Friday, September 28, 2012

Swimming Sports Fun Day

Kilbirnie Recreation Centre





Kilbirnie Pool, races and free play








Newlands Kapa Haka Festival Pt 2

And some performances...

Nga Hau e Wha

Rewa Rewa School

Bellevue School

Paparangi School

Bellevue School

Newlands Intermediate School

Newlands College

Newlands Primary School

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Learning Celebration Information Part 3 (Thai)

We would like to invite you to our learning celebration which will be on Friday 28th September at 1.40pm in the Amesbury Hall. Everyone is invited and it would be great to see lots of parents, grandparents, family members and friends there to celebrate what our children have been learning. We hope to see you then. The staff at Amesbury School


Thai:
ขอเรียนเชิญท่านร่วมงานฉลองวิถีการเรียนรู้ของโรงเรียน ณ ห้องโถง Amesbury ในวันศุกร์ที่ ๒๘ กันยายน พศ. ๒๕๕๕ เวลา ๑. ๔0 น. ทางโรงเรียนมีความยินดีหากบิดา มารดา ปู่ย่า ตายาย ครอบครัว และเพื่อนสามารถมาร่วมฉลองกับเราในโอกาสนี้
หวังเป็นอย่างยิ่งที่จะพบท่านในวันพรุ่งนี้
คณะครูและทีมงานโรงเรียน Amesbury School

Vodafone Sponsorship

A big thank you to Vodafone for their interest in the development of 21st century learning. Vodafone have sponsored the school by providing teachers with Smart Phones to assist with capturing and uploading (in real time) evidence of children's learning. We are exploring many ways of using the phones but we are particularly excited about the idea of developing an application which (perhaps using facial recognition) will allow us to upload evidence of children's learning directly to the student's learning journal immediately after recording it.

We will be collecting evidence of the impact of Smart Phones on the learning process and passing this information on to Vodafone in the form of a casestudy.

As Term 3 Comes to An End....

It's the end of term 3 and we, at Amesbury School, would like to wish you all safe travels and a wonderful time with your children over the holidays.

May we all find sunshine and warmth wherever we travel.

Thanks so much to everyone for so many things:

  *for sharing your amazing children with us. They bring us lots of joy and laughter. We have so many delightful and amusing stories....
  *for such photogenic children. Don't all our children look amazing in those photos! Wow!
  *for being so supportive of your children's education
  *for sharing your amazing baking skills with us (Those cakes!!!) We think we must have the best bunch of bakers in NZ. We challenge any school in NZ......
  *for your kindness and encouragement and for getting involved
  *for "getting" what it is we do here at Amesbury School
  *for your consideration, understanding and recognition that this has been a very busy year for all the staff
  *to the teachers, for your incredible hard work and commitment to improving outcomes for students. I know you are really tired right now, yet you just keep on going
  *again to the teachers, for being future-focused, innovative teachers with pioneering spirits who are deeply motivated to build learning capacity in students and never take the easy path
  *to the Board of Trustees for being deeply committed to the school and children's learning and for bringing such wisdom and graciousness to our discussions and decision-making
  *And last, but not least, to our students - thank you for your excitement and enthusiasm for learning and for life. You make our vision for learning come alive:
   
 LEARNING FOR LIFE....LEARNING TO LIVE
    JOY FOR LEARNING....JOYFUL LIVING 
  
Wishing you all every blessing.

Arohanui

Lesley

Learning Celebration Information Part 2 (French & Spanish)


We would like to invite you to our learning celebration which will be on Friday 28th September at 1.40pm in the Amesbury Hall. Everyone is invited and it would be great to see lots of parents, grandparents, family members and friends there to celebrate what our children have been learning. 
We hope to see you then. 
The staff at Amesbury School


French:
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à notre célébration de fin de trimestre qui se déroulera le Vendredi 28 Septembre à 13h40 dans le hall de Amesbury. Tout le monde y est convié et il serait formidable de voir de nombreux parents, grand parents et membres de vos familles pour célébrer ce que nos enfants ont appris.
Nous espérons vous y retrouver.
L'équipe d'Amesbury School.


