Term Three, Number Fifteen, 2015
Friday 23rd October
Tēnā Koutou Whānau,
P.R.I.D.E PROJECTS
Last Term, after getting feedback from you, all the children and the staff, we developed the word P.R.I.D.E to capture our
revised Upper Hutt School Values. P.R.I.D.E represents the values P - partnership, R - respect, I - integrity, D - determination,
E - excellence. During our Learning Expo in the last week of last Term, you were invited to come and see all the fantastic
learning the children had done about P.R.I.D.E at Upper Hutt School. So now…..we are building on the wonderful learning last
Term and have developed P.R.I.D.E Projects in Term Four.
The P.R.I.D.E Projects we have developed are all about how we show P.R.I.D.E within our school community. We have four
groups - Physical P.R.I.D.E, Sustainable (Green) P.R.I.D.E, Cultural P.R.I.D.E and Artistic P.R.I.D.E. All the children have been
given a choice about which P.R.I.D.E Project they would like to be part of this Term. Again - these groups are filled with our fiveyear-olds to our eleven-year-olds all working together on an agreed project. Watch this space for more information about these
P.R.I.D.E Projects!
at Upper Hutt School
It is fantastic to start the Term off with some warm weather :) Because of this warm weather, it is very timely to go through our
Sunsmart Policy with you. Our goal is that every child is SunSmart and Sun-Safe! Our school policy states that all children must
wear a wide-brimmed hat (not caps) at school as this ensures that faces, ears and necks do not get burnt. Please make sure
that all hats are named! We also ask you to think about suitable summertime clothing.
Tank-tops can be cool to wear, but shoulders can easily get very burnt. We encourage
families to put sunscreen on their children before school to help prevent burning
throughout the day. Getting burnt when you are young can have serious consequences when you are older - let's all be SunSmart this summer!
Your Child’s Class For 2016
It's hard to believe that we are talking to you about 2016 already - but we are. Over the next month, staff will spend hours looking at the best placement of every child into a new class for 2016. Our goal is to create the ‘Ultimate Class’ for every child in
2016! We take this job very seriously and believe that the hours we spend on this important job now, will help for a very successful year for everyone in 2016. If you feel there is vital information that we need to know about in order to best help place
your child in a class for next year - please come and speak, ring or email me this week. We do ask that you trust us to do this
job. We work hard to get to know your children very well and like you, want the very best for each and every one of them.
Every now and then we get parents in to see us to talk about their child's Year Level. Sometimes they feel their children are
very young and are worried about the implications for their learning in the future. Currently we classify children into Year Levels
based on when their birthday is in their first year at school. Usually, children whose birthdays are in the first half of the year start
as Year Ones. Children with birthdays in the second half of the year, start as Year Zero’s. When we are considering next year’s
class placement for currently enrolled children, we are going to allow some flexibility for children who are presently in their first
year. To help us with this decision, we will consider a number of factors which include: confidence, progress, social skills and physical development. The school is
committed to being flexible, responsive and collaborative when making these decisions with you. In general, we do believe the current way of classifying children into
Year Levels works for the majority of children. If you would like to discuss the
classification (Year Level) of your child (at any Year Level), please speak with your
child’s class teacher next week.
Are You Coming To Upper Hutt School In The Future?
To help us with planning for the future, can you please come and let the Office know if you have a child who will be starting
school in the next three years (yes three years!). The school’s funding is based on the number of children we have at school so knowing well in advance really helps us plan strategically! Please also tell your friends. If you are planning on coming to our
wonderful school in the future - come and put your name down!
Developing Outdoor Learning Areas At Upper Hutt School
Are you a keen gardener? Do you like to design and create outdoor spaces that are welcoming and look
great? Do you walk into the school thinking there should be some plants over there or the entrance to our
school could be more inviting? We are keen to create a team of parents/local community members who
will help us create a 5-year planting/outdoor Learning Space Plan for Upper Hutt School. If this sounds
like you or someone you know or a friend, please ring the School Office and leave contact details. Cups
of tea and biscuits will be part of any meetings we invite you to. Here’s your chance to help design
fantastic outdoor learning spaces for all our children in the future!
Can You help With The School Crossings?
It can be really hard for teachers to get out on patrol in the mornings and straight after school. It is often the
time when we teachers talk with parents and families. Are there any parents who would be willing to commit to a ‘Patrol Duty’ once a week in the future? If you are willing and able, please contact the School Office
and let us know the best day and time (before school or after school) that works for you. Thank you!
Welcome To Our Newest Families At Upper Hutt School
Little Acorns Room - Kameryn Harwood, Bella Wallace, Becky Cho
Room 4 - Frankie Pople
Please Check The School Calendar On Our School Website For Regular Updates!
Mon 26th Oct
Labour Day - School closed!
Tues 27th Oct
Interschool Touch Rugby (ppt day Thursday)
Jo Grant
Principal
Community Notices
Register Now - Girls Only Summer Leagues
Juniors (U8-U14)
We're aiming to enter teams in the U8 (7th/8th grade), U10 (9th/10th
grade), U12 (11th/12th grade) and U14s (13th/14th grade) competitions and would love to hear from you if you're interested in playing
girls' only football over the summer. Tell your friends too! It's absolutely fine to play summer league for us (Petone) then return to your original club for the winter season. Girls new to the game are also very welcome.
Dates:
Sunday 1st November 2015 - Sunday 6th December 2015
Sunday 14th February 2016 - Sunday 20th March 2016
Where:
U8, U10 - Memorial Turf, Petone
U12, U14 - Te Whaea Turf, Mount Cook
Cost:
$60 per player
How to register:
email Gillian Patterson, [email protected] or
[email protected] with your child's name, date of birth and
contact phone number.
Women's and Girls Group
Upper Hutt City Football www.upperhuttcityfootball.org.nz
Hats for Sale! One of our parents is making and selling these cute wee hats. They can come in any colours and sizes. They are $5. For more details please pop in to the office!