Grammar Notes. Update from the Board on the process to appoint a new Principal

Transcription

1 H P Grammar Notes DIARY: Wednesday 10 February Ash Wednesday 8.45am Service of Imposition of Ashes 9.00am Girls School Swimming Sports, Christ s College Thursday 11 February 10.00am Boys School Swimming Sports, Christ s College Friday 12 February 3.45pm Touch 5.00pm Back-to-School BBQ 7.00pm Cathedral Choristers in concert with Fiona Pears, Cathedral Saturday 13 February Cricket Matches Sunday 14 February 9.00am Y8 Camp departs for Mount Cook 11.00am Y8 Cathedral Choristers depart for camp after morning service I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Issue 2, 2016 Tuesday 9 February Update from the Board on the process to appoint a new Principal You may have seen that the process to find someone to replace Mr Paul Kennedy has started, with advertisements appearing last weekend and due to continue in various media over the rest of the month. Applications for the role will close on 11 March. The Board, supported by EQI Global, will then go through the process of identifying and interviewing preferred candidates. We expect to be in a position to announce the successful candidate in early May. General Notices 4 Pre-School 9 If anyone has any questions regarding this process, they can contact me on chair@cathedralgrammar.school.nz Junior School 10 Girls & Boys Prep Schools 11 Friend s Association 12 Mrs Abby Foote Board Chair Enterprising Spirits Engaged Thinkers Moral Citizens

2 P A G E 2 Prep Schools Swimming Sports Organisation The Swimming Sports are this week at the Christ s College pool. The Girls and Boys programmes are posted on GrammarNet > Newsflash. So that you can plan your spectating, if you look at the top left-hand corner of each race on the programme, you will see the start time for that race. Barring unforeseen interruptions, the Swimming Sports run pretty much time. Girls Swimming Sports are tomorrow, Wednesday, starting at 9.30am. Please note that that this Girls start time is now 30 minutes later than originally noted on the calendar to allow the Girls to attend the Ash Wednesday Chapel Service at school. Spectators, please be aware that the Girls will will arrive at the pool just before 9.30am. This may delay the start slightly but the race schedule is such that we should soon catch up. Morning tea is scheduled for am; and lunch pm. The final House relay is scheduled for 2.16pm, after which we fear the staff will struggle to defend last year s victory in the staff v pupil relay. The presentation of trophies will follow that potential calamity. Parents who are spectating may take their children directly home after the presentations. Please advise your child s class teacher at the time if you are taking your child with you. Otherwise school ends at the normal time of 3.30pm, with Prep Room available until 5.30pm. Boys Swimming Sports are on Thursday 11 February starting at 10.00am. Lunch is scheduled for 12.28pm, with the afternoon session starting at 1.21pm. The final House relay is scheduled for 3.07pm, followed by the staff v pupil relay which worryingly could go either way! and the presentation of trophies. Parents who are spectating may take children directly home after the presentation. Please advise your child s class teacher at the time if you are taking your child with you. Otherwise school ends at the normal time of 4.00pm, with Prep Room available until 5.30pm.

3 P A G E 3 Prep Schools Swimming Sports Organisation Pupils, please note: Tuck Shop is not available for the Girls on Wednesday or the Boys on Thursday. On the day of their respective Swimming Sports (Girls on Wednesday; Boys on Thursday), pupils should wear their togs to school, under PE gear and full tracksuit, with sports socks and shoes. In their Sports bag, pupils need to bring: underwear to change into after the swimming. two towels (named); goggles (optional and named); cap (optional & named); jandals (optional) morning tea snack (not dairy!); lunch (not dairy!); water bottle water only Personal medication. Swimming caps: whilst these are optional for all swimmers, caps must be worn by Girls with hair of shoulder length or longer. Grammar caps are available from the Uniform Shop. Spectators, please note: If you are able to attend, please DO NOT enter through the main Christ s College gate. Rather, access is via the Botanical Gardens. Enter the Gardens through the Museum gate then follow the building around and beyond the former Robert McDougal Gallery to the small gate in the red brick wall. This gate gives access to the College grounds. Proceed on the path, (heading right first), around the grass field to the pool in the far diagonal corner. Please do not cross the grass or we will have to hose grass and dirt off poolside. It is hot and muggy in the pool so dress lightly and bring a water bottle. It will be noisy your children are enthusiastic and high-pitched supporters of their Houses! Girls School spectators, please see the note above about the morning start time. The decisions of the referee, judges and timekeepers are final.

