GRETA VALLEY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

30 May 2018GRETA VALLEY SCHOOL

SKILLS FOR LIFE!

Dear Parents

REMINDER OF TEACHER ONLY DAYJust a reminder that this coming Friday 1st of June is a Teacher only day and then there’s Queen’s Birthday this Monday the 4th of June. This break will enable some families to take an extended weekend away and perhaps even beat the Queen’s Birthday traffic exodus.

ZONE CROSS COUNTY POSTPONEDThe zone cross-country has been postponed until this Thursday 31st May. We congratulate our 8 students, Latisha, Logan, Sam, Elsie, Nikolas, Lucas, Flynn and Andra who have qualified for this competition and wish them all well.

SUPPORT STAFF DAYLast week we celebrated ‘Support Staff Day,’ a day on which we acknowledge the great contribution our support staff make in our school. Megan, Yo, Emma and Christine all provide a richer learning environment for our children. We appreciate their efforts and thank them for their diligence in assisting the teaching staff in the classroom, doing supervision in the playground and the many other tasks that they perform in and around the school daily. We express our grateful thanks to them and to the Friends of the school for making it possible to have them as part of our great team.

BULLY FREE SCHOOLIn our Bully Free Schools Week, both classes watched Oat the Goat, a short animated movie about being kind to others. This was well received by the students and they are now being reminded about the strategies they can use to combat bullying in their lives and the lives of others. Children need constant reminders about these strategies. If you wish to view this short movie, go to http://www.oatthegoat.co.nz/ and take the opportunity to talk about it with your children. There are some great ideas in here for changing the behaviour of bullies.

BAD HAIR DAY Friday 25th May was a real buzz with lots of creative designs. The children also did a great job in assembly presenting the Bad Hair Day song. I will endeavour to post it on our website. We raised $69.00 for the Helicopter Rescue Service thanks to your donations and support.

MAORI HUIOn Monday 28th June we held a hui for parents of Maori and Pasifika students. This was to raise awareness of how we as parents and families can help and support our Maori students and to raise achievement levels. Achievement levels across the nation are overall very low and need to be raised to a level that will help sustain our economy in the future. Maori and Pasifika people are over represented in the lower income brackets in New Zealand. For every Pakeha child born in New Zealand there is one Maori, one Pasifika and one Asian child born. Therefore it is essential to put effort into helping our Maori and Pasifika students achieve the best they can through understanding their culture and being more responsive to it. There were some great suggestions made to raise cultural awareness and the need for greater student outcomes. Looking at the bigger picture helps us to understand the need for increasing achievement across this sector of the population.

FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY On Monday 4th June there is an opportunity for us to do some fundraising at the Hurunui Hotel. We are able to set up a stall and sell any second hand items that we have available. Adriane and I will be running the stall and we are donating the books that we have left over from our children’s book business. We also have a water cooler, an old movie projector and a coffee percolator that we retrieved from ‘Siberia’ the back room off the staffroom. If you have anything in good saleable condition that you would like to donate for this fundraiser we will be only too happy to receive it and use the funds for buying new novel sets of books for the senior class that all will benefit from. STAFF UNION MEETINGThe NZEI have called another Union Meeting for Thursday 21st June and once again we must issue notice that we cannot close the school. However to

Phone 314 3800 - fax 314 3809 - E-Mail: office@gretavalley.school.nzPlease support our sponsors

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enable the staff to attend these meetings we are asking that if it is possible for you to have your children at home in the afternoon, it would be most helpful to us. We will run the buses earlier that day. If you are unable to have your children at home because of other commitments then we will have supervision organised to look after your children. I shall put out another survey to gauge attendance for that afternoon. The NZEI are doing their best to have teachers’ voices heard in relation to pay and conditions so that more people are attracted to the teaching profession, which ultimately will improve the outcomes for students.

WHALE WATCH KAIKOURAWhale Watch has offered a free outing for our school on Wednesday 25th July. The word is already out and we understand that many parents want to come on this trip. Please note that there are restrictions on the number of adults we can take and those children three years and under may be refused to board by the skipper. We will seek clarity on these issues and get back to you with the final details. They have also asked that if you have access to lifejackets for the children, that you bring them on the day.

WANTEDBoxes wanted for Room 1 construction projects. Please send along to school if you have any.

“WHAT DID YOU DO AT SCHOOL TODAY?”Try the following questions;Who did you help today and what did you do?What was the most interesting thing you did today?What did you not understand?

A COUPLE OF QUICK JOKES Q: Why did the alpaca cross the road? A: To prove to the possum that it could be done! 

Buy a parrot. Teach him to say, “Help I’ve been turned into a parrot!

