Coming Up
Welcome
To the following students who have started at Campbells Bay School
Blake Room 33, Mayumi Room 33, Olive Room 37, Siena Room 37, Toby Room 37
Message from the Principal
Kia ora whānau,
The great weather continues in Auckland and this has made for some awesome outdoor learning and play for our students. Out on duty last week, it was a delight to see students playing so well with each other. The joy that comes from connecting with others is something that cannot be replaced. I applaud our students for their ability to return to school and adapt so easily to be back with their friends, classmates and to participate in our wider community of learners.
I saw so much learning in action at lunchtime. Students were compromising; cooperating, designing games; showing patience; building and sustaining friendships; taking risks socially and physically; managing boredom; creating; managing different personalities and social group dynamics. We can underestimate the huge amount of skills required just to be a kid in the playground. The best part of duty is hearing the laughter and shrieking!
Teachers are working hard to support students as they practice their social skills. Lunchtimes often provide those life lessons for our students, critical to their well being and development. Our role as educators is not limited to the classroom and we are often managing and working with students to solve social challenges using tools from our PB4L programme. This is a critical aspect of child development and learning to coexist effectively with others as part of a community.
You would now be aware of the new isolation requirements for positive cases and household contacts. The isolation requirement has been reduced from ten days to seven. This link will take you to a website that calculates all of your dates for you. A handy tool if you test positive or become a household contact. https://howlongtoisolate.co.nz/. You can also refer to our flowchart found on the school website.
Remember even though the time of isolation has reduced, please be aware that students should only return to school if they have had no new or worsening symptoms in the past 24 hours. Always refer to your GP or Healthline if you are unsure.
Since my last newsletter we have had 18 new positive cases, many of whom were already isolating as household contacts. We have 61 students isolating as household contacts and 17 staff impacted as either a household contact or a positive case. Many return this week. It is great to see student attendance improving from last week, back to over 70%. A special thanks to an incredibly resilient and adaptable staff who are ensuring the school can stay open for learning. This has been a disruptive time but my hope is that it will be short term. Thanks to our CBS community for your understanding and support.
Ngā mihi nui,
Rachael Taylor
Harmony Week
From next week, Monday 21 March to Friday 25 March (week 8), CBS is excited to be celebrating Harmony Week. Our country is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and Harmony Week is a time to celebrate the diversity of New Zealand and the diversity within our own school community.
We know that inclusion and the celebration of diversity comes from the actions of understanding others, learning about different perspectives and a willingness to enact inclusion for all. Harmony Week allows us to deepen these connections and understandings and to continue to foster unity across our school. To celebrate Harmony Week, we have activities planned within classes. Your child’s teacher will be in touch with you soon, about how you can support your child and get involved!
Important Dates – Monday and Friday of Harmony Week:
We start the week visually supporting inclusion by participating in a wonderful fundraiser supporting World Down Syndrome Day titled ‘Rock Your Socks!’ Tamariki are invited to wear mis-matched socks or decorated socks to school with their school uniform on Monday 21 March. If you are able, we are collecting gold coin donations for Auckland Down Syndrome Association, or you can donate directly on their website https://adsa.org.nz/about-us/donations/. See details further down in the newsletter.
On Friday 25 March, there will be a Harmony Day where tamariki and teachers are encouraged to dress up and wear clothes that represent who they are. This could be traditional cultural costumes or similar or students can wear the colour orange to symbolise harmony. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect. There is no fundraising aspect to this day.
UNICEF
It would be remiss to celebrate and promote Harmony Week and not acknowledge the events happening in Ukraine. “The war in Ukraine poses an immediate and growing threat to the lives and well-being of the country’s 7.5 million children. Humanitarian needs are multiplying by the hour as fighting intensifies. Children have been killed. Children have been wounded. More than 1 million children have fled Ukraine as families desperately seek safety and protection.” Many parents have been asking, what can we do? If you would like to donate to UNICEF you can find out more information here: https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/war-ukraine-pose-immediate-threat-children
World Down Syndrome Day!
VIDEO LINK Watch the Promo Video Here
Jada was born on Sunday 20th February 2011 at 37 weeks and the first six months of her life were tough – she had two surgeries (including open heart surgery at 5½ weeks), a nasogastric tube for feeding, two major aspirations (one resulting in an ambulance ride to Starship’s resuscitation emergency department, the other resulting in a code pink – she was booked in for her heart surgery the next afternoon), and a couple more ambulance rides and hospital admissions. Also during that time, we enjoyed our precious baby and all her new-born sweetness, watched her grow and change, smile, roll over and learn to drink from a bottle.
After her rocky start to life, Jada thrived – she learned to climb and ride her ride on before she walked, when she started walking, she would run – there wasn’t much she couldn’t do but she has always needed extra support, with feeding/eating, speech and language, reading, writing, maths, and socially. She will always need extra support to live an independent life. Today there are so many more opportunities for children, youth, and adults with Down syndrome than there ever has been, and there will be more in the future. From support at school, to inclusive sports programmes, to transition and training programmes that help our young adults into paid employment, as more employers see the value of people with Down syndrome and other disabilities in their workplace.
