Dear School Friends and Families
We seem to have quickly ‘bottle-necked’ our way to the end of the year, as we look forward to our break-up ceremony next Thursday evening at the College Hall. Hopefully you’ll be able to join us to enjoy speeches by the Year 6 children, song performances, special awards to celebrate achievements, and to bid farewell to leaving staff and students.
This will be the last newsletter for the year (and the last front page from me for a year after approximately 400). Thank you for all the parent help and support we have had during another action-packed learning year. And I would particularly like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the teachers and support staff who have put so much into supporting our children on their learning journeys. Best wishes to Miss Madden and Miss Buchan as they embark on new journeys of their own. Their tremendous inputs during their time at Lumsden School have been hugely appreciated.
Meanwhile, we look forward to welcoming newly appointed staff members Toni Evans and Sarah Falconer aboard. Both of them are able to attend our Term 1 2020 planning afternoon next Monday, so it will be great for children and staff to be able to meet them then.
Lumsden’s got talent. That was reaffirmed this week during our ‘Lumsden’s Got Talent’ auditions. It was great to see such enthusiastic participation and I look forward to a very entertaining final today, as this is being sent out.
The builder who is contracted to do our corridor and break-out space renovation work visited this week, and there is a good chance that this project will get underway in January (earlier than predicted), which is good news.
Today we acknowledged the valuable input of our Bible in Schools teachers, along with the weekly dedication of our community ‘Buddy Readers’, and others who have helped at school on an ongoing basis, with a special morning tea. Our children are very fortunate to be part of such a caring community.
Have a good weekend. Early Christmas shopping? “One of the nice things about Christmas is that you can make people forget the past with a present”. Ka kite ano, and best wishes for a very enjoyable festive season and family time before the 2020 school year starts on January 29.
Andrew Watson
Principal
Congratulations to Miss Buchan who has completed her Diploma in Specialist Teaching Learning and Behaviour this year, on top of her full time classroom teaching commitments. Well done, Christine and all the best in you new permanent role as a FiNSCoL Learning Support Coordinator starting next year.
Thank you to Route 6 for their sponsorship of our Silver Award lunches. 35 children have been rewarded with Silver Award lunch outings this year. Rob and Jane’s support for helping us acknowledge and encourage children’s positive behaviours has been much appreciated.
Lumsden Values SILVER AWARD Winners
Xavier, Heath and Cayden, Silver Award recipients, having earned 40 Gotchas so far this year.
Lumsden Values BRONZE AWARD Winners
Charlie, Nixon and Hudson with their Bronze Award Certificates, having earned 20 Gotchas so far this year.
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.
FoLS Update
Our final news update ends with a review on what the FoLS team have achieved this year and the exciting things in the pipeline for the holidays and into 2020.
We have had a busy and successful 2019 supporting events such as the wonderful Bike Park opening, athletics day and organising awesome activities like the fun run. We had a fabulous "community planting day" to initiate the bike park and school landscape programme. Barbeques, catering events and the Pet Day bake sale further added to the FoLs fundraising activities.
We're excited to have a new basketball and netball hoop arriving soon and these will be installed over the holidays. In line with BOT survey and the community wishes, we have some more landscaping going on in the summer holidays to further enhance to the aesthetics of the school. Links to the Oreti River, the natural environment and the rail history of the town are tied into the landscape ideas for the school.
2020 will be an exciting year for FoLS. It kicks off with a 4x4 catering job in February, another round of planting at the school in autumn and loads of brainstorming for fundraising ideas to support the new BoT and the new staff in delivering an awesome programme of learning for our kids. If you have any creative ideas to add, then please, please come along to our first meeting of the year in 2020 and help us action them! The next meeting date will be in the new years newsletter. We as parents are all FoLS members and this has been a collective effort from all of us, so thank you for your baking, your coaching, your gardening, and your general energy. have a great holiday!!
One more ask, please bring a plate to the prizegiving!!!
Nga mihi nui,
The FoLS team
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.
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 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:
7/8 December Keen Family
14/15 December King/Hore Family
21/28 December King/Toma Family
9/13 January Kington Family
17/20 January Leach Family
· 25/28 January Maclean 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/
