Kia ora koutou Whānau,

Hard to believe we are into the second half of this term already. I hope everyone enjoyed the lovely warm weather we had over the weekend. It certainly feels like the warmer months are upon us.

I would like to start this newsletter by acknowledging the loss of two very significant and special members of our community over the past few weeks. Mrs P and Ian Hamilton have been a part of our Omihi whānau for a long time and will both be sadly missed in the community. Stories of Mrs P’s  genuine kindness and connection to the children on her bus, her singing to The Breeze radio station, her Christmas treats and even a pet duck flying beside the school bus have been remembered fondly.

Ian also had a long history with the school and his family have been a part of our school for many generations. Ian was such a lovely, positive and supportive part of our community and we will miss him at our school events. 

We are sending all our love and thoughts to the Parish and Hamilton families during this difficult time. They will both be sadly missed.

Ngā mihi
Penny Vincent
Acting Tumuaki/Principal

School Notices

Welcome
This week we welcome Jai Bartlett into our Omihi School whānau.  We are really looking forward to Jai joining us and wish him many happy school days ahead.

Exciting News
I am feeling very privileged to be able to share some exciting news with you all.  Our wonderful teacher aide Tamar Habani is pregnant with her third child.  This is such special news for the Habani family and we look forward to meeting their new addition in January.

Level 2
A reminder to everyone that we are currently in Level 2.  This means that any time a parent enters the school grounds we ask that you sign in please.  Thank you to those of you who have been ensuring this is done.  You will also notice that our bus drivers will now be wearing face masks.  This is now a mandatory requirement.  It is not necessary for our children to wear face masks on the bus.  I would like to thank you all for ensuring that your children are kept home when they are unwell and continuing to reinforce good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette.

3WLC
Three way learning conferences are coming up next week on Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th September.  This is an opportunity for you to come and meet with your child’s teacher, review goals set in Term 1 and set some new goals for the remainder of this year.  Please click on this link and write your name and your child’s name in one space to book a time.  We would really like to ensure every family has the chance to come along to these.  If you are unable to attend any of the times available, please speak to your child’s teacher to arrange an alternative time.

Reporting
On Friday last week a reading and a writing comment were shared for all children.  If you have had any trouble viewing these on Hero, please let us know and we can assist.

Speeches
This week the tamariki will be presenting their speeches.  The senior children will be presenting on Tuesday afternoon to our two special judges.  The top two speeches from our senior class will go through to the North Canterbury Lions Speech competition held next Tuesday afternoon in Hawarden.  The junior children will present their speech or poem in class on Wednesday and Thursday this week.  Unfortunately, due to Level 2 restrictions, parents are unable to attend the speech competition this year.  We will be filming each child as they present and these will be shared with you on Hero.

Production
Production rehearsals will be our main focus after speeches are completed this week.  A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us with the sourcing of costumes for our production.  If you haven’t already done so, can you please make sure your child has their costume at school in a named reusable bag.  It is very important that those children with lines are practising these at home. They need to be learnt off by heart.  We would really appreciate it if you could support this where possible.  Tickets for production will go on sale next week.  There will not be a limit on tickets per family, however there are a limited amount of tickets we can sell.  These will be sold on a first in, first served basis.  Information on how to purchase tickets will be available in the class newsletters next Monday.

Senior Camp
Planning for our senior camp next term is starting to get underway.  If you have not already paid your camp invoice, can you please do so.  If your child is not going on camp can you please let us know. One of our parent helpers (a mum) for camp is now no longer able to attend.  We are looking for any mums who would like to put their name forward as a parent helper.  If you are interested, please let me know by the end of the week.

Senior Assembly
On Friday afternoon next week our senior children will be presenting an assembly.  If we are still in Level 2 this will be shared via Zoom.  A link for this will be shared closer to the time.  We will do our best to ensure the quality of sound this time around is better than last time.

Community Notices

Alice Archer Yoga

Omihi Hall -Thursdays 5.20 to 6.20pm - $10 plus gold coin donation for use of the hall

Suitable for all abilities. Dynamic and invigorating yoga sessions. Developing strength, balance and flexibility. All welcome to this friendly class.

Call Alice on 027-225-5851 for any more information or see you there!

RESILIENT HURUNUI presents Dr Nick Kirk from Landcare Research on Thursday September 17th at Amberley School Hall, Douglas Road entrance, at 7.30p.m

He will be presenting on workable solutions to the issues arising from the new governmental policy statements and environmental standards for freshwater management.

$5 Donation appreciated

Kia ora koutou Whānau,

I hope you are all well and have had a nice weekend enjoying all the beautiful sunshine we have had. I want to thank you all for your support in  enabling us to shift into Level 2 so easily last week. Thank you to those of you who were able to join us for our first Zoom assembly on Friday afternoon. 

While most of us are familiar with the requirements at Alert Level 2, we will continue to emphasise the importance of:

• Good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette.

