Newsletter, Week Ten, Term Two

Caught being good: Kase, well done.

Duffy NZ Post Awards for Writing

Busta, Rodney, Aliarne, Ishbel


With one week to go I have started setting up everything for the new principal. This includes work records for all the kids so she knows what’s been covered, where they are up to, and detailing any ongoing administrative matters.

Looking back over the last two terms I am very pleased with the progress each child has made in the literacy field we have had some very impressive results with standardised testing. Experienced teachers can tell when children are making good progress but it’s nice to have independent verification.

Our coldwater goldfish are progressing nicely but we lost three in one day with the tropicals. This was very disappointing and the kids were a bit upset. However we did find out the cause and hopefully this wont happen again.

On July 18th ( last Sunday of the holidays), there will be a working bee at school. School signs to be put up, paths water blasted, general tidying etc. Starting 10:00am.

There will be a meeting at school on Tuesday 29th after lunch to work on the Pets Day. If you can help but not attend please contact Claire at school.

We will be having a short performance/afternoon tea in the hall on Thursday. Everyone’s invited, and please bring a plate.

School finishes next Friday with a shared lunch at 12:30.

Newsletter Week Nine Term Two

Caught being good – Esther, well done.


Just a short newsletter this week. Pauline Sutton our new Principal spent Monday morning at the school finding out about current programmes and pupil performance.

Thanks to all the dads who came on the fishing trip. We had a brilliant day and even managed to catch a couple of fish. We will have lots of photos on our weblogs.

Total Span have approved the bus stop over at the hall. This should be installed some time next term.

Thanks to all the parent s who have helped out bringing children to school this week. We now have a new relieving bus driver so hopefully this wont happen again.

School lunches are running really well. The seniors have now taken over the daily running and Rodney and Busta have been doing a very good job. Next they will train two other people to help them. Remember we will be updating the list occasionally as we get good deals and to try out new things.

Upcoming Events

Mon 21st June Library Bus
Wednesday 23rd June BOT meeting.
Thursday July 1st Afternoon tea in the hall.
Friday July 2nd End of term two
Monday July 19th Start of term three.

Term two, Week eight.

Uruti School Newsletter,

Caught being good – Aliarne - Well done.


All the children are very excited by the arrival of our goldfish. We have four freshwater goldfish in the junior room and three tropicals in the senior. Drop in sometime and have a look.

On the subject of fish we have postponed the fishing trip till Wednesday 16th. The river was too high and dirty which was frustrating as the weather was perfect. Never mind hopefully we will have it next week.

We have not been able to get a bus driver for next week. This means you will have to get your own children to school on Wednesday Thursday Friday as well as pick them up in the afternoon.

To save any hassle on Wednesday for the fishing trip I propose that we simply meet in Waitara at 10:00 at the wharf area across the road from the Town and Country club. The locals told me that this area was specifically set up for kids fishing. We can always try the domain later. We can then dismiss the kids from there in the afternoon. I’ll bring my van to cover anyone who needs a lift. I will attach a transport note to this newsletter and please call if there are any problems.

Upcoming Events.
Monday 14th New Principal at school in the morning.
15th 16th 17th NO BUS
16th Fishing trip.

Uruti School Newsletter Week Six

Caught being good - Ishbel and Busta – Well done.

Welcome to Rebecca who has started her school induction. She will be starting full time next term. Even after 30 years I still enjoy watching kids start school.

The fishing trip is all go. We have plenty of transport and offers of help. If you are coming turn up at school at 10:00AM with lunch and a fishing rod and we will leave from here. If the weather is unsuitable we will have a ring around the night before.

Please collect any McCain’s frozen vegetables or Purely Potato packs barcodes. Pop them in book bags and send them to school. Each pack gives the school five or ten points and the school can use the points to buy gardening equipment.

Remember it’s Queens Birthday weekend so no school on Monday.

If your child is absent could you please ring the school. The legal requirements for monitoring absenteeism have become much tougher but in a more practical sense it takes care of doubts.

