Week  6  -  Term  1  -  2020

 
 
 
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Visit    tinyurl.com/vf6tzpz   

to follow  Whanau Time live. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

WHS YouTube  with 109 school videos https://goo.gl/OECvhD

 
 
 
 
 
 

Click on the Calendar icon for our Live Community Calendar

 
 
 
 
 

Calendar of Events:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kia Ora, Talofa Lava, Malo e Lelei, Bula, Namastē, Namaskar, AyubowanKia Orana, Taloha Ni, Kumusta,  Aloha Mai E, Fakaalofa Lahi Atu, ‘Alii, Malo Ni, Halo Aloketa Aloha, Nī Hāo, Sawatdeekhrap  Sabaidi, Terve, Dobradan, Bonjour, Hola, Guten Tag, Ciao, Salaam, Olā, Zdravstvuyte, Konnichiwa, Ahn Young Ha Se Yo, Hoi, Merhaba, Jambo, Yasou, Shalom, Salamat Siang, Ahoj, Xin Chāo, Sawubona, Bok, Yiassoo, Hej, Dia Dhaoibh, Cham Reap Sour, Hoi, Vanakkam.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Teacher Only Days For Your Diary

 
 
 
 

We have a Teacher Only Day on Friday May 8 for our school and another on Friday May 29 which is for all the schools in our Community of Learners (includes Henderson Intermediate, Liston, St Dom's and Waitakere College).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Covid 19 Latest Update as of March 9:

 
 
 

We are receiving constant updates with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health to ensure we know what is happening, what we need to focus on and the real facts of the situation.

There is a great deal of misunderstanding and a great deal of unnecessary worry at this point.

 
 
 
 
How to wash your hands NHS song | NHS
 
 
 

Many of you will be aware that three of the four cases of COVID-19 confirmed in New Zealand have had links to four school communities.  I appreciate this could be unsettling for some of you so wanted to provide you with an update.


It was very reassuring to read the information from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service that the children in these families are not showing any symptoms of COVID-19 and are doing well. Because the children continue to not show any symptoms, they were not infectious when they were at school and the Ministry of Health is confident there is no risk for the students and staff in those schools.


You will also be interested to know that research published by the World Health Organisation notes that children and young people under 18 account for only 2.4% of all reported cases of COVID-19. This means we are unlikely to see widespread cases in schools and early learning services in New Zealand.


The Ministry of Health’s current advice is that with continued vigilance, the chance of widespread community outbreak is expected to remain low. So we all have a role here to minimise the spread of COVID-19.


Our school staff and leadership remain well prepared for the possibility there might be a case in our community. If that were to occur we are confident we can put our plans in place and know we will be supported by regional health authorities and the Ministry of Education.


I am sure you are all keen to do what you can to prevent risk of infection. The best preventative steps are:

  • wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and dry thoroughly

  • avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

  • avoid sharing anything that has come in contact with saliva, whether in your living or social environments

  • stay home when you are sick and seek medical attention

  • cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the rubbish

  • get adequate sleep and eat well-balanced meals to ensure a healthy immune system.

If you want to know more about COVID-19 please make sure that any reading you are doing is from a reliable source. The Ministry of Health is the best source of information for New Zealand and they update this information regularly - Ministry Of Health 

 

A reminder that anyone who is ill should not be attending school.

 

The COVID-19 symptoms are a fever, coughing and difficulty breathing. If anyone has these symptoms and has recently been to a country or area of concern, or have been in close contact with someone confirmed with COVID-19, please encourage them to contact Healthline (for free) on 0800 358 5453 (or +64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or their doctor immediately.

 

Ngā mihi

 
 

Some Facts from the World Health Organisation.

Evidence from China shows that only 1% of reported cases do not have symptoms, and most of those cases develop symptoms within two days.

Young people 18 years and under represent less than two point four per cent of those who have contracted the virus.

From the data we have so far, COVID-19 does not transmit as efficiently as influenza.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Family Learning Conferences:

 
 
 

Family Learning Conferences happen this Wednesday and Thursday 11 and 12 March. 

School finishes on BOTH days at 12:30pm The Tuck Shop will be open both days.

