Newsletter Term 4 Week 8: Friday 1 December 2023

Term 4 Week 8: Friday 1 December 2023

Important Dates
Monday 4 December – Sports Prizegiving in the Hall, 3:15 – 4:15 pm
Thursday 7th December – Whānau Hui in the Staffroom, 5:00 – 6:30 pm.  Board of Trustees Meeting in the Staffroom, 6:30pm 
Tuesday 12 December – Year 6 Leavers Celebration & Prizegiving – Hall, 5:30 pm
Wednesday 13 December – Final Assembly in the Hall, 11:15 am – 12:30 pm followed by a Family Picnic on the Covered Turf & Field, 12:30 – 1:30 pm. Reports sent home via Seesaw at end of the day.
Thursday 14 December – 2024 Class Placement Announced, Term 4 Ends at 12:30 pm

IN THIS ISSUE:
Positive Behaviour for Learning
Spotlight on Year 3 & 4
End of Year Events
Hero – our new school app
Sports Update: Interschool Athletics Day Results
Crossing Duty Helpers Needed for 2024
Students Not Returning in 2024
Lost Property
Outstanding Fees
PTA Update: Family Fun Fest 2024 Planning
Community Notices

The PB4L focus for next week will be on: 
School Assembly Lessons Recap – Entering and exiting quietly – Making a good choice about where we sit – Sitting quietly – Respecting the speaker – Actively listening and participating – Performing with enthusiasm – Showing respect when receiving an award.

Keeping Ourselves Safe 
As part of learning about Keeping Ourselves Safe, Constable Steve Harwood from the NZ Police came in to talk to us. Some key points he covered included:
– The importance of knowing our full name (especially our surname), the address and suburb where you live and your caregivers mobile numbers.
– We learned about keeping safe when we are online and not sharing any personal details with anyone we may be chatting to on a cyber platform. 
– It was fun to role play what to do if a stranger grabs you. You may have heard us yelling for help. 
The skills that students have picked up during the Keeping Ourselves Safe sessions have been invaluable in teaching us ways to keep ourselves and those around us safe.

STEM and Music
Year 3/4 students have been working with Mr Vella to design and build musical instruments out of cardboard, recycled materials and tinfoil. Once designs were created, the students learned Scratch, a digital tool for coding. They then connected their musical instruments to their ChromeBooks using Makey Makey kits, and used Scratch to code music. By earthing the instrument, they could then ‘play’ their cardboard instrument by pressing each piece of tinfoil. An amazing STEM experience. Thanks Mr Vella.

END OF YEAR EVENTS:
Sports Prizegiving
All students who have played on a Sunnybrae Normal School sports team this year are invited to attend the Sunnybrae Normal School Sports Prizegiving. Monday 4 December at 3:10 pm in the School Hall. All parents/whānau welcome.

Year 6 Farewell and Prizegiving
This year is a combined farewell and prizegiving for the announcement of the nominees and winners of the Year 6 Cups and Trophies.
All family and caregivers are encouraged to attend this very emotional tribute to our Year 6 students as they leave Sunnybrae for their next step in school life – Intermediate School. Please join us in the School Hall on Tuesday 12 December at 5:30 pm.

Final Assembly and Family Picnic
Please join us on Wednesday, 13 December, for our Whole School Final Assembly in the School Hall from 11:15 am to 12:15 pm.
This is followed by the Family Picnic from 12:30pm – 1:30pm. After the assembly, parents/caregivers can meet up with their children at the classroom before enjoying lunch as a group. Parents/caregivers are to bring their own blankets and picnic lunch. The bell will ring at 1:30 pm, and all students are to return to class for a fun activity afternoon until 3:00 pm.

Last Day of School
The last day of Term 4 is Thursday, 14 December, with an early finish at 12:30 pm.
In the morning, students will meet their 2024 teacher and spend time in the classroom with new classmates. They will be given a copy of their stationery requirements for 2024 to bring home. All students must be collected from school at 12:30 pm. Please visit www.ymcanorth.org.nz if you need after-school care.

Get on Board with Hero
Sunnybrae’s goal is to use the Hero platform for our communication from Term 1 in 2024. We are, therefore, asking that our school whānau go through the process of signing up to Hero this year so that we can test it out and iron out any issues early.