The Waitara RSA has donated $150 to the school. We will be spending this on relevant books for the library. It’s been a great follow up from our ANZAC unit.

Currently we are deciding if we will continue the Broadsheet. A good suggestion is that we switch this newsletter to biweekly and extend it to cover the stuff in Broadsheet. Thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated.



Upcoming Events
Monday School closed
Tuesday Dental therapist to visit.
Wednesday Fishing trip.

NEWSLETTER TERM TWO WEEK FIVE

Caught being good -------- Lydia. Well done Lydia

Just a short newsletter this week as I am writing this on Wednesday. I’m taking a couple of days sick leave. We have made a solid start to our fish unit with some very good art unit. This should go up on display next week and will be worth checking out. We are hoping to go fishing in the next two weeks. The juniors are progressing particularly well with our small ball unit. It focuses on catching, throwing and hitting and I have seen some very impressive results.

We are currently setting up hot lunches. The thought is that they will be available everyday and it will be stuff that we can just stick in the pie warmer in the morning.

Remember these newsletters are also available on the weblog. It’s very useful if you want to look back for something.

NEWSLETTER TERM TWO WEEK THREE

Caught being good -------- Rodney. Well done Rodney

The BOT takes great delight in announcing the appointment of a new Principal for Uruti School. Mrs. Pauline Sutton brings a wide knowledge base and a wealth of experience to the school and we look forward to her starting at the beginning of term three. She intends to be at the school tomorrow for our district sports so she can meet the kids . any parents, and other teachers from our cluster. She also intends visiting the school over the next few weeks to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Kiwi Sports tomorrow – We will have over 100 pupils and parents at the school. We are basically using the same programme as previous years as we are a little cramped for space. All parents are welcome to attend. Check out our new sports shed.

Constable Rhys Connell made a courtesy visit to the school. He is our community liaison constable.

We have started our new fish unit and we are hoping to take the children fishing sometime soon.

Week One Term Two

Caught being good --- Toby ------ Well Done Toby !

Welcome back to term two. A big thank you to all those parents who helped with spreading the bark over the holidays. A massive job but the results look really good.
We will be holding interviews next week on Thursday. Remember the bus will run at 12:00 and all children will go home.
The children are currently setting up the gardens for winter. We were very impressed with the way the children were able to work on these over term one. They are planting onions, baby carrots, carrots, peas and radishes.
The children have been working on an ANZAC unit about medals this week. Thanks to those parents who sent information etc. to school.
Next week we are beginning a unit on Fish and as part of it we hope to take the kids fishing. We are also hoping to visit an aquarium. Does anyone have any suggestions?
On 7th April we will be hosting Kiwisports. Martinelle would like some more helpers, especially over the lunchtime period.
The BOT will be having their next meeting on Wednesday 28th at 6:30 in the school.


Upcoming events;
Wed 28th BOT meeting
Thur. 29th Parent Interviews

Cheers
Richard and Claire

Uruti School Newsletter Week Nine

School closes today and reopens on Monday 19th April. It’s been a really good term but I think the kids are looking forward to the holidays.

Genesis has informed us that the power will be out in the area around the school between 9:00 and 3:00 on April 7th (Wednesday).

We will be having a Working Bee at the school on Saturday 10th starting 10:00 am. Mainly to spread all the new woodchip in the playground so square mouth shovels and wheelbarrows would be useful.

Claire and I will be having a teachers day on Friday 16th so we will be around if anyone wishes to see us. My holiday contact number is 06 762 2930 if you need to call me.

Claire asks if anyone has any spare two litre ice cream containers could they drop them at school.

On a personal note I have been taking the opportunity to research the local Smith family history. They are ancestors on my mother’s side. For 40 years my Mum has pointed out a house as the Smiths every time we have driven past. Oh dear s eems she got it wrong. I’m currently trying to work out if my grandmother attended the school in 1914. It’s been great to see all the old photos of them at the school and around the district.