4 Enterprising Spirits Engaged Thinkers Moral Citizens P A G E 4 Creating Moral Citizens - Virtue of the Week is: Understanding What is Understanding Congratulations! You are practising Understanding when you Understanding is thinking clearly. It is using your mind so that you can see the truth about things. It is paying careful attention and thinking about things in order to see their meaning. Understanding is also having empathy and showing compassion. Understanding gives us the power to think and learn and also care. Concentrate and pay close attention. Reflect on the meaning of things. See the whole picture. Resist distractions. Put yourself in other people s shoes. Forgive others and yourself when you make mistakes. General Notices Back to School BBQ on Friday A reminder that the Friends Association Back to School BBQ is on Friday (12 February) pm. Tickets are available from the school office: $5.00 per person. The postponement date is Friday 4 March. Back to School BBQ Raffle The Friends Association will be out in the BBQ crowd selling raffle tickets so do seek us out if we don't find you first! $5.00 gives you three chances to win a fantastic gift basket which will be drawn towards the end of the evening. The winning ticket must be presented within five minutes of the draw taking place or another lucky winner will be found so make sure you stick around! Choristers in Concert with Fiona Peers, Friday On Friday evening at 7.00pm, the Cathedral choristers are performing in concert with renowned international violinist and local girl, Fiona Pears. Ms Pears performances are demonstrations of extraordinary virtuosity: humorous, vibrant and active she is seldom still! This is a concert that all the family will truly enjoy, even those violin sceptics! Well worth a dash from the Friends BBQ. The concert will last about 90 minutes. Tickets can be purchased through the Cathedral website:

5 P A G E 5 General Notices (cont.) Cathedral Floral Festival The annual Floral Festival is in the Cathedral this week, 9.00am 8.00pm. Flowers in Transition is a remarkable display of fresh and artificial floral art in the genre of Wearable Arts. Several classes will be visiting in their art lessons but for those not able to make it, this exhibition is strongly recommended. Entry on the door is $8.00 per person. The final day is Monday 15 February. New School Swimming Caps We have recently commissioned Speedo to produce a new silicon school swimming cap and this is now available at the Uniform Shop. The colour black was selected for two reasons maroon was not an option, sadly, and the school crest was virtually invisible on the silver option. A small white panel has been added under the crest on which to write your child s name in biro. The cost is $ Silicon is the most recent material used for swim caps and is far more robust than the old rubber material which will rot quickly if not dried after use and cared for well. Pupils from the Pre-School Y5 will be completing swimming lessons this year and there is now an increasing requirement from pools that swimmers wear caps.. Head lice There has been an outbreak of head lice at the school. Head lice is very common so there is no need to be alarmed, however they should be treated quickly to prevent them from spreading. We are asking that all parents examine their child s hair and look for the following signs: Persistent scratching, particularly behind the ears and the nape of the neck accompanied by a red rash. Tiny silver/white eggs at the base of the hair shaft. Small pale brown lice. You may wish to use a magnifying glass and a fine tooth comb under strong light to help identify lice. Head lice can be treated quickly and effectively. Simply purchase a specialist head lice treatment like Quellada and apply it according to the directions on the pack. Also be sure to check all family members hair and treat everyone found to have head lice at the same time. To prevent head lice in the future, all family members should avoid sharing items such as clothing, brushes or hats from each other or from friends.

