Sunnyhills School
Learning for Life
Learning for Life through our Sunnyhills GEMS
What's on Top?
Welcome to Term 4, Week 5:
The weather last week gave us a taste of summer. Please remember to apply sunblock prior to coming to school and ensure that our GEMS have their hat and water bottle. The bike opening was a fantastic event to mark this awesome resource for our community, moving forward we will let one year group per day bring their helmet/wheels to use the facility at playtimes. See the daily times below. Learners who wish to bring their wheels will put them in the bike racks by the hall during the day.
2019 Year Book - please get in quick to order your momento for the year! Print media will always be a tangible momento that can be guaranteed as a keep sake versus digital content. There are just over 400 families at Sunnyhills and we are doing a print run of 300. Please secure your copy today on Kindo for $25.
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Rāhina, Monday 11th November, Whiringa-ā-rangi:
- Year 6 Bring helmet and wheels for bike track
- 12.30pm french lessons for those learners registered in Room 4
Rātu, Tuesday 12th November, Whiringa-ā-rangi:
- Year 5 Bring helmet and wheels for bike track
- Room 1, clean up of Rotary Walkway to snakes and ladders park for their Student Volunteer Army project.
Rāapa, Wednesday 13th November, Whiringa-ā-rangi:
- Year 4 Bring helmet and wheels for bike track
Rāpare, Thursday 14th November, Whiringa-ā-rangi:
- Year 3 Bring helmet and wheels for bike track
- Welcome to visitors from across Auckland who are attending a workshop in our library today on the new digital technologies curriculum run by CORE Education.
- Kids 4 Kids choir practise during the day with Mrs Dowden and Mrs Lewis.
- Good luck to our amazind Kids 4 Kids choir performing tonight at the Vodafone Events Centre 7.30pm - 9.30pm - all learners must meet Mrs Dowden by 7pm
Rāmere, Friday 15th November, Whiringa-ā-rangi :
- Year 2 Bring helmet and wheels for bike track
- 8am French lessons for those learners registered in Room 4
- 8.30am - 9.30am Kapa Haka practise
- 2pm Whole School AssmeblyWhanau - all welcome
- 3.30pm Young Guns Skate School - register via email simon@younggunsskateschool.co.nz
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Wawata - aspiration
Ko te pae tawhiti, whāia kia tata; ko te pae tata, whakamaua kia tīna
Seek out distant horizons and cherish those you attain
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Travelwise: Y3-6 Biking or scootering Permission
If you believe your child is capable of biking or scootering to school please fill out this form. https://goo.gl/forms/pWirpkxNkbwCDEu03
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Upcoming events: PTA International Food Festival - Sat 23rd Nov - 4pm-7pm. This event is just 12 days away. Please get your money tickets via Kindo as this is a "cashless" event, we really want presales before the day rather than lines waiting for tickets on the day. ALL year groups are performing - look out for the separate flyer this week of the timing of the performances.
Upcoming: Safer Streets demonstration day Wednesday 20th November - look out for the notice this week and maps of the significant changes for pick up and drop off on this particular day (20/11/19). As one of six schools on this pilot project to support better, safer traffic around the school roads this demonstration day will 'encourage' families to try something new. Please review the maps and be prepared to park and walk, or drop off and let your GEM walk into school as several roads and contributing smaller cul-de-sacs will be drop off only (no parking).
