February 2025

Dear Parents/Caregivers and Whānau of Elm Park School

Greetings, Kia ora, Fakaalofa Lahi atu, Bula vinaka, Malo e lelei, Talofa lava, Taloha, Kia orana, Ni hao:

A warm welcome to the Elm Park School community. A very special welcome to all our new families. All these whānau will be officially welcomed with a powhiri on Thursday 27 February, at 9. 15 am.   

It is wonderful to get the new school year underway. Our staff are to be congratulated on their hard work and dedication that has ensured the students have settled quickly. There is already a lovely tone in the school.

We have a strong focus on ensuring a broad, stimulating and future-focused education for our students. We look forward to our partnership with you, to enable your child to excel by being the best they can be.

Staff 2025

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new classroom teachers, Marley Mihalek, Sarah Crestanello and Angela Turrall who is a Whānau leader.  Tiffany Walden and Keryn Scott who are existing teachers at Elm Park School have moved into specialist positions.  Mrs Scott will be teaching Visual Art and Mrs Walden taking Physical Education.  

For a list of all 2025 staff and contact email addresses, click here.

Policy : Cell phones and Other Personal Digital Devices

Our policy complies with the Government regulations around the use of cellphones and personal digital devices at school.

A reminder that mobile phones, Apple watches and any other personal digital devices not required for learning, need to be turned off and stored away before entering the school grounds. They need to be handed to the teacher first thing each morning. They will be stored securely and handed out at the end of the day. These devices remain turned off and stored away until students exit the school. Please go to SchoolDocs and use the search tool to search for the policy.

Middle Playground Update

As you can see the new Middle Playground is steaming ahead and should be completed by the end of February.  The Elm Park School community has fundraised $50,000 towards this significant capital works project.  We look forward to seeing the students enjoying and playing on this wonderful playground.  

I wish all Elm Park School Families | Whānau all the best for the new school year.  

Nga mihi nui 

Sarah Baleicakau

Principal 

We kindly ask you that you keep your contact information and your child's medical details up to date with the office.  This ensures that we can reach you in case of an emergency.  Please notify us via our email office@elmpark.school.nz of any changes as soon as possible to help us maintain accurate records.  

We understand that sometimes circumstances arise, but we kindly ask that you avoid picking up your child early from school unless absolutely necessary.  When children leave early it can disrupt their learning and may cause your child to miss out on important lessons or activities.  However if you do need to collect your child for an appointment during the school day please contact the office 09 577 0070 or email office@elmpark.school.nz to arrange. If possible please arrange to collect your child before or after the morning tea and lunch breaks, as it is difficult to find children during these times. Morning tea is 10.30am until 11.00am, lunch from 1pm until 1.50pm.

For the safety of our children and the entire school community, we kindly ask that you park your vehicle safely and drive with caution when dropping off or picking up your child. We know that parking is sometimes limited but please don’t park on the yellow lines. A reminder that the boom gate on the driveway is locked in the mornings at 8:30 am / opened again at 9:15 am and in the afternoons locked at 2:30 pm and opened at 3:15 pm.

 

Please use the pedestrian crossings at all times and remain on the footpaths. This is especially important in the afternoon in front of the school as there is a high volume of traffic at this time. We know it can be tempting to cross the road at the wrong place, but it is all about the example we are setting for our children.

 

When driving near the school, slow down, stay alert, and be mindful of students walking or biking close to the school especially around the pedestrian crossing immediately outside our school gate and the traffic lights on Gossamer Drive. Your ongoing support will help ensure that our school remains a safe environment for everyone. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our children safe!

This year Mrs Scott is the Visual Arts Specialist working with students from Year 3-6.

In term 1 students will look closely at the Element of Line, firstly designing a cover for their sketchbook and then creating an art piece inspired by the Zentangle. 

A Zentangle is a fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns called tangles.

Please watch this space for some amazing artwork!

In our Health and PE specialist class, students in Years 3-6 are having a blast developing their small ball skills! They're diving deep into the fundamentals, like throwing, catching, and striking a ball, which will help them shine in fun games like cricket, softball, and t-ball later in the term. 

A warm welcome back to all our English Language Learners and their families, we hope you have had an amazing summer break and that you are looking forward to another exciting year of learning. Welcome to all our new families, we hope that your journey with us will be a happy one. 

很高兴再次见到所有的英语学习者以及你们的家人，希望大家都度过了一个很棒的暑假，并且很期待充满挑战的新一年。并且欢迎所有的新加入我们的英语学习者以及你们的家人，我们期待与你们的见面并希望我们有个快乐并充实的学习之旅。

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우리 엘름 파크의 영어 학습생 여러분과 그 가족분들께 따뜻한 환영인사를 보냅니다. 모두들 즐거운 여름 방학을 보내셨길 바라며 새해에도 흥미진진한 배움의 한해가 되길 기대합니다. 엘름 파크의 신입생과 가족께도 따뜻한 환영인사를 보내며 저희와 함께하는 배움의 길이 즐거움으로 가득하길 기원합니다. 

In the English Language Learning (ESOL) Department we have two teachers Mrs Borcher and Mrs Choi. We are also very fortunate to have Mrs Sun, a learning assistant, attached to ESOL.

