From the Acting Principal
Nau mai! Haere mai!
It has been a fantastic welcome back to school for Term 2. Clubs and sports opportunities have opened up with Literacy Quiz, ePro8, Kapa Haka, Junior Art Extension, Hockey, Dance and Netball all holding trials, practices or competitions in week 1. Ludi is where your children find out about these clubs and opportunities through daily notices.
In this newsletter, we welcome our new staff, share the positive news from our latest ERO report and provide clarity around the phone policy that was brought in last week.
Staff Introductions
Lauren MacKenzie is part of Titoki team and is the new teacher in Room 22. She is a beginning teacher with a heart for children and a love for literacy and the arts.
David Blake is part of Titoki team and is the new teacher in Room 22. David has been teaching for about 12 years, mostly in the local area. Most recently, David has been a technology specialist teacher and a classroom teacher at Farm Cove Intermediate. I’m excited to be joining the team at Pigeon Mountain Primary, where I’m lucky enough to be joined by my two sons.
Ashleigh White is part of Kahikatea team. She is part time teaching in room 23. This is a career change for Ashleigh who has teaching and management experience in the Early Childhood setting. Ashleigh is also the mother of two toddlers. I am really looking forward to meeting you all over the next term and immersing myself in the beautiful culture that is Pigeon Mountain School.
Nicola Wilson is part of Kahikatea team. She is part time teaching in room 23. On her other days, she is an ESOL teacher at Sommerville Intermediate. Nicola has had extensive experience in the classroom and has strength at exploring students’ passions and building their capacity.
Meghna Gupta is part of Puriri team and is the new teacher in Room 1. This is also a career change from the Early Childhood setting, however, this has been a long time ambition for Meghna to teach in the primary sector. Her strength is in literacy learning, meanwhile she is fluent in English, Hindi and Punjabi.
Lalita Minocha joins our administrative team this week. Lalita lives locally and sent her daughter to Pigeon Mountain Primary many years ago.
We are grateful to welcome such excellent teachers and support staff to our team this term.
Winter Uniform
The winter weather is upon us. In Term 2 and 3 children can wear long pants for the colder days. We also have an optional beanie which you can purchase through John Russell Schoolwear in Howick.
ERO Profile Reporting
ERO maintains a regular review programme to evaluate and report on the education and care of young people in the schools. Our school worked alongside ERO to write our Profile Report. This type of report will only happen once as part of our initial engagement with Te Ara Huarau. The profile report reflects our strategic goals and a shared evaluation focus on one or more areas that are important to us as we work together to improve outcomes for all our learners. ERO, like us, has a strong focus on equity and excellence. Future reporting will show our progress and achievement towards meeting the goals we have set. Public reports like the Profile Report are published on ERO’s website.
A Board Assurance Report that shows how we are meeting regulatory and legislative Requirements has also been published.
Cellphones and Other Personal Digital Devices*
Thank you for your support with implementing our new policy regarding personal devices in school which we began last week. Students bringing cellphones or smart watches to school are now handing these to their teachers during school hours.
Please note that our policy regarding cellphone use will be updated on www.schooldocs.co.nz (Username: pigeon-mountain Password: pmps1439) following our upcoming Board meeting.
All our school policies are written and reviewed by the Pigeon Mountain Primary School Board as governors of the school.
*A personal digital device is any privately owned digital device that is not part of any school-approved Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme.
Dates for your Diary
Wednesday 8 May – Pink Ribbon dress down Day / Special Ladies Afternoon tea
Thursday 9 May – Kiwi Competition entries close
Absences from school
Please report your child’s absence from school via @school app or our website. Please include the length of time your child will be away and the reason for their absence.
Early Pick up from school
If you need to collect your child for an appointment during the school day please contact the office 09 534 9765 or email general@pmps.school.nz to arrange. If possible please arrange to collect your child before or after the morning tea and lunch breaks, as it is difficult to find children during these times. Morning tea is 10.50am until 11.15am, lunch from 12.45pm until 1.45pm.