Spanish:
Tenemos el placer de invitarles a nuestra fiesta de fin de trimestre que tendrá lugar el Viernes 28 de Septiembre a la 1.40 de la tarde en el hall de Amesbury. Todo el mundo está invitado y sería estupendo ver a muchos padres, abuelos y miembros de vuestras familias para celebrar lo que nuestros niños han aprendido.
Esperamos verles ahí,
El equipo de Amesbury School.

Amesbury International Festival


Amesbury International Festival
Dear Amesbury community
Preparations are underway for the inaugural Amesbury International Festival which will take place from 26 November - 1 December (1 December is Gala Day).  We have a hard working group of parents on the International Festival committee who are busily arranging fundraising, advertising, and cultural groups to be a part of this special week.
Here’s how you can be involved:
Gala day help - this will be a very busy day!  Any assistance you can provide with setting up, tidying up, or working on fundraising stalls, would be greatly appreciated.  Please contact either Crisanna Nel or Fiona White (Amesbury teachers) if you can assist.  crisanna.nel@amesbury.school.nz or fiona.white@amesbury.school.nz   Thank you!
* Stalls - People in our local community are welcome to host a stall on Gala day (1 December) selling items of their choice - food, art/craft things, games/activities, etc.  There will be a small fee to hold a stall, but all other profits can go directly to the stallholders.  This is a great opportunity for all those amazing bakers out there to have a stall, or our arty/crafty community members to sell their wares!  If you and/or a group of friends would like to hold a stall on Gala day, please email Crisanna or Fiona (see above).
* Fundraising - We are also hoping to have stalls fundraising for Amesbury School.  The proceeds will go towards cultural resources for 2013.  If you have any fundraising ideas or contacts, or can help with a stall, we’d love to hear from you.
* Recipes for our international cook book - the International Festival committee would like to put together a cook book that reflects the culture and ethnicities represented at Amesbury (there are over 17 countries identified on our school roll.)  Do you have a recipe that you would like to share?  If so, please email it to us.  Thank you!  
* The cultures of Amesbury  - throughout festival week, we are hoping to acknowledge all the different countries, cultures and ethnicities that are represented at our school.  The things we have in mind are cultural performances or demonstrations e.g. music, dance, cooking lessons, speakers from different cultures or countries, storytelling, legends, sharing artefacts, etc.  We would like to hold events during the day for the students, and also in the evening for the parents and local community.  We have already managed to make contact with a few people from the Amesbury community and beyond, but there are still some countries/ethnicities that we would like to connect with.   Can you help?
Countries/ethnicities we have contacts for: France, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Japan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, South Africa, New Zealand
Countries/ethnicities we still need help with: England, Russia, China, Korea, India, Philippines, Canada, U.S.A.
Thank you for your support.
The Amesbury International Festival committee

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Learning Celebration Information

We would like to invite you to our learning celebration which will be on Friday 28th September at 1.40pm in the Amesbury Hall. Everyone is invited and it would be great to see lots of parents, grandparents, family members and friends there to celebrate what our children have been learning.
We hope to see you then.
The staff at Amesbury School




我們想邀請您來參加我們的學習成果發表會,這即將於9月28日星期五下午1點40分在Amesbury Hall舉行。我們邀請每一個人,而這也將讓我們樂見許多父母、祖父母、家人和朋友齊聚一堂,共襄盛舉慶祝孩子們所學習的成果。
我們希望能看見您。
Amesbury 學校工作人員敬邀




我们热诚的邀请您参加我们的的这个学期的学习庆祝活动,我校定于二零一二年
九月二十八日下午一时四十分(星期五)在Amesbury 学校大厅举行,
我们邀请每一个人,同时我们也将很高兴能看到更多的父母,祖父母以及家人和
朋友欢聚一堂,共同庆祝孩子们的学习与进步。
欢迎您届时光临!
Amesbury 学校全体员工





9월 28일 금요일 오후 1시 40분에 Amesbury 홀에서 학습 축하 행사에 여러분을
초대합니다. 모든 사람이 참여할 수 있는 행사로, 많은 부모, 조부모, 가족, 그리고
친구들이 모여 우리 아이들이 그동안 배워온 것에 대해 함께 축하해줄 수 있는
자리가 되기를 바랍니다.
많은 분들을 뵐 수 있었으면 좋겠습니다.
Amesbury 학교 임직원 일동.