Uruti School Newsletter Week Eight

Caught being good : Kase – trying hard even when things went wrong

All library books and pool keys back please.

Congratulations to Claire (Miss Tonks) and Mark who became engaged on Claire’s birthday. Mark popped the question at a special birthday breakfast. Best wishes for the future. We have pictures of the ring on our newsletter blog

There will be a soccer and netball muster at Mimi School on at 3:30. The main goal is to see if we have enough to form teams. Netball will be for year Three and up and you can call Rebecca 752 6935 for more information.

On Monday Tony Williams the author came to visit the school for the Duffy Books project. You may have read the article about him in Tuesdays daily News. The kids really enjoyed the visit and getting their two books.

Manukorihi have confirmed that there will be Technology next Thursday. This of course is the last day of the term.

Upcoming events;
Monday 29th Library bus
Thursday April 1st End of Term One
Cheers
Richard and Claire

Uruti School Newsletter Week Seven

Uruti School Newsletter Week Seven

Caught being good Fynn and Joseph – Well done.

On Monday we will be having a Books in Homes assembly and author Mr. Tony Williams will talk to the children and hand out the Duffy Books. All welcome.

Since camp week we have really settled into the programme with two weeks of solid work. It’s good to look at the children’s work and see the progress they are making. Next week we will be sending out another book for parents to look at. Please feel free to add a comment under the last lot of work.

Yesterday we had our first wheels day. Of course it rained in the morning and it was a bit of a washout. We did get some time at lunchtime and it seemed to go fairly well. To a certain extent the kids and I are making the rules up as we go. I think helmets should be worn on bikes and we also looked at areas we could use. The kids are keen to develop a track and we will be looking into this.

A suggestion that came up is that we have a dress up day or fancy dress at the end of the term. Claire and I are keen but we would like some time to develop it first. We are going to do something involving dress up towards the end of the second term and hopefully base it around a language, art, or social studies unit.

If your child is absent could you please ring the school. The legal requirements for monitoring absenteeism have become much tougher but in a more practical sense it takes care of doubts. In over thirty years teaching I have had two kids go missing and it’s not something I would care to repeat. I notice people here usually let Helen know for the bus which is also a very good thing to do.

Over the next two weeks we will be sending out further consultation forms. Please fill them in. I think there is a tendency for people to think they are a waste of time. Well yes government and telecom are but not the schools. It’s the communities school and not the staffs so tell us what you think.

WORKING BEE Saturday April 10th Do you have any paint you can donate. Also ice-cream containers with lids.


POOL CLOSES AS FROM TODAY

Week Six

Newsletter Week Six




Te Wera Camp
A great time had by all and it was good to see the boys participating in everything in such a positive manner. A big thanks to Rodney, Tony, Fiona, and Dean as parent helps. Good tosee them climbing trees to retrieve arrows, having a go at the mud run and the water slide and just pitching in wherever help was needed.


Juniors had a great time while we were away and we now have two neat tipis in the junior room. They seem to be a great place to sit and read quietly.


Clifton Junior Rugby Club Registration Day
Good grief it’s back to rugby already. It’s Wednesday 17th 3:10 – 5:00pm Under 6 to 13years. Subs are $20.00. My note doesn’t say where but I’m assuming it’s the usual place. Contact number is Cherry Black 752 0697.


What do we want in a new Principal? Haven’t had any of these back yet. Geoff is going to finalise the add for the gazette on Tuesday so it would be good to have them in before then.


BARK. There will be two truck and trailer loads coming into the school in the next few days. We will need help in spreading it in the adventure playground and under the fort so there is a working bee coming up. Date to be advised.


Wednesday is WHEELS Day. On Wednesdays the children can bring skateboards, skates scooters bikes etc. We will have to sort out rules but they will need a helmet if they have a bike.

Week4 Term One

TE WERA CAMP
The seniors will be attending the camp at Te Wera next Monday, Tuesday Wednesday. Coming home Thursday lunch time.


