LBP Newsletter – Term 1, Week 4

Term 1, Week 4 – Friday 24 February 2023

Principal’s Chat

Kia ora Parents/Caregivers

The Les Mills Born to Move video team came to visit us this week. They are going to use the school as a location to create some Born to Move video magic. The drone operator and I had a chat about his job. I asked him if he played a lot of computer games as a child. As it turns out he did – but never in his wildest dreams did he expect this to be a job when he was a child. It made me think about what we are trying to do at school to prepare our students for their future.

I wanted to take a moment to remind you about the importance of the journey, especially when it comes to being creative. Too often we focus only on the end result, but the process of creating something can be just as valuable as the final product.

Creativity is all about exploring new ideas, taking risks, and pushing the boundaries of what we think is possible. It’s about trying new things and seeing where they take us, rather than worrying about whether we will succeed or fail.

The New Zealand cricket team is a great example of this. They may not always have the most talented players, but they work together as a team and support each other throughout the journey of a match. They embrace the process of the game, and that’s what makes them a great team.

Similarly, in your own creative pursuits, it’s important to embrace the journey, work collaboratively with others, and enjoy the experience of exploring new ideas.

Remember, the journey is just as important as the destination. So don’t be afraid to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them. It’s all part of the process of becoming a more creative and innovative person.

The bold piece above sounds very professionally written for a very good reason. It was written by a website called OpenAI. Add a few parameters, wait 5 seconds and there you go – newsletter written. OpenAI is causing a great upheaval in education circles – what if students can now cheat on their exams and assignments?

At Long Bay Primary we have a different focus – not on the end product as much as the tools our children need to get there – creativity, problem solving, communication and collaboration skills. The work we do with these will mean that our children will be ready for the future – for jobs that have not even been invented yet.

Drone operators are now a thing – who knows what is coming next?

Rob Hutton
Tumuaki/Principal

2023 Term Dates and What’s On

Rebekah Webb – Room 10 Teacher Change

It is with great reluctance that we have accepted the resignation of Rebekah Webb as a teacher at Long Bay Primary. Rebekah has felt the strong pull of home and will be heading back to Ireland at the end of Term 1. We have appointed Michele Moorcroft to teach Room 10 for the remainder of the school year and look forward to welcoming Michele to Long Bay Primary at the start of Term 2.

Welcome New Students

A warm welcome to our new students who have started at Long Bay Primary since our last Newsletter:

An, Athena, Arlo, Emma, Avelyna, Elena and Charlie

Long Bay Primary Paid Union Meeting – Thursday 2 March

On Thursday 2 March the NZEI are holding a paid union meeting to discuss the teachers collective agreement that has been offered by the Ministry of Education. As a result we will be closing at 12.30pm on that day. We will offer supervision for any students who need to remain at school until 3.00pm with non union staff members. Rooms 11, 12, 20 and 22 will attend swimming as usual on the day. There will be no Y6 Waterwise session or lunch orders available. These students will be ready to go home at 2.55pm as usual. Buses will run at the normal times.

If you would like your child to be supervised at school on the day please complete this form.

Enrolments for Siblings

Please email enrolments@longbayprimary.ac.nz if any current students have a sibling turning 5 this year. We can then add them to the projected roll for future planning.

Access Via Ashley Reserve Walkway

For any students who would like easy access to the Ashley Reserve carpark please meet the duty teacher at the playground sandpit when the 2.55pm bell goes and be escorted through our new track. We hope this will assist to alleviate the traffic issues in Ralph Eagles Place. The gate is also open in the morning for students to arrive to school this way. The route is currently not pram friendly however, we hope to develop this further as part of the Masterplan process with the Ministry of Education over the next few months.

Okura and Torbay Bus Students

We have made a change to the way we collect and use bus student information which will allow us to more accurately track students and communicate with parents. Bus delay information will be shared with families via Seesaw.

As part of this process please complete this form if your child uses either the Torbay or Okura bus. Filling in the form will give us a comprehensive spreadsheet of information and provide easy access to this when needed.

Click here to access the form.

Mathletics

We are still accepting registrations for Mathletics and will continue to do so throughout the year. So far we have had 56 students pay the $40 for a year of Mathletics registration. We really need at least 60 to make this financially viable for our school.

String Group

We are offering students a String Group during Friday at morning tea time. It is for violin, viola and cello players. If you are interested in your child joining this group please contact Ulrike Schwerdtfeger on 0211481512. Auditions will be held on Friday 3 March at 11.10am in the Hall.

Sports Buzz – Term 1, Week 4

PTA News

PTA Parent Helpers

We are very grateful to have a strong and dedicated group of parents on our PTA. A number of parents ask how they can help the school, but do not have the time to belong to the PTA on a full time basis. The PTA will organise a number of events through the school year and cannot do it without your help.

If you are able to help the PTA as a Parent Helper please complete this form. Adding your name to the list will provide the PTA with a pool of parents they will contact to ask for assistance with Disco’s, the Fun Run and other events during the year.

Thank you for donating your skills and time to give our students great experiences throughout the school year.

Kelly Club

Community Notices and Events