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Dear Parents
First Day at School
A millionbillionwillion miles from home
Waiting for the bell to go. (To go where?)
Why are they all so big, other children?
So noisy? So much at home they
Must have been born in uniform
Lived all their lives in playgrounds
Spent the years inventing games
That don't let me in. Games
That are rough, that swallow you up.
And the railings.
All around, the railings.
Are they to keep out wolves and monsters?
Things that carry off and eat children?
Things you don't take sweets from?
Perhaps they're to stop us getting out
Running away from the lessins. Lessin.
What does a lessin look like?
Sounds small and slimy.
They keep them in the glassrooms.
Whole rooms made out of glass. Imagine.
I wish I could remember my name
Mummy said it would come in useful.
Like wellies. When there's puddles.
Yellowwellies. I wish she was here.
I think my name is sewn on somewhere
Perhaps the teacher will read it for me.
Tea-cher. The one who makes the tea.
By Roger McGough
It was a pleasure on Tuesday to be able to welcome the hundreds of grandparents who chose to visit our school for a very special day with their Grandchildren. Many had travelled quite some distance to be here, including several from overseas (well OK the South Island). Thank you to everyone who made the day such a success, particularly the parents who prepared and served both morning and afternoon tea.
The hall was almost full in the morning and full to bursting in the afternoon as the children entertained their grandparents with a variety of songs and performances.
The Roger McGough poem, which I read at the start of the assembly (I did change the phrase ‘wellies’ to ‘gumboots’ as it would have got lost in translation for many), evoked memories from both young and old. The children and their grandparents shared many stories of their own first days at school, including their uncertainties and misconceptions, that made us all smile.
The children sat fascinated to hear of how different life at school was for their grandparents – no cars for transport, collecting coal for the one range that kept parts of the school above zero in the winter, bottles of milk for all, strict parents and even stricter teachers, lots more homework. There was even some talk of the war, air raid sirens, bomb shelters and evacuations.
We discussed the advent of technology and what a wonderful impact it has on the children’s education. However in contrast to some of my recent newsletters I was able to remind our grandparents that some things haven’t changed. Despite the wonderful possibilities and opportunities raised by better pedagogy and use of technology personal gifts are more important than ever.
What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humour, comfort, lessons in life. When a child receives these gifts they feel happy, safe and secure. They are ready to learn, prepared to take risks, comfortable in their own skin. Without these basics children are not ready to learn and trying to educate a child is often a fruitless task.
During the 20th century the nature of the extended family changed considerably as travel and the wider opportunities for employment resulted in greater numbers of families being geographically dislocated. For many that freedom and opportunity often had a price, in that grandparents and grandchildren had fewer opportunities to share time with each other. Seeing the joy in our school on Tuesday there is no doubt of the importance of this relationship.
Room 7
Roger McGough’s poem had added significance for us this week as yesterday we welcomed Arabella, Benicio, Henry, Jenna and Sam to Victoria Avenue School - the first five members of Room 7. We are also delighted to welcome back Mrs Nikki Loy who will be their teacher, prior to Miss Alison Barclay joining the school in term 3.
Nikki and Alison have spent time together preparing the classroom for our new entrants and it was a delight to spend some time in Room 7 with them yesterday. This newest generation certainly did seem happy, safe and secure at school. They chatted happily about their first day, talked to me about their families and what they didn’t know about dinosaurs probably wasn’t worth knowing!
Kind regards
Allan Short
Principal
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The Week Ahead:
Friday 10 June: Disco Years 0, 1,2 and 3 @ 5.30pm - 6.30pm
Disco Years 4, 5 and 6 @ 6.45pm to 7.45pm
Monday 13 June : Spellathon letter/lists coming home
BOT Meeting
Tuesday 14 June: Winter exchanges - CANCELLED
Wednesday 15 June: Parents !CT workshop
School calendar is
on:
http://victoriaave.com/school-calendar
IMPORTANT DATES AND TIMES
School Times
School starts: 8.50am
Interval: 10.40-11.00am
Lunch: 12.30-1.30pm
School finishes: 3.00pm
Stationery Sales
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 8.30-8.45am
Uniform Shop
Fridays only: 8.30-9.00am
Orders and payments for uniform can be made online on our website http://victoriaave.com/school-shop
Lunch Orders
French Lunches: Tues only
Subway: Wed and Fri
Sushi: Thurs only
Order forms/Instructions
http://victoriaave.com/our-school/lunch-orders
School Banking Wednesdays before school in Room 4
Term Dates 2011
Term 2 Mon 2 May to Fri 15 July 2011
Term 3 Mon 1 Aug to Fri 7 Oct 2011
Term 4 Tues 25 Oct to Fri 16 Dec 2011
Term Dates 2012
Term 1 Thur 2 Feb to Thur 5 Apr 2012
Term 2 Mon 23 Apr to Fri 29 Jun 2012
Term 3 Mon 16 Jul to Fri 28 Sept 2012
Term 4 Mon 15 Oct to Tues 18 Dec 2012
Reminder re Absences and Lateness:
Thank you to those parents who use the Report Absence button on the homepage of our website whenever their children are late or absent - it makes our job so much easier. Some parents email the teacher directly and that is fine - but please also copy in the office:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
as at times teachers are also absent and a reliever cannot access the teacher's email.
Lateness:
Every morning the register is taken as soon as the bell goes so if your child arrives after the bell they must come via the school office so we can note they are in school.
Ross Kinnaird - children's book illustrator!
As part of Book Week our students were treated to an entertaining talk by Ross Kinnaird and a lucky group were able to participate in an illustrator's workshop!
All students thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Ross Kinnaird is an illustrator. He first began illustrating children’s books in 2002 with the popular Why Do Dogs Sniff Bottoms?, by Dawn McMillan, which won the Children’s Choice Award at the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards. He has since gone on to illustrate several books, including two written by William Taylor for the ‘Kiwi Bites’ series. In 2007, his collaboration with Sharon Holt, It’s True! You Can Make Your Own Jokes, was nominated as a finalist in the non-fiction category of the New Zealand Post Book Awards.
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