Newsletter – Week 7 Tuesday 7 Sept – Botany Downs Primary School

Term 3, Week 7 2021

Kia ora koutou,

We were all very fortunate to have a lovely sunny weekend and we hope you were all able to get outside and enjoy it. This was our second Covid Alert Level Father’s day, and we hope you were able to connect in some unique way in Alert Level 4 with all your special people.

Welcome to Ms Shayna Ravji who started teaching our five year olds in Room 6 last week. Ms Ravji taught in our Year 0 class at BDS last year and we are very happy to be able to have her return.

Welcome also to our new five year old students who really are making history starting school by zoom and home learning.

During this week our staff will be working towards what BDS will look like in Auckland in Alert Level 3, so that we are ready for the announcement next week. We are expecting to receive further information from the Ministry of Education and the MInistry of Health in the next few days. Please keep an eye on your emails as this will be sent to you in a separate newsletter.

We continue to thank you so much for all you are doing for your tamariki to ensure they are continuing with their learning while providing that much needed balance.

Ngā mihi,
Vicki Parkins
Principal
vickip@botanydowns.school.nz

Our thoughts are with the Clifton family as their son Cartyr undergoes a major operation at Starship Hospital this week. A Give A Little page has been set up for Cartyr. We wish him a speedy recovery and are looking forward to seeing him back at school.

From the School Board and Staff at BDS

School News

Lawn Mowing

We have been advised that the Ministry of Education has now advised that maintenance and mowing of school fields and surrounding areas can be undertaken during Alert Level 4.

This decision by the Ministry of Education will ensure that school grounds remain in good condition and will prevent school fields and lawn areas incurring extra costs and time to return them to a useable condition once staff and the students are able to return.

Let’s Get Active!

Auckland Transport has some challenges we can be part of. The GooseChase App allows students to complete missions. There will be family-friendly virtual missions to complete, updated regularly. This is guaranteed to keep children (young and old) active and occupied while at home.

You can join the game any time, it’s very easy to get started:

Search for and download the free GooseChase app in the app store (Android and iOS).
Open the app and either play as a guest or sign up for a new account.
Join the game by searching for ‘Travelwise Challenge’. Join as a family team (please ensure you play with your same household/bubble).
After joining, you will be taken straight to the mission list, so let’s go there!

Learning from Home Links

A list of helpful links to help with learning at home can be found on our school website. Head to the Learning at Home Links page and scroll to the bottom for new links: https://www.botanydowns.school.nz/learning-at-home-links/

New links will be added as we find them, so please do check back again!

Creative Names from Room 9

Nature Art and Father’s Day Cards from Room 3

by Lune’

by Zainab

by Teagan

by Charlie

by Nikit

Mariam working on her card

Iraison and his card

by Shane

LIBRARY NEWS

The eLibrary is Open!

It is wonderful to see so many students have already borrowed ebooks to read! This is a great opportunity to keep your child’s reading going over lockdown.

Your child has been set up with a log in and will be able to borrow books to read on any device (via a downloaded app). The eLibrary will be available from now until 27 November 2021.

The link to the eLibrary, login details, and more information can be found on the school website here: https://www.botanydowns.school.nz/learning-at-home-links/ (Scroll down to the ‘Additional Learning Links’ section).

Please help your child to login, and enjoy browsing the eLibrary together. Some titles are age restricted and will not be available to your child if they are not in the appropriate year level. The eLibrary is curated by Wheelers New Zealand.

(ImagineForest.com)