Previous Newsletters 2007

 

 

Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Our Year Seven students have settled extremely well  this term. With 328 new students there will be the occasional hiccup but this year  we have had fewer than usual. The tone of the the school and the attitude of the students is very positive and we are all working at being “Be The Best That We Can Be”  supported by - “If It Is To Be It Is Up To Me.” and “Be The You You Want To Be”.  These are the messages that underpin the culture here at Kamo Intermediate.

 

One of the facts that we have to deal with is the negative reaction that   comes from some people.  As I point out to the children often “being negative and putting people down is easy and to most people is the accepted norm”. This does not have to be so and I thank those of you that are supportive of our drive to be the “Best We Can Be.’ There will be some whoops! attacks along the way but we do try. Pleasing all 634 pupils, their attendant families and the staff makes for some  interesting times. It is great therefore when we are able to talk about the awesome camping experiences that we have had this term. As mentioned in the last newsletter we are in the middle of the School Camp season. We have 4 classes yet to go out and they will be going out next week. The classes are Rms. 3 and 4 (Coopers Beach), Rm. 14 (Mangawhai) and Rm. 8 (Lonsdale). I have visited some of the camps as have the Deputy Principals,  Peter Nicholson and Rick Kivell. What I have seen at the camp has pleased me. I have seen the students taking responsibility for themselves and others, a tremendous support team of parents being part of their child’s education, teachers seeing students in a different environment AND students enjoying themselves as they stretch their boundaries.

I would like to thank ALL concerned for the way they treated any disruptions as adventures and not as an opportunity to complain. Great attitude everyone.

Besides the camping experience other great things have happened here during the term. Lunchtime sports competitions in Tabloids, tug-of-war, scatterball, beach to basin fun run/walk, Kids triathlon, KisFM, netball and hockey  trials, applications for extensions, kapa haka and kids lit-quiz. All these activities, and probably some I have left out, as well as interesting classroom programmes. Next term it only gets better. There are some children that say they have nothing to do  and that is the nature of some people, however putting colour  into their life is easy here at Kamo Intermediate. Please encourage your child to do that.

As strange as the following sounds it is important.
I would like to thank those of you who have complained to us here at school about an area that has upset you. It is a reality of life that while we would love to have no problems there are 634 young adolescents here as well as 51 adults on the payroll. Being ‘mostly human’ occasionally things happen that add spice to our lives. Most times these spicy episodes need to be sorted out. So! Why say thank you?  Two reasons.

If we don’t know about an incident we can’t do anything about it and small things can grow out of proportion. Secondly, and more importantly, it is better to get  the issue cleared up at the source and not take the problem to the ‘neighbours’ to air a grievance. There are times when your child may have only given you a version where they are the center of all things good.

So! A thank you to those who have made the effort to clear problems up to the benefit of all.

This Term we are recognising elite performers in a special notice distributed to households at the beginning of Term 2. If your child has represented at a Northland or higher level at a sport or other accomplishment please let us know. Either ring the school or send a note to us via your child. Please don’t rely on your child telling us.

 
At the beginning of next term we are moving into winter uniform and it is probably a good time to mention the whys and wherefores of uniform. We are very proud of Kamo Intermediate and part of that pride is generated by our uniform. We have mentioned in other newsletters what the uniform comprises and the children know what the uniform is. Parents have agreed to adhere to our standards and expectations. We expect the students to wear their uniform to and from school and it is only in very exceptional circumstances that we would allow students to not wear the uniform home. Students are expected to have with them an outfit that they can use for Phys. Ed and Sport as well as for playing on the field.

We have school jackets and they look very smart. Children are still able to wear other protective jackets to and from school but once they are at school these must come off. We do have uniform checks at regular intervals. If your child is forced by circumstances to wear an item that is not uniform please supply them with a note so that they can be excused for the short time it takes to correct the problem.

While we are talking uniform a gentle reminder that if you do not have the correct uniform longs (plain black track pants, straight or bootlegs for girls) then you should be wearing the alternative which is our uniform shorts or skirts  NOT a variation of longs. No splits and No flares.

A reminder about shoes. If you are buying shoes for your child for school please remember that our uniform calls for black shoes worn with socks. Heels should be 4 centimetres or less in height from the ground to the instep. Please remember that the shoes are for school use and not a fashion statement.


