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Kia ora Parents, Whanau, and Caregivers,We are now officially half way through term one and it is hard to believe how fast time is flying. It has been a busy week already with senior swimming sports held on Monday and our meet the team and teacher evening last night. A big thanks to the senior team Mr Stirling, Mrs Honeyfield, and Mr Page for the organisation of the senior swimming sports event, it was a beautiful day! Also a huge thanks to the PTA for the organisation of the sausage sizzle and juicies! What a great treat they were for our hungry kids and whanau!We had a lovely night last night at the meet the team and teacher evening and will build on the positives of this for 2014. Thanks to everyone who could take the time to be there. It was also nice that all of the tamariki could play outside together, just like one big Welcome Bay family!

Naku noa ra,

Nik House - Principal

Newsletter # 6Wednesday 13th March, 2013

School Roll

277

REMINDERTeachers Paid Union Meeting

When: Friday 15th March @ 1pm

All teachers across the country will be attending paid Union meetings to discuss upcoming Collective Agreement negotiations. It is critical that these meetings are well represented by all teachers.

On Friday 15th March we will be closing school for instruction at lunchtime (12:30pm). We would appreciate it if parents , whanau and caregivers could make arrangements for your children for the a!ernoon.

We also recognise that this can prove difficult and will have some supervision available at school for those children who need to remain on site until 3pm.

Please fill in and return the attached form from last week to let us know that you have made arrangements for your child/ren from 12:30pm Friday 15th March.

Alternatively you could call the school office to let us know.

Any child/ren that do not return the form will not be released from school until 3pm for safety.

Many thanks for your support in this very important event.

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HIGH FLYERS FOR THE WEEKHIGH FLYERS FOR THE WEEKHIGH FLYERS FOR THE WEEK

Junior SchoolJunior SchoolJunior School

H a r a k e k e Sam McBrydie Awesome effort with his story writing. You are starting your story on your own...Awesome!

T o e t o e Elizabeth Ngawaka For being a motivated learner in Toetoe and for having wonderful manners.

K a p o n g a Aroha Huriwai-Wilson For being a high-flyer in Room Kaponga. You are a great listener and use your creativity when

illustrating your stories.

K o p u k a p u k a Kaydia Hamilton For having a great attitude and making fantastic progress in swimming. Kia kaha!

K a r a k a Dominic LeNoel Kia Kaha. In swimming you are trying very hard to swim on your back without stopping to touch

the bottom of the pool.

K o w h a i Boston Hunia Fantastic effort in reading. You are practising at home so you can be a great reader.

Middle SchoolMiddle SchoolMiddle School

M ir o Jazmyn Heke-O'Brien For being focused, hardworking class member who shows caring for others at all times.

Awesome Attitude!

M a n u k a Kane McBrydie For his great writing about being a superhero in the classroom and how he can use his superhero

powers to help others. Well done Kane!

M a t a i Tamamutu Kinita For being a place value whiz in maths. You are able to use tens and ones to quickly add numbers

to 100 in your head. Ka pai!

K a h ik a t e a Te Putorino Moeke For being a great role model in Kahikatea, showing persistence and striving for excellence in all

your work.

Senior SchoolSenior SchoolSenior School

T o t a r a Sarah-Jane Stone For always bringing a great attitude to everything that she does. Kia Manawanui!

K a u r i Kennedy Wilson For being such an amazing friend and helping our two new members all week.

R im u Reuben Hodge For being a kind, helpful and considerate member of RIMU. You are a great role model for others

Reuben. Kia maia!

New Security Cameras

With the amount of vandalism we have experienced overtime the Board has decided to invest in high quality security cameras. These are full colour, high definition and in place around the entire school site to enable good coverage of all areas. The great thing about the cameras is that all of the footage is saved and can be accessed from a variety of places offsite. This system will also allow us to provide high quality images and footage to the Police if there is any future damage to school property. We are wanting a school that is cared for by all members of the community and we want to be able to utilize our funds on resources for the kids, not on property repairs.

Thanks to the Board for demonstrating that they want us to have a safe school, we really appreciate the investment :)

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Reporting to ParentsA huge thanks to everyone from our school community who took the time out of their busy lives to come and meet the teams and teachers at Welcome Bay School.

We had a great turnout, especially with our junior school and all of our new parents and whanau.

Next year this evening will be held earlier in the term, perhaps week two, and the structure will vary slightly. However, the essence will be the same...growing strong connections with our school whanau and developing partnerships for the benefit of our learners.

The focus of this hui was to introduce you to your children’s teaching team, a%er all it takes a village to raise a child, and also to give you some insight into our focus areas for the year. We hope you enjoyed the format and encourage you all to spread the word for 2014 ;)

KiwiCan and the Sandpit CrewIn 2012 some senior students alerted us to the fact that they would love to have their own senior sand pit to play in. We currently have one sand pit on our school grounds and this is in a dedicated Junior area for our little people’s safety.

