WGS Newsletter - 7 August - Term 3

Kia ora Parents / Caregivers, 
What a magical moment on Tuesday  seeing the children immersed in playing in the snow. The sheer delight in the snow coming down on them and covering them. The gorgeous pictures Miss Pratley captured say it all. Look at those faces.

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Upcoming Safety Exercises: Fire, Earthquake, and Lockdown 
At our school, keeping your children safe is our absolute priority. To make sure we are all prepared for any situation, we will soon be running practice emergency exercises for fire, earthquakes, and lockdowns. These practices help our students and staff feel confident and familiar with what to do. 

When we conduct our lockdown exercise (and in the case of a real emergency), we will send a message out via the school app to let you know what is happening. It is therefore of the utmost importance that you have the West Gore School App installed on your phone.  We approach these exercises with care so our tamariki feel safe and supported throughout.  

Important note for both practices and genuine incidents:
If you become aware of a lockdown or evacuation, please do not come to the school or phone the office. Our team will be fully focused on looking after the children, so we will not be able to answer the phones or open the doors. Extra presence or phone calls can also make it harder for emergency services to do their jobs.
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Please rest assured that we will keep you updated via our school app as soon as it is safe to do so. 
Thank you for your understanding and support in keeping our school community safe!

Life Education 
The wonder of Pip and Harold in the Life Education van brings our health focus to life in such a special way for our children. 

Harold was caught changing his clothes on Tuesday after the snow by  Room 3. He got a bit muddled and came into the classroom in just his undies!  What was Harold thinking about? 

The beautiful Pip has been the educator at West Gore School for many years and she is the magic that brings the Life Education programmes alive. We always love when she visits West Gore. She lifts everyone with her positivity and love of bringing her programmes to our students.

Interviews 
Our teachers loved the opportunity  to chat with you last week and share details of your child’s progress. We hope you found it a useful experience to hear from your own child speaking about their goals and learn some more about the new reporting system , how it relates to your child, extra support they may require and to celebrate their strengths. 
If you wish to meet with your child’s teacher or myself at any other time please feel free to make an appointment through the school website or Anneke in the office can help.

Attendance / Illness
We are in the middle of many winter bugs. If your child is unwell please keep them at home. 
We notice we still have several children not attending school for a variety of unexplained events and  unjustified reasons. Remember, your child should be at school unless they are unwell or for a justified reason.
Overseas trips must be notified to me in advance. In most instances these are unjustified but I do need to record the details for the Ministry of Education.  

Children with more than 5 , 10 and 15 days of absence in each term are reported to the Ministry of Education regardless of the reason. You will receive a letter advising you of your child’s attendance. 

The Attendance Service will be involved when absences reach a certain level. This service is in place by the Ministry of Education to provide extra support beyond what the school can offer. They will access other agency support if necessary to help return your child’s attendance to regular levels. This is a proactive helpful service that supports families and the school.

New Entrant Open Day – Wednesday August 19 from 9am – 10.30am 
Please inform your neighbours, family and friends of this opportunity coming up where they can see the school in action, connect with our staff and be informed about our programmes and opportunities at West Gore School.

Have a great weekend and stay warm.

Nga mihi
Linda Fraser
Principal​

It’s speech writing and presenting time at West Gore School

In Room 14 we have written speeches as part of our Literacy programme.  For some of us, this is the first time we have written a speech.  We followed a PEEL paragraph structure to write our speeches, with success.  Here are some of Room 14’s hooks.  Have we convinced you?

Don't you feel lonely without a pet? Ladies and gentleman boys and girls, I’m here to convince you that every family should have a pet. - Honor

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!  Can you imagine a world with no Christmas? Just imagine, no presents and no Christmas dinners! That would be awful. I think every country and every culture in the world should get to celebrate Christmas. - Jaiden

Imagine living in a peaceful world where everyone feels safe. I am here to convince you why we must put an end to war and work together to make the world a better place. - Rohan

My name is Degbir, and I am here to convince you why living in a city is much better than living on a farm. When you live on a farm, you will end up looking like a muddy pig because you get so dirty all the time. - Degbir

Have you ever been reading and learnt something you’ve never known before?  Such as, giraffes have long necks so they can't smell their stinky feet!  Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls my name is Amalia and I’m here today to convince you that reading everyday is important. - Amalia
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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls my name is Jonas and I am here to convince you why dogs are talented animals that protect people and save lives every single day. - Jonas

Ahhhh!!!  Don’t pull my hair, give me the remote.  Hi my name is Fletcher and I am going to convince you should never hurt or fight with your sister. - Fletcher

Do you feel happy when someone is kind to you?  Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!  My name is Napolioni, and I am here to convince you that being kind to others is always a good thing. - Napolioni

Imagine trying to travel somewhere that is just too far away to drive. What should you do? Buy a plane ticket!  Hi, my name is Rey, and I am here to convince you why planes are much better than cars. - Rey

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There are two policies that need to be reviewed this week. It is "Communicating with Parents and Whanau" and "Student Attendance". 

Please head over to School Docs and review these policies:

Communicating with Parents and Whānau
At West Gore School, effective communication between home and school is essential for supporting student learning, wellbeing, and safety. We encourage all parents and caregivers to review our Communicating with Parents and Whānau Policy on SchoolDocs to ensure they understand how the school shares information and how families can communicate with us effectively.

A key part of this policy is the importance of maintaining accurate and up-to-date contact information. Current phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, and emergency contacts enable us to contact families promptly regarding student wellbeing, attendance, learning progress, emergencies, school events, and other important matters. In emergency situations, having correct contact details is particularly vital.

If any of your contact information has changed recently, please notify the school office as soon as possible. We also ask parents and caregivers to ensure any relevant care arrangements or court orders that may affect school communications are kept up to date.

Thank you for partnering with us to ensure clear, respectful, and effective communication for the benefit of all students. The policy can be accessed through our SchoolDocs website.

Please ensure that you have the West Gore School App installed on your phone.

Student Attendance
At West Gore School, regular attendance is essential for student learning, achievement, wellbeing, and maintaining strong connections with school life. We encourage all parents and caregivers to review our Student Attendance Policy on SchoolDocs to ensure they understand both the school's processes and their responsibilities.

It is important to note that under the Education and Training Act 2020, parents and guardians have a legal responsibility to ensure their child attends school every day that the school is open, unless there is a valid reason for absence. Families are also required to notify the school as soon as possible if their child will be absent or late and provide a reason for the absence.

Our school closely monitors attendance and works alongside students and families to address any barriers that may affect regular attendance. Strong attendance habits support academic success, social development, and student wellbeing.

If your child is experiencing difficulties that may impact their attendance, we encourage you to contact the school early so we can work together to provide support.

Thank you for partnering with us to ensure every student has the best opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed. The policy is available for review through our SchoolDocs website.