Kelburn Normal School Newsletter  

The Bird’s Eye View Issue 21   

Paraire 5 Piripi - Term 2, Week 8 2020 
 
Where students learn creatively and strive for excellence preparing for lifelong learning 
Kia auaha te ako a ngā ākonga me te whai i te iti kahurangi mō te akoranga tūroa 
 
Kia ora koutou

I trust you all enjoyed the extra day at Queen’s Birthday this week. The short week has
gone quickly. It seems the weather has turned somewhat and a reminder to ensure that
children have warm clothing to travel to and from school, and for outside play and
physical education.

A reminder that we are still in level 2, although there appears that there may be an
announcement around moving to Level 1 next week. I have included below the MOE
communication for schools at level 1 for your information.

Thank you for making the time for 3-way Learning Conferences this week. Staff have
commented on the lovely interaction with whānau and feel well supported by our
parent community. We are such a lucky school with our parent and caregiver interest
and engagement with children’s learning. We value your observations about what you
noticed about your tamariki, so ​please fill in our Parents & Whānau Observations
Learning@home Form​. These observations help our review, will inform our
conversations, and our ongoing programmes. Let’s keep the momentum of our
home/school partnerships going!

We have rescheduled the ​Teacher Only Day​ to the first day of Term 3 - Monday the
20th July. Staff are working on a MOE funded Creatives Project where syndicates are
learning Ngā Toi Māori, exploring different Maui stories, and creating their own dramas
from them. Staff are working with Rawiri and Bert on further developing creative
learning cultures where children have agency and voice.

This week we really felt as though we are close to normal. All ensembles have started
up again: Henare was here today for kapa haka; the bands have made themselves
heard; the orchestra, Xylofun and Little Xylofun, and the choirs have been rehearsing.
All clubs are back and operational and the library spaces are really pumping again.

It was also award time for Māia children and their short stories. They completed these
over lockdown; Mrs Clark was our judge. Congratulations to Tali W, Logan S, and
Isobel C who were first, second, and third respectively, and to Emily V who received a
special mention. Mrs Clark congratulated the children for the imaginative qualities of
their works, and for their artistry with written language.

Following our return to school we have had some struggles recently with our children
and their handling of our school devices and the online environment. We have noticed
some have migrated online behaviours back to school that are inappropriate at school.
We have been allowing for a period of adjustment; but now is the time for us to make
sure the guidelines are clearly followed. We have a clear set of guidelines which the
children are aware of and the teachers have been discussing attitudes and
expectations this week, particularly in the Y5-8 space. We will be following through
with consequences, in particular the removal of device use. The Ministry has advised
me that ​the Department of Internal Affairs with Netsafe and the Office of Film and
Literature Classification is about to launch a ‘Keep it real online’ campaign. The
campaign will support parents and caregivers to reduce the risks of online harm such as
cyber-bullying and inappropriate content.

Staffing - during the lockdown Sharyn Green resigned from her position in the office after
3 years at Kelburn. Replacing Sharyn in the office will be Carol Wheatley who will start
on Tuesday.

As we head towards Level 1 we would like to continue the ‘Hug, Wave and Go’ approach
to school drop off in the mornings. While for our older children this is the norm, for Tupu
and Whanake there is a definite impact on how settled the children are if they come into
the learning spaces by themselves and get sorted and connected to their friends before
school.

Last week I shared the Cardboard Challenge from Whānui. This week I have taken a
photo of 3 artworks from each learning group and so this week we have an online Art
Exhibition. It is called ‘36 pieces’ - I am sure you will enjoy these wonderful works.​ Click
here to view…

Some reminders of a couple of things -

The building opens at 8.30 so arrival just before or after that is ideal. This gives
everyone around 30 minutes to get to school and go inside.
Lunch orders are back up and running if you want to order lunch on Wednesdays and
Friday.
A reminder that After School Care and Kelly Sports are operational.
We hope to have our first whole school assembly in week 10 on 19 June, with our music
assembly the following week.
We do plan to run the school cross country (maybe in a smaller format) towards the end
of this term.

Thank you for your continued support for our team at Kelburn.

Ngā Manaakitanga,
Andrew Bird
Principal Tumuaki

School News

ALERT LEVEL 2 UPDATES

Our Alert Level two plans are running smoothly. Thanks to everyone for adhering to
these and we will keep these plans in place until we are notified to move to level 1. There are just a few reminders I
wish to bring to your attention:
● Parents/Visitors on the school site - Remember we are asking that parents and visitors only come onto our
school site if absolutely necessary. Please do not relax your vigilance in this area. Hug, wave and go...If you
do have to come onto the school site you must register at the office on every visit.
● If parents are waiting within the school grounds at Boundary Rd or outside the gates please remember to
social distance - this is for your own health but also because role modelling is important for the children to see.
● There will be no written reporting for PBS students at the end of this term. These will be issued in term 2 of
term 3.
● Hand washing and use of hand sanitiser is working well.
● Drying hands after washing is important. In our bathrooms we have paper towels and these are cleared twice
a day.
● During Covid-19 all NZ schools are required to submit student attendance data to the Ministry of Education.
This data will enable the Ministry to help schools with attendance concerns and to help schools return to
normal operation. The Ministry has therefore asked schools to inform parents and whānau about this
collection and the reason for it, so they can maintain your trust during this period.
ALERT LEVEL 1 - MINISTRY OF EDUCATION COMMUNICATION TO SCHOOLS.
In response to the Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday about Alert Level 1 and the ​Golden Rules​ for everyone
to follow, we are revising our Alert Level 2 health and safety guidance and will disseminate the Alert Level 1 (slimmed
down) version as soon as possible after Monday’s announcement of Cabinet’s decision.

