Newsletter, Term 4, Week 5 2020

Term 4 – Week 5

Important Dates

Monday     Calendar online orders close at 9:00 am

Tuesday    PTA meeting at 7:00 pm in the staffroom, new members welcome!

Thursday  Board of Trustees Meeting at 7:00 pm

Friday        Y4-6 Athletics Day: 11:00 am – 2:45 pm

In this Issue

1.    Welcome to Sunnybrae

2.    COVID-19: Alert Level 1

3.    Planning for 2021

4.    Calendar orders

5.    School photo orders

6.    Kids4Kids Concert

7.    Sunnybrae School Bush Project

8.    Athletics Day – 13 November

9.    Funky Feet Walk to School Day

10.  PTA Updates:  School Disco / 2021 International Food Festival 

11.  Sunnybrae School Garden

12.  Sunnybrae Crossing

13.   PB4L = Positive Behaviour for Learning – Update

14.   Strategic Goal – Wellbeing

15.   Ez-lunch – last day for orders in Term 4

16.   Community Notices

1.  Welcome to Sunnybrae

This week we would like to welcome Erin Kim in Room 2,  Bianca Hii in Room 1,  Henry Morris in Room 4 and Elizabeth Morris in Room 10.

2.  COVID-19 – Alert Level 1

At Sunnybrae, we will continue to follow all appropriate health measures including maintaining recommended cleaning practices and encouraging good hygiene standards. We will also continue to remind people to stay home if they are unwell and to seek medical advice. The Ministry of Education encourages school communities to continue to use the COVID-19 QR Code when coming onto the school grounds.

Drop off at the Gate:  8:30 – 8:45 am

Pick up:  3:00 pm Parents/Caregivers welcome onsite

Thank you for your continued support to help us keep everyone safe.

3.  Planning for 2021

We are planning for 2021. If your child is in Year 1 – 5 and they will not return to Sunnybrae in 2021, please email our Deputy Principal, Karen Rodger at krodger@sunnybrae.school.nz.

4.  Calendar Orders

Calendar order forms were sent home with your child. You can purchase calendars, cards, diaries, mouse mats and sketch pads. To view your child’s picture and order products, go to www.kidsartworks.com and enter the Entrance Code Field Type. These make gorgeous Christmas presents and are a great fundraiser for our school. Orders close on Monday 9 November at 9:00 am.

5.  School Photo Orders

You can now access, view and order your student’s photos online!  The online system works off each student’s name, giving you an individual Photo Access Key to order your photos.

You have until before midnight, Sunday 22 November to order and pay online for your photos by following this link.  The school cannot accept cash for any photo orders.

6.  Kids4kids Choir Concert

On Wednesday evening, the Year 4/5/6 Kids4kids Choir performed at the Bruce Mason Theatre. It was a wonderful night full of song, dance and fun! We were very proud of the Sunnybrae children who sang their hearts out and showed exceptional respect throughout the dress rehearsal and evening show. A huge thank you to the families who came along and supported their children. 

Tuesday morning practises will now finish for the Kids4kids Choir.  We will continue to rehearse in school time for the final assembly items.

7.  Sunnybrae School Bush Project

We are so lucky to have had such incredible support from our Sunnybrae School Community for our two working bees! The first stage of the Sunnybrae Bush Project is almost complete.

We have managed to:

• Clear the old chain and posts away from the edge of the bush area
• Clear away the dead trees, branches and vines
• Pull out weeds, vines and weed around the edges of the bush and fence
• Remove the old pavers
• Lay concrete pavers in the gate area to keep this area dry and the bush more accessible
• Build insect hotels, bird houses and bird feeders, and install many of them into the bush
• Show community service by weeding and clearing part of the garden of one of our elderly school neighbours

None of this would have been possible without the amazing help we had from our many parents, children, extended family members and the Sunnybrae staff. 

One last part of the project is to shred the branches and leaves that have been pruned so they can be put back into the bush.

As we have had so much help and support we will not be needing to use the saver day that was set aside.

8.  Athletics Day

9.  Funky Feet Walk to School Day

Thank you to all the students and teachers who participated in our Funky Socks Walk to School Day last week. We were impressed by all the children who walked to school and wore their funky socks. Well done to all of you!

Our wonderful walkers all went into a prize draw on Friday and won a new drink bottle, pen and bag. Our prize draw winners were: Rangitamiro Hogg R4, Yireh Kim R5, Maxim Sharov R11, Leonie Mackenzie R13, Leo Xu R13, Simione Nai R14 and Willow Annear R18.

10.  PTA UPDATES:

10.1  School Disco – Save the Date – Thursday 3 December

Our annual school disco for Year 1-3 and 4-6 will be held on Thursday 3 December. More information will be sent out in the coming weeks. Get your Disco outfit ready!

10.2  2021 International Food Festival – Friday 12 March 

Our annual International Food Festival will be held on Friday 12 March 2021 between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. If you are interested in coordinating a food stall that represents your culture, please email our Deputy Principal, Karen Rodger at krodger@sunnybrae.school.nz. Further information and requests for support will be sent out in the coming weeks.

11.  Sunnybrae School Garden

Come along and help the students in our school vegetable garden. Preschoolers are welcome. The Garden Group is held every Friday 12.30 – 1.00 pm.

For more information contact Viv Morley: vmorley@sunnybrae.school.nz

12.  Sunnybrae Crossing Volunteer Needed

We are currently looking for someone to help supervise our children on the crossing on Sunnybrae Road every Wednesday morning between 8:30 and 8:55 am. If more than one person is interested, this role can be shared. If you are interested please email our Deputy Principal, Karen Rodger at krodger@sunnybrae.school.nz.

13.   PB4L

This week our PB4L focus has been on showing independence in the playground and on the fields.

Our lessons have focused on: 

• Choosing safe and sensible places to play.

14. Wellbeing

At school this week we focused on the emotions of fear, apprehension, worrying thoughts and nervousness and looked at ways to manage them. Aroha’s Way is a beautiful, descriptive and relatable book – an important book – that helps children to normalise, understand and develop their own tools for dealing with their feelings.

This beautiful picture book takes children on a journey through emotions associated with anxiety and shows simple yet effective ways to help manage them.  Aroha shows children a tool that she uses for each emotion which includes:  movement or exercise, belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing, mindfulness and connecting with others and sharing our worries. 

We watched and discussed the story Aroha’s Way. By following this link you might like to watch this at home with your children.

Here are some Printable Breathing Exercises that you might like to use.

15.  Ez-lunch – Last Day for Orders for Term 4

Please note that Friday 11 December is the last day that you can order lunches through that the last day for ordering lunches through EziLunch.

16.  Community Notices

Smiths Bush + Akoranga Restoration Group – Volunteers Needed

The Smiths Bush and Akoranga Restoration Group have planted an area of trees behind the YMCA on Akoranga Drive. They are looking for members of the local community to assist them with watering these plants over the dry summer months so that they will mature. If any of our families live close by and can help out they would love to hear from you. More information about this exciting project can be found at www.facebook.com/groups/smithsbushakorangarestorationgroup. Please contact enquiries@pestfreekaipatiki.org.nz or Dennis Worley 0172 508613.