Kia Ora Tatou, Greetings to all
Dear Parents
A warm welcome to the new five year olds and other new children and parents who have joined our school in the final term of our school year.
Presently teachers are gathering final year achievement data for reports that will be sent home. The teaching staff are also involved in planning curriculum programmes of learning for 2010.
Students as usual are very focused on learning, participating in various outdoor activities and busy preparing for the Garden Party towards the end of term, where they will be involved in a variety of learning celebrations.
Strategic Learning Area Enhancing Potential
Professional Development for Staff
Denise Morris attended library professional development with National Library advisors.
Shelley Quinlivan and John Jacka attended the property review session with the Ministry.
John Jacka, our Property Manager attended the water use session with the Auckland City Council.
Strategic Learning Area Empowering Learning
Achievement data report
The Empowering Learning team is to present school-wide achievement data at the BOT meeting in November.
Student Teachers
The last of our student teachers have completed their practicum visits in our school. All student teachers report that their experiences at Epsom Normal have been welcoming and that students and staff make them feel very much part of the school community. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the teachers who model excellent teaching practice and mentor these student teachers in order that they may be inspirational in their future careers. The children also benefit from having student teachers in the school because the students can spend time focusing on small groups of children to support them further with their learning. Thank you to Therese Bakker and Shelley Quinlivan for coordinating both the university graduate and undergraduate student/teacher programmes in the school.
Finances
Staff are preparing budget information for the 2010 Budget.
Here is a lovely piece of writing by one of our Year 3 students, Mate Room 14.
Bedtime
‘’ Yaaaaawn’’ being summoned to sleep like silky chocolate melting upon me. The moon’s darkness was as black as the glistening tar road on a misty day. I curled my body into a round ball, as warm as a fire roaring at me. My warm blanket making me feel like I was under a shady green tree having a nice rest.
‘‘Yaaaaawn’‘
‘‘Yaaaaawn ‘’.
Warmest regards
Jane Cavanagh-Eyre
Principal