Newsletter 6 March 2025

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Principal’s Message:

Dear families, I hope you are all continuing to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather. Children are well into their routines at school and I can see they’re engaging with getting into the specific learning areas. I do a walk through most classrooms each week to see how they are going as well as pop in to teach a class whenever I get the opportunity to do so. I was lucky enough to spend a bit of time in Tūī B this week, teaching writing.

Staffing News: Lisa Davies

It is with sadness and (excitement for Lisa!) that she has decided to move closer to her home and take up a Deputy Principal position in the community she lives in. Lisa has given so much to our students, staff and wider community in the four years she has been at Takapuna Primary and she will be missed. We are proud to have had an influence in her career and wish her all the best for the next adventure! Lisa will take up her new position starting Term 2.

Important Curriculum Updates and changes to Reporting for 2025:

As you may be aware, all schools are working from two new refreshed curriculum documents, English and Mathematics from 2025. The Ministry of Education has yet to provide teachers and schools with specific guidance on ‘Assessment and Reporting’ This delay has resulted in schools having to wait for more guidance. Due to this, we have made the decision to send a written report (shared via Hero) at the end of Term 2 and an updated end of year report at the end of Term 4 (shared via Hero), with the assumption that additional information will be released by then. We will look to review our reporting to parents this year and seek feedback on this.

Upcoming Events and Important Dates:  

School Board Meeting: Monday 24 March. If you’re interested in finding out about how a school operates and want to make a valuable contribution to our school, please consider joining our Board. You can find out more by emailing board@tps.school.nz

TPS Annual Culture Week: Monday 17 March to Friday 21 Friday, our cultural parade day will be on Tuesday 18 March. A reminder to new families that we ask all children to dress up in traditional clothing associated with a child’s family, history or traditional connections. More information will be shared soon.

Teacher-Only Day: This is the first Ministry of Education Curriculum Day and will be on Friday, 11 April (last day of Term 1). The second day for the year is confirmed as Friday 30 May (weekend of King’s Birthday). 

Health and Safety Updates:

After hours we have had a few young people hang around, especially on Friday afternoons. Last week, the gates were damaged and scooters left behind by our children were stolen. We also had a person from our Community notify us of some teenagers climbing on the roof and our shade sail.

Before School and After school: Reminder, please make sure children have a plan for 3:00pm,  I encourage children to be at school before 9:00am, there is no adequate teacher supervision before school unless they are enrolled with Kelly Club before-school programme.

School and Community News: 

Shore to Shore: We are excited that families are registering for this wonderful community event. I look forward to seeing you there on Sunday 6 April. Our SCG (School Community Group) are a wonderful team of parents who will be meeting us at the end of our walk.

Spotlight Learner:

This is Angeline, she has done an amazing job of her writing this week. We have integrated our Inquiry into writing to learn about the first people who voyaged to New Zealand over a 1000 years ago.

Parent drop-in sessions:

We would like to offer a few sessions for parents to come along and chat with the Principal (and/or a member of our senior leadership team) to ask questions or discuss general school-related topics. This will suit parents who have general wonders or are curious to find out more about education. The purpose would be an informal occasion to better understand our school and a bonus would be for families to meet each other in a group setting.

We plan for the first session to be Friday 7 March at 8:30am in our school staffroom (by the office). Come and join me for tea/coffee. Feel free to email me devikat@tps.school.nz if you have any questions or thoughts.

Please note: we will not be talking about any students, teachers or families. This is not a feedback session, you are welcome to make time to discuss this with me directly.

Regards, Devika and the TPS team  

Rangitoto Observer Newspaper Pics

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY FRIDAY 21 MARCH!

Medical:

Please note, if your child is vomitting or vomitted at school and sent home, they must NOT come to school until they have stopped vomitting for a full 24 hours.

Part Payments in Hero:

Great news! Part payments are now available in Hero. If you would like to pay for larger items by instalments or split payments between caregivers, this can now be done through Hero.

Simply select the item(s) and click through to the next page. From here you can adjust the payment amount (minimum of $10.00).

SCHOOL DONATIONS – an investment in our students

Our mission at Takapuna Primary School is to deliver a great quality learning environment that supports a quality education. To support this, we are seeking your help.

Your school donations make a very real difference to us as a state-funded public school. Our basic costs are met by the Ministry of Education, but it’s the money we receive from our school community that really allows us to provide opportunities, equipment and teaching beyond what is funded by the government. As an example, we would like to undertake further enhancements including sun shades, and also to enable wet weather use. This funding is therefore so important in providing a high-quality learning environment (both in and out of the classroom).

The school donation for 2025 is $250 per student, or $400 for families with two or more students. We can arrange weekly, fortnightly, or monthly instalments via internet banking if this helps spread the cost. Importantly, donations are tax deductible so approximately one third of every donation can be claimed back as a tax credit. That means for a $250 donation you receive $83 back in your wallet. Your actual donation cost is $167.

