating a beautiful environment for students and birds for now and the future. By Hayley, Ava, Connor, Rhea and Leiana.
Also a big thank you to all the volunteer parents and Grant and Matthew from MIT Horticulture School, without their help the task would have taken a lot longer!
Focus on Children
Room 14 boys are studying the creatures that are found in our streams. We all contributed towards this recount of our trip to the Pakuranga Stream.
Lucas says, “The bugs filled the red and yellow bands of the chart which means our stream was not very clean.” Joshua S liked the backswimmers.
Alex’s group caught a shrimp. Bailey’s group found lots of snails. Thank you to the Scientists from Waicare who came to help us. We had a great adventure.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
HOWICK INTERMEDIATE – On Wednesday 29 June, Howick Intermediate School will be hosting their annual Open Night. This is an open invitation for parents, friends and members of the community to come in and see how our classes usually run. Invite your friends and family to come in and experience first-hand how we learn at Howick Intermediate School. The programme will run from 6.30—8.00 pm. Please phone 534 3922 for further information.
PAKURANGA INTERMEDIATE – Pakuranga Intermediate will host an information meeting in the Elm Park School Auditorium on 21st June 2011 at 7.00 pm. All parents welcome.
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES WEBSITE - http://www.familyservices.govt.nz/ Family and Community Services' is a gateway to information for our communities, families and whānau, parents and caregivers, from the very young to the senior members of our community. Here you will find information on a range of topics to help you make decisions about what’s best for you and your family as you face life’s everyday challenges. All over New Zealand people and organisations are working for children and families in their communities. This website provides info to help them make things happen in the community, as well as how to connect with others, and how to run a community organisation.
| POSITIVE SOCIAL INTERACTION WINNERS | |
| Congratulations to the following students who were selected and acknowledged this week for their responsible, friendly behaviour. | |
| Room 1 | Donny Aiono |
| Room 3 | Brandon Harris |
| Room 4 | Paige Newman |
| Room 8 | Toa Fonoti |
| Room 9 | Tony Li |
| Room 10 | Teryn Stephens |
| Room 11 | Katie Howell |
| Room 12 | Luxitha Sothilingam |
| Room 13 | Levi Guyan |
| Room 14 | Bailey Pierce |
| Room 15 | Annalise Worsfold |
| Room 16 | Callum Dawson |
| Room 17 | Kaya Nair-Ncube |
| Room 18 | Katrina Tantau |
| Room 19 | Lynn Lee |
| Room 20 | Kevin Mana |
| Room 21 | Zach S |
| Room 22 | Jordan Hallows |
| Room 23 | Ethan Birch |
| Room 24 | Ivana Williams |
| Room 25 | Calais Murray |
| Room 26 | Cameron Hussey |
| Room 27 | Cindy Lin |
| Room 28 | Ethan Makaola |
| Room 29 | Karen Zhu |
| Room 30 | Ben Hogan |
| PERSONAL PRESENTATION | |
| The following students were voted as the overall winner in their year level for the most neatly presented in their uniform. | |
| Year 1: | Sam Tupou |
| Year 2: | Alliah Bautro |
| Year 3: | Khalida Nazif |
| Year 4: | Arzan Mohta |
| Year 5: | Julia Fared Chua |
| Year 6: | Lauren Hussey |
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