Tēnā Koutou, Talofa Lava, Malo e Lelei, Namaste, Ni sa bula, Noaia’e mauri, Fakalofa lahi atu, Kia Orana, Ni Hao, An Nyung Ha Sai Yo, Nay Ho, Hej, Hallo, Sawat Dee, Cześć, Goeie Dag, សួស្តី, Здравствуйте, hola, 안녕하세요Greetings to our school families.

Term 3 is very much the “engine room” of learning in schools. The kids are well settled into their classes and social settings, they are all well underway with their learning focus, and now is the time that they really push on to see big gains in deeper understanding and application of knowledge. I’ve just had a constant rail of little people to my office this morning, coming to share their writing, and proud of what they can do. The biggest gift we can give kids is not just to teach them how, but to encourage them to believe that they can.

That being said, there’s still much to look forward to in Term 3, outside the structures of the classroom. The Senior Team will head off on planting days to continue the considerable difference that we have made in the local environment over the years. The Conservationist Enrichment Group, and a number of Year 3 & 4 students head off to Tiritiri Matangi Island next week – fingers crossed for fine weather! Term 3 is also the time for a number of Inter School events, namely Hockey (Yr 5 & 6), Cross Country (all ages) and Speeches (Year 4 – 6).

Our school wide focus this term is Tūrangawaewae. Tūrangawaewae is one of the most well-known and powerful Māori concepts. Literally tūranga (standing place), waewae (feet), often translated as ‘a place to stand’.  Tūrangawaewae are places where we feel a sense of belonging, empowerment and connection. They are our foundation, our place in the world, our home.

Our Value for Term 3 is Honesty, Pono.

  • Honesty is telling what really happened.
  • Honesty is telling the truth.
  • When I feel honest, I feel clear inside.
  • When I am honest, I can learn and help others to be giving.

Ngā mihi nui,

Kathryn Ramel

Principal

School Diary

Week 3: Mon 31 July – Fri 4 Aug

  • Tues 01.08 Inter School Hockey (Yr 5 & 6)
  • Weds 02.08 Kāhui Ako Police presentation on Cyber Safety 5pm parents & whanau welcome (Senior Constables John Walker & Bryan Ward)
  • Wed 02.08 Shoreline Conservation (Enrichment Group) 11.30-1.00

Week 4: Mon 7 Aug – Fri 11 Aug

  • Tues 08.08 Senior School Planting Day at Scandrett 
  • Weds 09.08 Tiritiri Matangi Island trip- Conservationists and some Yr 3/4’s
  • Thurs 10.08 Horizon College Open Evening 6pm
  • Fri 11.08 Full School Assembly. Rimu Block

Week 5: Mon 14 Aug – Fri 18 Aug

  • Weds 16.08 SBS Cross Country
  • Fri 18.08 SBS Cross Country (saving day)

Welcome to our new students – we hope you enjoy your time at our school!

Joplin B, Jackson E, Isla H, George M, Doulos N, Braxton P, Jackson P, Etta S, Rose S, Kortez R and Ryder R

Our SBS PTA are rocking it!

You will have heard that the Quiz Night at the end of Term 2 was a resounding success, raising $21,000 for our school. It really was a great night, and the dress ups were next level. We need to acknowledge the 80’s aerobics crew, complete with Jazzercise routine, Top Gun complete with plane, the Wizard of Oz (esp Miss “Yellow Brick Rd”) and the overall winners “The Simpsons” who were utterly brilliant. This week’s PTA Barbie Movie event at Matakana Cinemas raised a further $650 for SBS as well – thanks so much everyone. It’s really hard to articulate what a huge difference that this makes for our school and our kids. 

NZ Police Cyber Safety Information Evening – Wednesday 2 August @ 5pm in SBS hall.  

Join Senior Constables John Walker and Bryan Ward in a fun and informative session as they discuss cybersafety for you and your kids. They will share some hacks on how to make things a little easier for you as a parent with regard to the internet, social media and apps- and they will explain a little about the Harmful Digital communication act is and how it relates to you.

The SBS Cross Country is on its way……mud bath alert

You will see in the school diary above that our annual SBS Cross Country event is coming up in 3 weeks. The kids have been training for this all term, and our competitive runners are looking forward to qualifying for the Inter School event.

Cross Country is a winter sport – it’s inherently different to road running in the sense that part of the challenge is negotiating slippery, uneven terrain. Our Cross Country event will go ahead wherever possible, unless rain is directly forecast on the day, as the kids get too cold before and after their races, and this becomes a safety issue. That being said, our fields have never been wetter, so we know that the event will likely be a mud bath. We STRONGLY recommend that all Year 0 – 4 students run in bare feet – honestly, some shoes never re-emerged from the mud last year. Year 5 & 6 students need to wear shoes as they run out of the school grounds to meet the required distance, but you need to consider in advance wearing older shoes and possibly taping these on.

Students will be given a list of required gear closer to the event, and we will include some water troughs here at school for washing down legs etc. And really, who doesn’t like an excuse to slide in the mud!

