School Newsletter - 10th April 2024

A Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Term 1 Reflection

Wow, what another fulfilling term. My reflection on the incredible journey of learning and growth at Kohimarama School is that we are wholeheartedly committed to quality education, with students at the heart of everything that we do. This has led to positive outcomes and achievements for all our students.

In the latter half of this last week, we have the opportunity to celebrate the learning of your children, our students. In particular sharing assessments and how these have been used to inform the next learning goals. I hope that you have taken up this important opportunity because where the school and parents work together in the learning of each student, then success will follow. From academic milestones to creative endeavours, each achievement is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our students, supported wholeheartedly by our parent and teacher community.

Our Kohimarama School curriculum is based on solid research and international best practices. We take pride in offering a learning experience that is deeply enriching, that allows students to dream and create and to be inspired and empowered.

Our school ethos, embodied in The Kohimarama Way, places values and dispositions at the core of everything we do. It's not just about what we teach; it's about nurturing a mindset of curiosity, resilience, empathy, and excellence that prepares our students for a dynamic future.

We extend our gratitude to our parents for your support, to our teachers for their passion and commitment, and most importantly, to our students for their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. Together, we create a vibrant learning community that continually reflects, refines, and implements great pedagogy.

As we look forward to the next term, let's continue to uphold the values that define us, inspire greatness and foster a culture of lifelong learning.

Atkin House Colour Day

Just before Easter we had our first House Colour Day for the year. Atkin House members swamped the school in green and earned lots of points for their house. The Atkin House Captains, Hamish and Tayla, did a fantastic job running activities during the Big Break for all who wanted to join in, with support from Khoi and Tara (as our other two fabulous Atkin House Captains were away). Everyone had lots of fun - check out the photos and the videos!

Go Atkin!

Student Fundraiser for our World Vision child Nurnobi

Wow!  What a fabulous array of colours and traditional dress at school on Monday for our Student fundraiser.  Thank you to all those who participated by dressing up and giving money to keep Nurnobi fed, educated and healthy for another year.  We raised just over $800.  Thanks also to our Student Councillors for initiating the idea of traditional dress due to Nrunobi living in Bangladesh and counting all the money that came in, what a job that was!

Congratulations Jamie C

Congratulation to Jamie C, for his significant achievements attained in his interest in rocketry recently. Jamie achieved his NZRA (New Zealand Rocketry Association) Level 1 Certification in High Power Rocketry on 2 March 2024. This is significant as he is one of only three children his age in the country ever, to do so. Secondly last weekend, he was awarded the ‘Junior Rocketry Achievement’ trophy for 2024 by NZRA. Well done Jamie!

Hillary Team - Art Gallary Trip

Hillary Team had an amazing outing at the Auckland Art Gallery and City Library this week. We had the opportunity to look at different art work and famous artists like Picasso and Monet. We also were able to be artists and design and build our own sculptures . It was a fun day with lots of opportunities to learn. 
Thank you to our parent helpers on the day. 

Tread Lightly

Over the last two weeks of this term all classes will be able to engage in the Tread Lightly education programme. They have been learning about how everyday choices impact the environment, and what we can do to make a difference to our planet.

Here is some of our learning - 

• supermarkets and malls. If you put plastic bottles in the rubbish bin they will stay there forever. If you can scrunch plastic up it’s called soft plastic. 
• Oil and rubbish should never go in the sea. Fish can’t see very well because of all the litter and sometimes the water is a different colour because of the pollution. We need to keep the water clean.
• Some beautiful forests are cut down to make a landfill which may or may not be needed.
• Hair dryers use a lot of energy.
• Some plastics don’t decay
• Some rubbish doesn’t disappear even after 100 years
• We can donate things that we don’t use to be used.
• Our waterways are easily contaminated
• Barbies don’t decompose

What changes can you make that will have a positive impact on our Environment?

• THINK  before you use, can it be reused?
•  THINK before you purchase. Do you really need?  Is there an alternative?
• Turns lights off when not in use
• Reuse whatever we can.
• Pick up 3 pieces of paper whenever you are out and about, at school, at the park, at the beach etc
• Turn off appliances at the wall.
• Ride my bike, or scooter or walk when travelling short distances.
• Start a vegetable garden.
• Buy fruit and vegetables grown in NZ.
• Turn off the tap when brushing my teeth.
• Use containers or paper instead of plastic wrap.

Students Leaving

As we begin our classroom planning for 2025, we ask those families who have made plans and have a student who will be leaving Kohimarama School at the end of 2024 school year to complete this form.  The last day of school is 17 December 2024.
Note: The form does not need to be completed for Year 8 students.
Many thanks for your support in assisting us with our advance planning.

Enrolments

If your child was born in 2019 or 2020, you live in our school zone and you would like your child to attend Kohimarama School would you please get in touch with Helen O'Brien hobrien@kohimarama.school.nz  to let her know and fill in an enrolment form.  We must know of students who will be starting at our school in plenty of time.

Messages from the Second-Hand Uniform Coordinator

STARTING TERM 2 orders will be filled weekly. We will confirm orders by Thursday each week and fill them on Friday mornings. You will still be able to view the inventory anytime and place your order at your convenience by emailing item, size, quality, and quantity to uniforms@kohimarama.school.nz. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

NOW IS A GREAT TIME to check the sizes of your winter uniform items ahead of an in-person sale next term. Any uniform items  you'd like to donate can be dropped off to the school office during office hours (8:30am to 3:30pm, M-F). Thank you! 

The Good George Mission Bay - Kids Eat Free

KOHIMARAMA PRIMARY EXCLUSIVE: THE GOOD GEORGE WANT TO LOOK AFTER US OVER THESE HOLIDAYS AHEAD! 

Sports News

Swimming Events

Kohimarama School Swimming Sports.
We held the Kohimarama School event at Sacred Heart on March 15, for our Yr 5-8 students. The placegetters were:

Team Results
Ist place Yr 6 Boys 4x25m Freestyle Relay. (Ollie C, Bill L, Theo R, Franklin O)2nd place Yr 5 Girls 4x25m Freestyle Relay (Poppy M, Amelia A, Lilian T, Zara F)

Individual Results
Ist place Yr 5/6 Boys Open 4x25m Individual Medley. Ollie C2nd place Yr 6 Boys 25m Breaststroke. Bill L3rd place Yr 5/6 Boys Open 50m Freestyle. Ollie C
3rd place Yr 5/6 Boys Open 25m Butterfly. Ollie C
3rd place Yr 6 Boys 25m Freestyle. Ollie C3rd place Yr 6 Boys 25m Breaststroke. Ollie C

Sport Results

Flippa Ball & Mini Polo Results

• Bearded Dragons
  Loss 2-6. POD Alfie J
• Kinas
  Loss 1-7. POD Stella R
• Sharks
  Draw 3-3. POD Zara F & Maxi
• Blue Bottles
  Loss 3-10. POD Dario L

Policies and Procedures

To see the Student Images Policy, follow the link below;

This policy is to ensure that parents and caregivers are aware that photos of students cannot be taken during activities on a normal school day as this is a breach of privacy for some students.  Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Community Notices