Stepping Up & Reaching Out Newsletter 3 10 March 2014

Important Notes/Dates

A note from the Principal

Term Dates: Term 1 – 30 JAN – 17 APR (Note last day of Term 1 is Thursday leading into Easter)

Term 2 - 05 MAY – 04 JUL

Term 3 - 21 JUL - 26 SEP

Term 4 - 13 OCT - 16 DEC

March:12-14 MAR – YR6 Camp – Living Springs

12 MAR – NE /YR1 Grandparents /Parents Day 1-3pm

13 MAR - New Parent Meeting

9-10am Hall Foyer

18 MAR – Zone Swimming Sports

18 MAR – El Grego visits QPS

26-28 MAR – YR 5 Camp – Living Springs

April:04 APR – LEAP 3.15 – 4pm Hall

10 APR – Canterbury Swimming Sports

16 APR - YR1 Parent Assembly 2.15pm

17 APR - Last day Term 1.

Dear Parents / Caregivers What a challenging week last week was! The crazy weather on Wednesday seems a distant memory now. Despite the surface flooding and the difficult access to classrooms our children were amazing on this day. They simply took this day in their stride. Thank you for your co operation here especially at times like this when we are dealing with the uncertainties of the weather. Text Alerts:Last weeks storm reinforced the value of being able to get messages to you quickly on our text alert system. EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE ON THIS! Please ensure that you are. We know that there are still Mums and Dads that we cannot reach if there is an emergency. We would appreciate if you could make this your highest priority. To join, text: follow queensparksch to 8987 School Visits:Last week I visited some new and refurbished schools in Auckland. They were Stonefields, Hobsonville and Point England. These schools all had child centered learning cultures with children being able to articulate clearly their current learning and next steps. Google Drive was also a positive being used extensively at all levels. Very inspiring. Weetbix Tryathlon:Congratulations to the Weetbix Tryathlon children who completed at Jellie Park yesterday. Many of our students taking part, some for the first time, had a great experience. Well done to these budding athletes. A very big Thank you to Bridget Hanrahan for leading this and to Karyn Battrick for helping with the training! Grandparents Day (Juniors):I am looking forward to seeing a big turnout of Grandparents on Wednesday. This will be a special afternoon and one we always look forward to. Pyjama Day:This was a lot of fun on Friday. I love the fact that our children can have fun on days like this, have lots of laughs but still be focused for learning. Kind RegardsRoss WillocksPrincipal.

QPS PYJAMA DAY 2014  

Two Crusaders came along to chat with some of our Queenspark School up and coming rugby players today as

part of the Canterbury Rugby in Schools programme. They were Zac Guildford and Jed Brown. The children were

able to ask questions and hear Zac and Jed talk about their experiences and what it is like being part of the

Crusaders in Canterbury! Very exciting!

HAVE YOU HEARD ? . . .

QPS has a Mountain Bike Club! Queenspark School now has its very own Mountain Biking Club! Thanks to Mrs Jeffries and her team,

our keen cyclists head out every Friday Lunchtime for a bike ride through the tracks in the Forest!

Queenspark kids are really stepping up!

Queenspark School Uniform: Please note with the recent sale of Schooltex to the Warehouse group our school uniform is now

stocked at The Warehouse Eastgate. No uniform is held at Postie Plus effective immediately. We

still continue to hold our uniform at Mainland and Bambi Drapery also.

Visitors to the Office:

We have a new electronic visitor sign in machine located in the office. A reminder to all visitors who

are coming to school for meetings to please sign in. This is an important way we can track who is on

site at all times. Also any children that arrive to school late, please call in to the office and let staff

know you have arrived. A big ‘THANK YOU’ to Andrew Swift and Harcourts for sponsoring this for us. We

really appreciate your support!

