Check out next years term dates here.

Neighbours, if there are any security issues over the break, these are the appropriate contact numbers:

Henderson Police 839 0600
Bill Lynch, Property Manager 021 124 2825
Walter Payne, BoT Chair 021 225 7421

Athletic Cups

Boys
Year 1 Te Ariki Abraham
Year 2 Ben Wright
Year 3 Akira Luamanuvae Su’a
Year 4 Jett Heremaia
Year 5 Jonah Palota-Kopa
Year 6 Manaia McMath

Girls
Year 1 Tyra Ibbott
Year 2 Hailey Stuart
Year 3 Amanda Lowe
Year 4 Margaret Lowe
Year 5 Santana Kellett
Year 6 Betsy-Bella Davis Barr

Cross Country Cups

Boys
Year 1 Ceadorik Litvinchouk
Year 2 Ethan Gibson
Year 3 Akira Luamanuvae Su’a
Year 4 Harrison Chapman
Year 5 Ryan Verney
Year 6 Bradley Wilson

Girls
Year 1 Tyra Ibbott
Year 2 Hailey Stuart
Year 3 Emily Eldridge
Year 4 Lucie Winterton
Year 5 Sydney Magnus
Year 6 Betsy-Bella Davis-Barr

Speech Cup
Alyssa Ngata

Library Prize
Anastasia Tikhonova

Citizenship
Grace Muller

Maori Culture Award
Ethan Trifilo

Te Reo Award
Mason Whiu

Outstanding Samoan Pupil
Alofagia Siufaga

Outstanding Maori Pupil
Alyssa Ngata

Outstanding Pacifica Pupil
Eliesta Eliesa

Media Award
Israel Latu

Australian Maths Certificates

Distinction
Jack Martin Buss, Jason Xavier, Lovina de Silva

Credit
Yun–Ji Hwang, Thomas Bulloch, Ryan Verney, Kya Moth

Academic Achievement Certificates

Room 17 Stacey MacAllister
Room 18 Kristina Bojin
Room 1 Fynn Neeley Grant
Room 2 Lucy Ellis
Room 3 Alice McArthur
Room 4 Joshua Zhang
Room 5 Evan Scrimgeour
Room 6 Fynn Petterson O’Reilly
Room 8 Jack Colthart
Room 9 Margaret Lowe
Room 15 Isaac Martin
Room 16 Logan Mitchell
Room 10 Simon Gaszikowski
Room 11 Alysse Ngata
Room 12 Maxwell Knapping
Room 13 Jack Martin Buss
Room 14 Grace Muller

Netball Player of the Year
Betsy-Bella Davis- Barr

Cricketer of the Year
Liam Smith

Soccer Cup
Ryan Verney

Rugby Cup
Isaiah Vagana

Sporting Achievement
Isaiah Vagana

Hansen Awards

Room 17 Quinton Grindle, Miah Bult
Room 18 Hailey Stuart, Shelby Swan
Room 1 Brooklyn Loneko, Keenan Aickin
Room 2 Riley Tivoli, Kainoa Keereweer-Taia
Room 3 Jazmyn Hostetler, Mitchell Routen
Room 4 Nina Firth, Mia Curreen Poko
Room 5 Elise Ibbott, Jesse Austin
Room 6 Fynn Petterson O’Reilly, Tania Pilikosi
Room 8 Sophie Koosache, Katya de Silva
Room 9 Luci Winterton, Tadhg Coulthard-Miller
Room 15 Nicole Potter, Cody Fairbairn
Room 16 Anihira Lundon, Scarlett Kearns McOnie
Room 7 Brent Bradley
Room 10 Jessica Scott, Danica Jones
Room 11 Ethan Triffilo, Bradley Wilson
Room 12 Riahn Whenuaro, Alofagia Siufaga
Room 13 Yun Ji Hwang, Rory Keating
Room 14 Grace Muller, Betsy-Bella Davis-Barr

Hansen Award Principals Nomination
Felila Matafeo

Hansen Award Winner
Felila Matafeio

Matipo School Award for Academic Excellence
Jason Xavier

Junior Award for Overall Contribution & Excellence
Hailey Stuart

Principals Award for Overall Contribution & Excellence
Betsy-Bella Davis-Barr

Winning House
Tane

School finishes this Tuesday 20th December @ 2pm and re-opens Tuesday 7th February @ 8:50am.
Have a sensational holiday and a really enjoyable Christmas and New Year. Very best wishes all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO
Azriel Lipsham-Symonds, Henry Bell, Jack Austin, Thomas Drabble, Joshua Nayler, Theo RobbMarkham, Joshua Siaki, Lee Collins, Samuel Bolton and Maxwell Knapping.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OVER THE HOLIDAYS TO
Daniel Breen, Tristan Earl, Corban Murray, Jacey Cleverly, Zain Hewson-Pette, Joshua Burnie, Kobe Kopua, Muritai Paki, Tadhg, Coulthard-Miller, Blake Garrett, Dylan Hall, Macy Lynch-Blosse, Travis Lynch-Blosse, Hannah Priest, Natasha Sealey, Kainoa Keereweer-Taia, Austin Lorenzen, Isabella Card, Fatemeh Shamsoudin Khorami, Emma Chapman, Cairo Wheldale, Jesse Austin, Alice Pattillo, Eri Reddington, Charlotte Triggs, Yani Llavizher, Liam Gilbert, Obadaiah Paea, Liam Smith, Max Pearce, Katya de Silva, Tiara Abraham, Kahn Hansen, Latrell Williams, Tyra Ibbott, Jackson Kamo, Benjamin Wright, Lloyd Morrison, Daniel Knowles, Luca Boyack, Simon Gaszikowski, Jack Lucas, Edie Voon-Clarke, Eva Vujnovich, Ben Eldridge, Joel Gibson, Luke Gibson, Peniel Swanney, Jordy Jacobs, Emily Eldridge and Isaac Martin.

