WGS Newsletter - Week 3 - Term 2

Kia ora Parents / Whānau,
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There was lots of excitement and many duck shooting stories on Monday morning… we must have the best shooters, so many ducks shot! Sounds like a fun weekend for many families.
 
Southland Festival of Dance 
We are excited that twenty four students will compete in the schools section of the dance competition in Gore on Saturday. We are very grateful for Rachel Wilson and Jysse Prattley who have donated their time to teach our children their dances. 

We had our own show yesterday and we loved seeing the flair and skill of our dances after just 7 weeks. 
The festival is on at the Gore T&C on Saturday, starting 9.30 am. The dance crew would love you support. Thank you to Rachel and Jysse for offering this wonderful opportunity  to our students.

Attendance

We are delighted to see a significant shift in our attendance in term 1. 
82% of our students attended regularly compared with 67% in term 1 last year.  We had 95% of our students arriving on time regularly. 

We appreciate your attention to ensuring your child is at school unless sick or other emergency /unavoidable situations. 
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Lets keep a strong focus on this as there is room for improvement, especially unjustified absences at 26%. 
Ministry of Education statistics have recorded our absences for the  following reasons: 
56%  Illness / Medical                 5%  To be followed up 
26%  Unjustified                           2%  Stood Down                  
10%  Explained and Approved

 Learning Through Play
We are constantly reviewing and being upskilled by Longworth Education’s director Sarah Aiono,  as to how to improve our learning experience for our students. 

Our senior school has introduced a stronger thematic approach  under the umbrella, ‘Under One Sky’ which symbolises our cultural connection focus for this term. The modified approach provides more structure for those learners  that need it while leaving options open for those that have ideas and creative thoughts they want to explore further.  This will be showcased as part of our Cultural Festival at the end of the term.  

We wish all our mothers a wonderful day on Sunday.  On this Mother’s Day, we honour the quiet strength, endless sacrifice, and unconditional love of mothers and mother figures. Their guidance shapes hearts, builds communities, and inspires the next generation every single day. 

Nga mihi 
Linda Fraser

Cross Country is happening on Friday the 22nd of May at Dolamore Park
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We are excited to share that the Home and School committee is moving toward a more efficient way of working! To value everyone's time and reduce the number of formal meetings, we are restructuring into smaller, focused sub-committees for projects like the Home & Garden Tour, Uniforms, Pizza Days, Breakfast Club, Disco, Community Support, and Heat-ups. Each group will operate independently under a team leader who reports directly to the Presiding Member, allowing us to spend less time "around the table" and more time making things happen. We are also introducing online meetings as a flexible option for our busy volunteers.

Our AGM will be held on 10 June, and we are currently seeking enthusiastic individuals to step into the vital roles of Presiding Member and Secretary. If you have the skills to help lead our school community in this new format, please get in touch with Anneke in the office. Keep an eye out for a notice coming home soon, which will provide a detailed description of each sub-committee and what each role entails.

Families can expect a detailed information sheet coming home soon, which will include an opportunity to sign up for your preferred sub-committee.

Imagine our community as a giant puzzle where every person is a unique piece. When someone steps up to help, the whole picture finally clicks together.
right now, we have a few missing spots in our morning safety team on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. We need local legends to supervise our student road patrollers and make sure our tamariki get to school safely. It only takes a small amount of your time, but it makes a massive difference to the kids' safety and confidence.
​By doing your bit, you aren't just watching a crossing—you’re the hero who keeps our community circle strong and our children protected. If you are able to help out, please contact Anneke in the office. ​