Mrs Sun is a Chinese national who is fluent in Mandarin and Japanese and works with students who require support with oral language, while Mrs Choi and Mrs Borcher withdraw small groups of students for more intensive language learning. 

Mrs Borcher and Mrs Choi are both experienced teachers. Mrs Borcher has taught  in both Intermediate and Primary schools in New Zealand and has been teaching ESOL at Elm Park School since 2016. Mrs Choi was a Middle School English teacher in Korea and has taught ESOL at Elm Park since 2006.

We are really looking forward to working alongside the students and supporting them in their learning.

在我们的部门有两位老师，Mrs Borcher and Mrs Choi。很幸运的我们还有 Mrs Sun加入我们。她是一位老师助教。Mrs Sun来自中国，她可以很流利的说中文和日语。Mrs Sun会专注于协助需要英语帮助的学生。Mrs Borcher and Mrs Choi 会教其他需要更多英语语言帮助的孩子，她们会以小组的方式进行辅导。

Mrs Borcher and Mrs Choi 都是很有经验的老师，Mrs Borcher 曾经在新西兰的初中和小学任教，并且自从2016年就在我们的学校教授英语。Mrs Choi 自从2006年开始在我们学校教授英语，到今年已经18年的教龄。

我们很期待与学生们开启英语学习的旅程。

저희 엘름 파크 ESOL 부서에는 두명의 교사 Mrs Borcher 와 Mrs Choi, 그리고 영어 보조교사 Mrs Sun 이 함께 일하고 있습니다. Mrs Sun은 중국인으로서 만다린어 와 일본어에 능통하며  영어 말하기수업에 도움을 주고 있습니다, Mrs Choi 와 Mrs Borcher는 소그룹으로 영어 집중 과정을 운영 하고 있습니다. 

Mrs Borcher와 Mrs Choi는 모두 경험이 많은 교사입니다. Mrs Borcher는 뉴질랜드 intermediate 와 Primary School 에서 교사로 재직하였으며 엘름 파크 에서는 2016 년 부터 ESOL 교사로 근무하였습니다. Mrs Choi는 한국에서 중학교 영어교사로 재직하였고 2006년부터 엘름파크에서 ESOL 교사로 근무해왔습니다. 

저희 엘름파크 학생들과 함께하는 즐거운 배움의 장을 고대하고 있습니다, 질

The ESOL Team

Mrs Borcher, Mrs Choi and Mrs Sun

At Elm Park School we use the Dollar for Schools lunch ordering system. You can order your child's lunch via their website.   Lunches are delivered to school and distributed by our lunch monitors.
School lunches are available to order Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays - orders need to be received before 9am.

You will need to create an account, confirm your email address and order lunches from the Dollar for Schools website: www.dollarforschools.co.nz.

We are reaching out to our community to see if anyone would be interested in assisting us in working with our Pasifika performance group.  If you think you could give us some help in this area please contact Mrs Anderson:  rebecca@elmpark.school.nz

HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELLBEING

Pertussis (whooping cough) update

Te Whatu Ora | Heath New Zealand has reported an increasing number of confirmed pertussis (whooping cough) cases. It is highly contagious and particularly serious for pēpi, tamariki and older adults – it can be fatal in some cases. Vaccination provides the best protection against pertussis and is free for children under 18.

Health advice is available here:

Pertussis (whooping cough) public health key messages [PDF, 137 KB]
Pertussis (whooping cough) public health key messages for pregnant people [PDF, 135 KB]

Staff are encouraged to stay up to date with immunisations – in particular pertussis and measles. Health New Zealand are recommending the free Boostrix vaccination for pregnant people.

To book a vaccination visit:

Book a vaccine – Te Whatu Ora

Measles – what you need to know
 
Not enough New Zealanders are immunised against measles, which means there is a very high risk of an outbreak.  The best protection against measles is two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine – free for all young people aged 18 and under in New Zealand and all adults over the age of 18 who are eligible for free New Zealand healthcare.  The first symptoms of measles are fever, cough, runny nose and sore red eyes, followed by a red or dark pink rash typically starting on the face or behind the ears three days after the first symptoms before moving down the body. If you observe these symptoms, encourage parents and/or caregivers to contact their healthcare provider or Healthline on 0800 611 116 immediately.  If in doubt that your child is immunised or not - please contact your GP or health provider.  

Please find the link to - A guide to the tools that are available to keep your whānau safe when viewing entertainment online in Aotearoa New Zealand.

https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/resources/items/parental-controls/

At Elm Park School, we strongly encourage students to have litter free lunch boxes to reduce litter and waste at school. Please encourage your child to return any wrappings and packaging that they may have, to their lunch box, to be disposed of at home. 

Some ideas for litter free lunches include:

Please do not use cling wrap or pack in muesli bars in wrappers, chip packets, juice boxes or yoghurt squeeze packs. 

If your child purchases their lunch from the our lunch supplier, please ensure that the wrappers are packed into their lunch box and disposed of at home. 

We appreciate your support of this initiative.

Each term, the school community (Board, Staff, Parents/Whānau) is invited to review and comment on specific policies and procedures. This term the following are to be reviewed:

The Elm Park School Policy and Guidelines documents inform and guide our school practices. The documents can be viewed here through the SchoolDocs website.

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