| | | | | | IMPORTANT DATES Week 7
Swimming Pod 7
Tuesday 16th March - Maths Information Evening for parents - 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Friday 19th March - Pod 8 Assembly 2:15pm - Hall
Week 8
Monday 22nd March - Otago Anniversary Day - School Closed
Tuesday 23rd March - Upper Clutha Athletics
Friday 26th March - Pod 5 Assembly 2:15pm - Hall
Saturday 27th March - Wānaka Trail Ride
Week 9
Monday 29th March - Board Meeting 5.00pm - Staffroom
Wednesday 31st March - Clued Up Kids Programme Y6
Thursday 1st April - Clued Up Kids Programme Y6
Friday 2nd April - Easter Friday - School Closed
Week 10
Monday 5th April - Easter Monday - School Closed
Tuesday 6th April - Easter Tuesday - School Closed
Friday 9th April - Pod 4 Assembly 2:15pm - Hall
Week 11
Monday 12th April - Top Bike
Tuesday 13th April - WPS Junior Athletics Years 1, 2 & 3
Friday 16th April - Term 1 Ends
Term 2
Week 1
Friday 7th May - Mothers Day Movie
Week 2
Monday 15th May - Teacher Only Day - School Closed
IMPORTANT NOTICES
Westpac Banking
Westpac will no longer come into school on Tuesdays for banking. Deposits can be made safely at the Westpac ATM lobby that is open 24/7 and Westpac will be happy to show any children and their parents how this can be used.
Thank you to the families who have supported Westpac school banking, it will continue on Tuesday mornings until the end of this school term.
Scholastic NZ Brochure
The latest Scholastic NZ Brochure is available from classrooms. If you wish to place an order, please follow the instructions on the inside back cover using Option 1 – Credit Card / LOOP. No cash / orders are accepted at school. If your order is a gift, please tick the ‘GIFT’ option, otherwise all orders are handed out to the children. Orders will close at 3pm on Tuesday 30th March. |
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Introducing our SENCO Leah Allison
Wānaka Primary feels a bit like family, as I have been in the school in one capacity or another since 2001! I started at Wānaka Primary on return from my OE as a full-time classroom teacher in the junior school. I moved into the seniors for a few years before having my children, Josh (now Year 11) and Jazmine (now Year 9). While they were young I did lots of part-time work covering teacher release. I have taken on longer term sick leave and maternity positions as well as taking some of the new entrant classes for a term or two that have started up during the year. In 2016 I took on the role of SENCO (Special Education Needs Coordinator) which has been a rewarding challenge. I have loved the relationships I have built with families that I have worked with in this role. I won a study scholarship in 2019 and completed my Post Grad Diploma through Massey University (Education, with an endorsement in Inclusive Education). I intended to be fully immersed back in the school in 2020 using all the knowledge I had gained. Then COVID-19 hit… and then at the end of the lockdown, my husband, Richard (Curly) was diagnosed with an aggressive sarcoma/cancer, that meant the rest of the year was spent travelling backwards and forwards to Christchurch for treatment to try to prolong the illness. Unfortunately, he passed away just before school started back this year. My family and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your amazing support during this time. The messages, the food, the love and support we have received from so many of you has been truly overwhelming, to say the least. The food and catering at Curly’s funeral was provided by the Wānaka Primary School staff and parent community - and for around 1000 people, I know that was quite a mission,... so thank you to everyone who responded to that call. I will always remember and appreciate the support this community has given myself and my family at this very difficult time. I am now back part-time at Wānaka Primary continuing my role as the SENCO and I look forward to working with the amazing team of specialists and teacher aides that work with teachers and children that require their assistance in our school.
Cook Book
We have a winning title for our school cook book: BITE
Mountain Munches to Lakeside Lunches and everything in between.
Congratulations to Edward Hollows Year 3, Room 15 for coming up with the title. Edward wins himself a free cook book and also 100 Tribe points plus his name mentioned in the book.