6 P A G E 6 Co-Curricular Notices Y8 Camp A reminder that all Year 8 pupils are required to bring their gear to school for inspection by Wednesday (10 February). Medical Forms should be completed and returned as soon as possible, and no later than Thursday, please. Prep Schools Winter Sports Options & Survey Monkey A letter explaining the Prep Schools Winter Sports Options and the new option of football (soccer) should be in your child s Prep Book tonight. This letter will also be ed to all Prep families (Years 4-8), and a copy will be posted on GrammarNet > Current Notices. Pupils opting to play rugby or football for a club, please be aware that many clubs open their registrations this weekend, and hold junior trials over the next 2-3 weeks. This is particularly the case for football clubs who begin early. Do not delay in contacting a club or you may well miss out. Today s letter / will be followed by a second this week containing the Winter Sports Survey Monkey link by which to register your child s choice or you can click on this link now The deadline for completing the survey is Friday 19 February. Please note that if you need to discuss a dispensation request, (please see the letter for details), Miss Tattershaw is available this week only she is on camp next week, and returns after the deadline. Junior School pupils will be contacted regarding winter options later in the term. Music and Speech & Drama Lessons Itinerant lessons start this week for all pupils. For your information, the Weekly Itinerant Lesson Timetable is posted on GrammarNet > Music & Speech > Tuition Timetable Timetables are also posted in every classroom. With some 300 lessons per week, we do not give pupils their own print-out. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Lowe: lowes@cathedralgrammar.school.nz Boys Chapel Choir in Week III Boys Chapel Choir will have a morning rehearsal on Friday only. There will be no rehearsal on Tuesday or Thursday due to Mrs Lowe s absence at camp.

7 P A G E 7 Co-Curricular Notices Ensemble Rehearsals A reminder that Recorder Ensemble has its first rehearsal on Wednesday at 8.30am. Please note that there are no ensemble rehearsals in Week III. Mrs Lowe is away on camp. Chess Club A reminder that Prep School Chess Club starts on Monday (15 February), pm, in Mr Matai s classroom on the ground floor of the Specialist Block. Pupils who are not collected at 5.00pm will be taken to Prep Room in the library and must be collected by 5.30pm. Future Engineers Club (Robotics) Future Engineers Club gives your child the chance to use the latest Lego Mindstorm kits to make and programme different robotic devices. Later in the year some children will also have the opportunity to participate in the national competition Robo Cup. If your child are interested in participating in the Future Engineers Club (Robotics) this term, please fill in the survey at the link below. If you have any question please contact Ms Nicola Church churchn@cathedralgrammar.school.nz Black Caps v Baggie Greens in Town Cricketers and cricket watchers are no doubt aware that the city is to host the second test match between NZ v Australia, February at Hagley Oval. As a result, there are no junior cricket matches for the school teams on Saturday 20 February. This will suit the Y8 players who will return from camp late (and exhausted!) the day before. Junior School Afterschool Sports A reminder that afterschool tennis and cricket programmes begin this week. If you have any questions, please ask Ms Stefek. Junior School Clubs Junior School Club returns are now overdue as the Clubs programme starts next week (Week III). Please speak to Mrs Eramus if you have any questions about the Clubs programme. Pre-School Morning Tea All Pre-School parents are warmly invited to morning tea on Tuesday next week (16 February) at 10.00am.

8 P A G E 8 Co-Curricular Notices This Week s WIFI Password is: grammar2 The WIFI password is active from Wednesday morning onwards

9 Enterprising Spirits Engaged Thinkers Moral Citizens P A G E 9 Pre-School We hope you all had a good long Waitangi weekend, and made the most of the sunny afternoons. The Pre-School children are settling well into the environment and are forming new friendships and strengthening the ones they already have. The teaching team and I have decided we would like to focus on a Virtue Word which is meaningful to what is happening in the classroom. This word may be a focus for several weeks. We would really like the children to better understand and have the opportunity to put these into practice. The Pre-School Virtue Word currently is Kindness. We encourage you to ask your child who they have been kind to and how, and who has been kind to them (what did this person do?) whilst at Pre-School. Please share their responses with a teacher so that we can document these. With nine children leaving at the end of last term, the dynamics have changed in the classroom. We are quietly observing which children are naturally taking on leadership roles, communicating and sharing their ideas, and encouraging this. Thank you to those parents and children who have already completed their Summer Holiday form. Please remember I am happy to print these off if you want to them through. Please remember to apply sunblock your child before they arrive at Pre-School, or to help yourself to the sunblock in the foyer. All children must have a named sunhat which is kept at school. A brand new Cathedral Grammar maroon sunhat with the name Sofia on the white label has gone missing. Please return it to the Pre-School if found. Our climbing beans have been a success! They have beans! Some of the children picked these and next steps is to make something from our produce. Please share your ideas with the team. Next Tuesday at 10.00am we have our first Pre-School morning tea of the year. We look forward to welcoming you, if you are able to attend. Mrs Emily Stock