• Staying away if sick.

• Avoiding coming into school where possible. 

• Signing in and using the NZCovid tracer app should you need to enter school grounds.

• We are cleaning and disinfecting our high touch surfaces daily.

• Bringing a drink bottle to school each day. The drinking fountain is closed.

We know all these things will help to keep our community as safe as possible.  Due to these measures being in place, your child does not need to wear a face covering while at school.

Thank you for your continued support for all we are doing to keep our community safe.

Ngā mihi
Penny Vincent
Acting Tumuaki/Principal

School Notices

Production
Production plans are well underway.  Tickets have been designed and will be printed and prepared this week.  We will let you know once sales begin.  A reminder that we are holding two performances, one on Wednesday 23rd September at 11am and one on Thursday 24th September at 6pm.  Ticket prices will be $5 each (gold coin for under 5’s).  Thank you to those of you who have been busy sorting your child/ren’s costumes. If you are stuck, please let us know and we will try and point you in the right direction.

Reporting
The teachers have been busy completing reading and writing comments for your tamariki.  At the end of next week these will be released for you to read on Hero.  If you have any questions or have trouble accessing these comments at the end of next week, please let me know.  My next newsletter will include a link to book a time slot for our three way learning conferences in Week 8. 

Preschooler Morning
Our preschooler morning was scheduled for Wednesday morning this week.  Due to Alert Level 2 we will now be postponing this until further notice. 

Ski Trip
We had a wonderful day up at Mt Lyford.  The weather was perfect and we almost had the whole mountain to ourselves! Thank you for your support with enabling us to make this happen.  It was a very special family day out.

New Build Tender
We are making progress towards breaking ground for our new multipurpose space (MPS).  Below is the Registration of Interests link on the GETS website to the Omihi new MPS.  If you are interested in tendering for this build, please click on the RFx ID link which will take you to the Omihi tender.  If you wish to subscribe to the tender you will need to log-in to GETS.

23097893
3454-19-02 - Omihi School: MPS New Build
Registration of Interest
Ministry of Education - School Infrastructure
02/09/2020

If you wish to access GETS directly click on gets.govt.nz which will take you to the GETS homepage.  Click here to modify your tender watch Category Codes and/or Regions and/or Organisations or to unsubscribe and select "Manage Tender Notification Subscriptions" after logging-in.  To completely remove your GETS account please select the following link: Remove Your Account. You will be required to sign into your account and agree to the terms to complete the request.  More general information on public sector procurement is available at www.procurement.govt.nz.

Mana Ake Initiative - Virtual Drop-Ins.
Katie Thomas (counsellor) and Emma Quantock (social worker) from Mana Ake are now able to offer a new opportunity for parents at our school.  They are offering phone appointments for advice and guidance on Mondays and Fridays.  This is for parents to bring concerns or worries around your child, and gain assistance or tips for things that might be helpful for your parenting or family life.  Times with Katie and Emma are available by appointment.  Please phone or text either Katie on 027 240 1080 or Emma on 027 245 5056 if you would like to take up this free opportunity.

Community Notices

Kia ora koutou Whānau,

We have had two great weeks to start Term 3.  There is a very excited buzz around the school as we get into the swing of our Production planning and preparation.  It is just lovely to hear the quiet singing and humming of our production tunes as the kids are working throughout the day.  It is looking like our performance will be in Week 10 of this term although we have a couple of final things to iron out before I will release the exact date and time to our whānau. 

I had a lovely afternoon last week watching some of our tamariki compete at the Kowai Cross Country event down at the Amberley Domain. 

Each and every one of them represented our school so well.  A big congratulations to Rowan Inkson, Charlie Murphy, Monty Croft, Jeremy Pennell and Violet Inkson who have all qualified to head into town and compete in the Canterbury Cross Country event next week. 

We have our ski trip this Wednesday (weather permitting) which we are all really looking forward to. It will be our first big trip outside of school since Term 1!! 

Have a fantastic week everyone.

Ngā mihi
Penny Vincent
Acting Tumuaki/Principal

School Notices

Ski Trip
This Wednesday is our ski trip (pp next Wednesday 11th). Thank you to everyone who has entered their vehicle information into the shared doc. If the mountain is closed and we are unable to go, there will be a cancellation notice on Facebook by 6.30am.  Otherwise, we look forward to seeing everyone up the mountain in the Mt Lyford day lodge by 9am.

Production
Last week you should have received a document outlining the costumes your child/ren need for the production.  Thank you for your support in sourcing these.  If you have any questions or are having trouble please let us know and we can help out.

Speech Competition
On Tuesday 1st September we have our school speech competition.  Years 0 - 2 will be learning and reciting a poem and Years 4 - 8 a speech.  It would be great if you could start thinking about and discussing this at home.  For the junior children you could help them find a poem that they like.  For those writing a persuasive speech it would be great if you could discuss and come up with some possible topics that your child will be passionate about.  The speeches will be written at school but it is fine for the children to work on them at home as well. 

