17 May 2023

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

We are well into the swing of all things learning at Elm Park School for Term 2!  Firstly, I'd like to thank you for your support when we had yet another weather event that disrupted learning.  A couple of things we noticed were some parents' contact details were out of date and others are not signed up for our school app.  Please do sign up for our school app as we communicate through so many platforms, please help us by having notifications turned on for school digital communication.

New Physical Restraint Policies

There have been some new rules and guidelines on minimising physical restraint and reducing student stress.  These policies are on our school policies site. 

 
We invite you to visit the site at https://elmpark.schooldocs.co.nz (our username is 1269 and our password is Elm1269) to view the following three policies:   

 

●  Minimising Physical Restraint

●  Reducing Student Stress

●  Acceptable Physical Contact

 

All our Staff have completed a Ministry of Education compulsory online module regarding Physical Restraint guidelines and expectations. 

 

There have also been some updates to the following policies:

●  Concerns and Complaints

●  Raising Concerns

●  Making a Formal Complaint or Serious Allegation

 

Please make sure you are familiar with these policies.

In a few weeks, we will be sending out a Health Education Consultation Survey. It is compulsory for all schools to do this biannually.  It is your chance to have a say in what you think is important for your child to learn in the Health Curriculum and also make you aware of what is covered in this part of the New Zealand Curriculum. 

 

Thank you to all our families who support our school in so many ways.  This a reminder our staff are happy to meet with you at any time if you have any concerns or questions about your child’s learning and progress.  All staff emails are on our website so email and make an appointment at any time.  We do have parent and student conferences coming up at the end of the term.  

Thank you for your ongoing support of our school
Kind regards
Ngā mihi nui
Sarah Baleicakau

 

 

In Year 3 we are working on our algebraic patterns. We are noticing patterns wherever we go and realising there are lots of patterns in the world around us. We have been learning about describing, identifying and creating, repeating and growing patterns. 

Elm Park School was lucky enough to have a visit from Matua Jordan from St John who taught us how to respond in an emergency. We learned how to assess a situation, call for help and how to put someone into the recovery position. Now we all have what it takes to be emergency heroes!

Elm Park School will celebrate anti-bullying week on Friday 19th May 2023 allowing students to wear a pink item with their school uniform to acknowledge the importance of the day.
The theme this year is "Power for Good" with the following key aims:
To support children and young people to use their Power for Good - by understanding the ways in which they are powerful and encouraging individual and collective action to stop bullying and create the best world possible.

As mentioned earlier in the year, at Elm Park we believe Attendance is one of the biggest contributors to student achievement. This year there is a strong focus on improving attendance and punctuality. As such we have set a target of 94% attendance school wide.

Despite having had an erratic start to the year, with a number of interruptions, it has been pleasing to note that our overall average for attendance for Term 1 was just below 90% which is already an improvement on last year. Currently this term our attendance is sitting at 90%.  Well done everyone!

Just a reminder that it is important that you notify the school if your child is going to be absent. This can be done :

If your child is absent and we haven’t heard from you we will be contacting you.

Over the last holidays the school was a hive of activity with a lot of work happening on the building front. The refurbishment of Rooms 28/29/30 and the Caretakers shed are well underway with all demolition now complete. The scaffolding is now up in readiness for construction to begin. Work also started on the hall with all the joinery and some of the cladding being replaced. Once complete the hall will be painted. 

The inside carpark has now been fully fenced and we are waiting for the last two gates to be installed. The painting of the roof of Rooms 12 to 18 was also started. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side and as such this work is yet to be completed.  

Thank you all for your ongoing patience and support while these projects are underway. The school will look amazing once they are complete.    

The swimming at Lloyd Elsmore Pools is now in full swing and the students are enjoying participating.

 

We have a number of students coming to the office each day, to say that they have forgotten their swimming gear, and asking whether their parents/caregivers can be contacted to bring their gear in.

 

The office is very busy and unfortunately this is something that we will not be able to continue doing.

 

From now on, if students forget their gear, they will miss out on swimming.

 

This will apply from now on for all other situations where students don’t have what they need for the day e.g. PE gear, sports gear etc.

 

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Kia ora koutou

My name is Deborah Green and I am the Well-being Support Person at Elm Park School. You will find me at school most Mondays during term time and I am available to anyone who needs a listening ear. 

·      I am a trained teacher with experience in special education.

·      I am married and a parent of three adult children. 

·      I have lived for many years in East Auckland and love the diversity of the local area.

Life can be challenging at times and sometimes we face real difficulties. Having the support of others is an important part of getting through these times.  

My aim is to support the well-being of students, staff and whānau of Elm Park by mentoring students, listening in a caring and non-judgemental way, running the Seasons for Growth course and encouraging positive interactions and problem solving.

If I can be of any assistance to you or your child, please let the school know.

With people travelling overseas again, there’s a risk that someone with measles could unknowingly bring the disease back to Aotearoa. 

 

Measles spreads easily and quickly, usually between people who are unimmunised or only partially immunised. It can be serious and life threatening. In the 2019 measles outbreak in Aotearoa more than 30% of the people infected had to be admitted to hospital.  

 

The best protection against measles is the free MMR vaccine. It will protect you and your whānau, and prevent the virus from spreading. 

 

You will be protected against measles if you: 

 

• had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine

• have had measles before

• were born before 1 Jan 1969.

 

If you’re unsure if you or your tamariki have had any or both doses of the MMR vaccine, check by calling your GP or hauora provider. Alternatively, check your Plunket Well Child Tamariki Ora book. If you’re still not sure, be safe and get immunised – there are no safety concerns with having an extra dose. MMR vaccines are free at your local health provider and many pharmacies. 

 

As measles still occurs in many countries, if you’re travelling overseas these holidays it’s especially important to be immunised to prevent the risk of being unknowingly infected and causing an outbreak in Aotearoa on your return. 

 

More information about the measles vaccination can be found here:

 

Tuesday 31st January - Thursday 6th April

Monday 24th April - Friday 30th June

Monday 17th July - Friday 22nd September 

Monday 9th October - Friday 15th December

Teacher Only Days
Monday 24th April 2023 (Allocated by MOE)

Friday 2nd June 2023 

New Years Day 1st January 2023

Day after New Years Day 2nd January 2023

Auckland Anniversary 30th January 2023

Waitangi Day 6th February 2023 (Mondayised)

Good Friday 7th April 2023 (April school holidays commence)

Easter Monday 10th April 2023 (April school holidays)

Easter Tuesday 11th April 2023 (April school holidays)

ANZAC Day 25th April 2023 (Tuesday)

King’s Birthday 5th June 2023 (Monday)

Matariki 14th July 2023 (July school holidays)

Labour Day 23rd October 2023 (Monday)

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:

Term 2 review topics  

 
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) - Board review
EOTC Planning and Review   
EOTC Risk Management 
EOTC Coordinator 
EOTC External Providers 
EOTC Staff Competence 
EOTC Event Categories 
EOTC Communicating with Parents 

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

Please search for Elm Park School and enter:
Username: 1269
Password: Elm1269