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Term!4!Week!6!!!!!!!!!19!November!2015!
2015October!2014!
Phone:!355!9132!#0!Reception!!!!!!!!

Absentee!Line:!355!9132!#!1!or!027!750!3559!(text!only)!
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Email:!stalbans@stalbans.school.nz!!!!!!!!Website:!www.stalbans.school.nz!
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Dear!whnau,!
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We!are!pleased!to!announce!our!class!composition!for!2016.!Considerable!time!has!gone!
into!developing!this!structure,!taking!into!consideration:!
The!needs!of!each!group!of!learners:!social,!emotional!and!academic,!
Moving!forward!with!collaborative!practice!and!flexible!learning!environments,!
Management!of!our!master!planning!construction!phase.!
We!will!continue!with!our!successful!Year!5/6!composite!groups,!with!a!change!to!2!
teams!of!3!teachers.!!We!are!introducing!2!teams!of!Y3/4!composite!groups.!
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Year!1!
June!Thompson,Sutherland!(team!leader),!!
Krysta!Geerling,!Louise!Schollum,!Lucy!Whyte!

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Room!1,!Room!4,!Room!5,!Room!6!

Year!2!
Nicky!Simmons!(team!leader),!Sam!Pelham,!!
Felicia!Ward!

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Room!7!!9!(including!Pod!8)!!

Year!3/4!
Anna!Ashby!(team!leader),!Nikki!de!Vries,!
Kim!Scadden,!Julie!Worthington/Adela!Brown!!

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Rooms!15!,!18!

Year!3/4!
Warren!Yardley!(team!leader),!Jane!Allen,!
Fiona!Campbell!

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Rooms!19!,!21!

Year!5/6!!
Kate!Bateman!(team!leader),!Dionne!Fowley,!
Andrea!Dykstra!

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Rooms!25!,!27!

Year!5/6!
Renee!Kake!(team!leader),!Shelley!Barbour,!!
Rosina!Tippen/Trish!Bunting!
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Te!Tikanga!Rua!Reo!
Matua!Thomas!(Kaiwhakahaere),!!
Tuahine!Hireke!

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Rooms!22!,!24!

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Rooms!2!!3!and!associated!spaces!

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Ko main kai atu ko maru kai mai ka ngohengohe.

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Give as well as take and all is well.

