From the Principal
There has been a great deal of discussion in recent weeks as a number of our local schools propose changes to how they enforce their school zone.
A zone exists as “a means of limiting the roll to prevent overcrowding at a school, and enables the Ministry of Education to make best use of the current accommodation at schools in the surrounding area.” (educationcounts.govt.nz)
During the past 5 years, our school has reduced the proportion of out-of-zone students from 30% to 14% by imposing our enrolment scheme and not accepting out-of-zone applications. This has provided us with a greater level of control over our student numbers and class sizes and has worked to our advantage in allowing us to operate class sizes which are more manageable for our teachers (Maximum 30 students in Y6 classes at present, maximum 27 students in Y5 classes at present). Another important factor we consider when enforcing this scheme is the additional pressure on our infrastructure- our roads are already clogged with traffic- much of which is heading to BBI and Macleans College. For us to encourage further road use by accepting out of zone enrolments is likely to cause further disruption and pressure on an already struggling road network around our school.
Thoughts around Uniform…
Thank you to the 43 respondents who took part in our short survey about uniform. The responses were largely as expected and there was a great deal of positivity about our uniform. In summary, the average responses to the option questions were as follows;
(5 – Agree strongly, 4- Agree, 3 – Neither agree nor disagree, 2 – Disagree, 1 – Strongly disagree)
- The uniform meets the needs of parents and students – Average response 4
- The addition of new uniform items should be considered – Average response 3
- The uniform is outdated and needs to be overhauled – Average response 2
- The uniform reflects the expectations of our school – Average response 4
- Alternative items should be added to our uniform – Average response 3
There were a range of thoughts about the positive aspects of the uniform varying from comments about individual items, to the colour, simplicity and comfort.
In terms of improvements, the most significant was the affordability, and as a result we are exploring ways we can resurrect the used uniform supply and sale at our school. There were other comments around the thickness of the winter trousers, which we will bring to the attention of John Russell. A small number of comments referenced incorrect information about the uniform, what could be worn, by whom, and when. We have produced a helpful graphic to clarify these misunderstandings on our website.
https://www.pigeon-mountain.school.nz/uniform/
Thoughts around Communication…
We would like to know your thoughts around school communication and have created a very short 2 question survey where you can provide us with feedback. Use this link to participate. Results will be shared in the next newsletter.
Take part in the survey through this link
PMPS Community Group
On Wednesday, a group of our staff and community members attended the PMPS Community Group meeting to discuss and explore ways to provide support for our students, staff, and the larger community.
This is a group for parents and caregivers who are connected to Pigeon Mountain Primary School. There is no obligation to attend every meeting, but we aim to provide opportunities for everyone in the PMPS community to feel supported, connected and included. We meet approximately every five weeks for an hour on a Wednesday evening. The next meeting will be on Wednesday 26th July in the Staffroom from 6.30pm – 7.30pm
If you are interested to know more or would love to have a chat over a hot beverage, please email Johnathan – johnathand@pmps.school.nz
Dates for your Diary
13 June – East Auckland Schools Chess
14 June – Kiwi English Competition
16 June – Kiwi Mathematics Competition
21 June – Kiwi Science Competition
30 June – Last day of Term 2
17 July – Term 3 commences
Mid Year School Reports
These will be emailed to parents. Please make sure that we have your current email address. If you need to update your address please contact the office.
Student Absences
If your child is absent from school for any reason please complete an absence via our School website or SkoolLoop app, stating the reason your child is away and the dates they will not be attending school.
Sickness
If your child is unwell please keep them at home.
Should your child become unwell at school our office staff will contact you to collect your child from school. Please make sure that we have current mobile numbers for you so that we can contact you if needed.
Students leaving school during the school day
Please contact the office by phone or email to arrange to collect your child from school. Avoid collecting your child during morning tea and the lunch break if possible.
Morning tea is 10:50 am – 11:15 am and lunch is 12:45 pm to 1:45 pm.
Bucklands Beach Intermediate
Bucklands Beach Intermediate will begin taking enrolments for 2024 from Monday 19 June 2023. The enrolment website is https://www.bbi.school.nz/enrolment-uniform
The closing date for all enrolments is at 3.00pm on Wednesday 30 August, and the out of zone ballot will be held on Wednesday 6 September 2023.
Bizzy Bodz Holiday Programme
Bizzy Bodz holiday programme July 2023 2