SWIMMING SPORTS.
Thanks to Wharearino School for organizing a wonderful day and all the parents for their support on the day.
I thought this went very well with all children taking part to the best of their abilities. Well done to Calum for winning his age group championship and a special thanks to Hohepa and Rodney for swimming in the parents relay.

JUNIOR CAMP WEDNESDAY 3RD FEBRUARY.
Morning – Set up tents on field,- make chocolate/banana desert.
Mid-morning- Make Tepees.
Shared picnic lunch 12:30 – 1:30
PM – Carry on making Tepees - Swim – bring down tents.
All parents are invited to join us at any time on the day. If you have a tent we could borrow please bring it to school. String, old material/curtains and plastic ice cream containers with lids are needed as well. Lets all hope it is a sunny day.
Thanks
Claire

BOT MEETING
Because of the camp this has been moved to Wednesday March 10th.

UPCOMING EVENTS.
School camp 1st -4th Library bus 1st. School closed 4th Anniversary weekend 8th Pot luck tea at pool 12th.

Week Three Term One

Just a short newsletter this week as the bulk of the available paper is taken up with the swimming sports.
CAUGHT BEING GOOD
This week it is Calum for his efforts in keeping the PE Shed clean. Well done.
Swimming
. The timetable and relevant information is attached. Our thanks to Wharearino School for all their organisation. Can parents organise their own transport and contact me if there are any problems with this. Cancellation will be through Martinelle.
Artwork
We have some cool new artwork on display in the corridor. Also all of the children now have their own weblogs which can be accessed at http://iamuruti.blogspot.com/
If you don’t have access at home you are welcome to have a browse using one of the schools new laptops.
Tummy Bug
There is a rather nasty tummy bug sweeping through schools at the moment. If your children are unwell please keep them at home. Also if they are absent can we please have a note.
Skew
I think that’s how it’s spelt. Anyway it’s the plastic broom thing that rousies use. One was left against the school fence last week. If anyone’s found it can they please drop it off at school and I can return it to it’s young owner in Toko.
Books
I like parents to be able to see what their children are doing at school. We are both big on goal setting. I list them in the relevant workbooks and Claire sets them out at the start of each lesson. So each week, probably on a Wednesday, we will be sending home one of the workbooks so that you can see what your children are working on and the progress they are making.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Swimming sports 23rd. Camp notice 25th.

Week Two Term One

Well the school year is off to a good start and I thought I would let everyone know what’s happening over the next few weeks.
The classes have been divided into senior and junior levels with Clair Tonks teaching the juniors and myself in the senior class. On Thursday morning the classes combine with the Year 7-8’s going to technology at Manukorihi . The seniors work on their own programme under Claire’s supervision. On Friday both classes combine in the senior room and we will be running a special programme each week. Currently we are working on an introduction to IT and the results should be available to view by Monday. In the afternoons we are running a swimming programme making best use of Claire’s coaching skills. The children are grouped according to ability and I am impressed with the progress.

Senior Room
We have concentrated on setting up procedures for using our books, setting up the spelling programme, evaluating reading, and setting some initial goals and looking at simple recount stories, introducing a standard handwriting programme and looking at basic computation skills for maths. There will be spelling homework each Thursday.
Junior Room
In the junior class we are looking at measurement, and testing spelling and reading. We are also sharing information about ourselves, our family, friends, favourite foods and things to do. We are working hard at achieving our swimming goals.
Swimming
All children are working really hard in their swimming. I am using the Lotto swimsafe manual. Children have a series of challenges to achieve at each level Going from level 1-5. Please help by encouraging them and talking about their swimming goals.

CAUGHT BEING GOOD – This week it is Rylee and she gets a Duffy Book. Well done Rylee.
Upcoming Events
Library Bus starts Mon 15th Swimming sport, Waitara, 23rd Take a Kid Fishing Sun 14th Feb. Waitara.