Balmoral School Newsletter - 13 October 2023
Principal
Tēnā koutou i tēnei ahiahi
On Monday, a parent shared an article and a podcast from National Radio with Jesse Mulligan and Jennifer Wallace.
The interview discusses how society is exerting incredible pressure on children to perform. This is taking a toll on children's mental health as young people and for a lifetime. Jenny says this is not just a parenting problem but a societal problem.
In her book 'Never Enough' Wallace explores how rising income inequality and a changing job landscape have led to kids getting caught up in the same kind of "grind culture" their parents exist in.
She discusses in the podcast what we can do to support and protect our children so they can grow up and live fulfilling lives.
You can read the National Radio article or listen to the 21-minute interview.
Ka pai te rā whakatā (Have a good weekend)
Nāku noa
Malcolm
Teacher Only Days Term 4
This term our school will be closed on the following days.
23rd October Labour Day (Monday)
24th October Teacher Only Day (Tuesday)
13th November Teacher Only Day, NZ Refreshed Curriculum (Monday)
School Property
Over the holidays, we completed some work on our school property.
New heaters were installed in the pool, and we were able to open the pool this week for all akonga at a very warm 27 degrees.
The lifts were removed from the Primary and Intermediate Blocks and we expect the new lifts to be installed over the Christmas holidays.
Progress was made on establishing some new outdoor seating outside the gymnasium at the top of the historical steps.We hope the new tables will be finished within two weeks.
The Moon Festival
During Term 3, 60 odd students from Year 3-8 participated in the Moon Festival Project. The Moon Festival (or Mid-Autumn Festival or Mooncake Festive) is celebrated in many Asian countries such as China, Korea, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The festival celebrates the arrival of the new harvest and is a time to be with friends and family.
Together, the students sought to learn about the Moon Festival and how the festival is celebrated in New Zealand by our Asian communities. We were fortunate to have many students who could tell us first-hand about their experiences with the festival, both in New Zealand and in Asia. The legend of the Moon Festival’s origin resulted in us participating in some drama, as well as discussing some differences between different versions of the legend.
The best part was making lanterns. The students designed their own lanterns - some specifically related to the Moon Festival, some were more unique creations that showed personality. Through this experience, many students helped each other out, shared ideas and problem-solved together, and generally had a great time being creative.
Matariki Art Work Completed
Today we had a special celebration. In collaboration with Saffron Paddy (Kaiako) and Sarah Yates (Artist), our student artists completed our Creative New Zealand Art project.
This project was partly funded by Creative NZ and our School Board. It was a garden designed to reflect the stars of Matariki.
The work looks fabulous, and I thank everyone for their efforts. I am sure we will all enjoy this area of the school for years to come.
Make sure when you are next in the school, you come down to the school netball courses outside Hub 14 and have a look.
Intermediate School News
Water Polo
This year our water polo team came first in our league, meaning we got the gold medal. There are nine people in our team: Eli, Christian, Tommy, Meiher, Alice, Esme, Orla, Ryan, Harley. We have improved so much over the year! We won all our games by a big score, the closest one was a tie at the start of the year. The reason we improved so much was because of our Coaches, Alex and Oscar, they helped everyone over the term, and we would like to say thank you to them. It was a great term, I hope everyone carries on with their water polo.
By Christian
Hub 1 Elections
The Inquiry in Hub 1 has focused recently on how different forms of government work, and particularly how New Zealand democracy works. As part of this, the ākonga have been looking at party policies, debating the merits, and otherwise, of each, and today are involved in their own voting day. We look forward to finding out how their results compare with those of the country in general, and the electorate in particular.