Recipes Still Needed
The pressure is on. We want parents and children to send us your favourite family recipes. If you find the online form too much of a hassle, you have 2 other options. We are now offering 20 Tribe Points to every child or parent who emails (cookbook@wanaka.school.nz), or puts a recipe into the box in the office or sends us an online form. When sending in your recipe please note your name and your family's tribe. We want all of your faves and in particular breakfasts, lunches and desserts. We will be collecting recipes until the end of term but the sooner you get them in the better. Ask Grannie, Uncle Bill or Aunt Tilly - anyone who you know who has a special, yummy recipe...or one with a twist.
Swimming Swimming has been going so well. A huge thanks to the parents who have come along to help. The children have reported learning lots in their lessons. The staff at the swim school have been amazing...so well organised, great learning relationships with the children and give each child a full 60 minute programme each day. Thanks to the office staff and leadership team and to John, our caretaker, for driving the school vans - I know that you all have busy days to fit in yet another job...you are stars. We save so much money transporting our children to swimming with the vans. In 2019 we paid $8000 for bus hire, now it is just the cost of the petrol.
Athletics Despite the wind we managed to get through all of the events planned for the day. Thanks to the parents who came along to support their children. There were some great results in the competitive section and it was so pleasing to see everyone in the non-competitive give everything a go to the best of their ability.
Assembly Please note that we have the Pod 8 assembly this Friday 19th March and the Pod 5 assembly next Friday 26th March. The assemblies are close together because we did not start as early this year due to Challenge and Level 2!
Tribe Tiles A huge thanks to Pablo and Emma for putting up our tribe tiles we painted a couple of years ago...you are both amazing...and the tiles behind Pods 1 and 2 look fabulous. Pablo and Emma donated their time and costs which is so wonderful in these tough times. |
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Enviro Group - Mulching The Enviro group has been busy putting bark mulch on the veggie gardens and around the native garden.
A huge thank you to John and Jill Blennerhassett for the generous donation of the mulch from their property, and to Gini Rudhall for delivering it to school. The gardens look so much tidier and will benefit from the moisture retention and weed suppression. |
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Kindling for Sale We are selling banana boxes full of hand-picked kindling for $10 each to raise money for our girls' and boys' clubs to allow them to do their planned activities this year. Come into the office to purchase a box, or they will be available outside assembly this Friday. Thank you for your support.
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Welcome to Wānaka Primary School Netball for 2021 Player registrations are now open. The season will be played in Term 2, commencing on Saturday the 8th of May and finishing on Saturday the 10th of July. Please follow this link to register: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/153545 REGISTRATIONS CLOSE THIS FRIDAY 19TH MARCH. NO LATE REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. If you have any questions - please email wpsnetballers@gmail.com. Many thanks,
Wānaka Primary Netball Committee |
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Hot Cross Buns for Morning Tea Thursday 25th March – 10.30-11.00am
Our wonderful PTA are organising freshly baked Hot X Buns for students for morning tea on Thursday 25th March. It would be appreciated if children can bring a gold coin as a donation for their Hot X Bun. Their classroom teacher will take orders (normal buns and gluten free) and the PTA will distribute the buns to the pods between 10.30-11.00am on the Thursday. Don’t forget to send a gold coin along with your child.
Mums and Dads
Mums and Dads are also invited to come along to school for morning tea on Thursday 25th March and enjoy a Hot X Bun (also gold coin donation). Why not come and join your child in their classroom, tea and coffee will be available in each pod for parents. The PTA need to order the Hot X Buns so please click here to make your order. Please complete your order by Tuesday 23rd March 9am. Don’t worry about ordering for your children, teachers will give the PTA an indication of numbers required per class.
The PTA would like to thank Wānaka New World for supplying the Hot X Buns. |
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Sponsors of the Wānaka Trail Ride Wānaka Primary School and Montessori Children's House would like to thank the following businesses for their generosity in sponsoring our Wānaka Trail Ride.
If you own a business and would be interested in sponsoring the Wānaka Trail Ride please contact Anne-Marie on annemarie.love@mchw.co.nz.
