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I had three beautiful tamariki come and share their writing with me this afternoon. This was after the ANZAC service that Te Kakano held yesterday. Their goals are individual and they could tell me exactly what they were - use finger spaces between each word and write sentences independently. They were so proud of their writing and are super excited that tomorrow their teacher will show this clip on the big screen in the classroom! All three had huge smiles with their Deputy Principal stickers either proudly displayed on their uniform or in their book. Ka pai tamariki, what awesome authors you are!  Kia ora Parents / Caregivers, We loved seeing everyone back after the holiday break. It is certainly challenging times with the fuel situation creating added pressure for all families. Let’s hope we see some relief very soon. The Ministry of Education have assured us it is their priority to keep schools open even in the event of this potential fuel crisis worsening. Our school is heated with wood chips so a less direct effect than diesel radiators. I am sure we will always have enough fuel to stay warm. We are aware some families live a distance from school so we ask you to keep in contact if you require any assistance. ANZAC Service - Saturday 6.30am We are proud to have three of our senior students lay a wreath on our behalf on Saturday morning at the dawn parade. We have Ava, Katelynne and Laya representing us. This is an important day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand commemorating all who served and died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. We encourage families to attend in honour of those that fought and fall for us all. It is a moving, short ceremony held at dawn. Children who have attended in the past have enjoyed the ceremony and significance of the gathering. Maths Homework We hope you have enjoyed the new routine of the basic facts homework this week. We are very confident that the partnership with you will make a big difference for our students knowledge. If you are unsure about this or the process has been challenging for you and /or your child please talk with your child’s class teacher. Arrival and Departure from School Arrival at school: 8.30am The first bell will ring at this time Departure from School: 3.10pm The bell will ring at this time It is expected children will leave the school grounds as soon as they are dismissed from class at 3.00pm and be on their way by 3.10pm. If these times are challenging for you please speak with Anneke in the office. Enjoy your long weekend and we look forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday. Nga mihi Linda Fraser Principal    Over the past week, students in Room 15 have been learning about ANZAC Day and the important role it plays in New Zealand’s history and identity. We have been focusing on helping students build a deeper understanding of not only the events of World War One, but also the impact war had on people, families, and communities both in New Zealand and around the world. To support this learning, students have been using a variety of texts and resources to develop their reading comprehension skills, including identifying key ideas, making inferences, and using evidence from the text to support their thinking. As part of our class learning, students have been brainstorming and discussing the ways war affected people both on the battlefield and at home. We talked about the challenges soldiers faced, the emotions families experienced, and the long-lasting effects on countries after the war ended. These discussions have supported students to think critically and empathetically about history and its significance. Yesterday, students worked together to unpack the meaning of remembrance and reflect on what ANZAC Day represents today. Here are some of the key ideas students explored:
“I learned some people who survived and came home from the war may have later died from injuries, and they suffered from PTSD” – Amaya Duggaraju “People risked their lives for us, ANZAC Day is to remember those who have fallen.” – Tama Duncan “I learned there is a purple poppy, to remember the horses and other animals that served in the war with the soldiers” – Billie-Mae  Dear Parents / Whanau, Well, term 1 is done! It has been a very short but very busy term. So many highlights with Year 6 Camp, Athletics - West Gore School, Eastern and Southland that so many of our tamariki did so well in; Swimming and of course a solid term of learning. We are delighted with the progress so many of our students have made in their phonics, handwriting, writing, reading and mathematics during the term.
As you already know there have been so many changes with the Maths and English curriculum and our teaching staff are the real heroes. They have implemented so many changes over the last three terms. We are very proud of the progress so many of your children have made in these areas. Because of the demands of the new curriculum and the higher levels across the board for all students in NZ, many of our students have or are receiving extra support to bridge the gap for their year curriculum. Our Learning Support Coordinators are working very hard with our Teacher Aides to develop and deliver these programmes. We are proud of this work and the professional development providers working in our school are very complimentary of the focus and success of our students.  Fuel Crisis The Government has put out a 4 stepped plan. We are at step 1 currently with no restrictions. The Ministry of Education has said they have no intention for online/ home schooling at this time. It would be a very last resort to do this. The Ministry of Education is monitoring the situation and has advised if there is any dramatic change they would give us notice. Our Board of Trustees met last week and some key areas of focus were: 1. Approval of the Budget for 2026 2. Policy and Procedures , please see the School Doc information in the newsletter and review the policies. This is one way of being up to date on how things run in our school. It only takes a minute or two to review a policy and have your say. 3. Attendance - it is a legal requirement for us, under our Attendance Management Plan to follow up with you when your child has had 5, 10 or 15 days absence over the term. This is regardless of sickness or explained absences. We still have several children away for unjustified absences, ie going to town, recreational trips away, visiting friends, family etc. In New Zealand, school attendance is a legal requirement under the Education and Training Act 2020, and the Ministry of Education (MoE) is now monitoring every absence with unprecedented detail. Schools are strictly required to record and report "Response Activities" through their student management systems, which submit this data to the Ministry weekly. This means that for every absence, we have a legal responsibility to investigate and follow up with whānau. While we understand that illness occurs, medical certificates may be requested for extended or frequent absences to justify why a student is not in class. If your child is sick, of course they should be at home. We also do not want sick children in our classrooms. Remember why we are in this situation, Nationally, we have just over 50% of our school age students, Year 1 -13, attending school regularly. Let’s work together to get our West Gore children to school regularly.
After School Pick Up We would please ask you are prompt to school in the afternoon to collect your children. All children need to leave the grounds by the 3.10pm bell. If you are here with your children you are welcome to enjoy the grounds or your children may return with your guidance after they have been home.
Uniform The holidays is a great time to sort our uniforms. We have uniforms so many of you have kindly donated back to us so others can continue to wear. Come in and have a look and see if the size you require is available. We would love to receive any uniform pieces your children have grown out of. Please ensure your child is wearing the correct uniform. No Canterbury pants or shorts please. Navy socks Thank you for your support during this term. We hope you can enjoy some special time with your whanau over the holidays. The fuel situation may restrict travel but we have so many lovely playgrounds, pool, ice skating rink, Dolamore Park, Art gallery etc. in our own town. We will see you back on April 20th! Nga mihi Linda Fraser Principal  |
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