As a result of this we have a crew of senior students who have formed a committee to ensure that this project gains some forward momentum. They are being very well support by Darren and Carrie, our wonderful KiwiCan team mates.

At the moment we have a plan and an allocated area to build our new sandpit. The children are in the process of working out what materials will be required and then writing sponorship letters to get support from businesses. These are great skills for our tamariki to learn and this is a fantastic real life learning opportunity. We will keep you posted as to our ongoing progress.

The children on the sand pit committee are:Baylin Thompson, Jed Mathieson, O’Shey Peters, Cayla Warner, Sophie Brown and Reuben Hodge.

A busy place to be!In the weekend we had lots of people working at school removing the large Poplar tree on the school field. The tree has been donated to the Lion’s Club to sell for firewood, as they have been such a tremendous support in the past with other fundraisers.It was neat to see such a hive of activity around the school and the trunk will be carved into a nice throne for the field.We have also made a lot of progress in the clearing of the native bank and it is looking great. Soon we will be able to open it up for our tamariki to explore ;)

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Sports NewsIf you have any queries or can offer your time, skills, knowledge, or support in any way please do not hesitate to contact me via email:

sports@welcomebay.school.nzBelow are some up and coming activities that are available for our children. Have a look and see if any may interest your child. Also check the notice board for sports info outside Tawa.

TriathlonsWeetbix Try-athlonWhen? 24th MarchWhere? Memorial ParkWho? Kids aged 7-15For more information visit: tryathlon.weetbix.co.nz

Tauranga Primary Schools Surf Competition 2013When: Friday 22nd March (Swell permitting)Where: Tay St, Mt MaunganuiWho: Under 9’s and under 11’sHow much: $5 per division entry

CricketWe have been asked if any of our students would like to join the Steiner cricket team. They are looking for several students for the Y5/6 team, and a couple for their Y4 team. If your child is interested please get in touch with the manager – Jen Burton, 544 48843, Mob 021 0278 7477

Tauranga Sports Junior Rugby Club Registration

Monday 18th March from 6-7pm

Sunday 24th March from 3:30 - 5pmUnder 6's (5yrs old) to Under 13's (12 years old)

Ages are as at 1st of January 2013, 12 year olds must present for ClubClub contact details at: www.sportsground.co.nz/tgasportsjuniorrugby –

SOCCER CLINICASB ARENA AT BAYPARK23,24,30 April & 1 MayCoach Shem Otieno & Jules Lauge9.30am – 3pmSkills & games6-13yrsGroups split into age & abilityCost $30 per day

TOUCH CLINICASB ARENA AT BAYPARK24 AprilWhatarangi Dixon9.30am – 12.30pmSkills & games6-13yrsGroups split into age & abilityCost $15

BASKETBALL CLINICASB ARENA AT BAYPARK2 & 3 MayByron Vaetoe9.30am – 3pm6 -13yrs$30 per childGroups split into age & abilitySkills & games

KIDS HOLIDAY SPORTS DAYS

ASB ARENA AT BAYPARK26 April & 3 May10am – 12.30pm each daySports include, Uni hockey, Miniball, Soccer, Relay Races & TouchAges 5 – 13yrsCost $6

U/5’s SPORTY FUN DAY OUT

ASB ARENA AT BAYPARK2 May10am – 12pmCost $6A big day out for Pre-Schoolers,Includes running races, gymnastic equipmentBall and music gamesFree play and facilitated activities

NetballMr Page will be handing out Harbourside Netball Registration forms to all interested students. If your child does not bring one home and you would like them to be involved please contact Mr Page. Thanks.

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Attendance at SchoolAt the end of last year we reported some information regarding our attendance and the fact that we need to improve our overall attendance percentage as a school. We are aiming for 95% attendance this year.

In New Zealand, parents must legally make sure that their child goes to school each day. Under the Education Act 1989, parents and carers of children between six and 16 years old can be prosecuted if their child is away from school without a justified reason.

It is important to make clear that we do not mean children should be at school if they are sick. However, there are many instances when children are not at school where there has been no clear explanation. Attendance is a huge priority as children need to be at school to be building upon the daily and weekly learning programmes.

If we as a school, whanau and as parents truly want to make a difference for our kids, then we need to make sure we value their education and learning and ensure that they are at school, on time, fed with breakfast and have had a good sleep. These are all important factors to ensuring that they are ready to learn.

As a school community let’s make ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL a priority ;)

VolleyballYr 5/6 Welcome Bay Hotshots Friday results. This week we had a win against Te Akau Ki Papamoa 83 - 23 and played a great game as a team, tremendous effort.  Keira Davis got player of the day for being an awesome team player.Yr 3/4 All Stars played a very competent and well-managed game against Papamoa Rockstars and won 61 - 49 with player of the day Waiti Atutahi.