From what we know now, we believe the following are the key changes for schools at Alert Level 1:

● there are no specific public health requirements.

● there are no restrictions on personal movement so all students, children and staff continue to be safe to go
to school / early learning, and all students must attend school.
● you are no longer required to keep a contact tracing register but will continue with the usual practice of
having a visitor and an attendance register (and will need to work with local health authorities to identify
close contacts, should there be a case connected with the school).
● physical distancing is not a requirement but is encouraged when you are around people you don’t know.
● there are no restrictions on numbers at gatherings or on physical activities including cultural and sporting
activities, practices and events.

There are key public health measures (​Golden Rules​) for everyone in New Zealand to follow. For schools and early
learning services this means:

● If people are sick, they should stay home (phone Healthline or their GP and get tested if they have cold or
flu symptoms).
● Continue to regularly wash and dry hands, sneeze and cough into elbows.
● Soap, water and the ability to dry hands should be provided in bathrooms.
● Regularly disinfect shared surfaces.
● Support contact tracing efforts by displaying QR Code posters for the NZ COVID Tracer App.
● Stringent self-isolation of those who display relevant symptoms of COVID-19, test positive for COVID-19,
have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, or have been overseas in the
last 14 days – ​Ministry of Health information for self-isolation​.

At all levels, upon advice from the local medical officer of health, any educational facilities connected to a confirmed or
probable case of COVID-19 must close on an individual or group basis for 72 hours to allow contact tracing, and then
potentially for a further 14 days.

So for the most part, Alert Level 1 is very much business as usual for you and good hygiene practices and people who
are unwell staying away remain a priority.

Welcome to Mark and Janine Sorenson.

“We have been the proud owners of Kelly Sports and Kelly
Club in the Wellington region for over three years now and
are excited to be coming to Kelburn Normal School. We
operate a number of very successful Oscar programmes
around the region and have a wonderful, loyal and hard working team. Between us we
have three children, so understand the importance of the role that Kelly Club plays in
the lives of the children and families we care for. We work really hard to ensure we
provide programmes that are fun, varied, entertaining and safe for our kids, with a
strong emphasis on staff training and teamwork. Kelly Club has extremely high
standards when it comes to health and safety and everything we do is well planned,
structured and thought out. We are both really excited to be coming to Kelburn Normal
School and look forward to seeing you and your kids there!”
Regards
Janine & Mark Sorenson

Get an E-book out today

Kelburn Normal School Library has extended its trial to offer e-books for one year.
(Unfortunately, this does not include audiobooks). Please make use of this offer. Head
over to our Library website ​https://nz.accessit.online/KBNS​ for all the information you
need. Any issues email ​library@kelburnnormal.school.nz​ . There is now also a link to our
Library Website on the bottom of the Kelburn Normal School Website
Year 7 Vision Screening - Information for parents - Screening for Y7s Monday 8 June
Regional Public Health provides a vision screening programme for all Year 7 students.
Vision ​– pupils will be advised of results at the time of screening. If further assessment is recommended you will be
notified by mail.
Children who wear glasses​ and/or are under professional care and have regular checks will not require a vision
check from our service.
Non-consent – please notify your school if you do not want your child being screened.
This screening is not a full assessment of your child’s vision. If you have any concerns, please see an optometrist.

School Clubs and Ensembles Timetable

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Drama ​- Mr Bisley Orchestra​ - Mr Bisley Piccolo​ - Mr Bisley Lyrica​ - Nicola, Mr Bisley Kapa Haka ​- Miss Peach,
8.30 - 9.30am 8.30 - 9.30am 8.30 - 9.30am 8.30am Henare Parata
Hall ​Year 7’s Mahler Room Mahler Room Mahler Room 8.30 - 9.30am
(​Yrs 4, 5, 6, & 7) Hall - ​Years 5 - 8

Xylofun​ - Katharina Tui Choir​ - Ms Laing Chess Club​ - Mr Quayle Little Xylofun
8.30 - 9.30am 8:50am ​Years 2 & 3 12.40 - 1.20pm Māia 8.30 - 9.00 am
Mahler Room (​Ys 4, 5 & 6) Karaka Katharina, Ms de Vries
Mahler Room
(Ys 2 & 3)

Kapa Haka​ - Miss Bishop & Code Club​ - VUW’s Radek

Jeremy Hes and Pravin Vaz with
1.30 - 2pm Hall Miss Peach
Years 1 - 4 12.40 - 1.20pm Māia

School Term Dates 2020

Term Start Date End Date

Term 2 Tuesday 28 April Friday 3 July (10 weeks)

Term 3 Monday 20 July Friday 25 September (10 weeks)

Term 4 Monday 12 October Thursday 17 December (10 weeks)

Teacher only day ~ Monday 20 July, Tuesday 27 October

 
Community Notices