Assembly
We are excited to be hosting our first assembly since Term 1 on Friday, 14th August.  The junior children are looking forward to having our whānau join us to share and celebrate their learning so far this term. 

Report Comments
The teachers are currently busy completing reading and writing assessments on the children.  At the end of week 6 you will receive a reading and writing comment on Hero for your child/ren.

Three Way Learning Conferences
In Week 8 of this term on September 8th and 9th we will be holding Three Way Learning Conferences after school.  I will share a link with you to book a time for this in the coming weeks.  This is an opportunity for you to meet with your child’s teacher, review the goals that were set in Term 1 and set some new goals for the remainder of the year.

School Photos
Our school photos are booked to be taken on September 24th this year (the last week of term).  Thank you to Claire Inkson for volunteering to come in and do this.

Top Team
Our Year 5 - 8 children will be taking part in the Top Team challenge with local schools at the Amberley Domain on 2nd September.  This is always lots of fun and we are looking forward to this day out!!

Uniform
We still have a number of children coming to school wearing incorrect uniform.  Please could you ensure that your child is wearing the school top/jersey with plain navy bottoms and navy or white socks.

Community Notices

Kia ora koutou Whānau,

I hope you have all had a fantastic two week break. It has been lovely seeing our Omihi children back at school today and hearing all about their holidays.

I had a lovely break spending time with my three little people and catching up with friends and family. Miss Mickelson had a great trip down to Wanaka with her family and Miss J has enjoyed spending time with Izzy. 

I am really looking forward to the term ahead. We have lots of exciting things planned, the biggest of which is our school production of ‘Eddie the Penguin Saves the World.’ Tomorrow Harold the Giraffe and his Life Education van are visiting and on Wednesday we have the Firewise education programme and their blow up evacuation challenge maze.

I would just like to remind parents that we welcome you all onto our school grounds again this term. Any restrictions around this are now lifted and we are excited to see you all on school trips and at assemblies again.

Ngā mihi
Penny Vincen
Acting Tumuaki/Principal

School Notices

Online Lunch Orders
Online lunch orders are available again starting this week.  If you would like to order your child sushi for lunch this Wednesday all you need to do is login or register at www.lunchonline.co.nz and follow the easy steps to order.  A reminder that the cut off time for ordering is 8.30am on Wednesday morning. 

Ski Trip
Our 2020 ski trip is coming up in Week 3.  Everyone should have received the Ski Trip document that I shared with you last week.  Thank you to those of you who have let me know of anything that was missing or needed amending in the document.  Could I please ask that THIS WEEK you all go to the bottom of the document and fill in the Driver and Vehicles transportation section. 

Assemblies
We are looking forward to being able to hold normal assemblies again this term.  We will be having two assemblies, one junior and one senior.  Our celebration of learning assembly at the end of the term will be our Production.  The junior (Year 0-4) assembly is on Friday 14th August at 2pm and the senior (Year 5-8) assembly is on Friday 11th September at 2pm. 

Preschooler Morning
This term we will be having a preschooler morning on Wednesday 19th August from 9-10.30am. If you have a preschooler at home we would love for you to come and join us in Paemoana for the morning. 

Kowai Cross Country
Next Tuesday is the Kowai Cross Country event in Amberley.  We wish all our runners luck for this event and I know you will be running with our Omihi school values of Pride and Excellence on the day.

Camp
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on our camp survey at the end of last term.  The majority of parents would like to see camp happen in Term 4.  We have discussed this as a staff and BOT and can confirm that camp will be happening in Term 4 from 25-27th November. The cost per child will be $225. 

ICAS Assessments
ICAS assessments are now open for registrations before being completed next month.  ICAS assessments are online assessments designed to recognise and award academic excellence.  If you are interested in your child sitting one of these please get in touch with me and I can give you some more information about the registration process.

Uniform
Just a reminder to start the term that everyone needs to be wearing the correct school uniform to school please.  Children should be wearing the school shirt and/or jersey, navy bottoms and navy or white socks.

Community Notices

Casual farm worker wanted in Greta Valley
We are looking for someone to move breaks and feed out baleage for 2-3 hours a day over the next couple of months. Having your own dogs would be helpful. Please contact Maree on 021-776-864.

Pilates

Three Pilates classes are now available at the Waipara Pavilion.  Joseph Pilates developed  these exercise classes in the 1920's as a way to improve flexibility, strength, balance and  well being.

Tuesday, 10.30am - General
Wednesday, 10.00am - Advanced
Wednesday, 5.30pm - Intermediate

Do come and join us. First session is free. Ring Sarah 021-159-8246

RESILIENT HURUNUI presents Dr Nicholas Cradock-Henry, Senior Scientist from Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research. He will be discussing the tools and processes that are used for climate change adaption planning in new Zealand.

Thursday August 20th, 7.30 p.m Amberley School Hall