Queenspark Drive Roadworks

Unfortunately the roadworks at the front of our school are taking longer than expected. This work

is now due to finish closer to the end of this month. We have been advised that the cones will be

removed shortly which will make it easier to turn but parking will still be limited. The roadworks will

be moving into Rothesay Road at the beginning of April so detours will possibly be in place. With

the work taking longer than first estimated, we ask for your patience a little longer when picking up

/dropping off is still to be a high priority. We will keep you updated as much as possible. Thank you

and sorry for this inconvenience.

We are so proud of all the Queenspark children who took part in the Weetbix Tryathlon on Sunday. Each and every one of you stepped up and showed the ‘Queenspark Attitude’ and tried your very best. Way to go!!

When things go wrong at school. . .Every parent wants the best for their children, and that includes having great experiences at school.Despite best teaching practice things do go wrong at school. Most kids experience learning difficulties from time to time. Conflict and peer rejection are a normal part of school-life. The developmental nature of childhood means that there will always be some turbulence, particularly around key transition ages, such as the start of adolescence.

During these times young people frequently experience a dip in their learning as well as significant relationship difficulties. Kids will often come home from school with grievances, and call on their parents for assistance.Your approach as a parent when your child has difficulty at school makes huge difference to their resilience, and their future relationships with teachers and peers.

Here’s a six point checklist to help you stay focused and be effective if your child experiences difficulty at school.

1. Stay calm and rationalIt’s natural as a parent to protect, or defend your children, particularly when you think that they’ve come in for some unfair or poor treatment. But acting when you are full of emotion is not always smart. Rather than getting on the phone straight away to organise a meeting at school, take your time to think through how you might assist your child.

2. Get the all factsOnce you’ve calmed down, then get the facts about the situation. Kids are faulty observers and often only see one side of a story when there’s a problem with a teacher or a fellow student. They sometimes can’t see that perhaps they may have contributed inadvertently to a dispute at school, or perhaps said something that may have upset a teacher. It’s the job of parents to help kids process what happens in an incident, so that all the facts emerge and understand their place in any problem. Ask good questions to help the full story emerge.

3. Assess whether to advise the school or notKids, like adults, like to vent and will benefit from having told their side of a story to trusted source. Often problems can be dealt with at home, simply by talking through an issue, and giving kids some common sense tips to help them cope. If your child has a recurring problem that he can’t solve himself, or you think adult intervention maybe needed to sort out a relationship issue with a teacher or peer, then consider meeting with your child’s teacher or year level coordinator.

4. Go through the right channelsApproach the school calmly, going through the school office, or directly to your child’s teacher /Syndicate Leader if that is the usual protocol. If you have already established a relationship with the teacher concerned, then it’s often easier to approach them directly. Queenspark School’s policy is to approach the class teacher in the first instance. The syndicate leader and or management will become involved if required following discussions with the classroom teacher.

5. Look for solutions rather than blameParent-teacher meetings usually get nowhere when either party blames the other. State the problem as you see it and view your child’s teacher as an ally, not a foe. “I’m really worried about Jeremy. He’s been acting strange lately and I need some help” is the type of approach that will elicit a helpful response. Talk about your concerns and keep the discussion focused firmly on what’s best for your child. Listen to your teacher’s viewpoint, valuing a different perspective.

6. Stay in touchBe realistic with your expectations, remembering that some problems can’t be solved to your satisfaction, nor will they be resolved straight away. Be prepared to work alongside your child’s teacher over the long-term, which means you need to keep communicating with each other.Parenting is easy when things are going well, but testing when your children struggle or experience difficulty. Stepping back and taking a long-term, reflective view is often the best approach when your child experiences difficulty at school.

Dyslexia Understanding and ActionYour chance to create change… Time to celebrate your child’s gifts and support them through their challenges. If you don’t,

who will?

Lorna Timms, trustee of the DFNZ, along with teacher Melanie Curry, will present the facts about dyslexia and dispel the myths

that surround it. The seminar will also give options for positive action - ways to manage, support and empower those with this

learning preference.

When: Thursday 20 March, 7pm-9pm

Where: Christchurch South Library Boardroom, 66 Colombo St

Cost: $10.00 - Secure your place by contacting Melanie at melanie@positiveparticipation.com.