Newsletter – Week 3, Term 1 2024 – Botany Downs Primary School

Week 3, Term 1, 2024

Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,

We are looking forward to our Whānau Meet the Teacher and Picnic this Thursday 15 February between 5 pm and 7 pm. This is a great time to meet other whānau and the class teacher. Important information will be presented by our teachers and there will be fun and games.

Welcome back to Mr Steve Tobin who was our previous caretaker. Mr Tobin will be our acting caretaker while we employ a new person in that role.

Vicki Parkins, Principal – Tumuaki (vickip@botanydowns.school.nz)

Coming up @ BDS…

Wed 14 Feb – School Board meeting
Thurs 15 Feb – Whānau picnic / Meet the Teacher (5-7pm)
Tues 20 Feb – Yr 6 camp: parent meeting, 6-7pm
Tues 27 Feb – Yr 5 camp: parent meeting, 6-7pm
Mon 4 Mar – PTA meeting
Wed 6 Mar – Yr 6 camp (returns Fri 8 Mar)
Mon 11 Mar – Yr 5 camp (returns Tues 12 Mar)
** click here to view more of the school calendar **

Whānau Picnic and Meet the Teacher
Thursday 15 February, 5-7pm

We are all looking forward to our Whānau Picnic and Meet the Teacher this year. Bring a blanket and a picnic and meet other BDS whānau, as well as meeting your child’s teacher.

Our schedule for the evening:
5:15 pm – An Introduction to ESOL at BDS with Mrs Kate Keenan for parents of students who will be attending ESOL for the first time. Please come to the staffroom.
5.30pm – Junior school parents/caregivers go to your child’s classroom
6.00pm – Year 3 parents/caregivers go to your child’s classroom
6.00pm – Year 4 parents/caregivers go
to Year 4 (ILE) canopy
6.30pm – Senior school parents/caregivers go to your child’s classroom

** sports gear will be available on the field for games and fun!
** coffee/tea/hot chocolate will be available to purchase!
**Mr Whippy will be available to purchase ice creams!

Policies and Procedures –
SchoolDocs 2024 Term 1 Review

SchoolDocs provides a comprehensive core set of policies and procedures that are tailored to the needs of Botany Downs School. SchoolDocs updates, modifies and creates policies in response to changes in legislation or Ministry guidelines, significant events, reviews/requests from schools and regular reviews. Our SchoolDocs policies and procedures can be found via our school website on the link below:

Policies and Procedures – School Documents

If you would like to participate in reviewing the policies, please follow the instructions below. The review closes on 12th April.

Visit the website https://botanydowns.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
Enter the username (botanydowns) and password (best).
Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
Read the policy.
Click the Start your review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
Select the reviewer type.
Enter your name (optional).
Follow the prompts to show that you’ve read the topic and enter your feedback if you’d like to comment.
Agree to the privacy statement and click “Submit review”.

For Term 1 the following policies relate to Learning Support and are up for review:

Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Board Responsibility
Parent Involvement
Communication with Parents
Community Conduct expectations
School Character/Special Character
Documentation and Self-Review Policy
School Planning and reporting
Reporting to Parents on Student Progress and Achievement

If you have any questions or queries please contact:
Mark Insley, Deputy Principal (marki@botanydowns.school.nz)

SCHOOL NEWS

Botany Best & Values

We invite you to attend our school assembly on Friday at 9.10 am. We will be presenting our Botany Best Certificates and Values Bookmarks. This week our item will be from Year 2 Room 2.

Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown their Botany Best by displaying our Capabilities: Hannah Binning, Alfred Wang, Blake Coxen, Gracie Grainger, Mohsin Rana, Jane Bong, Luna Lopez Woo, David Kim, Ian Lopez Woo, Cameron Ellis, Flynn Hodgson, Greta Xie, Sebastian Zuo, Lucas Pope, Joy Qu, Kacey Wang, Azalea Ngo, Neil Olarte, Alice Wang, William Pirie, Leanna Xu, Shane Hwang & Harley Tye.

Congratulations to the following tamariki who have displayed our value of Relationships, Whanaungatanga: Zara Watson, Ilaisaane Fifita, Cassia Grisselle, Emma Hughes, Hareni Pirapakaran, Violette McIlroy, Nathan Tokai, Katya Troussova, Maanvi Patel, Levi Perry, Lucas Jung, Lieol Strickland, Anisa Tamihana, Elani Venter, Riaan Karthick, Ekko Wong, Andrew Liang, Aaria Jones, Jaskiran Kaur, April Clements-Goh, Ruby Turner, Isla Jones & Tiana Parsons.