Flippa BallThe Welcome Bay Bombers played against St Marys Silver last Tuesday night and lost 9-2. The Welcome Bay team again had no substitutes again so everyone had to worked really hard. Our two goals came as a result of some great team work passing down from our defensive area through to attack. Player of the day went to Maia Hodge for showing great courage by volunteering to go in goal in the first half and attacking the ball when she was in the centre in the second half.  

SCHOOL LUNCHESSchool lunches will be available every Friday.

The menu will be getting an overhaul and there will be some changes on the horizon.

Please note that this is a fundraising service provided by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) formerly School Support Group (SSG).We have a very small group of Mums who give up their time to organise and provide Friday lunches. If you would like to help please let us know in the school office.

Sports Results

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KICK Start: Transition to school programmeThis programme is for both new parents and children starting at Welcome Bay School and runs for approx seven weeks . The intention of Kick Start is to provide an opportunity for both parents and beginning children to learn about school prior to starting.

NEXT SESSION: Monday 18th March @ 1:30pm (week 7)FOCUS: Early Numeracy

If you are interested in attending please call the school office on 5441113 and let us know you will be along so we can plan for numbers. Also, if you know someone who intends on enrolling at Welcome Bay School but does not get the newsletter please let them know too. We look forward to seeing you!

This will be the final Kickstart session this term and we will begin back in term two on Monday 13th May. If you know of any parents who have 4 year olds and will find this programme

beneficial, please spread the word ;)

PTA NEWSThe PTA are looking to grow the current support base so we can make a difference for our school here at Welcome Bay. This does not mean a commitment to come to every meeting but simply may be putting up your hand when available to offer some time in helping out at a fundraising event.

During the course of the year there are many events where the PTA look for opportunities to raise funds for the school. For you to help might simply mean giving up half an hour of your time to cook sausages ;)

If this sounds like something you could contribute to even just once in the year, it all makes a difference.

To express your interest to support please contact Tina Neville on 544 3385. Look forward to hearing from you.

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School AssemblyRemember that school assembly is held every

Friday from 9am in our school hall. This is a great way to celebrate student excellence and

you are warmly invited to join us.

Upcoming eventsTuesday 12th March: Meet the Teachers

Wednesday 13th March: Junior Swimming Friday 22nd March: Middle Swimming Sports

Tuesday 26th March: South Cluster Swimming Sports

Friday 29th March: Good Friday (no school)Happy Easter Break

Wednesday 3rd April: School starts a!er Easter break

Friday 12th April: WBOP Swimming

Friday 19th April: Last day of term 1 Celebration Assembly

TERM DATES 2013Term 1 Monday 14th February -19th April

Term 2 Monday 6th May - Friday 12th July

Term 3 Monday29th July - Friday 27th September

Term 4 Monday 14th October - Wednesday 18th December

Newsletter by WEBThe newsletter always looks great in colour and one way you can receive it in full colour is via email. Not only does it look great but it also saves paper and is more sustainable ;)To check out our newsletter in full colour go to our school website

www.welcomebay.school.nz We will also have a calendar tool so you can see what is on at school throughout the year. ;)Check out the website and have a good look at the progress, it is looking great!

NEW BEGINNERS ZUMBA CLASS... at the Welcome Bay HallStarts Thursday 7th March 9.15am

First class FREE! Then it’s just $6 per classFun, friendly, easy to follow ZUMBA classes with Tina Neville

Call for more info 544 3385

Breakfast Club  A big thanks to our volunteers - we could not feed our tamariki in the mornings without you. We gratefully accept any donations of milo and sugar. These are very useful for warming up our early morning swimmers too!

under 6s to under 13s

2013 JUNIOR WEIGH IN:

Tuesday 12th and Thursday14th of March 4:30 - 6pm at the Waipuna Park Club Rooms.

Sub $30 first child and $15 for each extra child$15 for club sox if in boots grade

If you are new to the club please BRING a copy of child’s birth certificate

Children will get free mouthguardCash and cheques accepted (NO e!pos available)

Any queries please contactPaul - 544 0490

For all people interested in supporting the club there is a meeting on7th March at 7pm at Waipuna club rooms

COACHES AND HELPERS NEEDED

Farm DayFederated Farmers is holding a Farm Day near to Tauranga and Te Puke on Sunday (March 24).  It is free and there will be a wide variety of farm animals, farm equipment, demonstrations and of course, farmers.  It is aimed at families and is being held between 10am and 2pm at the farm of Andrew and Robyn McLeod and Noel Marilyn, 1189 Welcome Bay Road, Papamoa.  For more information or directions please go to www.farmday.co.nz.