Tuakana-Teina (Older-Younger) Year 6’s teaching our littlest students

Our Year 6’s recently welcomed our littlest SBS kids from Rātā 1 to show them their camp models. It’s always so evident how much our little kids look up to the big ones, and it’s so empowering for our Year 6’s to feel proud of the knowledge that they have to share.

SBS Matariki Celebrations

It was lovely to have so many friends and family in the school to celebrate Matariki last Friday. It was a nice opportunity for wider family members to spend some time in classes, get to know the kids and our staff, and really feel connected. We have to acknowledge the teachers who had all significantly lifted their soup making skills this year, with very little leftovers. And a massive thank you to Ainsley Cole, master baker at the new Pak n Save, for absolutely smashing the baking of 500 buns, which were the hit of the day. (The kids would have eaten 1000 if we’d had them!)

Snells Beach Community Night – SBRRA (Snells Beach Ratepayers & Residents Assoc)

We really are better together, so let’s celebrate and showcase all things local to Snells Beach and the Mahurangi East Peninsula at the “SNELLS BEACH COMMUNITY NIGHT!”

SBRRA (Snells Beach Ratepayers & Residents Assoc )and other volunteer members of the community are excited to extend a warm invitation to you and your group to join us for a fun and positive community evening.  Our aim is to bring visibility and support to all things local while enjoying food, music, games, bouncy castles, rock climbing walls, lawn games and more!  There will be something for all ages and all interests and we look forward to creating a positive and uplifting night.  We will ask attendees if they would like to voluntarily participate in a short questionnaire about what vision they might have for Snells Beach.  Any completed questionnaires will receive entry into a prize basket from local businesses.

We sincerely value the involvement of your group in making this event a resounding success. Your presence and participation will contribute significantly to the collective spirit of community and pride in Snells Beach that we aim to foster. Whether it be through hosting a booth, showcasing your talents, sharing informational material, or offering interactive experiences, we encourage you to participate in a way that best aligns with your group’s mission and objectives.  If you are unable to participate in this way, we invite you to provide a poster or signage (A3-A4) with information about your group for us to display.

  • Details
  • Date: Friday, August 18th, 2023
  • Time: 4:30 – 8:30pm
  • Venue: The Warehouse Building – Snells Beach

Together, we can make Community Night an unforgettable experience that showcases the heart and soul of our town.  We look forward to seeing you there!

To confirm your participation via email to:  SnellsBeachCommunityNight@gmail.com or text 027 636 1536. We kindly request that you confirm by Friday, August 11th to facilitate event planning and logistics.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

  • Live music from a local favourite LOU LOU
  • DJ Kurt (when LOULOU is on break)
  • Bouncy Castles
  • Face Paint
  • Lawn games
  • Hang out spaces
  • Group, Clubs etc area – tables and booths
  • Business alley – signage and information to show local businesses
  • FOOD – The Food Market – Sushi, Ice Cream, Coffee, Treats, and Hot Pizza (for purchase)

Warkworth Scout Group

If going on awesome adventures, playing heaps of games, learning life skills, doing arts and crafts, making lots of friends sounds like your child, Warkworth Scout Group is offering free taster sessions for Kea and Cubs.

  • When:           Friday -during term time
  • Where:          Warkworth Scout Den Hall, Shoesmith Road, Warkworth
  • Times:            Keas (5-8 Years)from 4:45 pm to 5:45pm,  Cubs from ( 8-11 Years) 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
  • Contact         Group Leader – Ian Grant 021 755 667

https://scouts.nz/groups/warkworth-scout-group/

FrostFit Boot Camp

We had a great turnout for the first session last week!

Every Saturday Morning, 8:30am in the SBS hall (undercover). All fitness levels.  $10 per class. Frost Fitness will be making a donation to SBS towards sports equipment and Education Outside the Classroom. Come along!

 

Speech Language Therapy Sessions Here At School
One of our parents, Kendall Stewart is a Speech Language Therapist.  She is running private therapy sessions every Wednesday at school. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s pronunciation, language use, comprehension or stuttering then give her a call, text or email. Together you can discuss whether Speech Therapy could help. 0275888879

Keeping in touch

In current times more that ever, keeping in touch is important. We need to be able to contact whanau quickly and efficiently. If you have changed address or contact details, please let us know asap, either via email admin@snellsbeach.school.nz, or by calling the school office 09 425 6058. 

  • Following our school Facebook page or Instagram

“Snells Beach School”, which operate as a digital newsletters. This is a great way to get quick updates and reminders

  • Downloading our School App

Simply download the “Skool Loop” app from either App Store or Play Store & select “Snells Beach School” from the drop down box to receive instant notifications & reminders.

  • Subscribing to our school email database

Please email us admin@snellsbeach.school.nz to be added to the list. If you do not receive this newsletter via email on Friday afternoon, you are NOT in our database. All new families should have been added – please check. You can unsubscribe at any time.