Land Access
Denis Nyhon - Lucy Annan and Simon Mailing
Gold Sponsors
Maungatua Contracting - Stonewood Homes
Bronze Sponsors
Aspiring Helicopters - EME Electrical - Puzzling World
Ecco Landscapes - Hirepool Wanaka
Wanaka Powersports - Wanaka Auto Repairs
Additional Sponsors
Alpine Auto Centre - Tyreland Wanaka - Custom Digital - Placemakers
Cardrona Alpine Resort - 4 Square - Rotorworx - Tonia’s Photography - Logical1
Challenge Wānaka - Subway - The Lake Bar - Mitre 10 - Moto South
Wireless Rentals - Wānaka Wastebusters |
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Library News Click here to access our Library Webapp
Hello to all parents,
I take great care and satisfaction in helping all the children here at WPS to find books that they will feel engrossed in.
Please feel free to come into the library anytime (I am here before school until 3pm Mon-Fri) and see our wonderful collection of reading material and discuss any thing else you may want to know, or email me at melissaa@wanaka.school.nz.
Ngā Mihi, Melissa |
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Easter Tuesday Fun at Kids Club |
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Art Workshop in the holidays (ages 7 - 12 yrs) |
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Kids Events at Northburn Station This weekend - some great adventure options on Northburn for the kids! (Up Northburn Station Road, 2mins after the bridge heading towards Tarras.)
Saturday 8.30pm - 5km night run - course well marked with reflectors - bring a torch.
Sunday 1pm - 2km adventure run - creek crossings, jungle, pipeline, rock scramble, fast downhill... kids absolutely LOVE IT!!
5km - $10
2km - $5
Everyone gets a burger at the finish! |
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Are the Arrow or Cardrona Rivers important to you? You’re invited to a meeting to hear how we propose to manage freshwater flow in your area, based on what your community told us you love about your waterways when we met with you in 2019. Come along to a short presentation followed by discussion and questions. Arrow: Wednesday, 17 March 2021, at St John's Church, Berkshire St, Arrowtown, 3pm-4.30pm OR 7pm-8.30pm. Cardrona: Thursday, 18 March 2021, at Lake Wanaka Centre, 89 Ardmore Street, Wanaka, 1pm-2.30pm OR 7-8.30pm. Find out more at orc.govt.nz/Cardrona or orc.govt.nz/Arrow. Please book a seat at customerservices@orc.govt.nz or call 0800 474 082
Facebook events:
Arrow: https://www.facebook.com/events/1764997153679656/
Cardrona: https://www.facebook.com/events/335111174598982/ |
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Fundraising for Ronald McDonald House
Ronald McDonald House Charities NZ - Ange & Jenny (rmhc.org.nz) A couple of our parents are taking part in the Ronald McDonald House to House Challenge Fundraiser this month.
Their goal is to complete the number of km's it is from Wānaka to Christchurch by biking, running and walking during March (about 425km's) with the aim to raise as much money as they can for Ronald McDonald House. The link for their fundraising page is above, thanks for your support. |
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Shaping Our Future-Wellbeing Forum Survey Wellbeing Forum Survey for Queenstown Lakes District
Shaping our Future (SoF) is an independent organisation that enables the communities of the Queenstown Lakes District to work together to find creative ways to build better lives, for now and for generations to come. Shaping our Future focuses on collective, future-focused decision-making through a process of harnessing and applying local expertise to local issues. We are an independent organisation dedicated to delivering a shared vision of the future to guide local decision-making (including Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).
We are running this survey until the end of March in hopes of getting a wide and diverse response.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6K9YQYM |
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Wakatipu High School Musical Grease will run from the 24th to the 27th of March at the Wakatipu High School Theatre, with doors opening at 7pm. Get your tickets from iticket.co.nz now as door sales will be limited.
General admission is $15 for students and $30 for adults *plus transaction fee. $10 programmes will be available on the night along with snacks and drinks that you can purchase before the show and during intermission. A silent auction fundraiser will also be running if you would like to bid for some amazing prizes. Don’t miss out! http://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2021/mar/whs-grease |
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| Delicious, nutritious and popular with kids, Subway delivers school lunches every Friday. Order online at subwayexpress.co.nz by 9am. |
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