Principal: Sheree Garton

Deputy Principal: Robyn Wills

4 March 2021

Upcoming Events

Thursday 11th

March - School

Disco - $3.00 -

6.00pm to 8.00pm

Monday 15th

March - School

Photos

Wednesday 17th

March - Supersport

Cricket

Friday 19th March -

Collaborative Waka

trip to Te Papa

Tuesday 23rd &

Wednesday 24th

March - EPRO8

Friday 26th March -

LIS Athletics Day

Friday 2nd April to

Tuesday 6th April -

Easter Break

Friday 9th April -

Interschool Athletics

Friday 16th April -

End of Term 1

P.T.O.

LEVIN INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Kia ora koutou, nau mai haere mai Welcome to the 2021 school year and what a great start it has been. We have welcomed over 130 new students and their families to LIS, with a starting roll of 260 students. Our fabulous BOT are committed to supporting our school and community. This year our BOT chair is Rachael Davis and she is joined twice per term for board meetings with Ofa Taeiloa, Larina Turner, Stacey Grover, Esme Bell and Kirstin McKenzie. Thank you so much to all of them for the time and commitment it takes to be part of a school BOT. I would like to thank all the whanau who attended powhiri this year. The relationship of parents, children and teachers is pivotal to student engagement in school activities and success. We have been so pleased with the way students have fitted into school life. At LIS we create a shared language to support all learners to be respectful, responsible and resilient. We are proud of the Intermediate opportunities and the link between Primary and Secondary education, giving students opportunities to wear a uniform with pride, to be amongst other teenagers from across the region and to learn about who they are and the opportunities available. Our recent parent conferences have been hugely beneficial, as teachers were able to begin building a strong relationship between home and school. We value your feedback about the conferences and would like to know more about what you as whanau value. Teachers have really benefited from hearing about the passions, hobbies and interests that students and their families have. We would like to congratulate all those families who attended and booked using the online system; it was an effective use of coordinating these appointments. DAILY SCHOOL TIMES 2021 For 2021 the school’s daily times will be the same as last year, to maximise morning/learning times, and to enable students to attend specialist classes, cultural groups and sporting practices. The school break times differ slightly each day: Monday: 10.30 to 11.00am; 12.00 to 12.30pm; 1.30 to 2.00pm Tuesday: 10.30 to 11.00am; 12.30 to 1.20pm Wednesday: 10.30 to 11.00am; 12.30 to 1.20pm Thursday: 10.30 to 11.00am; 12.30 to 1.20pm Friday: 10.30 to 11.00am; 12.00 to 12.30pm; 1.30 to 2.00pm It is an expectation that all students are at school by 8.40am to allow time to unpack their bags and ready themselves for learning. If your child arrives after 9.00am, they must report to the school office with a note from their parent stating the reason for lateness.

SCHOOL COMMUNICATION Newsletters at LIS are sent out every month. The newsletter provides a vital communication link between the school and its community. It serves to inform you of school programmes, share and celebrate the success and achievement of students and staff, report on and highlight past and future school events, and provides an update from Teams. Once again, this year we will be placing the newsletter online through our website. A paper copy will be sent out to everyone - if your child is away, a copy will be available from their classroom or office on their return to school. If you would prefer to receive your newsletter via email please contact our school office - office@lis.school.nz

SOCIAL MEDIA We have a very active school Facebook page that is updated regularly, providing up to date information regarding upcoming events and celebrating the wonderful achievements of our students, staff and their families. Please take the time to follow our page.

BYOC / Bring Your Own Chromebooks LIS’s vision is to innovatively blend the use of technology into current programmes, while adapting current practice to include the use of devices. We encourage students to Bring their Own Chromebooks to school and they can do so once they have signed the cyber safety agreement. Each class will have gone through this agreement which is also displayed in the classroom.

OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPERIENCES LIS is renowned for the number of opportunities and experiences it offers for students and we have many students who enrol with us for this reason. Whether it be in the Academic, Sports, Citizenship or Performing Arts field there is something for everybody. Our Kotahitanga meetings each morning share important daily news and highlight sporting, cultural and specialist learning opportunities. We remind students about school rules, sports practices etc. Talk to your student about ‘The Collingwood Daily’.

ACADEMIC FOCUS - Mathematics a schoolwide focus for ‘homework’ As mentioned, LIS offers a wide range of experiences across the curriculum. However, one of our primary aims is to ensure that students are both literate and numerate which will form a foundation of success for the future. Learning programmes and the weekly timetable are committed to ensuring that Reading, Writing and Maths take priority. Academic focus covers a wide range of areas such as Science, Technology and the Arts. This year our ‘Homework Focus’ is provided by way of Mathletics being provided to every learner free of charge. Mathematics is a schoolwide area of need as highlighted by recent testing and we are hoping all students will log in regularly to reinforce the teaching at school and practice their numeracy skills. Our school library is well resourced and we encourage students to take books home and read regularly (10-20 minutes a night is recommended). Our fabulous school librarian, Mrs Mac, is happy to order books that students are interested in, if they are not already in the library.

CELLPHONES AT SCHOOL Students are only permitted to bring cell phones to school with parent permission. We have continued to allow this (unlike many other Intermediate schools), to support students to keep in contact with their families whilst travelling to and from school. During the day all cell phones are to be handed into the classroom phone box and then stored in our office area for safekeeping. We do not allow students to have their phones on them during school hours and hope that parents can support us to reinforce these rules. Any student found with a cell phone in their possession during school hours will be required to take it to the school office for their parents to collect.

CULTURAL GROUPS Both Kapa Haka and Pasifika will be run differently. There is no audition process to join these groups. They are run separately to Performing Arts which means students will be able to access BOTH a performing group and a Cultural group. This year students can be in both cultural groups as there are no regional competitions.

SCHOOL UNIFORM UPDATE We are extremely proud of our school uniform and we are appreciative of the parent support that enables us to achieve such high standards. Just a reminder - please NAME all uniform items as it all looks the same and with the summer months students take off jerseys, shoes and socks etc.

SCHOOL WEBSITE You can find all information, news, groups and events you need to know about on our school website. You can also contact the school office - 06 3688306 or office@lis.school.nz

ENCOURAGING SUN SMART Please encourage your child to use sunblock. One of the reasons we do not have a uniform hat is so that students can make their own choices with what to wear. Our hottest times are from Labour Weekend through to Easter and we encourage students to wear hats or find shade during this time. Nāku noa nā Sheree Garton Principal/Tumuaki