Teachers!are!currently!working!on!class!placements!for!2016.!We!know!there!is!always!
significant!angst!regarding!this!issue;!please!trust!us!to!make!the!best!decisions!possible.!
We!take!time!to!consider:!teacher!fit,!friendships,!good!combinations,!not!so!good!
combinations!and!other!contributing!factors.!!Not!only!do!the!current!teachers!meet!to!
complete!the!class!placements!but!also!previous!teachers!are!involved.!We!will!certainly!
take!into!account!valid!reasons!for!specific!requests.!However,!requests!for!specific!
teachers!cannot!be!considered.!
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Information!about!composite!groupings!!
By!composite!groups!we!mean!putting!two!consecutive!yearYgroups!together.!The!key!
to!understanding!composites!is!realising!that!growth!is!determined!in!stages!and!not!
magically!by!ages.!Although!a!child!might!be!chronologically!older!or!younger!their!
maturity,!social!needs,!academic!needs!and!behaviour!are!uniquely!their!own.!Some!need!
stimulating,!some!need!more!maturing.!Some!have!needs!in!certain!areas,!but!not!in!
others.!There!is!no!hard!and!fast!rule!that!says!children!of!one!age!working!together!will!
have!their!needs!met!any!better!than!a!range!of!ages.!!
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It!makes!sense!then!to!group!children!who!are!going!through!the!similar!stage!so!they!can!
relate,!help!and!experience!together.!Even!within!the!same!class,!children!will!be!at!
different!levels.!New!Zealand!teachers!are!trained!in!identifying!this.!We!are!renowned!
the!world!over!for!extending!those!who!learn!more!quickly!and!supporting!those!who!are!
slower.!Unlike!other!countries!where!wholeYclass!teaching!is!often!the!norm,!NZ!teachers!
are!trained!to!teach!in!ability!groups.!Straight!classes!require!as!much!group!teaching!as!
composite!classes!because!this!is!the!hallmark!of!good!teaching.!There!is!no!difference!in!
the!range!of!abilities!present!in!a!straight!class!compared!to!a!composite.!
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Composite!groups!can!provide!significant!benefits!to!both!the!younger!and!older!students!
in!the!class.!Older!students!can!benefit!from!helping!younger!students!in!coYoperative!
learning!situations.!The!younger!students!have!the!opportunity!of!enhanced!learning!
experiences!where!they!are!ready!for!it.!There!are!many!examples!where!younger!children!
can!show!older!ones!a!thing!or!two!!Role!models!and!leaders!can!come!from!both!the!
younger!and!older!children;!the!children!who!excel!at!these!traits!do!so!irrespective!of!
age.!
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Research,!both!in!New!Zealand!and!overseas,!has!shown!no!detrimental!academic!effects!
from!composite!classes!but!many!additional!benefits.!A!major!review!of!international!
research!into!multiYage!classes!was!undertaken!by!Veenman!(1995).!He!investigated!56!
studies!in!12!countries!including!Australia,!looking!at!the!cognitive!and!nonYcognitive!
effects!of!multiYage!and!singleYage!classes.!He!found!that!there!were!no!differences!found!
with!respect!to!maths,!reading,!or!language!and!that!with!respect!to!attitudes!towards!
school,!selfYconcept!and!social!adjustment,!students!are!sometimes!advantaged!by!being!
in!multiYage!classes!instead!of!singleYage!classes.!They!are!more!confident,!can!operate!
better!as!part!of!a!group,!are!more!assertive,!become!more!independent!learners!and!
better!problemYsolvers.!They!also!make!friends!outside!of!their!standard!age!groups.!In!
later!life,!if!we!have!a!oneYyear!age!difference!with!someone!this!becomes!of!no!
consequence.!
Ko main kai atu ko maru kai mai ka ngohengohe.

Give as well as take and all is well.

There!is!no!empirical!evidence!for!any!assumption!that!student!learning!is!hindered!in!
composite!groupings.!Ultimately,!whether!children!are!in!composite!or!straightYage!
classes,!it!is!not!the!age!combinations!that!matter.!What!matters!is!the!quality!of!teaching!
and!learning!and!the!relationship!between!the!child!and!the!teachers.!
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Ng!mihi,!!
Ginnie!and!the!team!
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Message!from!the!Board!of!Trustees!
Information!Evening!:!Changes!to!our!School!and!its!Practices!2016!and!Beyond!:!
Tuesday!24!November!2015!6pm!to!7pm!
The!school!and!Board!are!looking!forward!to!sharing!information!with!you!on!modern!
learning!practices!and!details!of!our!Master!Plan!for!the!school!site.!This!is!your!chance!to!
learn!more!about!modern!learning!and!collaborative!teaching.!We!will!also!be!sharing!
details!of!the!building!work,!which!starts!at!the!end!of!term!four.!
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Please!copy!and!paste!the!line!http://goo/gl/forms/wYmEZM8mVw!into!your!Internet!
browser!and!complete!your!registration!to!attend!the!evening.!If!you!cannot!complete!this!
online!you!can!register!at!the!school!office.!We!will!be!running!activities!for!school!aged!
children!so!you!will!not!need!to!organise!babysitters.!!We!look!forward!to!seeing!you!all!on!
Tuesday.!
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rd