UPCOMING EVENTSTerm 230th April – to 6th JulyAssemblies: 8th June, 22nd June and the end of term celebration on 6th JulyNewsletters: 13th June, 27th June

May30 National Young Leaders Day31 Hurunui Zone Cross CountryJune1 Teacher only day (school closed)4 Queen’s Birthday holiday5 Life Ed Visit13–29 Woolshed Visit21 Union meeting29 Sample books homeJuly3 Student-led Conferences (by appointment) Have a great week from the great Greta Valley Team, Malin, Jo, Sue, Amelia, Megan, Emma and Christine.

**FRIENDS OF THE SCHOOL **Thank-you to everyone that has helped in some capacity over The Great Greta Valley HuntFundraiser. We had a record number of entries and the sun shone upon us on weigh in day.It was our most successful hunt to date and we raised a whopping $6936.79 so spilt between Playgroup and FOTS that is $3468.40 each. It was lovely to see so many parent helpers and the smiles and fun the childrenall had. Well done all.

On another note: Roganie Catering on the 23rd June. Please save the date as we again would like as many parent helpers as possible for food preparing, food serving, dishes and clean up. This will be a very profitable fundraiser and as such many hands make light work.

As you can see from the graph tracker, FOTS is well on track to make a significant contribution to the school's financial budget for next year. This is possible due to every parent that has helped in some way, so thank you for your support and efforts, Its very much appreciated.

**COMMUNITY NOTICES **HURUNUI TIMEBANKBeeswax Wraps, Serina Linton, Leithfield, Thurs 7th June 1.15 to 2.45pmDo away with plastic cling film and try a natural and healthy substitute that you can make yourself! Reusable wraps from fabric soaked with beeswax are

Phone 314 3800 - fax 314 3809 - E-Mail: office@gretavalley.school.nzPlease support our sponsors

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easy and fun to make. Serina is a ‘rethink waste’ educator and is passionate about teaching children and family’s practical ways to care for the environment with reuse and recycling. She’ll share her handy tips at this workshop, and we’ll make wraps to take home.Time: 1.15 – 2.45 pm, Leithfield Community Centre. Cost: 1.5 TimeBank Hurunui credits or donation appreciated.Flax-basket Weaving: Kate McMillan, Waikari, Sunday 10th June 1.30 to 3.30pmWeave a handy flax basket suitable for stowing toys or other belongings, which will also grace your living space! Kate teaches an easy method using 20 large flax (harakeke) leaves. This doesn’t require preparing the leaves in advance. We’ll enjoy a sociable time together weaving chat as well as baskets, and connecting to a wonderful traditional handicraft. BYO flax leaves. (Selection instructions given when you register). Time: 1.30 – 4.30pm, venue tbc. Cost 3 TimeBank Hurunui credits or $20.Essential Oils: Kirsten WyllieTime: 7 – 8.30pm, Thursday 14 June. Location: Amberley. Contribution: 1.5 time-bank credits or $12 suggested fee, plus $3 for materials. (Supper included). Discover the magical world of plant-based essential oils. Kirsten will talk about 10 different kinds and their many healing, nourishing and protective benefits for all the family. Uses include diffusing, or massaging with a diluted blend to relieve stress, and you can also use oils in your own cleaning and beauty products that are simple to make and smell heavenly.Getting Your Will Right: Susan Lewis

Time: 7 – 8.30pm, Tuesday 19 June. Amberley. Clear advice from an experienced family lawyer, and questions answered.Whether you're making your first will or updating one, be sure you've covered what's important and left clear directions. Wills can be simple and not expensive to prepare. Susan is an experienced family lawyer. As well as wills, she'll talk about powers of attorney and probate and also explain living wills and digital wills. Susan believes in empowering people to make sound legal decisions and get their affairs 'sorted'.Cost: 1.5 TimeBank Hurunui credits or donation appreciatedTour The Historic Hurunui Hotel, Fundraising For Waiau Playcentre - Monday 4th June, 10am To 3pmJoin us in a guided tour of the Historic Hurunui Hotel, post quake, & learn about the restructuring, repair & future of our much loved heritage building, the “Oldest licensed pub in NZ”. We will also have a mini Market onsite with a supervised under 10yr old play area. Entrance fee: $5pp or a family donation (cash only).Hosted by the Hurunui Collective, (see their Facebook page), a community fund-raising projectLearn to Dance with Eden Dance Studio’s Grant Killner1890s Dances plus moreat Leithfield School HallWhen: SunJuly 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th August 5thTime 11am- 12 noonCost : $ 8.00 a lesson Children under 12 freeEnjoy a Cuppa. All Welcome.To Register Phone Lois 03 3148849

Phone 314 3800 - fax 314 3809 - E-Mail: office@gretavalley.school.nzPlease support our sponsors

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BAD HAIR DAY

Phone 314 3800 - fax 314 3809 - E-Mail: office@gretavalley.school.nzPlease support our sponsors

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