SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: 1st February 2024

IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS

Torbay School Learning Powers – RIC

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Tena Koutou e te whanāu

It was lovely to stand at the gate this morning, welcoming parents and children back to school and being met with a massive amount of enthusiasm from children and parents alike. I hope you have all had a great summer break and are refreshed and ready for whatever 2024 brings.

Our teachers have put a lot of time and effort ensuring that their programmes are planned, and your children’s classrooms are ready for day one. I hope that your children enjoy their first day at school today and then every day after that.

Over the holiday period we have appointed two new learning assistants to our staff. Jamie Cope, who will work in Whanāu Tiritiri and Jess Harbott who will work in Whanāu Rangitoto and Whanāu Rakino. Jamie and Jess have both joined the school after working in the early childhood sector. We welcome them to our team and look forward to working alongside them. We also welcome Alyce Debenham back from maternity leave. Alyce is teaching in the Rakino team alongside Lachlan Freeland.

The first few weeks of the school year are vitally important as the children settle into their new classrooms and get to know their teachers and create new friendships. To assist this process, we provide two opportunities to meet with your child’s teachers in the first couple of weeks of each year. I encourage you to take the time to attend our Meet the Teacher Picnic Evening and our Whanāu Feedback meeting. The broad details of these events are below. More detailed and booking information for Whanāu feedback will be provided tomorrow.

Please save these dates in your calendar:

School Picnic and Meet the Teacher Evening: Wed. 7^th February.

Our first event for the year will be the annual school Picnic and Meet the Teacher evening. We will be holding this event during the first week of school on Wednesday the 7th of February starting at 5pm. More information will come from your children’s teachers regarding venues.

For our newer parents who have not experienced this before we invite you to bring a picnic to school and have your evening meal here. Each teacher will hold a session in their classrooms to introduce themselves and some elements of their practice and programme. Each teacher will hold two sessions. Session one at 5.30pm and session 2 at 6.30pm. This is also an opportunity to reunite with other parents and for new parents to meet others.

If you do not wish to have a picnic at school you are of course still invited to attend the meet the teacher sessions.

Whanāu Feedback Evenings. Tues. 13^th and Wed. 14^th of February

This afternoon evening event gives you the opportunity to personally meet your child’s teacher. The meeting is designed as an opportunity for you to share information about your child and family that may help our teachers meet their students needs. One of the most important factors for children to succeed at school is their relationship with their teacher and so I urge you to make the time to attend these meetings to help our teachers develop a deep understanding of your children’s needs.

You will be able to book a time slot ranging from late afternoon through to early evening.

Teacher Only Day: Thursday 28^th March

On Thursday the 28^th of March we will be holding the first of two allocated Teacher Only days mandated by the Ministry of Education for development of our refreshed curriculum. We will be attending a combined Professional Development Day held by our Kahui Ako. All schools from our Kahui Ako will be participating, including:

Torbay School.

Long Bay School.

Glamorgan School.

Sherwood Primary.

Oteha Valley Primary School.

Northcross Intermediate.

Long Bay College.

We ask that you make other arrangements for your children’s care on that day, our Out of School Care programme, Skids will be available on this day.

Important dates for term 1 include:

School Picnic and Meet the Teacher 7^th Feb

Whanāu Feedback 13^th & 14^th Feb

Class Photos 6^th March

Senior School Swimming Sports 21^st March

Year 3 EOTC Sleep Over 22^nd March

Teacher Only Day 28^th March

Rakino Camp 3^rd – 5^th April

Waiheke Camp 8^th – 12^th April

End of Term 1 12^th April

Demolition

Many of you will have noticed that we have removed three classrooms from the school site over the holidays. Two relocatable portacoms have been removed and relocated to Gisborne while the third was demolished. These classrooms were replaced last year by the new buildings erected at the Northeastern end of the school.

The work should be mostly completed by tomorrow and the space will be returned to grass and provide extra play area for our children.

Access through the Alexander Ave entrance will be restricted during the school day today and tomorrow however morning and afternoon drop off will not be impacted. Parents can also use this entrance to drop of and pick up children at before and after school care now located in the old Room 10 now known as the Skids Room.

Car Parks

Our Alexander Ave Car Park is for staff only please do not use it for pick up or drop off unless you are authorised to use the accessible parking spaces. Please discuss the use of the accessible car parks with our Admin team.

Our deep Creek Rd Car Park is a visitor only car park only with no access for pick up and drop off between 8.30am – 9.15am or 2.30pm – 3.15pm.

Please comply with these rules to ensure the safety of our children.

Thank you for your continued support of all we do at Torbay. I look forward to another exciting, engaging year filled with memorable moments.

Nga mihi nui

Gary O’Brien

Principal

[email protected]

GENERAL REMINDERS

SCHOOL ABSENCES – Please remember to contact the school office if your child is going to be absent from school.

You can do this by one of the following:

Phone: 473 8603 Ext 1
Email: [email protected]
Website: Report an Absence form. Click here

HATS & SUNBLOCK- Hats are now compulsory for students to play outside in the playground. Please ensure all hats are named. New school hats are available from NZ Uniforms and the school office. Please remember to sunblock your child/ren before school. Thank you for being SunSmart!