Balmoral School Newsletter 24 February 2023
Principal's Welcome
Kia ora e te whānau
It has been great to finally have a full week at school after the stop-start to our school year Our discomfort is nothing compared to our fellow New Zealanders who have had their world upended by the devastation of the last month. Thank you all for your support of the Red Cross Fundraiser. It is greatly appreciated and the $1000 will go some way to helping others. We will get the money raised to the Red Cross as soon as possible.
Our teachers have spent the last few weeks ensuring our curriculum is fit for enabling all our ākonga to achieve at the highest level. Having a curriculum which has playfulness at its core and is fun for tamariki is so important. Research shows that children naturally know how to make sense of their world – when allowed to do so in a safe space. They do this through play.
"Experiencing joy" or fun in something you are learning increases "dopamine in the brain. When we have increased dopamine, positive emotions follow. This enables many higher cognitive functions, such as enhanced attention, working memory, mental flexibility, and improved stress regulation" (Stuff How play can help children cope in uncertain times 22 Feb 2023).
We also know that play is essential to develop executive functioning. Executive functioning enables adults to process multiple information streams, make, revise and change decisions, and self-regulate their emotions. We all need this ability in our day-to-day functioning but also in times of high stress and change, like the last month (Stuff 22 Feb 2023).
This week a parent sent me an article from STUFF which identifies that a playful curriculum is important in developing highly competent learners, especially so after the last 3 years. I would encourage you to read it.
Naku noa
Malcolm
Staff Changes
Today we farewelled Janet Gould, who has been in our office for eleven years. Janet has performed multiple roles in our office, from coordinating our first aid to being our enrolment officer. We wish Janet all the best as she pursues her interests outside education.
Stephanie Slaven also finishes school at the end of next week and is taking a year off as maternity leave. We wish Steph all the best for the coming year.
The BoT has appointed Alison Webster to teach 9A2 for the rest of the year. Alison is an experienced teacher of this year group, working in the UK and at International Schools in China.
BoT Changes
The Board would like to welcome Stacey Osborne to the role of Treasurer. Stacey has had extensive experience as a financial officer, and we welcome her co-option to our school board.
Sport
It has been nice to finally resume our full sporting activities after the last few years. On Tuesday, we held our Primary Swimming Sports in our school pool. This week our Intermediate Tennis Team was out competing in our local zone completion. Next week our intermediate softball team have their competition.
I would like to acknowledge the staff who give up lunchtimes to train these tamariki and the multiple parents who support by taking time off work to transport, manage and encourage our sport learners.
Netball Uniforms
Please note that the final day for fitting/ purchasing a netball uniform for this season is Thursday 2 March. It takes over 8 weeks to get these made and sent to us. There is no flexibility for late orders.
Paid Union Meetings
Over the coming weeks, our Teaching Staff will hold Paid Union Meetings during school. To minimise disruption to our school day, the staff are working with us to ensure we can still operate and not have to close parts of the school.
I am concerned, however, that we may need to prepare ourselves for further disruption to our school year if the offer is not accepted. I believe the offer from the Ministry of Education and the Government effectively means teachers have to take a five per cent pay cut compared to their base salary rate in June 2021 after inflation. This is when there is much talk of a cost of living crisis.
The MoE has also failed to address the pay parity issue with secondary teachers. Our teachers continue to be paid much less, which is a shame considering the government openly talks about pay parity and has applied pay parity to other occupations but continues denying primary and intermediate teachers.
I encourage you to write or email your local MP expressing support for a fair and equitable pay offer to our staff.
Primary School News
Kia ora e te whānau!
Hiringa kicked off week 4 with the first swimming sports on Balmoral school grounds in over 3 years. We were blessed with some amazing weather as well as some fantastic support from our year 8 timers. Year 5 and 6 students participated in a number of different races covering freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. We managed to record some great times and had some exciting photo finish finals. There were a total of 14 students selected to go to Eden/Albert swimming sports. Well done to everyone who swam and cheered on their mates. Thank you to those parents who were able to join us across the morning, the children welcomed your support and encouragement.
While we had about 50 students swimming we had the rest of the year group taking part in team challenges to comntiue to build relationhsips and develop the collaboration skills.
Ngā mihi nui
Whānau Hiringa
Intermediate School News
Tennis News
The Year 8 tennis girls had a hot day at St John’s on Tuesday 21st February for the Central Zones. They played eight great games of tennis and showed true Balmoral sportsmanship. With some wins, losses and draws, Alice finished 6th in the singles and Lela and Chloe 7th= in the doubles. The boys had an equally great day on Thursday, more news to follow about their day. Well done to everyone who participated.
News from Hub 2
Hub 2's Inquiry has involved them thinking about what is important to them, and what they would fight to keep if an unknown alien force arrived here in Aotearoa. As part of this, they have been doing some imaginative writing, aiming to create a picture in their readers' heads of the scene they describe.
The well-hidden entrance to the magnificent silver and blue spacecraft opened. A tall, alien figure strutted into the light with inhuman elegance, her footsteps making no sound. The tips of her purple crown glinted in the soft sunshine. The bright splashes of colour on her leathery, dark purple armour swirled like fish swimming in the sea. She had a slightly haughty, yet calm, expression, like she was empress of the world. "Human beings!" she boomed, her voice carrying to the farthest corners of the crowd that had gathered. The tone of her voice suggested she was someone - or something - of great importance. "I speak for all of my kind. We have travelled great distances to arrive on planet Earth, in hopes of co-existing with you all in harmony. Our own home planet has been destroyed, so we hope you can help us. You have ten days to make a decision. Till then, farewell." The alien receeded back into the spacecraft as it lifted off the ground. The entrance closed, hidden once more, and they zoomed off into space, like a shooting star into the night sky.
By Samaira
The Queen of the Alien race stood with curiosity as she gazed over the beautiful horizon of an incredible planet. Her suit of armour filled with flowing colours following the patterns of the gravitational pull of the moon glowed brightly in the light. She was do distinct you could see her from a mile away. Her royal jewels sparkled in the sun like the ocean on a summer day. Then, she set forward with her fellow aliens to explore the planet named Earth.
By Sam
Community News
Rangitoto (A play by a local playwright)
Two families from different walks of life come together for the Christmas holiday in 1932 on Rangitoto. Both are determined to have a good time on the island paradise, but change is in the air. Will so-called progress result in a cold formality for island life, or will traditional values keep community spirit alive? Add to the mix the plight of an eccentric cave dweller, shenanigans on Lovers Lane and the drama of a New Year’s Eve party and you have a tale that will take you on a journey that is both entertaining, nostalgic and quintessentially Kiwi.
