Newsletter Term 2, Week 5

Term 2, Week 5 – Friday 4 June 2021

Principal’s Chat

Kia ora everyone

Firstly, I’d like to thank our community for supporting todays teacher only day, where the teachers all participated in a workplace First Aid workshop. In addition to this training, our office personnel all have their full first aid certification.

A big thank you this week goes to our PTA and staff for running such an amazing Glow Playground Fundraiser! What an exciting night for the children who came along to play on the lit up adventure playground at night time.

Another group who worked hard with an amazing outcome was Mrs Patrick (Associate Principal) and her troupe of student (and some parent) helpers who made paper cranes for the Mazda fundraiser. Mazda promised to donate $1000 to the Make a Wish Foundation for every 1000 paper cranes they received. And our Long Bay team managed to make 1000!
We are so proud of everyone involved.

This week we have celebrated reading at school through Book Week. I’d like to say a huge thank you to Fenneke Gingell, our passionate teacher librarian, and everyone who assisted during the week – including all those students and staff members who dressed up for the book parade yesterday morning!

As I have shared before, we are a very lucky community to have such conscientious staff who go the extra mile to provide learning experiences for the children of the Long Bay Community.

This week we said farewell to one of our teachers, as Shelley Findlay has decided to retire. Shelley has been a wonderful colleague and will certainly be missed. On behalf of us all I would like to thank Shelley for her many years of teaching and contribution to our school, and to wish her all the best for her future.

We also warmly welcome Mrs Claire Dowson (who has taught at Long Bay in different roles across the years) and Mrs Sharon Smith, who will be co-teaching in Room 12 until the end of the year.

This brings me to some news of my own. As in my twelfth year as the Principal of Long Bay School, I have made the decision to retire at the end of this school year – in order to spend more time with my husband and family, including our three energetic grandsons.
My resignation also marks my retirement from the teaching profession after 29 years. I have worked alongside the most wonderful colleagues and community members (a very special thank you to the LBPS Board and PTA members, among many others), and have had the opportunity to be a part of the lives of so many children. I am still here in my Principal role until the end of this school year, and over summer whilst John Underwood and myself will be looking after a big classroom refit (Kowhai and Rimu spaces), to have this ready for the start of 2022.

It does take some time for a school Principal appointment. Please be reassured that Long Bay has a terrific Board of Trustees, and they have already begun the process of appointing a new Principal to start next year.

It has always been a privilege to serve the whanau and tamariki of Long Bay, and I look forward to enjoying being part of our school for the rest of this year.

Linda

Linda Barton
Principal

Mrs Patrick delivering the 1000 paper cranes to Mazda – and some of her wonderful helpers!

School App and Website

2021 Upcoming Events

2021 Term Dates

Welcome New Students

A warm welcome to the new students who have started at Long Bay Primary since the last newsletter:

Sebastian, Milah, Declan, Sean and Ray

Sports Buzz – Term 2, Week 5

Yummy Stickers

Just a reminder that the Yummy school sticker promotion is on again for this year. They have been busy picking apple crops so you will find a great range of Yummy apples in store now.  Apples are a convenient package of fibre, vitamins, minerals and flavonoids that provide a range of valuable health benefits.  Great for this time of year with the changing seasons.

Yummy sticker charts are available from the office. Happy munching!

Book Parade

Thank you to all the wonderful students and staff who took part in yesterday’s fabulous Book Parade to mark the end of a successful Book Week! Your support is greatly appreciated.

PTA News

PTA CHAIRPERSON WANTED

Sadly, our wonderful PTA Chairperson, Jo Clark, is standing down. Jo was the PTA secretary in 2018, then moved in to the Chairperson role from 2019 until now. A big thank you to Jo for being such an organized and motivating leader. 
If you are community minded and love working with a team to organise fundraising projects, please consider putting your hand up for this role.
Jo is happy to support a new PTA Chairperson. If you are interested in this role please contact longbayprimarypta@gmail.com

GLOW PLAYGROUND

Thank you to everyone who attended the Glow Playground on 21 May – it was a hugely successful evening!

Important School Reminders

Assemblies

Our full school assemblies are now each fortnight. All family members are welcome at the full school assembly, and the dates for these are in the newsletter and on the website calendar.

As our school has grown so much, we are now handing out the children’s certificates at their team assemblies, rather than at the full school assembly. The team assemblies are at different times during the school day to fit in with each team’s timetable. Teachers are taking photos of the children receiving their certificate and will put these on to Seesaw.
If you are not yet connected to your child’s class Seesaw, please contact the class teacher.

Absence from School

If your child is going to be absent from school, please email admin@longbayprimary.ac.nz or call 09 473 6077, option 2 and advise the Office to avoid your child being marked as truant.

If your child arrives late to school, they MUST call at the Office window for a late pass. This is so we know they are safe.

If you are collecting your child early from school, all parents/caregives need to sign them out at the Office. Children are not allowed to leave school grounds early unless they are signed out. Where possible, please do not arrange to collect a child during break times, as it is extremely difficult to locate them. Morning tea is 11.15am to 11.45am and lunch is 1.15pm and 2.00pm.

School Adventure Playground

Please remember that the playground is out of bounds for all students before school.  Children who are accompanied by their parent may play on the playground after school and on the weekends. Children cannot stay and play on the playground after school unless their parent is with them.

Before and After School Care – Kelly Club

Kelly Club is available at Long Bay Primary from 7.00am until 6.00pm in the afternoon.  Please contact Kelly Club on 027 363 3329 or at longbay@kellyclub.co.nz if you have any enquiries or wish to make a booking.  Kelly Club will be using the hall and Room 4 for Before and After School Care this year.

Community Local Events and Sports