School Newsletter - 21st February 2024

A Message from the Principal

Good afternoon Parents and Caregivers

Thank you to all those who have followed up with seeking permission for a phone or smartwatch for your child to be allowed at school. These devices are, as per our policy, off during the school day.  Our policy can be found in School Docs- Kohimarama. 

Completion of the Fencing Project 

Our fencing project has finally come to an end. 

The purpose of referencing was to secure the property for our students and to define our boundaries around the school. We thank all those involved in the design and construction of the fence, stone pillars and wall.

Signcraftsmen have now placed our school name on the stonewall at the corner of Rawhitiroa and Kohimarama Roads. They have manufactured and installed this stainless steel sign at cost price. Thank you.

The naming of our school with our establishment date gives us our Turangawaiwai, our place as a community of learners in Kohimarama.

Trial Evacuation

We will be running a trial evacuation this week to ensure that our systems are in place for this year and that our processes are practised. It's a requirement that we do this regularly to ensure that we can evacuate the more than 490 students and staff in less than 4 minutes.

Invitation

 As you will be aware, students will be talking about ‘who they are as a learner in 2024’. This will be undertaken in their classrooms between 5 and 6pm on Tuesday 27th February This is also an opportunity to meet the teacher and other parents in your child's class.

So come along, be a part of the learning by hearing and supporting your child’s way of learning in 2024. It's only an hour on Tuesday evening, so we are hoping to have you come along and be part of the learning journey this year.

An hour of Reading, Writing and Mathematics each day.

As a high achieving learning community,  Kohimarama School Integrates an hour of reading, writing, and mathematics across our curricula, along with the explicit teaching of these areas. This strategy promotes high achievement levels across these areas. I have placed the 2023 end of year results for Mathematics, Reading Comprehension and Writing below;

Mathematics, End of Year result 2023

Reading , End of Year result 2023

Writing, End of Year result 2023

These results are excellent and demonstrate an effective pedagogy (Science of Learning) practised by our teaching staff.

Teaching the core requirements of each subject and then integrating this across our subjects (curriculum) has many benefits;

• Our Kohimarama School students develop a broad understanding of concepts and their applications across different curriculum areas. For example, when completing science activities, students can read and write about scientific concepts while also applying mathematical principles to solve problems.
• Reading, writing, and mathematics are fundamental components of critical thinking. Integrating these activities encourages our students to analyse information, formulate arguments, and solve problems effectively. Students in Snell Team complete their preparation for further learning (Secondary School) through learning to evaluate evidence, make logical connections, and communicate their ideas clearly using our Kohimarama Way and Learning dispositions.
• Integration helps students enhance their vocabulary, comprehension skills, and writing proficiency. When integrated with Mathematics, our students also learn to interpret mathematical language and communicate mathematical ideas effectively. They are also able to articulate their reasoning processes.
• Integrating across different subjects allows our students to see the practical applications of reading, writing and mathematics skills in real-world contexts or inquiry. 
• We use a variety of learning activities to keep our students engaged and motivated. Integrating Reading, Writing, and Mathematics across the curriculum offers diverse opportunities for learning, catering to different learning styles and interests.
• Mathematics involves problem-solving, and integrating it with reading and writing encourages students to approach problems from multiple perspectives. They learn to apply analytical and creative thinking skills to solve complex problems.
• Integrating Reading, Writing and Mathematics activities provides teachers with rich opportunities for assessment and feedback. They can assess students' comprehension, analytical skills, and mathematical proficiency through various tasks such as reading responses, writing assignments, and problem-solving exercises.

At Kohimarama School, integrating Reading, Writing, and Mathematics across our curriculum creates a connected learning experience that not only promotes high achievement levels but also fosters critical thinking, language development, within real-world applications. It also promotes strong problem-solving skills across all our students.

Kohimarama Band - Woodwind section full

Thank you to all the parents who have supported our students in signing up to be part of our school Band for 2024.  For all of the first term, students will be learning their instruments, the Band will be formed later this year.   The woodwind section of our Band is now completely filled, we are not talking any more flute, clarinet or saxophone students.

