Newsletter - Week 5 Term 2
Greenmeadows School 4th June 2021
Principal's Message
Tālofa lava ('Hello)
Mālō le soifua ('Hello' / 'good health')
We have been enjoying Samoan language week here at GMS, hence the greetings above. We are about to end the first half of the second term. We have a long weekend coming up with the school closed on Monday for Queen's Birthday.
Our Newest Arrivals at GMS
Anakin Dehar, Flynn Gallagher and Max Barrow are all part of Room 6 and enjoying their first weeks at our school. Great to have you here boys!
We currently have 469 children enrolled.
Parent Interviews/Mid-year Summaries Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 July
We will be having parent interviews in the last week of this term. The meetings between the teachers and whānau in February went extremely well. We are having our second opportunity for teachers and parents to get an update on how the first half of the year has progressed. At the interview parents will receive a written mid-year summary as well as goals for the remainder of the year. The booking website for the interviews will be opened from 15th June. More details to follow.
Keeping Ourselves Safe Travelling Home
Some of you may be aware of two alleged cases of adults asking children to get into a car with a stranger earlier in the week. One of these involved a student from Taradale Intermediate.
Police in charge of the investigation have asked us all to have a conversation with our children about their safety going to and from school, and what to do if approached by a stranger.
A great strategy is to create a safety password with your child. If they are approached by someone and given this type of message e.g. a family member asking them to pick the child up - they can reply - "Okay, what is our safe password?"
We will be talking with students tomorrow about safe ways to walk home. We will be using the phrase 'keeping ourselves safe' as opposed to 'stranger danger'. Experts suggest 'stranger danger' is not necessarily a good thing to say, because it suggests that every stranger is a danger and sometimes we might actually need someone we don't know to help us.
Please contact us at school if you want to talk about this more.
Pohutukawa and Tōtara Syndicate Aquatics
We will also be having a swimming sports for Years 4, 5 and 6 on Thursday 1 July. This will be at the Taradale Community Pool. Due to restrictions on numbers permitted in the pool complex, we will split the day into the separate Year groups to have their own times for their events. More details will come out later on in June.
PTA Activities Coming Up
1. Matariki Evening at GMS - Thursday 23 June 2021 5.00pm until 7.00pm
Our school will celebrate Matariki with a function at school that all are invited to. There will be food and drink on sale. Things on sale include sausages and vegetable soup, as well as marshmallows for toasting!
So plan to wrap up warmly, bring a torch along and come to be part of this activity.
The PTA are looking for helpers to cook the food and run the stalls - can you help? Please let the office know if you can spare half an hour.
For the evening we will be selling the GMS Cash Card like we have for the recent Discos. These will be $10 Cards only - they will be on sale 23rd and 24th June. More details in the next newsletter.
Families can arrive for food from 5.00pm before we start proceedings at 5.30pm in the Heart of the School. Our Ukettes, kapa haka and Pasifika groups will perform to conclude the night.
2. Creative Clicks Family Portraits
Over the weekend of 3rd and 4th July we will have a photographer on site taking family portraits. For just $10 families can book a sitting and receive a free print. More details to come in the coming weeks.
3. Term 3 - Seedling Sale
At the end of Term 3 as we emerge from winter ... we will have a seedling sale fundraiser. Perfect for planting vegie gardens and science projects. Watch this space!!
And to finish ...
Congratulations to our teacher in Team 3 - Andy 'Mr Mac' Mackay and his partner Jo with the arrival of their son Stone Eric Mackay who was born on Sunday.
Enjoy a safe and restful Queen's Birthday holiday.
Tōfā soifua (Goodbye)
Ka kite anō
Mark Johnson
Principal/Tumuaki
Upcoming Events
- Week 7 - Wednesday 16 June Pohutukawa Swimming starts
- Week 8 - Thursday 24 June Matariki evening 5.30pm until 7.00pm
- Week 9 - Thursday 1 July Year 4 to 6 swimming sports
- Week 10 - Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 July Parent Interviews
- Week 10 - Friday 9 July Last day of Term 2
Contact Us
Email: admin@gms.school.nz
Website: http://www.gms.school.nz/
Location: Greenmeadows School 45 Osier Road, Greenmeadows, Napier, New Zealand
Phone: +64 06-844 7024
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gmsnapier