Dear School Friends and Families
Great weather, great help, great children, great pets and creations, great visitor support - All in all a great Pet Day last Friday! Thanks to all the parent and community help with judging, BBQ cooking, and Agrikids activities, to Walling Contracting and Oreti Butchery for the generous provision of the meat for the BBQ, and to ANZ who sponsored our certificates and provided time for Gore staff members Rachel and Leigh to come and help us on the day.
Lots of other out-of-class activities going on this week: Our two golf teams competed alongside the many school teams at the Schools’ Golf Tournament on Monday, achieving 5th and 7th placings (A huge thanks to Lois Mitchell and Kirsty Bryan for managing the teams); The Tour of Southland Cycle Race finish line visit on Monday (Abbie Mendoza and Tia Ware were our finish line ambassadors who got to wave the chequered flag); Great boat safety messages from Environment Southland staff members who brought the Harbour Master boat out with them and spent safety sessions with classes on Tuesday.
And of course the big event happening this week which is not only out-of-class but out-of-town is the Year 5 and 6 Camp in Dunedin. By all accounts everything is going very well, with great experiences being enjoyed by all (despite perhaps a slight sleep deficit for some after the night at the museum!). We look forward to all the news when the bus pulls up this afternoon.
It has been great having first year Trainee Teachers Jess, Phoebe and Sage with us over the last 3 weeks. Their input into classes has been valued and appreciated during their posting, and we have enjoyed their company on the staff. They have a bright future in teaching and we wish them well as they complete their training over the next couple of years.
You will no doubt have received the news of Miss Madden’s end-of-year resignation via the email earlier this week. Wonderful new opportunity for Chloe, picking up the Lead Teacher of Māori position at James Hargest College, after her fantastic seven years’ input with us at Lumsden.
Congratulations to Dean Clearwater and Becky Wilson who have earned their Silver Gotcha Awards this week, and to Emma Hamers who has earned her Bronze. Great to see children consistently showing our values of kindness and trying one’s best.
Have a good weekend. Ka kite ano,
Andrew Watson
Principal
Lumsden Values SILVER AWARD Winners
Becky and Dean, Silver Award recipients, having earned 40 Gotchas so far this year.
Lumsden Values BRONZE AWARD Winner
Emma with her Bronze Award Certificate, having earned 20 Gotchas so far this year.
Thank you from FoLS
A HUGE Thank you to all those who helped out at our bbq and bake stall at last week's awesome school pet day. A fantastic day was had by all. Over $700 was raised which will go toward supporting the childrens learning environment at school.
A further massive thank you to Oreti Butchery and the Walling Family for providing the meat for the BBQ.
Further thanks go to Catherine Carmicheal and Eric Swift for coming along to sell their plants and help make this a real community day.
Nga Mihi Nui
FOLS
Bible in Schools Donations
Donations towards the cost of books for the children who attend Bible in Schools would be much appreciated. The approximate cost for each child is $7.50. Please send any donations along to school in a named envelope. We can then forward these on to the LBK Presbyterian Church who provide the books. Thanks to those families who have already paid.
School Lawns Roster
We have an alphabetical roster set up of all the school families for mowing the school lawns so each family only gets a turn once every couple of years. If the date doesn’t suit please contact the school and we can swap as necessary. Thanks for your support with this.
Here are the guidelines to follow (if you have any queries please contact the school office):
Pick up the school mower shed key from the Four Square Supermarket
Check the mower has fuel and fill from can in shed if necessary. Please let the school know if petrol can is low and we will refill
Check the map attached to the mower showing which areas to mow
Catcher loads of grass can be emptied around the back of the school behind the sports container (container closest to carpark).
Top mower up with fuel, when finished and return key to Four Square Supermarket.
The roster for the upcoming weeks is:
9/10 November Henry Family
16/17 November Hyde Family
Share the Road
Tia and Abbie were chosen as Tour of Southland Lumsden Stage finish line ambassadors for their excellent attitudes. They were treated to a ride to the finish line in the police car and waved the winners in with the chequered flag.
Boat Safety Education
Andre and Frank checking out the harbourmasters boat during Environment Southlands boat safety visit on Tuesday.
Duffy Books $5 Offer
Parent Offer order forms have been sent home today, please return any orders by the Friday 15th November please. If you would like to collect books from the office please note on order form.
Cricket Coaching Payments
The Southland Cricket bank account number is 03-1750-0130677-00 for any parents who wish to pay their fees for after school cricket on Thursdays via internet banking. Please put your child’s name as a reference. NB: There is no fee for any girls who attend.