** We would like to make an effort to convey information in a range of different languages. If you would like to give any feedback on this, or help with translations, please email us at office@amesbury.school.nz or pop in and let us know. 

Thanks to Jenna, Lulu and Gio's parents for helping us with this one!

Newlands Kapa Haka Festival





Four children and Angela were lucky to attend the Newlands Kapa Haka Festival! We watched Crisanna's Kapa haka group from Bellevue School.









Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon - INTERESTED??

Lisa Hodson and I have been talking about providing the opportunity for Amesbury School students to be involved in the Weet-Bix TRYathlon series.

The purpose of this POST is to signal to you our thoughts and to pass on the small amount of information that we have so that parents and students can start thinking about whether to be involved.

1. The event is open to students aged 7yrs and over.
2. Individuals can complete the whole event or teams of two or three can complete the event between them.
3. Training for the TRYathlon generally begins in November. We will organise some opportunities to train at school, but students will also need to train at home.
4. We are thinking about entering the Wellington TRYathlon but also travelling away to another one of the TRYathlon events e.g. Nelson, Hastings, Palmerston North etc. We think that having done all that training, it would a shame to only take part in one event.
5. The Wellington TRYathlon is Sunday, 17 February. The Nelson one is 10 March and Palmerston North 27th March.

A question: does anyone have any suggestions about a safe place where the children could do cycling training (ie off road)? A big carpark for example? This could take place outside of work hours when the space is unused.

That's all for now. Please let us know if you have any thoughts about this. Otherwise, we will be in touch again when a bit more information has come to hand.

Kind regards

Liza and Lesley

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Amesbury Recycle take it home rubbish

Hi we are the Amesbury Recycling Inquiry group.

Earlier in the year, we were looking at how we could recycle at Amesbury.

We thought we could reduce so much of our rubbish at school (which flies around in the wind and attracts wasps) by limiting the amount of rubbish we bring with us in our lunchboxes. If people were to put their lunches in lunchboxes with compartments they wouldn't need things like gladwrap or chippie packets. For example, you could buy a big pack of chips instead of the little snack packets and just put them in one of the compartments in the lunchbox or in a separate small container.

This would work for a lot of foods, but we understand that it would be hard to have a completely 100% litter free lunchbox. So we thought that we could also become a "Take it Home School" - which means any rubbish we bring to school, we could take back home with us again. Kids wouldn't be allowed to put any rubbish in the outside bins, they would be expected to put it back into their lunchboxes.

These things would keep the school and the community cleaner. You could recycle more of your rubbish at home and maybe create it into something cool, and parents would also get a better idea of what their kids may or may not be eating.

Amesbury School is a 5 star green school, and we really care about the environment. Help us to save the world!

From the Amesbury Recycling Group

(Leni, Tom, Emily, and Kali)

End of year reporting on student achievement

Kia ora koutou

This BLOG post is to let you know how we will be reporting to you on student achievement for the rest of the year.

1. Student achievement data in reading, writing and maths is currently being collected
2. The matrices in reading, writing and maths will be updated based on evidence from testing as well as from the work done by students over the term.
3. Students' personal learning treaties will be updated
4. Student/teacher/parent conferences will take place Friday 2 November - Tuesday 6th November (see later for further details). These conferences will involve:
                *Students sharing their learning with parents
                *Looking at student progress on the matrices and in relation to the PLT
                *Setting new goals on the PLT which will take the student into the new year
5. At the end of the school year, a written report which includes overall teacher judgements in relation to National Standards with comments by teachers will be provided
6. A report on school-wide achievement will be provided early in 2013 and will include the school's next steps for development

Student/Teacher/Parent Conferences
The following days have been set aside for these:

Friday 2 November - 9am - 3pm
Monday 5 November - 9am - 7pm
Tuesday 6 November - 9am - 7pm

Instructions on how to book interviews will emailed shortly.
*Please note 5th November is the Northern Zone Athletics Day. Year 4 - 6 students who may be selected should book their interviews for one of the other days or after school.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Please note, we are still working on the development of an online reporting tool that will contain aspects of the current reporting process but will make receiving information about your child's learning much simpler and less daunting. We will also be seeking your views as we develop this tool.