We are excited about the features that Hero has to offer our families. These include the ability for parents and caregivers to:

• read and comment on school notices sent to your child’s class or groups
• respond to school notices such as surveys and trip permission requests
• view school term dates
• view a school calendar of events
• notify the school if your child is absent or late
• navigate to other school-related web pages
• customise your account by adding a profile image
• select how you wish to receive notifications

Click here for help signing up to Hero

Reporting an Absence
To all parents who have downloaded the Hero app and are using the ‘Report an Absence’ function, we thank you. Via the Hero app, your notification is directly imported into our student management system, allowing efficient administration duties at the morning attendance.

SPORTS UPDATE:
Interschool Athletics Day
It was a beautiful sunny day and there was an air of excitement as we gathered at the Takapuna Athletics Club for the annual Interschool Athletics against Willow Park School, Northcote Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School last Thursday morning. 
An enthusiastic team of 36 students competed in five different disciplines, showing great sportsmanship and the Sunnybrae RICE values, persevering over a long, hot day. Well done to all competitors.

Congratulations to the following members of our Sunnybrae team placed in the competition:

Place-getters from last week’s Zone Athletics Sports – Samantha, Kate, Felicity, Ammon, Latiyana, Miu, Noah M, Noah P, Na’a and Kian.

Crossing Duty Helpers Needed in 2024
We would like to thank all of the parents who helped us before or after school with the crossing on Sunnybrae Road in 2023. We are looking for volunteers to help us in 2024 starting on the first day of school.
We need helpers for the following slots:
Tuesday Morning 8:30-8:55am
Tuesday Afternoon 3:00-3:15pm
Wednesday Afternoon 3:00-3:15pm
Thursday Morning 8:30-8:55am
Friday Morning 8:30-8:55am
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Shuiqing Gong, Mei Ling Kuan, Tina Pirie, Wendy Li and Sin Hooi Lee for supporting the school in this way. 
If you are able to help by doing the crossing duty on one of these days, please let Katrina Bambury know at office@sunnybrae.school.nz or call 09 443 5058 before 12 December 2023.

Lost Property
There is a large number of unnamed clothing, umbrellas, drink bottles and shoes in our Lost Property / Donated Uniform Room, located near the junior area.
If you are missing items, please ask for the key at the office. From 11 December, the room will be open from 8:30 am to 3:15 pm for any parents to check if items belong to their child. Any items remaining after Thursday, 14 December, will be donated to charity. Any school-branded clothing will be added to our Donated Uniform section.

Outstanding Fees
As we head toward the end of the school year, we thought it timely to remind all parents / caregivers about the importance of payment for school-related fees.
Your support and prompt payment of these fees are greatly appreciated, as it ensures that we can continue to provide high-quality education and sporting opportunities for your child. We encourage you to log into your Kindo account or call the office if you are unsure of your balance and aim to settle all outstanding fees before the end of the term.
While we encourage you to settle accounts via Kindo, other payment options are:
· Cash or EFTPOS at the School Office
· Internet banking to account number ASB 12 3053 0370789 00 referencing your child’s name and room.

We thank you again for your continued support and co-operation.

Current Year 1- 5 students not returning to Sunnybrae in 2024
If your child is not returning to Sunnybrae in 2024, please inform the school in writing so that we are aware of this as we work on class placements.
Please email office@sunnybrae.school.nz. Thank you in advance.

PTA UPDATE:
Family Fun Fest 2024
The PTA is beginning to plan for our 2024 fundraisers and community events. Fundraising is an integral part of sustaining and enhancing our school’s programs, resources, and opportunities for our students.
It’s not just about collecting funds; it’s about investing in the growth and development of our children, ensuring they have the best tools and experiences to thrive. WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Early in 2024 we will be asking for a volunteer from each class to coordinate the organisation of an activity/stall at our Family Fun Fest on the 15th March. If you are willing to be one of the class coordinators please email Jane Sharpe (jsharpe@sunnybrae.school.nz).

Kind regards
Lorene Hurd, Principal
SUNNYBRAE NORMAL SCHOOL

REMINDER:
Please note that all children are to be collected from school by 3.00pm. If you are unable to collect before this time, you may be interested in booking your child into the YMCA after-school club held in the School Hall.  

CLICK HERE TO BOOK 

COMMUNITY NOTICES: