Kia ora te whānau,
The same arrangements apply below
This is always a much anticipated and fun event. Last year we were able to have all parents attending come back over to school for some kai and a drink following (we hold the event on Ross Percy’s paddock on the other side of Thomas Road). This year we are going to run a sausage sizzle following the event and all whānau are invited. We will not be having the school lunches this day.
The event will be held at 12:00pm with the sausage sizzle from 12:45pm. Further details and information will be coming via HERO.
Funds raised will contribute towards the overnight stay in Wellington for our Year 7/8 students (as part of the young leaders’ day).
Firstly whānau, I want to acknowledge the fact that most children's attendance is excellent and where it should be. I also acknowledge at this time there are some nasty bugs around and if your child is unwell, they need to be at home.
Overall attendance at schools in New Zealand has been declining since around 2015. One of the key initiatives from the Ministry of Education is to raise attendance rates across the board. Attendance is a complex issue and is more than just a child being absent from school, and the strategy is a multifaceted approach to address it. I have attached the attendance strategy below for your information.
The attendance targets outlined here are very achievable in our Dalefield context however I will be working with families to support increased uptake where this is a concern. Whilst our overall attendance figures (Term 1 this year) are at 90%, as a school I need to ensure that all students’ attend regularly and the 90% target is reflected across all children. Our school’s strategic goal under hauora refers directly to improved attendance being a result of this focus.
Here again is a copy of the strategic and annual plan for our school. This gives a clear outline as to the direction we are taking and articulates the part we all play and our priorities. As you can see it is an exciting year ahead and myself and the staff look forward to working with you on our journey.
The majority of the main works are completed and we’re certainly enjoying the new spaces. We’re also opening up the carpark at lunchtimes (teacher supervision and access coned off), for scooters, roller skates and small bikes - this has proved to be a real hit for our younger students especially, as solid surfaces haven’t been a feature of our playgrounds. The concrete wall on the western side of the pool is going to be demolished and replaced with a solid timber fence. As this work will be major, the contractors will be completing this in the next school holidays.
I also want to let all of the amazing whānau who’ve offered to help out that you certainly haven’t been forgotten. We’ve done a lot of behind the scenes work with organisations that can support us with planting and playground timber/materials etc. as well as planning for the trees that will support our native ecosystem mahi. I/we will be in touch with all of you who have offered support, next week, to let you know where we’re at and our next steps.
Sausage sizzle, pink shirt day and fire engines!
Super excited children queue for their sausage and cake at lunchtime today. It’s been a while since we’ve had one of these and by all accounts it was a huge success. William, Bella, Alex and Ben did an amazing job processing the 70+ orders at lunchtime. Thank you Karl for your help in the kitchen today too.
Pink shirt day at Dalefield was also a roaring success with our assembly today, a sea of pink.
Thank you Daniel and other volunteers for turning up with a fire engine this afternoon. It was great to have this here after the firewire mahi yesterday in Waihakeke!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Ngā mihi nui,
Eric Daubé
Tumuaki
