Balmoral School Newsletter 10 March 2023
Principal's Welcome
Kia ora e te whānau
At our school, we recognise the critical role that parents and community members play in supporting our students' success. That's why we value the work of our school PTA and the community involvement so highly. The PTA is essential to creating a thriving and supportive learning environment; we couldn't do it without them.
The school PTA supports school events and fundraisers and offers feedback on school policies and initiatives. They also help to create a sense of community and belonging, which is crucial for our students' well-being.
They also work closely with the school to ensure their efforts align with our school's goals and priorities. This collaborative approach helps to ensure that we are all working towards the same objectives, which ultimately benefit our students.
Over the last three years, we have noticed a decrease in the number of parents in our community who are on the PTA. We hope to encourage more involvement and support from parents and community members who may not be aware of this group's significance.
Next Tuesday, the 14, at 7:30 pm is our AGM. We must reduce activities if we fail to attract the numbers to our PTA. However, I do hope a number of you can attend so that we can continue to provide community events and in doing so, enhance communication between the school and other parents, support activities, and create a stronger Balmoral School Community.
Nāku noa
Malcolm
Teachers Strike Day Thursday 16 March
Our teachers play a crucial role in shaping the future of our society by educating and guiding the next generation. However, our teachers face difficult working conditions and low pay. Last year we lost three young teachers from our profession at our school.
Principals and teachers in primary and area schools and kindergartens have considered at length offers from the government to settle our respective collective agreements.
If our teachers accept the current offer from the government, they are taking a 5% pay cut based on their August 2021 pay. During a week when we celebrate International Women's Day and an era where equal pay for women is called for, primary teachers have received an offer that does not match the wage and conditions offered to a secondary teacher.
Principals and teachers in primary and area schools and kindergartens have considered at length offers from the government to settle our respective collective agreements.
We recognise that the strike will disrupt our school community. It is also important to remember that our staff do not like taking strike action, but their frustration with the revised offer has resulted in this action. It’s the last thing we wanted to do, and the decision was not taken lightly.
Some argue that supporting teacher strikes is necessary to bring attention to these issues and improve working conditions for teachers. They believe that teachers deserve fair compensation, adequate resources, and support from the government to do their jobs effectively. Teachers can draw attention to these issues by going on strike and pressuring policymakers to make positive changes.
Others may argue that teacher strikes, such as missed classes and disrupted timetables, can negatively affect students. They may believe there are other ways to address these issues, rather than resorting to strikes.
The decision to support teachers' strikes depends on your perspective. However, it is essential to consider the potential consequences of strikes for teachers and students and to support efforts to improve working conditions for teachers productively and beneficially for all parties involved.
Balmoral School Canteen
We have a school canteen open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Please see the menu below.
You can order online through a link on our school website or at the Lunchonline website. It is very easy for busy parents to use.
Happy Holi (Festival of Colours)
Happy Holi is a popular Hindu festival celebrated primarily in India and Nepal, but also in other parts of the world where Hindu communities exist. It is also known as the "festival of colors" or the "festival of love".
The festival usually falls in late February or early March and is celebrated over two days. On the first day, known as Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi, people light bonfires to signify the triumph of good over evil. The second day, known as Rangwali Holi or Dhulandi, is the main day of the festival where people throw colored powders and water at each other, sing and dance, and enjoy festive food and sweets.
Holi is celebrated to mark the arrival of spring, to celebrate the harvest, and to strengthen relationships with family and friends. It is a time when people forget their differences and come together to spread joy and happiness.
Wishing you all a Happy Holi
Koru and Whetu Open Morning
It was wonderful to have so many whanau in our Year 1 and Year 2 classes on Thursday morning. What was also lovely to see was parents making, playing and reading with their children. Hopefully, you got to also see the art of a great teacher and a little insight into the school day.
Pasifika Fono
Last night several tamariki, parents and staff got to share a volleyball game, some chat and kai at school. It was lovely to catch up again for a community event. Watch out for future events over the coming year.
Change of Date for Triathlon now May 14
We have had to change the date for the triathlon. As it will be in winter, we cannot have the school pool. It will be a duathlon.
This week the Kawepūrongo (student newspaper) team were lucky enough to talk to Jehan Casinader about his job as a journalist. He gave them some extremely helpful advice about how to make their articles interesting and engaging for their readers, and emphasised the importance of being both curious and a good listener. We all look forward to seeing how this advice comes through in the first issue of Kawepūrongo this year, due out in the last week of the term.
Primary School News - whānau Whetu
Kia ora e te whānau!
Whetu has spent the beginning of this term thinking about identity. We were lucky enough to be able to spark our creative minds with an outstanding trip to the Auckland Art Gallery, Toi o Tāmariki. The education team at the gallery took us through their Portraiture and Identity programme, where we explored a variety of portraits in different styles and media.