10 P A G E 10 Junior School What an amazing week! The children have settled quickly and positively into their new classrooms. A particular well done to the J1 children who have now completed their first week at school. The following children are new to Cathedral Grammar in our Junior School: Sophie Dark J3E Felix Thomas J3B Alice Howard J3B James Oram J2S Thomas Howard J1W A very warm welcome to you all and I know you will have a very positive year. Cultural Day This Friday (12 February), the Junior School children are invited to dress up in their national costume for the day as an extension of Waitangi Day. This may be related to the country of their birth or they could come dressed as a New Zealander and celebrate being a kiwi. We will have a special Cultural Celebration Assembly where all classes will perform a small item. If you have any further questions, please ask your child s classroom teacher. Mrs Simone Whalley Photos from our first Junior Assembly of 2016

11 P A G E 11 Girls & Boys Prep Schools As we move into second week of Term I, we look forward to our Prep Schools Swimming Sports on Wednesday for the girls and Thursday for the boys. The staff were very impressed by the way all our pupils went about their races during our Heats last week and know that the House competition this week will be keenly contested. Remember, if you are able to come and watch your child compete, you are most welcome. Dress for a warm 26 C in the Christ s College pool and bring your ear plugs! We are now underway with this year s timetable. Congratulations to all the children for organising themselves to be at classes on time and for the way in which they have set about their work. A special well done to our Y4 classes who are doing a magnificent job of adjusting to the Prep School way and settling quickly into our routines. Last Friday, the Girls School held their annual Picnic and Games afternoon. This was another successful activity with the Y8 class having their first opportunity to display their leadership skills by organising and running the games for the girls. Keep an eye out for a new piece of art in the Girls School foyer which all of the girls have had a hand in creating as part of their afternoon s activities. This morning the Y3 pupils were introduced to their Y7 buddies and mentors. Everyone was involved and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get together. The Y7s took the opportunity to have a good look around the Junior School - and of course have a go on the slide! We hope that we will be able to meet on a regular basis and participate in a variety of shared experiences. Ms Kirsty Bond Mr David Sickling

12 P A G E 12 Friends Association BACK TO SCHOOL BBQ THIS FRIDAY Starts 5.00pm until 7.30pm on the Astroturf DON T DELAY - GET YOUR TICKETS FROM SCHOOL OFFICE TODAY $5.00 per person (includes entertainment and BBQ food item) It s going to be a fabulous night, with entertainment starting at 5.00pm. Your ticket gives your child access to bungy trampolines, a bouncy castle and water walkers. From the BBQ, they can choose either a sausage or bacon in bread. Sports Suzie will be making the little ones laugh, a raffle basket full of goodies will be on sale and the Busker s Corner will be showcasing the best musical talent CGS has to offer. PLEASE BRING CASH FOR YOUR PURCHASES to tip our buskers and buy extra sausages ($2.00), a drink from our bar or Mrs Black s amazing brownies. If you have some coins on hand for face painting and lucky dip, that would be handy. The coffee van will be on site for the caffeine addicts, along with the always popular Mr Whippy. Limited EFTPOS will be available. GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY as it s a great help for us as we organise catering and purchase sufficient food. (Tickets will be available for purchase on the night if you do forget.) STILL SPACES FOR BUSKERS If your child (or you?!) is keen to perform, it s not too late to book a slot by contacting our Director of Music, Mrs Sarah Lowe, (lowes@cathedralgrammar.school.nz) PARKING Along with normal off-street parking, you will be able to park outside the old Junior School block (now called Statham). Please drive carefully as there will be many excited children around. IF POSTPONED we will notify the school community by . Our save date is 4 March. CLASS FRIENDS WILL BE WEARING NAME BADGES New parents, please don t be shy. We will have Class Friends and committee members on hand to introduce you to others in your yeargroup. This is a fun, casual event which provides great opportunities to meet new people or catch up with old friends. HELP ALWAYS WELCOME The Back to School BBQ is run by the Friends Association who have generously volunteered their time to put on this event for the school community. A big thank you to everybody involved; it is very much appreciated. If you would like to help on the night, we would be truly grateful for assistance to help supervise activities and staff stalls, and to clean up at the end. Every set of hands helps and you get to meet some great people. All proceeds raised go back into supporting the school and your children, so please get involved by ing Angela Reed angela.reed@reedason.co.nz Enterprising Spirits Engaged Thinkers Moral Citizens Mrs Angela Reed