Kind regards

Lesley

PPT PROJECTS – HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED AND HELP OUR SCHOOL

 The PPT (Partnership and Projects Team) had it’s second meeting mid-September.  A number of projects were considered and we are keen to get some of them underway. 
We would like to hear from anyone with particular areas of strength, skill or interest who may able to assist with the projects listed below.  In addition, anyone who is keen to be involved with a project(s), we would be grateful if you could let us know.  

The projects that have been considered to date are as follows:

 Designing School Leavers' Celebration (Year 6 students)
At the end of each school year, Amesbury School will farewell and celebrate the learning journey of our Year 6 students. 
Because we are a new school we don’t yet have a plan or tradition for the leavers' celebration, this is an opportunity for parents, caregivers and/or members of our school community to be involved in designing the leavers' celebration tradition. 
If you have particular skills associated with this type of planning and/or if this is something that appeals to you to be involved with please email Debbie Dunbar, debsdunbar@xtra.co.nz

Furnware Sponsorship
Furnware was the provider for the bulk of the fabulous furniture that can be seen throughout Amesbury School.   Part of the arrangement with Furnware was that they give back to the school by providing a $1500.00 learning scholarship each year for three years.
The general purpose of these funds is to assist or award students in our school.  We need to develop a policy and process for the allocation of that funding.  These funds could be used to recognise/provide for  things like:
·                     Academic achievement;
·                     Sports team funding (such as travel to an event);
·                     Music tuition;
·                     Holiday programme for sport, dance;
·                     Academic assistance;
·                     Leadership.
These are just some ideas for the use of the Furnware funds.  We would like to set up a group of parents/caregivers to consider how these funds should be best used. The group would need to consult with Furnware. If you would like to be involved in developing a policy for the use of funds or have any ideas about the allocation of funds please contact Lesley, email principal@amesbury.school.nz

Fundraising for Term 4 Camps
Term 4 camps are fast approaching and in order to reduce the costs to families we need to fundraise.
Given the timing, we need some easily arranged and effective fundraising ideas. 
We already have a sausage sizzle booked for Sunday 11 November at The Warehouse, Porirua. 
We are keen to explore further ideas such as a cake stall and perhaps a weekend event at Amesbury School, similar to a mini fair (car wash, food available, activities for kids, sports etc).
If you have any other ideas or are able to explore/be involved in some of the ideas mentioned please contact Debbie, debsdunbar@xtra.co.nz

Creative Group
Lesley, Fiona and Michael are working on how we can further nurture creativity in our school. Some of the strategies we are thinking about include:
·         having an artist-in-residence from time-to-time;
·         setting up the school so that art can be exhibited by local and other artists;
·         purchasing artworks - especially from artists who are just starting out;
·         providing more opportunities for students to "make and create" at lunchtimes, including outdoor equipment that students can use to make huts etc.
If there are parents who are excited by the idea of nurturing creativity and would like to join our "creativity group" please contact Lesley, Michael or Fiona.

Senior Playground Fundraising
We think it would be great to see a senior playground at Amesbury School and believe our students and the community would benefit enormously from this.
The cost of a senior playground is not yet established (we would have to obtain quotes/a design etc) but it is estimated the cost will be significant, upwards of $60,000.00.
To enable this project to happen we would like to establish a group to look at planning what steps need to be taken to get the idea underway.  Significant fundraising will be required but there are also grants that the school will be able to apply for.
Let us know by emailing Debbie (debsdunbar@xtra.co.nz) if:
·         You have experience or knowledge of grants processes/options;
·         You have any fundraising ideas;
·         You have design experience or ideas (this may be something our students could be involved in too);
·         You would like to be involved in this project in some way (big or small).

Publicity of Amesbury School
We think we have a great school and that more people should know about it!
It would be good to get the Amesbury School name out there a bit more, for example, in local community newspapers.
If you would like to be involved in PR for Amesbury school, have contacts or ideas about how we can increase the school profile, please contact Lesley, email principal@amesbury.school.nz

We look forward to hearing from you.
The PPT Co-ordinating Group

Monday, September 24, 2012

Jump Rope for Heart reminder


The Heart Foundation
A reminder that this Wednesday 26th September is the Jump Rope for Heart skip-a-thon. During the day each hub will have a opportunity for the kids to achieve their skipping goal using a range of different skipping styles. 
Afterwards each child will be given a small brown envelope to take home to collect any sponsorship money they have collected. All money must be brought in to school by Friday  28th September. At Friday's learning celebration there will be some prizes given out. Some smaller spot prizes will be given out on the day of the skip-a-thon. 