Roll Return 2024

Twice a year, in March and July, all schools in New Zealand are required to furnish the Ministry of Educationwith a Roll Return detailing all students enrolled at their schools. This Return determines our funding and staffing for the remainder of the school year. If your child is going to be absent or late for any reason on Friday 1st March 2024, the office will require a letter or email from a parent/gaurdian justifying the student's absence from school. This correspondence is to be to the School Office at office@kohimarama.school.nz Thank you in advance 

2024 School Swimming Sports (Yrs 5-8)

Our school swimming event is scheduled for Monday March 4. More information to follow in upcoming newsletters. At this stage we seek parents to act as timekeepers. If you can assist, please email dforbes@kohimarama.school.nz. 

Scholatic Orders - Issue 1

Scholastic orders for Issue 1 close on 23 February.

Enviro: Eco-Warriors

Congratulations to the following students who have been chosen to represent their classes as an Eco-Warrior.

• Room 1 – George, Zac
• Room 2 – Remy, Leah
• Room 3 – Clementine, Arlo
• Room 6 – Jaina, Daniel
• Room 8 – Maya, Betania
• Room 16 – Luke, Tessa
• Room 17 – Scarlett, Isabella
• Room 25 – Remi, Arianna
• Room 26 –Tallulah, Mia
• Room 11 – Ethan, Max
• Room 12 – Ella, Declan
• Room 13 – Sophie, Meila
• Room 14 – Chloe G, Chloe J
• Room 15 – Noah, Emma
• Room 18 – Jonny, Lily
• Room 19 – Claire, Jennifer
• Room 20 – Imogen P, Huxley W
• Room 21 – Charlie, Lithuli
• Room 22 – Isabella G, Isabella R
• Room 23 – Emily, Ivanna

The Eco-Warriors led both the Junior and Senior Assemblies last Friday. Here are some 'Key messages' from the assemblies.

• Rubbish Free - that's our goal, pick up Rubbish whenever you see it. (Wouldn't it be great if there was no rubbish to be found when classes did rubbish duty)
• Wrapper Free lunches every day (not just a Friday) - lunch wrappers make up a big part of our school rubbish that goes to the landfill.
• Please take your lunch rubbish home if you're able.
• Recycling bins in classes (yellow or blue) are for all recyclables not just paper
• Recycling rules have changed - Plastics must have a 1, 2 or 5 on them, no lids, no yoghurt containers
• Sushi containers must be empty to be recycled.  Soya sauce bottle and leftover sushi into the red bin.
• Pizza boxes must go home and then empty boxes into your home recycling.
• Reuse - milk bottle tops, plastic lids, yoghurt pots etc can be reused. Save them up and bring them to school.

Here is the video from Auckland City Council shown at the assembly.

Certificates & Awards

Congratulations to these outstanding students:

• Room 1 – Sawyer F, Sebastian D
• Room 2 – Charlie S, Alice Z
• Room 3 – Zoey R, Rosa K
  
• Room 6 – Arla C, Archie P
• Room 8 – Ayda A, Raffi C
• Room 16 – Oliver G, Anna H
• Room 17 – Isabella M, Jenny W
• Room 25 – Audrey K, Gabriel Z
• Room 26 – Iris H, Cormac R
• Room 11 – Ethan P, Kane T
• Room 12 – Yang S, Robbie C
• Room 13 – Paz A, Molly K
• Room 14 – Damen A
• Room 15 – Sky L, Savelii N
• Room 18 – Ethan A, Jonny M
• Room 19 – Hunter R, Harry B
• Room 20 – Dash B, Isla D
• Room 21 – Asher P, Caesar G
• Room 22 – Oscar H, Isabella G
• Room 23 – Lachlan F, Amy D
  

Caught Being Good  -  "Greenies"

What a great start to our school year, with students playing positively on the playground together and supporting the students who are new to our school this year.  Our fortunate Kohimarama students this fortnight are:

• Luca              Rm 2            for Reliability            Patteson
• Lyila              Rm 2            for Friendliness        Selwyn
• Florence      Rm 17          for Friendliness        Colenso
• Chloe            Rm 13           for Reliability            Colenso
• Harriet         Rm 14          for Reliability            Colenso
• Freddie        Rm 15           for Respect                Colenso

Sport Results

Flippa Ball & Mini Polo Results

• Bearded Dragons
  Loss 4-5. POD Maxi M
• Kinas
  Loss 0-4. POD Stella R
• Sharks
  Win 5-2. POD Poppy M & Zara F
• Blue Bottles
  Win 7-2 & Loss 1-6. POD Viggo H & Dario L

Policies and Procedures

To see the Child Protection Policy follow thie link below

Community Notices