When we were still in hospital, a representative of the Auckland Down Syndrome Association (ADSA) visited us, she gave us a new parent pack and a book called Babies with Down Syndrome: A New Parents’ Guide, which was super helpful in the first couple of years of Jada’s life. We later joined ADSA, met other families and became a part of a wonderful new community – one that we are still very involved with and will cherish for years to come.
Next month Jada will start the ADSA funded Junior Social Club, run by Recreate NZ, another awesome charity that runs social and recreational programmes for youth with intellectual disabilities. On the first Saturday of each month, Jada will join 12-18 other 11–17-year-old youths with Down syndrome for three-hours of fun activities like going to the Chelsea Sugar Factory for baking lessons, visiting the Maritime Museum, learning to make sushi, and going to the park for games and ice-creams. There are many initiatives that ADSA support and fund for our community, including the Success in School: Helping Children Who Learn Differently education course, which all of Jada’s teachers and TAs have attended, all with great reviews of how it helps them to best work with Jada and all learners in their classroom. Then there are the all-important social connections that ADSA supports through monthly coffee groups for new parents, bi-monthly playdates for families with children at primary school to whole community events and an annual children’s Christmas party.
Prior to Covid arriving, ADSA ran an event called Buddy Walk to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. It was held on the Sunday closest to 21 March at Tahaki Reserve in Mt Eden and included a 3.5km walk around the base of Mt Eden. Back at the reserve there were bouncy castles, climbing walls and theme park rides, food trucks and stalls, stage entertainment, raffles and more. It was a fun day for all families, friends, and the local community to come together to celebrate the people with Down syndrome in our lives.
Hopefully ADSA can host more Buddy Walk events in the future but this year it is wonderful that Campbells Bay School is kicking off the start of Harmony Week with Rock Your Socks to celebrate WDSD and people with Down syndrome.
Diane Burnett, mum to Jada (Y6), Marlowe (Y4) and Ivy (Y2).
Next Steps Interviews
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter our next Next Steps Interviews will be on Thursday 14 April for all teachers, except Victoria Huck (5Green), Rob Padgett (5Silver) and Victoria Hohaia-Gibbons (Room 27), who will hold theirs on Monday 11 April.
Zoom links for these interviews will be provided by your child’s class teacher once the booking system has closed.
To Book:
- Go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz
- Enter the school code mprbm
- Enter your email address. Your email address is used to send you confirmation of your bookings.
- Enter your name
- Select the number of students you want to make bookings for, and fill in their names.
- Press the green “Go” button to go on to the next page.
- Select a year from the first box, then select a teacher from the second box.
- Press the green “Go” button to go on to the next page.
- Choose the time(s) you want.
You should leave time between bookings, if booking with more than one teacher.
Please note that the online booking program will be opened at 9:00am Tuesday 15 March and closed at 3:00pm on Thursday 7 April.
Please try and make your booking within this timeframe as it isn’t always easy for teachers to add you in at the last minute as they need to prepare.
Congratulations!
On Saturday, Miss Michelle Taylor (Room 4 teacher) got married!
They had a beautiful ceremony and reception at Soljan’s Estate Winery in Kumeu. We are so excited for her and new husband Dylan, and we wish them all the very best on their life journey together.
Second Hand Uniform
We have had a lot of interest in second hand uniform this term. Under the red settings of the Covid Protection Framework, we are unable to hold sales during school time.
Our lovely volunteer Cassie Atkinson has agreed to come in and conduct sales on an appointment only basis.
If you would like to make an appointment to purchase uniform Cassie can be contacted on [email protected]
Community Act of Kindness
We wish to thank Anna Park for the wonderful donation of 1000 KF94 masks for teachers and 3000 masks for children at school. Anna is the parent of Roy (6G) and Elroy (Rm 14) and a valuable member of our community. This is a wonderful display of kindness – one of our three school values of kindness, respect and resilience.
From the students, staff and community, thank you for your aroha nui, manaakitanga and atawhai.
Board of Trustees Meeting Dates
2022 dates – meetings are held in the school conference room at 7.30pm or via zoom dependent on Covid-19 Protection Framework guidelines.
- Tuesday 29 March
- Tuesday 3 May
- Tuesday 31 May
- Tuesday 28 June
- Tuesday 26 July
- Tuesday 30 August
- Tuesday 27 September
- Tuesday 25 October
- Tuesday 29 November
Sports News
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 15 March | Year 2 Winter Netball Registrations open |
| Wednesday 16 March | Year 5 and 6 Winter Netball Registrations close |
| Thursday 17 March | Year 5 and 6 Netball Trials – Trial 1 (in school) |
| Friday 18 March | Year 5 and 6 Netball Trials – Trial 2 (in school) |
| Tuesday 22 March |
Year 3 and 4 Winter Netball Registrations close
|
| Monday 28 March | Year 2 Winter Netball Registrations close |
Sport Term One UPDATE
Inter school sports days and zone days will be on hold while we are under the Red Traffic Light of the CPF. Weekly, after school sports competitions like flippa ball and miniball will be going ahead. Each of these sporting codes and sporting organisations will organise their competitions under the guidance and protocols from Sport NZ. Please keep reading the weekly school newsletter for communication about sport.
Community Notices
