Dear School Friends and Families
From shabbiness to spruceness – What a difference a day makes if many hands are involved! Thank you very much to all the helpers who came on Saturday to spruce up the grounds. They look great.
A huge congratulations to Mrs Stevens who won the overall section at the Dunedin Country Music Awards last weekend. A fantastic achievement for Lana.
On Tuesday the junior children from Garston School came to visit us to find out about the Bike Park and try it out. They really enjoyed themselves and we enjoyed their company at playtime and lunchtime. Well done to Jade, Tilly and Charlie who looked after then so well as their hosts and tour guides.
On Thursday I wondered what all the celebratory noise coming from Room One was…Tia had just received her 60th Gotcha, thus being the first Lumsden School student to earn a Gold Award. Awesome, Tia! This will be presented at the break-up ceremony on the 12th.
Attached you’ll see the class lists for 2020. A lot of time and thought has been put into these, particularly where there is a year group split, so changing one student may have a domino effect on the class make-up, and also set a precedent for other shifts. For this reason, we respectfully ask that changes are not requested by parents unless there is a specific strong reason why you think that the current placement is not the right one. If you make such a request, please do so by the end of next week (December 6th). Stationery lists will be emailed out to parents before the end of the year.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through class reports this week. They contain great affirmations about our children’s learning efforts, achievements, and character attributes, which has made me feel very proud of our children and staff. I do not underestimate the huge role you play as parents in the children’s learning journeys, and I hope you find this learning information useful.
The board are well into the process of appointing next year’s new staff. The new appointees (one fixed term for the year and one permanent) will teach the two senior classes. We hope to have these positions filled before the school break-up.
Looking forward to Lumsden’s Got Talent coming up on December 6th, and the Year 6s have a fun outing to Gore (Laser Tag and Swimming Pool) to look forward to on December 10th. Remember to lock in the evening of Thursday December 12th in your diaries if you can, for the school break-up ceremony!
Only 10 school days to go, but who’s counting?! Have a good weekend. Ka kite ano,
Andrew Watson
Principal
Welcome to School
This week we are pleased to welcome Kadence, Rydan, Phoenix and Rowan to Lumsden School. Kadence is in Room 2, Rydan and Phoenix are both in Room 5, and Rowan has joined Room 4.
Lumsden Values SILVER AWARD Winner
Jade Silver Award recipient, having earned 40 Gotchas so far this year.
School Library
The school library is now closed – please have a look at home and return any books that belong to the school. Thanks.
Bible in Schools Donations
Donations towards the cost of books for the children who attend Bible in Schools would be much appreciated. The approximate cost for each child is $7.50. Please send any donations along to school in a named envelope. We can then forward these on to the LBK Presbyterian Church who provide the books. Thanks to those families who have already paid.
Financial Donations for Term 4
Please make payment to the office at school or directly into the school bank account 030960-0112624-00 (child/ren’s name as reference).
Thanks to those families who have already paid. Your support is much appreciated.
Working Bee 23/11/19
Perfect weather conditions (no wind!) and a fantastic turn out. We had representatives from over 10 different families come to lend a hand. Their time and effort was appreciated by the BOT and FoLS who organised this event.
Ma tini ma mano ka rapa te whai.
Many hands make light work. Unity is strength.
FOLS Helpers list
● If you are keen to be part of the grounds/garden helper team in future please let me know (sarah@codeavengers.com) and I can update the list.
● If you would like to change teams please email me. After our successful bake sale I know a few people are keen to be part of the catering/baking/bbq team.
● If you are new to the school I, and other FOLS committee members would love to meet you for a cuppa at school and let you know what FOLS is all about.
● I need a few people to help make drinks/tidy up/wash up after prizegiving. Even 15 minutes of your time makes all the difference. Let me know if you can help.
School Lawns Roster
We have an alphabetical roster set up of all the school families for mowing the school lawns so each family only gets a turn once every couple of years. If the date doesn’t suit please contact the school and we can swap as necessary. Thanks for your support with this.
Here are the guidelines to follow (if you have any queries please contact the school office):
· 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 showing which areas to mow
· Catcher loads of grass can be emptied around the back of the school behind the sports container (container closest to carpark).
· Top mower up with fuel, when finished and return key to Four Square Supermarket.
The roster for the upcoming weeks is:
30/1 December Jones Family
7/8 December Keen Family
Summer Reading Challenge
There are two prize draws for readers at Southland District Libraries, Student and Family. Read 8 books, fill out the reading log on the entry form, available from 1 December, and drop or email it into one of our 8 branches. All books read during the period 1 December to 31 January are eligible, including e-books which are free to download using your Southland District Library card through Borrowbox or Libby/Overdrive. Enter as many times as you are able.
Have you downloaded the Southland District Libraries App? The last 4 digits of your library card number is your PIN. Go here to find out more https://ent.kotui.org.nz/client/en_AU/southland/
