Newsletter 10 June 2024
From the Principal
A warm welcome to our new families. It has been a busy time with interschool sport, school cultural and dance activities and the shade sail going up.
Reminder - Bringing Toys or Swap Cards to School
We do not encourage any toys or cards coming to school. The toys tend to get broken and arguments occur because of card swapping. The safest thing to do is to leave all valuables at home.
Student Sickness - To keep my child home or not?
At present, there are a lot of bugs and illnesses amongst children and schools are the perfect place for these to spread.
There are many reasons why parents drop their child off sick including work pressures, no immediate family or close friends able to help, worried their child will get behind etc. We have had instances of sick children dropped at school and we are unable to make contact with any parents or emergency so they have to remain in sickbay all day. If your contact details change, please let us know straight away.
Showquest 2024
On Thursday, 64 students from across the school will take part in the 2024 Showquest competition.
Showquest is an original stage-based mini broadway that follows the elements of Art, Music, Dance, Drama, Culture & Technology. Students design, produce and perform stories in a powerful performance of celebration and recognition from their community. Performances are centred around an issue chosen by what's important to students.
Pakuranga Heights performance is titled Let Me See You and is about embracing difference through the metaphor of colour. It’s about encouraging people to be brave and step into the light, let go of the shadows and shine bright. Be BRAVE, be STRONG, stand out from the crowd. Embrace who you are and make yourself proud.
The students involved have sacrificed many break times to practice and perfect their performance, and they are eagerly anticipating performing on the big stage at the Aotea Centre alongside 10 other primary and secondary schools. We wish the team all the best!
Moth Pod Success
Pakuranga Heights School Pod Squad Success! We are thrilled to announce that a dedicated group of students (and parents) from Pakuranga Heights School has emerged victorious in the local Moth Pod removal competition. Competing in the open grade division, our enthusiastic team collected an astounding 35,811 pods and small vines, showcasing their commitment to environmental stewardship and community service.
Their hard work and perseverance paid off as they swept the competition, winning several prestigious awards, including:
- 1st Place in the Open Grade Division
- Top Primary School Team
- Thickest Vine Collected- Most small vines collected
In addition, the students also received a special prize created just for them in recognition of their innovation: they invented an 'anonymous hotline' for collecting pods and vines, significantly boosting community participation and efficiency in the removal efforts.
This remarkable achievement highlights the students' dedication to preserving our local ecosystem and making a tangible difference in our community. We are incredibly proud of their efforts and the example they set for us all. Congratulations to our champions for their outstanding contributions and well-deserved success!
Sports News
On Tuesday the 4th of June PHS students went to participate in a soccer fun day. The PHS soccer/ football teams faced multiple teams in soccer matches. The soccer matches were held at the Howick Softball Club. About 50 senior students got to attend the field day. The weather was perfect, and excitement filled the air as. Some of us were a bit nervous to start but after we started the first game we started having lots of fun!
They were short games, only 20 minutes long and nobody kept score so it was just for fun. Overall, the whole day was a huge success, filled with sportsmanship and joy. We can't wait for the next one!
I'm going to talk about what the best day was like at school. It was netball and this took place at the Lloyd Elsmore netball courts on Tuesday 28 May. Our school had four teams that played at the interschool fun day. All teams got to play six games. My team, the year five team, won some games and only lost one game. We tied one and we won four times. I was so happy and we were excited and nervous to play against that many competitors in one day.
Mary, Year 5
Students Coaching Students
Currently, a group of 10 Year 6 students are undertaking training for the students coaching students programme.
This programme, developed by Growth Coaching International (GCI), has been successfully used with primary, intermediate and secondary school students since 2016.
The programme develops skills including:
• Ability to self-reflect
• Ability to relate well to others
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Growth mindset
• Empathy skills
Once they have finished the training, these 10 students will coach students across the Middle and Senior school to support them in setting goals and self-identifying ways to work towards these goals.