Conferences run from 1:30 until 7:30pm on Wednesday and from 1:30 until 5:30pm on Thursday.

Please Note:  We will provide supervision for any children who need it between 12:30 and 3pm.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

If you need supervision at this time please email away@westernheights.school.nz   

 
 
 

We regard these Family Learning Conferences as REALLY important. 

 These Family Learning Conferences are focused on building a strong relationship and deep level of understanding between the family and the teacher.


These Family Conferences are about finding out about the learner from their family, as well as sharing how they have started school, and some of the Key Competencies they are demonstrating or focusing on. Key Competencies are mostly about relationships, managing self, thinking independently, working together and so on.


Teachers will be asking you to share your positives about your child - the things you appreciate and value, their qualities and even their endearing little ways. They will ask about your thoughts on your child’s:

  • strengths

  • interests

  • passions

  • responsibilities

  • qualities

Family Conferences are divided into 15 minute slots. So…

Please get to your appointment a little early so you can start on time

Please be fair to others who are waiting for their conference, by finishing on time.

If you don’t have enough time to cover everything in the 15 minutes, please make a follow-up appointment with your child’s teacher to ensure everything is addressed properly.


If you are waiting between conferences, feel free to pop in to my office and say hello - I will welcome the opportunity to chat, answer questions or listen to your thoughts, ideas or concerns.


We look forward to seeing you all this week. 

 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Story:

 
 
 

Potatoes, Eggs, and Coffee Beans


Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it.


She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.


Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high heat. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the boiled eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does all this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity – the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

 When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?  Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? 

Moral of the story:

In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Thinking - Connecting the People and the Land:

 
 


Following on from last week - looking at the importance and inter-connectedness of the people and the land, some thoughts on Dame Whina Cooper.

A new bronze statue of Dame Whina Cooper was unveiled on 3 February at Waipuna Marae

in Panguru. The statue recognises the incredible land march Dame Whina undertook in 1975 with her granddaughter Irenee Cooper, marching from Te Hapua to Parliament in Wellington to campaign against the loss of Māori land. Dame Whina’s influence has continued and her words epitomise keeping the child at the centre of all we do:

“Take care of our children. Take care of what they hear, take care of what they see, take care of what they feel. For how the children grow so will be the shape of Aotearoa.”

 
 
 
 
 
 

Whina Cooper, of Te Rārawa, was born in northern Hokianga in 1895. She took part in local affairs and by the 1930s had become a leader of the northern Hokianga people.

In 1932 she played an active role, with Āpirana Ngata, in setting up Māori land development schemes in the region. Eleven schemes (comprising 98,000 acres, or 40,000 hectares) were set up in the Hokianga district, and Whina supervised several. The schemes made rapid progress, although some later proved uneconomic.


When her second husband (Bill Cooper) died in 1949 Whina moved to Auckland. Here she found a new role as a pan-tribal Māori leader. She was foundation president of the Maori Women's Welfare League, and was active in creating regional branches. By the mid-1950s the League had over 300 branches and 4,000 members. It greatly improved improving living conditions for Māori who had recently moved to the cities and faced discrimination in housing and employment. Whina was appointed an MBE in 1953.


Whina Cooper is perhaps best known for leading the famous 1975 land march from Te Hāpua (in the far north) to Parliament in Wellington. The march was organised by Māori groups opposed to the further loss of their land. It marked a new era of protest and reform.


For most New Zealanders who witnessed the march the most inspiring image was the seemingly frail but passionately articulate 80-year-old woman who led it. About 5,000 marchers arrived at Parliament on October 13, 1975, where Whina presented a petition signed by 60,000 people to the Prime Minister, Bill Rowling.


Whina Cooper continued in public life, opening the Auckland Commonwealth Games in 1990. She told an international audience to remember 'that the Treaty was signed so that we could all live as one nation in Aotearoa'.


Whina Cooper died at Hokianga in 1994, aged 98. More than a million people watched the live television broadcast of her tangihanga (funeral).


Adapted from the DNZB biography by Michael King

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s News - Champions AGAIN:

 
 

We have some very special children, teachers and parents at Western Heights.