To make your donation payments please go to the ‘Hero’ app and click on the ‘Finance’ tab. Alternatively, any payments can also be made directly into the school bank account 12 3026 0792484 00 – if doing so, please ensure you include your child’s name and ‘donation’ as reference on the payment.

We do understand these are uncertain times and managing financial priorities can be difficult for some families. 

Any queries regarding payments can be directed to our accounts team: accounts@tps.school.nz

If you would like to know more about how the School Board operates and/or would be interested in understanding how else you can help, please contact: takapunaboard@tps.school.nz 

Thanks so much for helping to support our growing and vibrant community.

Kindest regards

Takapuna Primary School Board 

TPS SPORTS

Harcourts Cooper & Co Shore to Shore – Registrations are open NOW

Date – Sunday 6th April                Entries close on March 31st

Registrations are open for Shore to Shore Fun Run & Walk 2025

Register Here Click on ‘Register’  then click on “School Registration’ then look for Takapuna Primary School and follow the process. All registered runners who complete the ‘fun run/walk’ get to enjoy a free sausage/ice block at the TPS tent at Milford Reserve.

Any queries please contact Valerie at sports@tps.school.nz 

TPS Run Club 

Meets every Wednesday morning at 8:05am by the Collins Street gates.

We have had the best turnout of tamariki from Year 2 to Year 6. Thank you to runners and running guides for your support.

If you want to join us please contact Valerie at sports@tps.school.nz 

TPS Swimming Clusters Squad

Congratulations to the following swimmers who will be representing TPS at the swimming clusters on Wednesday 19th March, 9:30-11:00am at TPS pool.

Claire, Darren, Fionn, Sophie, Scarlett, Emmeline, Iris, Nadia, Devon, Eric, Arya, Mila, Martin, Yoyo, David and Cindy. You are all committed and currently training once a week in the school pool. Good luck and enjoy the swimming meet.

TPS Basketball Roundup

Thank you to North Harbour Basketball for running two after school coaching clinics at TPS this week. The four registered teams will get to develop their basketball skills and learn new drills.

All the best to Takapuna Alley Oops, Takapuna Hawks, Takapuna Tigers and Takapuna Slam Dunkers for your first competition game next week

Splash Polo Roundup

Takapuna Splashes had their first splash polo game on Sunday at AUT Millennium pool. Thank you to the supporters and managers who said “they were very impressed with their commitment to giving it a good go” Have fun for the rest of the season and good luck for your two games this Sunday coming.

TPS Cricket Tournament

Last Tuesday 25th February, our TPS Cricket team took on other North Shore schools at Onewa Domain. Thank you so much to the parents that accompanied the team and supported them throughout the day.

What a great team of cricketers we have! Our team managed to finish second place. They had a lot of fun!

Sports Notices

Netball Season 2025 – please check the Hero notices for Term 2 netball information

Gymnastics – NHG Gymnastics Schools Competition – if your child is interested in competing in this competition please contact Valerie at sports@tps.school.nz

Colour Dash

This Sunday!

MATHS CORNER

On Friday, our Learning Leaders spent a day developing their understanding of the latest Mathematics Curriculum and exploring different ways to implement it.

One concept we looked at was the difference between open and closed tasks. Closed tasks have one solution, open tasks have multiple solutions and are designed to develop a student’s ability to recognize patterns and relationships as they investigate and solve maths problems.

Here is one example

IMPORTANT DATES

Friday 7 March                    Drop in Sessions TOMORROW (8:30am Staffroom)

Friday 21 March                  2025 Ballot Applications CLOSE (year 0/1 & 2 only)

Wednesday 2 April              One to One Conferences

Thursday 3 April                  One to One Conferences

Thursday 10 April                End of Term 1 (3:00pm) pizza/wheels/non-uniform day

Friday 11 April                     Teacher Only Day (NO school)

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Monday 28 April                 Term 2 begins

Friday 30 May                      Teacher Only Day (NO school)

Click here for School Calendar

2025 Term Dates

COMMUNITY NOTICES

• Run on the Runway: Experience the thrill of running or walking on the North Shore Airport runway! It’s an exciting opportunity to enjoy this unique space while connecting with your community.
• For All Ages and Abilities: Whether you’re an experienced runner, walking with your family, or just looking to have some fun, we have race categories for all ages and fitness levels, including a family-friendly fun run!
• Support Our Community Projects: The Runway Run is all about giving back. Funds raised will support various community projects.
   

• Register for the Run: Don’t miss out! Sign up today and take part in this exciting event while helping raise funds for our community.
• Spread the Word: include the flyer in your school newsletters and encourage families to sign up for this great opportunity.