Kia ora e te whānau,
We’ve had another awesome week at kura, where we have had several wins across the board. The window project is nearly completed with the final touches of paint being applied, both our Hutt Fest groups are getting stronger in their performance, and Room 5 is now set up as the roll growth class.
At Dyer Street School, our attendance expectations align with the guidelines set forth by the Ministry of Education. The expectation we are aiming for is to have 73% of our tamariki with regular attendance at school ( Regular attendance is considered to be over 90% of the time).
As of Week 8 Term 2, we are sitting at 64% regular attendance for our kura. Over the last couple of weeks, we have been strengthening our monitoring and tracking of attendance. Once tamariki fall into the irregular attendance category (80-90%), parents will get a phone call and letter to inform them that their child has fallen below the threshold. There are also other services like the Health nurse for medical concerns, or the attendance services team for truant behaviour that we can direct whānau to for further support. Our goal remains to work collaboratively with families to ensure that every student has the opportunity to achieve their full potential through regular attendance.
Aligned with this kaupapa, is ensuring that we know where children are, especially if going on holidays overseas. If you intend to be away from school for more than 3 days, please email the office, your child’s teacher, and the principal to inform us of your situation.
Next week, we celebrate “Manawatia a Matariki,”. This is always a special time of the year and is now more heralded with the national holiday which means school is closed for instruction next Friday. Our festivities will commence with a whole school daily morning hui from 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM, where students and staff gather to acknowledge the significance of Matariki through storytelling, karakia, waiata and reflection. On Thursday 27th June, we will host a Matariki Breakfast starting at 8:00 AM in the hall. More information will come out about this early next week. It is also the opening of the Raumanuka Cafe which will operate daily from the school hall. The purpose of this is to bring our community together while also supporting our kura. Ngā mihi ki a Joce, who will be our resident barista. This will be a trial for 6 months to see how successful the venture will be.
As we head into the depths of winter, it’s a timely reminder to keep safe hygiene practices. Washing hands and ensuring children have appropriate clothing and footwear for colder conditions is advised. A change of clothes packed in your child’s bag will also help.
Next week, you’ll receive a quick survey to get a final voice on our school values. This a reminder that we are changing these to our MANA values which stand for
Manaakitanga- Respect
Ako- Learning
Ngākaunui- Kindness
Aumangea- Resilience
There will be a couple of alternative choices to look at so your feedback will be most helpful in making a final call.
Enjoy your weekend!
Ngā mihi nui
Lee Ewington
Tumuaki
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