We were able to spend some time in the Gibbs gallery, identifying important taonga in a collection of Gottfried Lindauer portraits giving us a chance to think about the identity of those in the images. The art education studio was opened up for us to bring our own thoughts and ideas, creating images of people or places that were important to us. It was great fun to be able to make multi-media art that started to tell our own stories! The learners have enjoyed being able to bring this learning back to school and create their own self-portraits that give a glimpse into their individual personalities and identity.
Thank you to those parents who were able to attend with us, supporting the learners on this trip.
Ngā mihi nui
Whānau Whetu
Eden Albert Swimming Competition
On Tuesday 28 March, a team of 13 enthusiastic swimmers headed to Diocesean School for Eden/Albert Swimming. They were pumped; they were keen; they couldn’t wait to get there.
Josh Moates and Gray Stewart were two of the competitors. They both enjoyed the day because it was great to compete, and they had fun. Josh said, “It felt cool lining up [for our races] because it felt like I was a professional swimmer. When I sat on the bench waiting for the whistle to blow, I could feel the adrenaline pumping, and I went as fast as I could go”. Gray commented that it didn’t matter that we didn’t win the day, because we were a small team. He noted that he felt proud to be one of the members of the team that was able to represent Balmoral School at the competition.
Despite our small team, we still made an impression. Sienna Collins placed 1st in the Year 5 Girls 25m Backstroke, and Harry Standen placed 2nd in the Year 5 Boys 25m Breaststroke. Several others swam their way into the finals. Our team was supportive of each other and respectful of other schools.
A big thank you to all of the whānau who came to support the team, especially those parents who helped transport us to and from the event and helped timekeep, manage and supervise the competitors.
Intermediate School News
Swimming Sports
Last week we held our Intermediate Swimming Sports competition. Congratulations to all the children who competed, there were some amazing skills on display. Particular congratulations to our winners (first, second and third in each category):
50m Freestyle
Year 7 girls: Emma Snow, Jessica Whitby, Amara Rowe
Year 7 boys: Ryder Collins, Art Ritchie, Leo Cairncross
Year 8 girls: Navya Sood, Evie Bruns, Olivia Morris
Year 8 boys: Tommy Humphries, Eli Morrison, Christian Lawry
50m Backstroke
Year 7 girls: Elizabeth Fenn, Amara Rowe, Leyla Kaplan
Year 7 boys: Ryder Collins, Boston Franklin, Dom Woodhouse
Year 8 girls: Navya Sood, Milly Wilson, Isla Greenwell
Year 8 boys: Tommy Humphries, Eli Morrison, Christian Lawry
50m Breaststroke
Year 7 girls: Indie Boyce, Elizabeth Fenn, Gemma Wickens
Year 7 boys: Ryder Collins, Dom Woodhouse, Boston Franklin
Year 8 girls: Evie Bruns, Helaina Keddie, Ayda Lewis
Year 8 boys: Christian Lawry, Tommy Humphries, Finn Wightman
50m Butterfly
Year 7 girls: Elizabeth Fenn, Amara Shah, Audrey Paget
Year 7 boys: Dom Woodhouse, Leo Cairncross, Isaac Fraser
Year 8 girls: Navya Sood, Payton Nobilo, Lela Vince
Year 8 boys: Tommy Humphries, Christian Lawry, Eli Morrison
100m Freestyle
Year 7 girls: Jessica Whitby, Elizabeth Fenn, Amara Rowe
Year 7 boys: Ryder Collins, Jacob Leys, Leo Cairncross
Year 8 girls: Navya Sood, Evie Bruns, Olivia Morris
Year 8 boys: Christian Lawry, Tommy Humphries, Isaac Hoggard
News from Hub 4 - Identity Art
Identity art is a picture that tells other people about you. We first took a photo of ourselves, outlined it in pencil. We divided the page into four equal sections, one each for pop art, sketching, words and creative choice. Knowing your own identity is an important part of being in a community.
Artwork by Hub 4 students: Emily Douglas-Jones, Xavier Mannering, Angus Cameron, Gunreet Kaur, Apoorva Patil
By Elsy and Amara, Hub 4.
Community News
Help the Council make the difficult budget decisions.
Auckland Council is facing a budget shortfall of $295 million for the 2023/2024 financial year and may need to reduce or stop some projects, facilities and services you use or your funding. Therefore, it is essential that you tell Council if you agree with the proposed changes.
More information and feedback forms are available at the website akhaveyoursay, at your local library or at the Have Your Say drop-in session.
- Have Your Say drop-in, Wednesday 22 March, 5 pm – 7:30 pm at the Mt Eden War Memorial Hall, 489 Dominion Road.
- Have a quick chat, get help to complete a feedback form, and provide feedback at a glance; translations will be available.
- All are welcome