Friday, September 21, 2012

Harakeke Hub - Week 10 Top Shots

Week 10 in Koru- Everyone may be getting really tired but wow what an awesome and busy week.................

Community Notices for October 2012



St Brigid’s School in Johnsonville is having its school fair on Sunday, 11th November, 10.30am – 1.00pm.  There will be stalls including books, toys, clothes, bric-a-brac, food, spin-the-wheel, and fun for the kids including a bouncy castle, games and face painting.  9 Phillip Street, Johnsonville.  All very welcome.


Piano Lessons
Would your child like to have fun while learning the piano?
Contact Laurel: 021 2428 221 or laurelkimtse@gmail.com

Encore! School of Music offers excellent music lessons for a variety of instruments. They are offering a music scholarship that enables the recipient to learn an instrument of their choice throughout 2013. Applications close on 12 November 2012. www.encoreschoolofmusic.co.nz or 976 8742.





International Camp Opportunities - CISV (Children’s International Summer Villages) is a UNESCO accredited peace organisation.  Each year, CISV sends four or more delegations of Kiwi kids to international camps. While on camp our NZ representatives mix with children from up to 12 nations.  During their time at camp participants develop greater tolerance and understanding toward others. They gain confidence and skills in communication and leadership, all while having lots of fun.  Camp invitations for 2013 include: Mexico, Brazil, Norway, Indonesia and USA. To find out more, please come along to our Open Day: Sunday 28th October, 2pm – 4pm at Clyde Quay School, 27 Elizabeth St, Mt Victoria.   For more information contact Sophie Yeoman: call on 022 604 3678 or email at sophie.yeoman@gmail.com   Also visit www.cisvnz.org  



Newlands Junior Softball Club:

We still have places available in U11 Girls, U13 Girls and U13 Boys teams.

Experienced and New Players both, welcomed.

For more information or to register please contact Bernie on (04) 4989075 or email us at njsclub@gmail.com

Club Details available at www.sportsground.co.nz/newlandssoftball

_________________________________________________
Bigair Kids Gym are getting results! Reports from parents state an increase in children’s confidence and sense of achievement, and this is contributing to their achievement at school. Children work through levels 1-10, receiving a badge at each level they pass. Classes for Boys and Girls include Gravity Busters, Flipzone, Trampoline and Team Extreme. Call 232 3508 for a FREE Trial Now www.bigairgym.co.nz
_________________________________________________

Leaping Lizards School of Dance. Based at Amesbury School, Churton Park. Kids classes in Jazz, Funk & Zumbatomic®. Adult dance & Pilates also available. Enrol now for term 4!! 
Contact Lorna for more information on 021 177 0685  lorna@leaping-lizards.co.nz 
or check out the website www.leaping-lizards.co.nz 


                                Little School
Private Preschool for children aged 2 to 5 years in Kelburn and Khandallah.
16mths to 5 years in Churton Park
NEW HOURS 8:30am to 5:30pm at Churton Park and Kelburn
Ph: 475 8710 or email enrolments@littleschool.co.nz

Step Family Success Workshop
Do you or your partner have children from a previous relationship? 
Don’t miss this opportunity to receive practical strategies and help children adjust to step family life.  Past attendees have found this extremely beneficial.
When: Saturday 3rd November 2012, 9am to 4pm
Venue: Johnsonville Community Centre, 3 Frankmoore Ave, Johnsonville  
Limited spaces available.  Register now to secure your place! 
Visit: www.blendedfamilyfocus.com/workshop Email Adele: adele@BlendedFamilyFocus.com Phone: 021 404 742


DancePointe Academy has commenced Classical Ballet classes at Amesbury School Hall on Wednesday afternoons for pre-schoolers from 3½yrs to children of 11years of age.  Children are welcome to join a class as a free trial. All children participate in end of year concert on November 24th.
For information regarding class times, ages/levels/enrolments or general information, phone
Sharon Vanesse    021-211 222     04-233 9773

“For up-to-date information on the exciting developments in the suburb of Churton Park including, the new Churton Park Village, the new Westchester Drive link, section releases and promotions.