COMING EVENTS
Monday 19th December 11.30 am Prizegiving, 6.30 pm Year 6 Graduation
Tuesday 20th December School closes at 2pm

PRIZEGIVING
The prizegiving list will go on to the website on Monday afternoon.

SCHOOL SECURITY
In the event of any issue relating to school security over the holiday please ring;
Henderson Police 839 0600
Bill Lynch 021 1242825
Walter Payne 021 2257421

SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT
For the 4th year in a row 92% of children on average light across the school achieved at or above the National Standard in reading. In Maths a school average of 89% achieved at or above the National Standard.
For year 3-6 81% spelt at or above their chronological age. In writing the whole school average of 85% achieved at or above the National Standard.

FARWELL AND BEST WISHES TO
* Doug Pilkington
* Linde McKechnie
* Jo Ramsay

First in, best seated!

Could any children with Santa hats please wear them.

To learn the value of giving to those less fortunate than yourself is truly remarkable.

Our sincere thanks and absolute best wishes to both Doug and Linde. Enjoy your retirement!

Term 1 Tues 7th February – Thurs 5th April
Term 2 Mon 23rd April – Fri 29th June
Term 3 Mon 16th July – Fri 28th September
Term 4 Mon 15th October – Thurs 20th December

When I was returning to work at the beginning of Term 2 after being on maternity leave for 8 months I had many a wise person tell me that I would need to find that spot, the perfect balance between my home life, with my husband, son and dog and my work life, with my class and professional responsibilities.

You need a balance in life between dealing with what is going on inside and not being so absorbed in yourself that it takes over…

-Nigella Lawson

 

Coming now to the end of the year I am wondering what exactly is ‘balance’?  Do I have it? And how can I get more of it? It also got me thinking about how my friends with young children who also, have recently returned to work find balance and if their idea of balance is the same or similar to mine…

After talking, ‘Facebooking’, texting and emailing friends, and reading articles entitled ‘The Importance of Maintaining Balance’ and ‘5 tips for a Well Balanced Life’, I have come to the conclusion that for myself and those that I spoke to the principles behind finding balance are very similar if not the same.

• Quality not Quantity!

It is all about how you spend your time with your children rather than the amount of time spent with them. Playing, reading, rough and tumble, going for a walk, finding a new playground to explore and creating memories with and for your little one. Nothing makes me happier than watching my son develop and grow. Having special time each day where nothing else is important but him and whatever happens to be interesting to him at the time. At the moment it is all about books and sitting on our laps reading. Ensuring I make time that is just for him helps me to find balance in my life.

• ME time!

It is important to look after yourself as well as those you love. Take some time out each day to do something that you enjoy and find relaxing.  Take the dog for a walk, have a bubble bath or find a quiet corner to read.

It is only recently that I have come to appreciate just how important it is to take time out for myself.  My ‘me’ time has come to include getting my hair and make-up done in the morning before leaving the house and taking an exercise class that I love twice a week. Including these things in my week is helping me to achieve and maintain balance.

• Knowing your Priorities…

Balance doesn’t mean doing everything you can. Decide what is important to you and fit those things in first.

One of my friends said to me, “The house work will always be there. It can wait until later.” She is right. Quality time with my family comes first when I am at home and if there are toys scattered around the floor and washing to be folded, it can all be done once our son is asleep.

I try to do as much school work as I can while at school and in the time that I am there my class and the children in it are my highest priority. For me separating my home and work life helps me to feel more balanced.

The final thing that really stood out for me when talking to other full time working mums was that they all thought it was ok if at times we lost our balance and not to be too hard on ourselves when this inevitably happens. It is those times when we do our most learning, when we learn what our boundaries are and how far we are capable of pushing them. Keep thinking positively and get back on track as quickly as possible. Realise that something’s happen and they are out of our control. Do what you need to do to achieve balance. Write to-do lists, plan your time on a calendar so everyone knows when and where you and they will be at what times, make sure to include time for yourself, your family and your friends.

At this stage in my life I am happy with the balance I have achieved. I feel that I am giving the best of myself in everything I am doing. I take time for myself each and every week and enjoy that hugely. I play and read with my son every day and my favourite time of day is right before bedtime when we sit quietly together, have a story and wind down.  My husband and I always sit and have dinner together no matter what time it is… that is our time to unload, talk about our day, talk about what is coming up and just enjoy each other’s company. I enjoy coming into school and getting ready for my day with my class. I enjoy how hard they all work, their sense of humour and their ready smiles. I enjoy watching them achieve goals and set new ones.

So… do I have balance in my life? Yes, for all of the reasons above and more!