Pool!!Opening!Monday!23 !November!
rd
We!are!very!pleased!to!inform!you!that!the!school!pool!will!open!on!Monday!23 !
November!for!the!2015/2016!season,!we!look!forward!to!our!tamariki!enjoying!pool!time,!
becoming!confident!in!the!water!and!learning!about!water!safety.!!
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Farewell!to!David!Beck!
The!Board!would!like!to!acknowledge!and!thank!David!Beck!for!his!longYstanding!
contribution!to!St!Albans!School!and!the!Board.!David!has!decided!to!stand!down!as!a!
Board!member!after!11!years.!David!was!coYopted!onto!the!Board!in!2004.!His!legal!
expertise,!education!background!and!Board!knowledge!has!been!invaluable!and!we!will!
miss!his!presence!at!Board!meetings.!Although!David!is!stepping!down!as!a!Board!member!
he!has!volunteered!his!ongoing!legal!expertise!and!we!are!very!grateful!for!assistance.!
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Vaughan!Hartland!Co:opt!
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At!the!Board!meeting!on!9 !November!the!Board!voted!to!coYopt!Vaughan!Hartland!on!to!
the!Board!through!to!the!Board!elections!in!June!next!year.!Vaughan!is!a!St!Albans!School!
parent!and!has!an!accounting!background.!The!Board!welcomes!Vaughan!and!we!look!
forward!to!working!with!him.!
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Board!of!Trustee!Elections!2016!
Interested!in!standing!for!the!Board!of!Trustees?!!Board!elections!are!next!year.!Come!
th
along!to!the!next!board!meeting!on!7 !December!at!6pm!in!the!staffroom!to!find!out!
more!about!what!the!Board!does.!
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Ko main kai atu ko maru kai mai ka ngohengohe.

Give as well as take and all is well.

NEW!PUPIL!
We!welcome!the!following!new!pupil:!!Digby!Sutton.!!It!is!wonderful!to!have!you!join!our!
school.!
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SCHOOL!NOTICES!
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Year!6!Sailing!!Date!correction!!it!is!on!Tuesday!1 !December.!!Cost!$30.!
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Year!1!Touch!Y!Thursday!night!saw!the!
clash!of!the!two!mighty!Year!1!touch!
teams:!the!St!Albans!Boomers!and!the!St!
Albans!Speedsters.!!The!end!score!was!in!
favour!of!the!Speedsters,!tries!scored!by!
Joey,!Sam!and!Vinnie.!!Even!Miss!
Schollum!came!to!support!!but!she!
didnt!cheer!for!one!team!more!than!the!
other!!!Great!to!have!so!many!St!Albans!
players!and!parents!along!to!support!!
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PTA!NEWS
Congratulations!to!Tina!Norton,!the!winner!of!the!Pretty!in!Pink!Raffle.!Enjoy!your!
prize!Tina.!!And!thank!you!to!Coco!Gifts!and!Harding!Jewellers!for!the!prizes.!
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COMMUNITY!NOTICES
OSCAR!in!St!Albans!Holiday!
Programmes!:!We!are!running!
our!holiday!programmes!in!
December!2015!and!
January/February!as!follows:!
th
December:!Wednesday!16 !to!
rd
Wednesday!23 !December.!!
th
January:!Monday!11 !to!
rd
Wednesday!3 !February.!!!
Enrolment!is!open!from!first!
week!of!November.
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nd

Garage!Sale!Y!Sunday!22 !
November!8am!!10.30am!at!6!
Roosevelt!Ave,!St!Albans.!!Large!choice!of!baby!clothes,!toys!and!childrens!books,!large!
ticket!items!like!mountain!buggy,!highchairs!and!car!seat.!Bric!a!brac,!mens!and!womens!
clothing,!CDs,!books,!vases,!candles!and!more.!PLEASE!do!not!arrive!earlier!than!8am!
thanks.!
Coco!Gifts!Y!is!owned!by!Liz!Bloomfield!whose!3!children!all!attended!St!
Albans!School.!!Coco!Gifts!has!elegant!gifts!and!homewares!for!every!
occasion.!Christmas!decorations!are!in!store!now!!Coco!Gifts,!63!Rutland!Street,!St!Albans.!!
Phone!355Y3336,!www.cocogifts.co.nz!
Disclaimer: St Albans School does not necessarily support or endorse any of the services advertised in this newsletter.
If you wish to unsubscribe to the newsletter please click here: mailto:diane.mawhinney@stalbans.school.nz
Ko main kai atu ko maru kai mai ka ngohengohe.
Give as well as take and all is well.