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.
Welcome back, and a particularly warm welcome to our many new students and families. The start of the year seemed to go exceptionally smoothly, and when I have popped in to classes, everyone has seemed quickly happy and settled – let the good times roll!
A reminder for our new parents that once again, our Board have opted into the MOE School Donations Scheme, so there are no fees of any sort to pay this year, for anything except camps. Parents of students in Year’s 5 & 6 may wish to start making small payments towards this, if it helps relieve the pressure at the time. Both camps are in Term 2 this year. See/contact the office for details.
SBS does not do Bring Your Own Device. All devices that our students use (Chromebooks in Years 3 – 6 & iPads in Years 1 – 2) are provided here at school, 1:1 for our Seniors.
I’m looking forward to catching up with many of you at next week’s Meet & Greet – I really love seeing the kids relaxing and having fun together, and parents meeting. Communities are stronger when people know each other.
Ngā mihi nui,
Kathryn Ramel
Principal
School Diary
Week 2: 5 Feb – 9 Feb
- Mon 5: School as usual
- Tues 6: Waitangi Day – no school
- Weds 7: Beach Meet and Greet 5:00pm – 6:30pm (details below)
Week 3: 12 Feb – 16 Feb
- Tues 13: Junior (Year 1/2) swimming leave school 10:00am
- Wed 14 : Junior (Year 1/2) swimming leave school 10.45am
- Wed 14: Senior School (Year 5/6) Snells Beach Fun Day 11.00am-2.30pm (details to follow closer to the time)
- Thurs 15: Junior (Year 1/2) swimming leave school 11.30
- Friday 16: Whole School Assembly 2pm. All welcome.
Week 4: 19 Feb – 23 Feb
Welcome to our new students – we hope you enjoy your time at our school!
Blake A, Charlie A, Grace A, Maddison A, Quinn A, Sophia B, Harry D, Oliver D, Kieran E, Rivar F, Kara G, Boston H, Remy L, Harper M, Ines M, Aaliyah N, Gabriel N, Bella O, Madeline P, Mollie P, Sebastian P, Falco S, Jake S, Jordan S, Andie T, Tom T, Harper W
Keeping in touch – communication is key
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. We post reminders and notices on Facebook – Instagram is more quick updates and snapshots of school life
- 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. This is an effective way to get immediate notices – they will pop up direct to your phone. Mahurangi College use the same app which is useful – just use the drop down box to change schools.
- 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.
- School Newsletters
We do not usually print newsletters – just the first one each term while people update their contact details if needed. They are emailed out or linked to our school Facebook page. School newsletters come out once a fortnight – teachers may send home additional class or team messages at other times.
- Staff Emails
All SBS staff emails are available via our website. Our main email is admin@snellsbeach.school.nz
SBS Beach Meet & Greet 2024 – next Weds 7 Feb at Snells Beach 5:00pm – 6:30pm
You will have received information regarding our SBS Meet and Greet next week. This is an opportunity to:
- meet your child’s teacher
- meet your child’s class mates and new friends (before you get asked for play dates!)
- meet other families from our SBS community
You will also receive some “parent homework” to bring along to the teacher that evening. This is an opportunity for you to help us get to know your child a little better, so we can really understand them and their strengths, interests and needs.
Bring a picnic dinner, or buy a sausage sizzle, and come on down!
Please help keep our kids safe at drop off/pick up time!
You will have noticed that we have changed the markings in front of the office area of the school. We have been growing increasingly concerned regarding safety in our carpark area, especially around our buses and drop off/pick up zone. There have been a number of “car v car near misses”, and we are concerned that pedestrians of all ages may be at risk. Dawson Road regularly becomes a log jam, further putting safety at risk, and creating issues for residents and other road users. To mitigate this we have:
- moved the buses to the area nearest to Dawson Rd. This means buses are not trying to pull in or out around cars. While our school buses work on regular times, buses can appear or depart at all hours, depending on trips and activities, so please leave the yellow lined bus area (see below) empty at all times. It is a large area – buses are long vehicles, and can’t manoeuvre in small places.
2. Marked an area with blue lines, strictly as “drop and go”. Cars are not to be stationary for longer than a quick drop off/pick up, or parked in this area – this creates a massive bottle neck as other cars can’t get past, and creates a problem right along Dawson Rd. We also had the continual problem of cars parking over our marked pedestrian crossing, making this really unsafe. Please see the “drop & go” area marked in blue below:
We realise that this will cause inconvenience for some, but the reality is, that as our numbers continue to grow, there is simply not a car park available for everyone. If you have a special reason that you need to park closer to the school (crutches etc), please contact the office and we can help with this.
Getting to and from school safely
School buses: We have two main buses which service SBS. Students who live between Algies Bay and both Martins Bay & Scotts Landing can catch the bus to and from school. There is also another bus for students who live at the Northern End of Snells, and Sandspit. This does one group stop on the corner of Muncaster Rd, (suitable for students in the Tamatea/Gov Grey area) before heading down into Sandspit. Many of our students use these buses every day – including many students in the Junior School and New Entrants. Please contact the office to add your child to the bus list.
Dawson Rd Crossing: The crossing on Dawson Rd, by Kia Kaha Drive is patrolled every day from 8:30am – 8:50am, and from 3:00pm until the school is cleared (usually around 3:15pm). Our senior students are trained by the police as road patrollers, and a member of staff is always there. You can rest assured that students can cross the road safely at these times. Please, don’t run across the road with your child without using the crossing – if you model this they will do it when you are not there. The crossing is a significantly safer option, and only a few steps out of your way.
Safe walking/riding to school: To avoid the “busyness” immediately around the school at drop off and pick up times, we really encourage parents to let students walk or ride a little further afield for pick up. Kids really enjoy both riding and the independence of this. Safe options include:
- Kia Kaha Drive or Brigette View (the children can safely use the crossing to access these)
- The large Baptist Church carpark near Horizon School
- Foster Crescent/Iris St (accessed via our back pathway)
- The Fire Station (accessed via Foster Cres)
- The Tennis Club/Library (the kids love riding scooters etc through the park & the pathway is clearly visible and open)
Walking and Riding School Buses: keep an eye on communication about these coming up. This is when one parent “driver” walks or ride s with a group of kids to school, so you can be assured that your child is supervised on the way to school and “share the load”. We are always looking for more drivers – get in touch with the office if interested.
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