Welcome back everyone! Thanks for making me feel so welcome at Lumsden School.
I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Jody Bolger who is teaching Year 5 - 6 students in Room 1 this year. Jody has been teaching at Methven and in Dunedin. We feel lucky to have her as part of the team for 2022. She is excited to be back in Southland.
I have been impressed with the sense of community here in Lumsden. We’ve had families that took home hats and vests to wash over the break, so these were able to be handed out fresh and clean on the first day of school. We’ve had families that have kept the lawns tidy over the break and done some ground maintenance. Thank you from all the staff and students. If you’d like to help out in some way but are not sure how please just ask. The saying that many hands make light work is very true when it comes to running our school.
Meet The Team
We are hoping to have a BBQ later once we leave Red Alert Level. In the meantime, we have put together a short video introducing all the staff. Meet The Staff of Lumsden School 2022
The Three Rs
In classrooms, teachers have been focussed on relationships, routines and readiness for learning this week. There has been a happy buzz of children reconnecting with friends and settling into their classrooms. I have spent time in all classes getting to know the students. I’m enjoying the friendly atmosphere here and feel very lucky to be part of your school community.
Structured Literacy
On Monday all staff spent the day with Ruth Blair, a consultant from Learning Matters. We learned about the science of reading, and how to develop reading brains through systematic cumulative explicit instruction. Teachers will be completing diagnostic assessments over the next few weeks to work out starting levels for instruction. The elements of Structured Literacy include phonology (spoken sounds), sound to symbol associations (phonics/spelling), syllable instruction, syntax (sentence structure), morphology (meaningful word parts) and semantics (meaning). Staff will be working regularly with Learning Matters over the next two years as we implement this pedagogy, The diagram below shows why all learners benefit from Structured Literacy but especially those with dyslexia or learning difficulties.
Integrated Learning
Our integrated unit for the first five weeks will focus on bringing the school vision and values to life across the school. Students will be discussing what kindness and trying your best should look like in their classrooms. By the end of the unit we are hoping to see some creative work from each room to celebrate and represent these core Lumsden School values. The teachers are keen to re-energize our PB4L (Positive Behaviour For Learning) in our school and will be asking for suggestions from you and the children over the coming weeks. We are excited to align this with our values.
Athletics
We will not be trying to run Dome Athletics this term as the requirement for distancing between the schools makes it impractical. We hope to hold our own school athletics day instead. We will keep you updated with our plans.
Learning Hui & Reporting
Last year our teachers spent time looking at best practice in other schools in our region. They are keen to make reporting to parents more relevant and efficient. We are keen to involve you in this process. Watch out for the opportunity to have your say soon.
Library Books
If you have any books still at home can you please return them so we can get them back into circulation.
Red Covid Alert Level
Staff would like to sincerely thank parents for their support with following our Red Alert Level Restrictions. Most students have been dropped off at the gate. Those coming onto the grounds have worn masks, stayed at least 1m away from others and scanned in using the QR code on doors.
Swimming Helpers
We are hoping to have swimming on Wednesday afternoons starting next week if we can get enough fully vaccinated helpers. We have heard from the Ministry of Education that there is an exemption with masks at pools. Rooms 4 and 5 will swim 1.05 pm - 1.30 pm and Rooms 1 and 2 will swim 1.50 pm - 2.20 pm.
Board Secretary Role
We are looking for somebody for a paid position as secretary for our Board of Trustees. The board meets twice per term - Tuesday in Week 3 and Week 8. Please let us know if you would like more details.
School Buses
The school buses in our district are managed by the Dome School Transport Network. The Network maintains a website where you can find information on bus routes and schedules. The site contains some handy tools that you can use to offer your ideas on improvements to bus routes, and to provide feedback when a service doesn’t operate as expected. From time to time there are changes to the bus routes. The best way to keep up to date with these changes is to visit their website and sign up to the newsletter. You can find the site at www.dome.easybus.nz
Waitangi Day
The school will be closed on Monday 7 February due to the Waitangi Day public holiday. We hope everyone will have a safe and relaxing day.
Ka kite ano
Danella Smallridge
Principal
Lumsden School
Welcome to School
Great to have Danella and Miss (Jody) Bolger on board as part of the team.
Also a special welcome to Joan Crawford and Harry Bishop in Room 4 this week. We hope you enjoy your time at Lumsden School.
Friends of Lumsden School Update
Friends of the School (FOLS) is a parent group supporting all aspects of school life. Formalities are kept to a minimum with sub committees often working on specific tasks. These include—Grounds, Fundraising, Education, Catering and Social. We welcome any participation no matter how big or small. We generally have one meeting per term, however if required or we are planning something special we may have more.
Meetings are generally a good chance to catch up with other parents in a relaxed environment and are advertised in the school newsletter and on School Stream.
Next meeting: Thursday 10th February 7pm Lumsden Hotel
Apologies can be sent to Jan McFadzien cell: 021 060 3396, Friends of Lumsden School Facebook page or message can be left at school office.
AGM date will be set at this meeting for March.
Thanks, and look forward to catching up on Thursday.
Jan
School Lawns
We have an alphabetical roster of all school families for mowing the area at front of school and by the staff carpark. Each family gets a turn once every 2-3 years. Here are the guidelines to follow:
¨ Pick up the school mower shed key from the Four Square Supermarket.
¨ Check the mower has fuel and fill from can in shed if necessary. Please let the school know if petrol can is low and we will refill.
¨ Check the map attached to the mower shed showing which areas to mow.
¨ Catcher loads of grass can be emptied around the back of the school next to the sports container. Top mower up with fuel, when finished and return key to Four Square Supermarket.
The roster for the next few weeks is:
· February 10-13 Law Family
· February 18-20 Leach Family
Thank you for your support with keeping our school looking great, it is much appreciated.