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STAFFING 2020
At this stage we are fully staffed for the 2020 school year. Next year we are moving back to three whanau groups for planning and event purposes, so will introduce the Kowhai Whanau as our middle team. The names of our teams represent the stages of learning: A koru shoot beginning to unfurl, discover and grow. The kowhai with it’s yellow flowers beginning to shine with new knowledge, and the Kauri, our older learners standing tall and proud with being a Sunnyhills GEMS learner. The teams to date are:
Koru Whanau
Year 1: Mrs Joanne Burge (Team Leader), Miss Nikki White & Mrs Kylie Smith, Miss Jennie Robertson, Mrs Belinda Edmonds, Mrs Pam Smaill
Year 2: Miss Rachael Fullard (Team Leader), Miss Danielle Stuhlmannl, Mrs Sue Dijkstra & Mrs Kylie Smith
Kowhai Whanau
Year 3: Mrs Stephanie Trembath (Team Leader), Mrs Sarah Turner, Miss Mikayla Bycroft
Year 4: Mr Richard Tucker (Team Leader), Mrs Amber Mattsson & Mrs Sheryl Morris, Ms Joanne Maloni
Kauri Whanau
Year 5: Mrs Lis Lewis (Team Leader), Mrs Helena Swan, Whaea Tearani Cooper
Year 6: Mr John Macnaughtan (Team Leader), Mrs Susan Nelson, Mrs Megan Croll
CLASS CONSIDERATION - last week for reviewing
The process of placing children in a class takes a considerable amount of time and needs to be firmly based on trust in our staff. We see your children for close to six hours a day and, as a result, we do get to know them very well. In 2020, there continues to be only 3 classes of each year level (except in year 1 where there are 4 classes).
As part of the process, teachers will firstly consider the following points:
- Compatibility of peers
- A balance of ability within a class
- A child’s response to differing teaching styles
- gender/culture balance within a class
- Consideration of learning needs
- And then, relevant points suggested from parents
Parents are able to fill out a consideration form here: https://forms.gle/ykHF7yrAxfpXuSMC8 This is not an invitation to select a teacher, it is solely for information you feel we might not already know about your child. We hope that you carefully abide by the guidelines set out on the Google Form.
New Parent Portal App - all families will need to download and install this app - this will become our portal for accessing notices and reports - there are still a signifcant number of families who have not done this yet.
PLEASE SEE THE EMAIL REGARDING OUR NEW @SCHOOL MOBILE APP BY ETAP. Here are the steps you should take:
- Each parent has their own unique log in, please copy your child's unique code which will look something like 1515/xxx/xxx
- Scroll down to the link and follow this, click agree, this will send you a new email with a password
- Then go back to your email to get the password sent to you. Copy the password.
- Go back to the app and enter that password - when prompted click SAVE so you don't need to re-enter it in the future.
Any issues, please come to the office and see Ms. Driver next week. At the end of the year we will not be printing reports. The App will be your portal to access student reports.
Ngā mihi nui
Ms. Justine Driver, Principal.
What makes Sunnyhills such a unique school?
It is a place where children are articulate, caring and respectful, displaying a strong sense of citizenship; a place endorsed by a safe and nurturing community. Our parents have high expectations of their children, matched by unconditional support. At Sunnyhills we strive to unlock the potential in every child as we grow lifelong learners.
Our business first and foremost is children’s learning; preparing our young people with the skills they need for the future. The Sunnyhills’ ‘Learning for life’ philosophy fosters independence, curiosity and critical thinking. Students are engaged, and lead their own learning pathways through inquiry based topics. They display a ‘have a go’ attitude and are not afraid to take responsible risks.
Opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom are plentiful and diverse. Children’s learning is supported by high quality teaching, well resourced classrooms, a music and environmental educational specialist teachers and we have learning assistants in all of our junior classrooms. The Arts, sports and culture are valued and are an integral part of our varied programme.
Ms. Justine Driver, Principal
Have you downloaded our app?
Sunnyhills School is committed to providing the best education possible for your child. We have communicated with you our new Spotlight reporting changes that are being phased in. To this end, you now have the ability to securely view information about your child through the new Parent APP and in time have greater access digitally to real-time reporting on your child's current learning progress (this aspect has not been fully released to our community yet). We encourage all parents to download the APP and log in, as you will also find this a useful portal for school notices too!
iOS Devices (iPads, iPhones) – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.atschool.www&hl=en
Android Devices – Open Chrome: enter address, click three dots on the top right, and select “Add to Home Screen.”