A gentle reminder that these whole school newsletters come to your home, via the child of your choice here at Kamo Intermediate, every 2nd Monday  through the school year.
 
Students at primary school are expected to have some homework to do after school on most days of the week.  Homework is understood to be some school work to be done at home with or without the assistance of the parents,  depending on the nature of the tasks set.   Homework is widely regarded as being  part of a student’s total education.  

The nature of homework ranges from reading,  learning spelling and basic facts,  to homework sheets that contain a mixture of activities to research for in-class topic work to Alphabet books where students complete mini-projects.

Homework is defined as all school tasks that are assigned at school for the purpose of practising skills,  preparing for new work,  extending learned skills into life skill situations,  and creative tasks.

Homework is seen as having four purposes, namely; preparation, practice, extension and creativity.

Practice homework would serve the purpose of enhancing students’ retention and understanding of concepts learned.

Homework also serves the further purposes of developing students’ responsibility, perseverance and time management skills.  

Homework can improve students’ study skills,  and makes it clear that learning can take place anywhere.

What happens in the individual classroom depends on what the teacher  organises. If you wish to discuss homework please contact your child’s teacher.

K.I.S. will be registering at least one team in the local basketball competition next term. Games will be played at Kensington Stadium after school on Wednesdays. Both boys and girls will be welcome to join.

Although we do not have a team registered for this term anyone wanting a game can go to Kensington at 4.45pm Wednesdays and the organisers will arrange for a team to fill in for.

A free coaching clinic for adults is being held on 28th March. Anyone interested should register by phoning 4322692 or 4300792

Bus students travelling on the Kamo High School buses have been given their Bus User Data Form . This needs to be returned NOW so they may be processed. If we do not receive this by Friday we will assume that your child uses the bus full time and invoice you for that.
  

We have 637 enrolled at the moment and are waiting for the roll to settle to see how many we will have. At the moment we have more students than we ideally would like but we will cope. The tone around the school continues to be a positive one and we are looking to build on that to make 2007 a positive year in your child’s life.

 

Does this make a difference?
We believe so. The tone and attitude of the children and staff are founded in the belief that being positive and supporting others to be positive makes for a pleasant working environment. Hearing the children respond to ‘put-downs’ with the comment “That is not a Channel ‘K’ remark.” lets us know that it is a working idea.
This year we are introducing the concept of an Act of Random Kindness.[ARK]. This is the physical partner of Channel “K”.

We are often asked to include in our newsletter items of community interest. Mostly these are advertising events. Where possible we include these but they are only put in if room is available.

 

There are however items that are not part of the uniform at any time and we would be grateful if you could help us by not allowing your child to wear Jewellery other than that outlined in the school handbook, i.e. - watches, two ‘keeper’ ear studs per ear and a pendant worn under the top are the only acceptable items of jewellery. Necklaces, Make up and nail varnish plus the wearing of high heel shoes are also not permitted. All this is part of our handbook and is known to parents. We are proud of our school and part of this pride is the standard of uniform and good grooming that we expect. Any lowering of standards causes a lowering of expectations and this in itself sends out the wrong message to students about how they are to conduct themselves.

The Board of Trustees reviews uniform requirements every year . You will have an opportunity to have input into any changes when this review takes place about midyear.

 

We have 8 specialist areas this year. We also have numerous extension programmes. These begin in earnest in Term 2 after all camps have taken place an the pupils application have been processed.

Some times information gets ‘twisted’ in the retelling. If you have any queries the best course of action is to ring the school. We appreciate this as it often stops confusion and rumours.

 

The individual teacher conferences will be held in week 3 - Tuesday 20th & Wednesday 21st Feb. INDIVIDUAL notices about this will be sent out later this week.

 

 

 

Every year the Board and Staff agonise over the amount and the need for us to ask for so much at this time of year. We balance this out with the overall educational development and needs of the school programme to provide the best we can for your child.

We have several parents that have an arrangement with us to pay the money in instalments and that is great. Just get in touch with Mrs. Sue Drake (Executive Officer) to arrange this. Your child only needs to know if you want them to.

 

She is also looking for a few more small preserving jars that she can use. Please contact the school if you or maybe even a friend is able to help.

Call Toni for more info on 4303073 or 0211252452