Thanks Todd for taking us out to the Waihi Beach Skate Bowl here is movie of the action, the movie was edited by Regan, Kalem, Mitchell, Beau and Travis.

Last opportunity this year. Come and join students, parents and teachers for a fun evening—fun cricket, fine food(a light dinner) and fabulous numeracy games. Thursday 3rd December at school 5.30-7.00pm. RSVP essential (so we have enough food).

Anne-Marie and Denise are developing our Gala for next year. Please let Emily know if you can help by:
• Telling us of ‘famous’ people you may know that could open/attend our gala. Chocolates to the person who can get Mark Ellis here!!
• Any friends/family/neighbour/person down the road that could donate artwork or item to be auctioned on the day.

This week’s Habits of Mind is Thinking About Thinking. “Successful people know what they know and what they need to find out. They can talk about their thinking.

Kia ora
Thank you for your attendance at our special Grandparents Duffy assembly and your generous afternoon tea which we shared. Our children enjoyed performing to you. This year Nicola and Whiti sponsored the $2250 school proportion of the Duffy Contract. This has been an amazing donation and this initiative has made an impact on literacy across our school. We are currently seeking 4 sponsors for the 2010 Duffy Contract. If you would like to join Spargo Automotive by sponsoring Duffy Books, please let Isobel know. Thank You to Brendan and Paulette.

Phil organized an excellent athletics day on Friday for the whole school. This was a fun day where children were able to compete against each other. Phil and Robbie have also selected an athletic team to compete against other Waihi Schools. Congratulations to this team who made excellent placings. Results are noted in our Kids Page.

Last term I had the opportunity to observe a school chaplain at Katikati Primary School. This person visited classes, spoke to children and gave a helping hand to staff. Religion was not discussed, just the care of others. I would like the school community to consider having a school Chaplin/Amorangi. The BoT would like to know your opinion. If you have any concerns about a person supporting children and staff in this role, please let the Leadership Team know. Your opinion will be appreciated.

As you are aware, Phil has signed his contract to return to East School next year. This has been made possible by fund raising, donations/grants from the community and savings from previous years. We have the money we require for Phil however $8000 needs to be raised next year to remain within budget. Fundraising therefore will remain a priority for next year.

I am getting concerned about some ‘loose’ behaviour in the playground. As a team we are referring children to the Wheel of Choice. Staff are also intervening and helping children problem solve. Lunch time detentions are a very popular hang out spot for a few children however most children are meeting our expectations. The next Kool Kids Day follows prize giving on the 15th of December. The junior and senior teams are planning end of term trips. If a child has 3 detentions between the 16th of November and the trip, then they will not be invited to attend. Strong consequences need to be in place.

Ka kite ano
Emily

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at ULEARN in Christchurch during the holiday break at the end of term 3. Educators from New Zealand and overseas got together for keynote presentations and breakouts on the use of ICT in schools. Below is a short video of some of my experiences at ULEARN.

DK presented to teachers the ideas behind the way social media can be used by schools, see the video below.

Your children’s art is looking fantastic! Don’t miss out on your 2010 calendars. Orders close Friday November 20th. Art work calendar $10.50, photo calendars $12.00, greeting cards $12.00.

Travis M travelled down to Gisborne for the ‘New Wave Primary Schools’ Surf Champs’ on November 14-15th, he competed in the Boys heat 2 semi finals Travis placed 3rd. In the final of the boys division he took fifth and is in fifth in the overall  rankings in his division in Surf NZ competitions. Here is a video of Travis talking about the competition in Gisborne.

Here’s some video footage of the comp.

Here are some slides from the surf2surf.com website of the competition, three photos feature Travis.

Drama Club will be held on Thursday after school next week due to Mrs. Huggard having to attend meetings on Wednesday.

This week’s Habits of Mind is Thinking About Thinking. “Successful people know what they know and what they need to find out. They can talk about their thinking”.