Cultural and Sporting Opportunities

Dance Group – Sign up for dance group and get to perform throughout the year. In Terms 1-3 dance group is for Year 3-6 students. In Term 4 we have a Junior Dance Group for our Year 0-2 students. If you would like to get involved please see Miss Smith in Room 9 or Mrs Jeffs in Room 25.

Art Club – Sign up for Art Club that will be happening this week for Year 5 and Year 6 students. It will be a fun opportunity for our young budding artists to learn and explore different art techniques and work with different mediums to help grow their talent and love for expressing creativity. Please see Mrs Jacobs in Room 12 for details.

Cricket – On Tuesday of week 3 we will start weekly cricket sessions for Year 4, 5 and 6 students. This will involve bowling, batting and catching skills. Listen to the notices each Tuesday to find out where we will be based – batting and catching on the field, bowling on the senior turf/canopy area. Please see Mrs Holmes in Room 4 for details.

Choir – Singers and performers! Sign up for our BDS Choir this year. Practice will be on every Wednesday at lunchtime. Terms 1-2 we will only have Year 4-6 students. Year 2-3 students can join in Term 3. Come to the hall on Wednesday at lunchtime or see Miss Liu in Room 2 for more information.

Orchestra – If you play any musical instruments and are interested in joining the school orchestra, please see Miss Liu in Room 2. This is for Year 2-6 students. Orchestra practice will be on every Tuesday at lunchtime. Come and sign up this week. The instruments we have had in the past are violin, cello, double bass, flute, keyboard, drums, and piano.

Happy Lunar New Year for 2024!

Lunar New Year is a joyous and culturally significant celebration observed by many Asian communities around the world. The festival marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and typically falls between late January and mid-February. During this time, families gather for delicious feasts and wish each other health and good fortune. It’s also a time to pay respects to ancestors, express gratitude, and hope for happiness and prosperity in the months ahead.

Across Asia, Lunar New Year showcases the beauty of cultural diversity through different customs and traditions, while also fostering a sense of shared identity and renewal.

Fun & Learning @ BDS

Meet Room 8: We have had an amazing start to school getting to know each other.

We love our weekly swimming lessons: learning to get into the pool safely, putting our head under the water, and floating. We are so lucky to have two swimming instructors at our school.

Room 16 is sliding into Year 4 with smiles from ear to ear because they get to use the Senior playground!

Children Turning Five – Enrolment

If your child is turning five in the next six (6) months please ensure you enrol them as soon as possible. Our roll is steadily growing and we need to plan for classes and teachers during the year.

Please collect your enrolment pack from the office, or email office@botanydowns.school.nz

Joanne Hughson DP/SENCo – Year 0-3 (joanneh@botanydowns.school.nz)

LIBRARY NEWS

Returning Books…

A reminder that books may be returned:

to the library – use the returns slot in the main desk (even if the library is closed during school hours, students may always pop in to return their books)
to Botany Bob – our after-hours returns bin located in the front office

** Please remember to return library books on time so that other students may enjoy them.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

DRAMA – DANCE – SINGING

Accelerate Confidence and Communication Skills.

Enrol in February to be in the draw to win one of ten April Holiday programs with a bestie.

“Pform.nz classes provide the most fun of our son’s week”

There is a Pform venue near you at the Uxbridge Community & Arts Centre every Thursday after school!

It’s the perfect activity to join with school friends and get the most from this unique and fun learning experience. Free Trials are available for a limited time.

www.pform.nz/free-trial / www.pform.nz / info@pform.nz

Incredible Years Parent Programme – FREE

This is a highly recommended programme, offered in English, Hindi and Mandarin. I ask you to consider attending, as expert advice can be very helpful.

Location: Uxbridge Community Centre, Howick

Time: 9:30-12:00

Dates: 7 March 2024-20 June 2024

Length: 14 sessions

Cost: FREE

Contact: Avashni.Gopicherran@education.govt.nz or
StaceyLouise.Corney@education.govt.nz to enrol

If you have any questions or need further information please contact Joanne Hughson – joanneh@botanydowns.school.nz