Balmoral School Newsletter 9 February 2023
Principal's Welcome
Kia ora e te whānau
Welcome back to all our whānau. We have had a nice settled week to the start of the school year after the events of last month. The January storm and the delayed opening were definitely not the start to our school year that we had planned and prepared for. However, from my conversations with the tamariki, they have had a good week at school and are pleased to be back. No doubt many of you are also pleased to have them back at school.
A very warm welcome to the new whānau who have joined the community at our school, especially the ākonga (learners). We at school all look forward to being a strong partnership with you over the coming year to support your child's learning.
Early this week many of you took the opportunity to meet your child's teacher and it was great to be able to start our year off in such a manner. I want to encourage you to get involved in our school and community. It does make for a very supportive learning environment for the tamariki.
Later this term the PTA hope to have 'Whānau in the Field'. I look forward to seeing you all here.
Naku noa
Malcolm
The Caregiver Portal and App to Your Child's School Information (and Abscences)
Your child’s school information is all available to Parents/Caregivers on the school management system, EDGE, via the EDGE APP and the EDGE PORTAL.
The Caregiver Portal allows you to access your child’s enrolment information, attendance record, school reports and school payments.
The Edge App also allows you to quickly report school absences. This is the preferred method of communication as it will automatically update your child’s attendance.
Sustainable School and Lost Property
Last year we had a lot of lost property which we had to dispose of before Christmas. This amount of lost property we generate is not sustainable for our planet.
We have reviewed our systems and have added a new tier of lost property in the classroom. Each Hub will have a small plastic box of lost property. We will transfer this at regular intervals to the central lost property bins. We are hoping this will reduce our waste.
To ensure your child's property is reunited with them, please label all gear with your childs full name. For example, clothes can be labeled with a Vivid or with an iron-on label.
Helping Kids Bounce Back From Adversity
We often talk with each other about how to create resilient ākonga. The last three years have bought many challenges not only for adults but also for our tamariki. Research from Harvard identifies that there are many ways to build resilience. The most important factor is a supportive and stable parent, caregiver, or another adult.
This article from Harvard (https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/ed/22/06/art-talking-children) outlines 10 questions that can help parents to support children overcome challenges, while letting tamariki feel heard and seen.
School Email Communication
Email has allowed us to communicate more efficiently and effectively within our Balmoral School community. Please ensure that your contact details are kept up to date with the school office.
To ensure all parties (staff, students, parents and the wider community) find that email continues to be effective, we have developed school guidelines around its use. Please find below the procedures that are relevant to parents. Thank you in advance for following these guidelines.
- Teachers will reply to an email within three working days
- During the day, they are expected to be working with children.
- Please do not expect an immediate response from them or email them in the afternoon about a change of plans after school.
Email Etiquette
- Try to decide if you are sending this email for information giving or other reasons: organisation of events, meetings and information sharing are the best use of email as a form of communication.
- Keep the email brief and include a clear subject line as a header so people can swiftly identify if it is relevant to them.
- Make sure that it is clear in your email what the purpose of the email is - do you require specific action, or is the email for information only?
- Please do not use email for complaining or venting.
- Do not use email as an excuse to avoid personal contact.
A simple rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you would say what you have written to the person’s face.
Parents to Staff email (Contact your child’s teacher if you wish to talk about their learning)
- If you have any concerns about your child, in the first instance, you need to contact your child’s classroom teacher to make a time to meet to discuss. This appointment can be made via email. Please inform your child’s teacher of your concerns before the meeting so they can prepare.
If your concerns can be addressed via a conversation on the phone, please inform your child’s teacher, and this will be arranged.
Ordering Stationery Packs 2023
This year we are using a different supplier who will deliver your stationery directly to you. This means stationery packs will no longer be available for purchase at the school office or on the portal. You will be purchasing directly from the supplier Quizzle. You are able to order now if you wish.
Go to https://qizzle.co.nz .
Click on the School Packs tab.
Search for Balmoral School and order the appropriate year group pack.
Balmoral School Canteen
We have a school canteen which is open from Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. You can order this online through our school website. Please see the menu below. Opens for the year Wednesday 15 February 2023.
Sun Hats
As part of our sun-safe policy, all children must wear a hat. Thanks to all the parents for preparing children at home with providing hats and to our ākonga who have been wearing these this week.
New sun hats can be purchased from the school office.
Safety at the School Gate
We encourage all tamariki to use a sustainable way to get to school. This includes walking, scootering, biking or public transport. To help make school a safe journey for our tamariki please follow these road rules by modelling for pupils and talking to them about safety at the gate.
- Adults to drive safely.
- Park in legitimate spaces
- Dont double park
- Respect our neighbours and don't park in or across driveways
- Please don't call children across the road
- Encourage children to use pedestrian crossings
- Eldon Road Gate: Only use
News From The Library
We are very happy to be back with the children enjoying our library. As well as class times we are open at lunchtime. We are here until 3.15 every day, and encourage whānau to visit with the tamariki if you would like to see us, or help the children choose extra books.
Primary School News
Kia ora e te whānau!
What a great start to the school year we've had in the Primary School. Thank you for the work you have done in preparing your children for the start of the school year. It has been wonderful to see the children getting straight back into swing of things as they explore their new hubs and make new friendships.
It was great to see so many of you at the "Meet the Teacher" evening this week. We hope you found the evening informative and that it gave you a good understanding of our approach to the curriculum. Please let your child's teacher know if you would like a copy of the slideshow.
We are looking forward to another great year of learning.
Ngā mihi nui
The Primary Whānau
Intermediate School News
We have had a wonderful start to 2023 in the Intermediate! It has been great welcoming the Year 8 students back, and getting to know our new Year 7 children. The hubs are already hives of activity, and many children have already signed up for sports teams and clubs. You can find more about the sports that are on offer, plus how to sign up for them, on the school website. All the information about sports trials, band auditions and all other clubs is on the daily notices which classes check each morning. Teachers are supporting all the ākonga to get to know how this system works.
It was great to see so many of you at the information evening on Wednesday. Please let your child's teacher know if you would like a copy of the slideshow which was shared then.
We are all looking forward to an exciting year of learning.
Community News
PTA Meeting Wednesday 15 February 7:30pm
Welcome back to school
We have scheduled the first PTA meeting of the year to be Wednesday 15 February at 7.30pm, in the school library.
We would normally have the meeting on second Tuesday of month, however thought we would consider those who may have something planned for Valentines Day 🥰
We welcome new members and look forward to seeing you on Wednesday night.
Music at Balmoral School - Itinerant Teachers Information
We have a very talented group of itinerant music teachers at Balmoral School. Many of them are session musicians and perform in a variety of bands.
On Wednesday lunchtime the musicians performed for us all at school. A welcome addition to our playground experiences.
Auckland Netball - Umpire Training Workshops (if you are interested see below)
Various locations around Auckland;
- Orakei – 8 February
- Papatoetoe – 9 February
- Henderson – 14 February
- Northcote – 16 February
Click on the attachment and the green REGISTER to ATTEND button at the bottom of the attachments for more information.
- Auckland Netball - Umpiring Workshop for umpires preparing for 7v7 games (not junior 6v6)
Please use this link to register https://www.aucklandnetball.co.nz/home-1
Auckland Orienteering: Summer Nav Series
A number of our families enjoy exploring Auckland Parks. A good way to do this as a family is with Auckland Orienteering.
Next week the orientation event shifts to THURSDAY, 16th February, on the Hamlins Hill map, entry from 1014 Great South Rd. We recommend you approach from the north as it can be difficult to turn right into the car park around 5pm.