Our West Zone schools have not held an Inter School Cricket competition before, but our kids are always up for a challenge, so we sent along two boys' teams and a girls’ team.

Sure enough, we won both the boys and the girls competitions. Huge thanks to coaches on the day - Frank Yelash (Boys’ A Team), Tim Taura (Boys’ B Team) and Abdel Ramadan (Girls’ A Team).

Tim did a lot of work at school with our children and we also had great coaching Georgia, from our Kiwi Sport Coordinator from Waitakere Sport. We also brought in two special coaches from Waitakere Sport to give some extra coaching. 

Well done to all three teams - great attitudes, awesome sportsmanship, and outstanding results!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Star:

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Cool Kids:

 
 
 
 
 
 

At Right:  Also doing well is poor Heidi. She tripped and fell hitting her head last week, requiring some stitches. A couple of days later she was sitting near the edge of our stage at Whanau Time. She leaned her hand back to adjust her position but was close to the edge and found thin air as they say. Her nasty tumble was caught live on camera on our Whanau Time Livestream. 

Fortunately Heidi is absolutely fine - and clearly very brave. Special thanks to teacher Lisa Pasilic who took her to the Doctor’s twice in one week.

We now have a taped boundary that our children must sit inside when sitting on the stage. We hope and expect this will keep them safer in future.

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 

Ex Student Aleena Joseph and the Auckland Girls Choir sing to support people suffering from Coronavirus

The Auckland Girls' Choir in New Zealand performed an original song in English and Chinese to support people fighting the coronavirus in China.Source: CNN

See the original CNN video here...

 
 
 
 
Aleena Joseph Singing for Wuhan
 
 
 
 
 
 

Room 24 Kids Share Their Dreams   -  # We Make A Difference:

 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

At Whanau Time on Friday, Room 24 children shared a movie they made from a series of slides they made on the theme #We Make A Difference.

They found inspirational quotes to match their Dream Goals and put them together with a lovely self portrait photo.

A couple even wrote their own inspirational quotes to match their goals. 

I was so impressed I am sharing two at every Monday Morning Staff Meeting and two each week in our newsletter. #Impressive Kids.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Property Round-Up:

 
 
 

Below and Right:  Putting in the sewage pump for our four new classrooms. They are about a week away from being ready - at last!

 
 
  
 
 

At Right:  Shradha Marshall in Room 17 has made the most of her total room upgrade - how awesome is this withdrawal space for children to work in?

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

Accessing Western Heights School Policies:

 
 
 

We have a policy for just about everything! Our policies are managed via SchoolDocs. You can find our username and login on this page - 

Login Information Page

Policies Page - Direct Link

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 What is SchoolDocs?

SchoolDocs provides a comprehensive core set of policies and procedures applicable to all New Zealand primary, intermediate, secondary, and area/composite schools, that is tailored for each school.

SchoolDocs updates, modifies, and creates policies in response to changes in legislation or Ministry guidelines, significant events, reviews/requests from schools, and regular reviewing from the SchoolDocs team.

SchoolDocs has a regular review schedule - and parents are invited to contribute

 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Catch-Ups, Reminders and Notices:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Tip:

 
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Notices:

 
 
 
 
 
 

When you stop at the bottom gate on the yellow lines you send a message to other drivers this is an OK place to stop. 

It might not be busy when you do this but a queue can suddenly form in moments and it sends the wrong message.

Thanks for your support in this.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We have one of our lovely families looking for a house to rent in west Auckland.

They have three school-age children, a mum and a dad, and a rabbit in a hutch.

If you have a house to rent or know someone who does, send me a text on 021779009 or email me macash@mac.com and I’ll connect you with them.

Many thanks friends.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Thoughts:

 
   
  
 
   
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Humour:

 
 
 
 
   
  
   
   
  
   
  
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

Western Heights School

126 Sturges Road

Henderson

Auckland 0612

P -  09 8361213

E -  macash@mac.com

M - 021 779 009

Office eMail

admin@westernheights.school.nz

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Ash Maindonald

Principal

 
 
 

Thank you for reading our newsletter.

Thank you for supporting our awesome school and wonderful teachers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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