Week  5  -  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 Update:

 
 
 

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
 
 
 
 

We are absolutely on top of things - emphasising hygiene and safe practices. Our community has been brilliant, self-isolating even in cases where it was not required. At this point there is NO reason to keep your children home. 

Some Guidelines for Parents:

Face masks are not recommended, as there is limited evidence that they prevent transmission of disease. Good respiratory and hand hygiene is more important. The World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) advice on face masks can be found here, and they have produced videos on when and how to use masks.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

 COVID-19 symptoms are similar to a range of other respiratory illnesses such as influenza (flu) and do not necessarily mean that you have COVID-19. Symptoms can include fever, coughing and difficulty breathing. Difficulty breathing is a sign of possible pneumonia and requires immediate medical attention.

How is COVID-19 spread?

The scientific evidence confirms that coronavirus is spread by droplets. This means that when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, they may generate droplets containing the virus. These droplets are too large to stay in the air for long, so they quickly settle on surrounding surfaces.

 Droplet-spread diseases can be spread by: 

  • coughing and sneezing  
  • close personal contact   
  • contact with an object or surface with viral particles on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.

That's why it's really important to practice good hygiene, regularly wash and thoroughly dry hands and practice good cough and sneeze etiquette.

How long does it take to develop symptoms of COVID-19 after being exposed?

It is still unknown how long it takes for a person to develop symptoms after being exposed to someone with the virus. Based on the characteristics of other coronaviruses, it is likely to be between two and 14 days.

More credible, evidence-based information about COVID-19 can be found at the following places:

 The Ministry of Health COVID-19 webpage.

 The Auckland Regional Public Health Service COVID-19 webpage.

 The World Health Organization’s COVID-19 site.

 
 
 

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.

It continues to remain that the best thing to do is to practice good preventative measures, particularly good hygiene:

  • Wash  hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after eating as well as after attending the toilet

  • Cover coughs and sneezes with clean tissues or with an elbow

  • Put used tissues in the bin

  • Encourage staff and students to stay home if they are unwell

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Family Learning Conferences:

 
 
 

Family Learning Conferences happen next 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.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We regard these Family Learning Conferences as REALLY important. Professor John Hattie has spent many years researching what has the biggest impact on student learning - the results are unequivocal, relationships are the key to success. Relationships between the learner (child) and their teacher, relationships between teachers in the school, and relationships between the learner’s whanau and the teacher and school. These Family Learning Conferences are focused on building a strong relationship and deep level of understanding between the family and the teacher.


As a result, the focus will be a little different from what you might be expecting, and certainly different in focus for the Learning Conferences we will hold at mid year.

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 next week. 

 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Story:

 
 
 

Control Your Temper (Anger)


There once was a little boy who had a very bad temper. His father decided to hand him a bag of nails and said that every time the boy lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence.


On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into that fence.


The boy gradually began to control his temper over the next few weeks, and the number of nails he was hammering into the fence slowly decreased.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

He discovered it was easier to control his temper than to hammer those nails into the fence.

Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father the news and the father suggested that the boy should now pull out a nail every day he kept his temper under control.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

“You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.”

Moral of the story:

Control your anger, and don’t say things to people in the heat of the moment, that you may later regret. Some things in life, you are unable to take back.

 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Thinking:

 
 


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

Schools should  play a critical role in shifting childrenʼs perceptions of food and enhancing access to healthful foods. “Every time kids set foot in any cafeteria or restaurant, they are absorbing messages about food and what a healthy meal should look like,” says Bettina Elias Siegal, an expert on children and food policy.

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Benefits of School Gardens

School gardens provide students with a real-time look at how food is grown. Children  learn how to grow, harvest, and prepare a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Several studies have shown that gardens can be key in shifting childrenʼs nutritional practices:

A 2017 evaluation of FoodCorps conducted by the Tisch Center for Food, Education, and Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University found that in schools that provide frequent, high-quality opportunities for hands-on nutrition learning, students eat up to three times more fruits and vegetables at school lunch — regardless of whether or not that food was grown in the garden. The effects extend outside the school day, too. 

A 2018 randomised control study by Nancy Wells at Cornell University found that children whose schools provided regular school garden lessons had more access to low-fat vegetables and fruit at home than children without that curricula.


Why do gardens have such an impact on childrenʼs eating habits?

Unlike lectures or worksheets on healthful practices, gardens provide an experiential, hands-on learning environment, “where kids get the chance to smell the leaves of the tomato plant and eat carrots fresh from the garden,” says Ellis. Working in a garden is a real-world activity; it engages students and encourages them to explore and reason independently.

Maintaining a school garden necessitates that nutrition lessons become a consistent, built-in part of studentsʼ educational experience, says Eva Ringstrom, director of impact at FoodCorps. Research has shown that it takes between 35 and 50 hours of nutrition education a year to change kidsʼ preferences over the long term, she says.

That repeated exposure can also build the emotional connections to food that are essential to behavior change. When children spend weeks or months growing their food, they feel proud of and connected to it — which is key to trying new dishes with an open mind.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Teacher Helen Rollo and her Kids Garden Crew do a brilliant job with our school garden. Lots of harvesting has been happening lately - as the peppers above show.

 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s News:

 
 

We are getting very close now - our year two teaching team is counting down the days until they can move into our four new classrooms.

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 

The crew from Aztec Builders removed all the old fence poles around our PMP room - it looks so much better.

We have installed a new shipping container by our Native Bush to store Loose Parts for our Junior Play, Make, Create programme.

 
 
 
 

Our Middle School children really enjoyed their football taster. One of the coaches has just arrived here from Spain, where he was a professional footballer. 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Both coaches are Manchester United supporters, so of course I made them very, very welcome at WHS!

 
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Cool Photos:

 
 


Last Monday almost all our 65 staff took part in a First Aide training programme. It ran for nearly five hours - from 3:15 until 8pm - and was brilliant.

Most schools will have a couple of staff trained in First Aide - we have about 60. We also have an AED Defibrillator on site, so we are well prepared.

I have done this course a few times now, yet every time I learn so much. Some of the new learning is because new and better First Aide approaches are constantly being developed.

 
 
  
 
  
 
 

Yi-Ling made me a special gift to say thanks. It features a turtle, so the year of the turtle at WHS is gaining momentum. Thanks for your kindness Yi-Ling.

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 

Above:  Room 26 have been reflecting on issues that they are concerned about. Some very worthy causes here - we are proud of their care and concern for our world.

At Left:  Oliver  has a very handy rubbish picker-upper tool. He and Jayden have been Zero Heroes helping keep our environment clean and tidy. Thanks boys.

 
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Stars:

 
 
 

At Right:  Room seven children With their “Cool Cats” they made. They were very proud of their awesome work. Well done team.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Week’s Round-Up:

 
 
 

At Right:  Our most recent Whanau Time had a visit from Matua Whakamana - an old but reasonably wise turtle who tells pretty bad Dad jokes as it turns out.

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

At Left:  Just a reminder that we celebrate Whanau Time every second week at WHS. Each time it is hosted by a different pair of classes - one junior and one older. It is a time of celebration and coming together as a family. We welcome visitors and we also live-stream - there is a link at the top of the newsletter to connect.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Message From Lauren Nummy re World Vision:

Our World Vision collection has started up again. Last year we raised over $980 for Khin Htar and Djeneba thanks to your support!

 We collect coins every Friday.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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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