Pet Day 2019
MNS Toy Library Fundraiser - to keep the toy library going. Funds raised will go towards the operational costs of the toy library. If you haven't checked it out already, the Toy Library is situated at 33 Pluto Road, Lumsden (in the Playcentre Hall). Lots of toys, equipment and puzzles. Plenty to keep young people busy both indoors and outdoors. Ages 0-8yrs.
Catering items fundraiser - Foil, baking paper and wrap. All bulk sizes so you don't have to run out and great for stocking up for the festive season. Contact office for order form. Thank you for your support!!
BOT Update
The Lumsden School BOT (Board of Trustees) met last Tuesday to elect Amanda Russell as Chairperson. Simon Saunders was thanked for his short but valuable contribution as Chairperson of the board during the transition period and for his work towards the schools favourable ERO (Education Review Office) report. As co-opted BOT members Simon Saunders and Ang Sheat will be stepping down from the BOT at the end of the year, a vacancy has arisen on the BOT. If you are interested in becoming a member please contact one of the Trustees; Simon Saunders, Ang Sheat, Angela Reid, Trish Gill, Jeff Keen or Chloe Madden or speak to Andrew or Amanda at amanda.lumsden.sch@gmail.com
The work of the BOT involves setting the strategic direction of the school and the BOT would like to thank all who contributed to this years Annual Parent Survey. An overview of the findings from this survey can be found attached to this newsletter and is important for ensuring we are meeting our objectives and the needs of the community.
Behind the scenes the BOT have been busy working to ensure all school Policies and Procedures are robustly reviewed, Health and Safety standards are met and the financial stability of the school is maintained. We are also proud to announce an exciting renovation of the school hallway that will be taking place in 2020 to transform the space into modern break out learning areas and art bays. Andrew's leave, Chloe’s resignation and appointments for next year has also kept us on our toes and you can be assured that Andrew and the BOT are doing our upmost to ensure quality teaching staff and small class sizes remain a feature of the school next year, despite the slight roll decrease. The BOT also wants to thank Chloe for her contribution to the school over the years and wish her well on her new adventure - she will be sorely missed by many.
All the best for the lead up to the crazy season and expect another BOT update in December following our last meeting of the year.
Lumsden Primary School Annual Parent Survey 2019
The following is a brief of the parent survey analysis. This is supported by the recorded data from the responses.
There is much for Lumsden Primary School to celebrate according to our school community, while identifying where we can focus for the future. There were some common themes that came through in all three of the questions posed. We received a total of 39 responses via Survey Monkey.
In 2019 our school community considered that the values/culture of our school, experiences for the tamariki; particularly Kapa Haka/Polyfest, the teachers, and focus on sustainability and conservation were done well, as these received the highest number of responses. Following close behind was issue resolution, particularly communication between the school and parents, the bike park facility, winter adventure day, and play based learning.
The resounding theme for what LPS did well in 2019 was student experiences, being commented on a total of 37 times within the responses. Experiences were categorised and identified where responses allowed. Recurring events in the responses were; Kapa Haka, Polyfest, winter adventure day, sports, clubs and community events.
While a large percentage of the responses felt there was nothing specific to do better in 2020, the following were identified by some responses to improve on; communication between school and parents/school community, having an increase in parent and community involvement in school activities, building on the sustainability/conservation initiative, including improving the Enviro School status, focus on the school grounds, buildings and maintenance and looking after the sporting equipment, and also to provide variety in the sporting experiences during school.
The dominating theme for LPS to do better in 2020 was to improve on communication, particularly consolidating how information is communicated and communicating students’ progress.
While again, many of the responses felt that the status quo would be enough, there were priorities within some of the responses that give direction for the next three years. Of greatest significance were curriculum topics, particularly literacy and numeracy. Other focus priorities were sustainability/ conservation, continuing the values/culture of our school, improving bi-cultural experiences, including increase in Te Reo, and improving transitions to and from the school. Other worthy mentions are communication and managing screen time in class (less time).
To conclude; the message from this year's survey is that LPS does student experiences well, the values of the school are apparent and being implemented, we have quality teachers and the bike park is an asset. For the future focus, especially in the short term, prioritise communication, obtain more parent and community involvement, and improve on grounds, maintenance and caretaking of the sporting equipment. The expanded focus was clear; focus should be on strong curriculum delivery; communication with the school community; and foster and maintain the values/culture of the school.
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