Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Kia Orana, Fakalafa lahi atu, Namaste, Ni sa bula vinaka, Konichiwa

Welcome to 2019 at Chapel Downs, especially to our new families joining us for the first time. The year has started positively for us and already we have an orderly and busy buzz in the school as children get into the routines of their new classrooms. It was wonderful to see students flood through the gates with big smiles on their faces and dressed beautifully in their uniforms, keen to get learning.

Thank you parents for your part in having your children ready for school.

Regular attendance is the first and major step towards success. If the children are here consistently we have the opportunity to learn about them and meet their learning needs. Successful learning is a journey in partnership between home and school, parents and teachers. You are your child’s first and foremost teacher. It is vital that our school and parents work together to help make your child the best they can be. Some ways you can help your child are:

• Make sure your child goes to bed early enough to ensure they have a good night’s sleep. A child who comes to school tired cannot learn.

• Make sure your child has breakfast and brings an adequate lunch for healthy eating to get them through the day. Please remember we are a water only school.

• Help your child arrive at school on time each day. Our school starts at 8.55am Monday to Friday. A good time to arrive is between 8.30am and 8.45am.

• Talk to your child about their school day. Your child likes to know that you are interested in what they are learning at school.

Have a great year – ‘Achieving Together’

Waitangi Day

Just a reminder that the school is closed on Wednesday 6th February for the Waitangi Day public holiday.

Welcome BBQ/ Meet the Teacher

We look forward to seeing you all at our annual Meet the Teacher evening on Thursday 28th of February. We will begin this evening at 6.30pm in the school hall where we will introduce the team. There will be an opportunity for you to briefly meet your child’s new teacher.

The programme will be as follows:

6:30pm – Principal’s address in the hall

6:50pm – Opportunity to meet your child’s teacher in the hall

– Free sausage sizzle

The Chapel Downs Team 2019

We are again very fortunate to have a wonderful team of teachers and support staff for the new academic year. Mrs Mimilo is relocating to Samoa for the next few years. A huge thanks to Mrs Mimilo for her outstanding contribution to the Chapel Downs community. We hope to see Di back after her new adventure. We are lucky to have Mrs Vicki Corner and Mrs Mason now teaching in A11.

Swimming

The John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation has again selected our school to have free swimming lessons at the Otara Leisure Centre through the Community Swim Programme. Community Swim is proudly sponsored by the Lion Foundation, Auckland Council, Potter Masonic Trust and Water Safety New Zealand.

All Year 4, 5 and 6 children will be involved in this swimming programme with Community Swim during Term One. They will have eight 25 minute learn to swim lessons that are delivered by qualified swimming instructors. The lessons are free and the bus to take the children to the pools each week is also free. Teachers will accompany the children each week. Our Year 3 children will be doing the swimming programme in Term 2.

B17, B19 and B20 will have their swimming lessons on Tuesday’s starting on Tuesday 12 February 2019.

B16, B18, B21, B22, B23, B24, B25, B26, B27 will have their swimming lessons on Wednesday’s starting on Wednesday 13 February 2019.

Your child will need to bring these items each :

• a pair of swimming togs
• a named towel
• a waterproof bag or plastic bag to put the wet togs and towel in after the lessons each week

If your child owns a pair of swimming goggles, the Community Swim Programme manager, Katherine Sugarman, recommends that children bring these along too as goggles will assist considerably with learning to swim.

All swimming staff are trained through Swimming New Zealand and hold a current First Aid Certificate. They also attend in-house training with Swimsation. Instructors are always upskilling with training workshops and appraisals. The goal is to enable all children to develop the basic skills of swimming to help keep them safe in the water.

Our expectation is that all children in Years 4, 5 and 6 will participate in the swimming programme. If your child is medically unfit to participate, a doctor’s certificate must be provided. Thank you for your support.

Important Dates

• FEBRUARY 6 - WAITANGI DAY (PUBLIC HOLIDAY NO SCHOOL)
• FEBRUARY 12- Y4/Y5/Y6 SWIMMING PROGRAMME STARTS
• FEBRUARY 15 - OTARA SCHOOLS GIRLS SPORTS DAY
• FEBRUARY 28- MEET THE TEACHER EVENING 6.30pm
• MARCH 1 - SCHOOL ASSEMBLY 1.45pm
• APRIL 2 - Y1 FARM TRIP
• APRIL 3 - Y1 FARM TRIP
• APRIL 5 - SCHOOL ASSEMBLY 1.45pm
• APRIL 12 - LAST DAY TERM ONE
• APRIL 29 - DAY ONE TERM TWO

2019 School Terms

• Term One - 30th January - 12th April
• Term Two - 29th April - 5th July
• Term Three - 22nd July - 27th September
• Term Four - 14th October - 13th December