ECS Update Term 2, Week 10 – Friday 8th July 2022

ECS Update Term 2, Week 10 – Friday 8th July 2022 

Kia Ora,

Hei kororia ki te Atua runga rawa. Hei maungārongo ki runga ki te whenua. Hei whakaaro pai ki ngā tangata katoa.

Give glory to God on high, there shall be peace on earth and goodwill amongst all people. (Based on Luke 2:14)

As Term two comes to an end I wanted to take the chance to thank you again for your prayer
and support over this time.  I am so grateful for the incredible community that makes up Emmanuel Christian School.  The support that we receive from you is incredible, we have so much to be thankful for.  It is my prayer that both as a school and as individuals within it, we continue to keep Christ at the centre, giving glory to God on high, who is due all our praise and honour.

Have a great break and we will be looking forward to seeing everyone back at the start of term three on Monday 25th July.

Blessings
Alistair

This newsletter contains information on the following:

• Important Dates
• Flu Vaccinations
• ICAS Assessments
• Year 1-6 Swimming
• Dental Care in the School Holidays
• Enrolment Applications for 2023
• Year 3-10 Parent Teacher Conferences – bookings now open
• Board of Trustees Elections
• Popcorn Fundraiser – Thank you to Dr Bugs
• Free Period Products
• Lunch Online

Important Dates

Last Day Term 2: Friday 8th July
First Day Term 3: Monday 25th July

Teacher Only Day: Monday 29th August

Parent Teacher Interviews:  Thursday 4th and Tuesday 9th August

Flu Vaccinations

Children aged 3 to 12 years old can get a free flu vaccination from their GP, healthcare provider or at most pharmacies.

Free flu jabs for tamariki – Ministry of Health

Most tamariki aged nine years and over need one vaccination each year to get good protection against flu.

If you have a child under 9 years old, talk to your healthcare provider as they may need one or two vaccinations depending on whether they’ve had a flu vaccine before.

If tamariki have recently had COVID-19 they can have a flu jab as soon as they’ve recovered.

ICAS Assessments

ICAS offers optional assessments for students in a variety of different subjects for students in Years 3-10.  At Emmanuel students have the option to sit these in one or more of English, Mathematics and Science .

While we will supervise and run these assessments at school please be aware they are not part of our regular assessment programme.  They are an optional extra available for families who would like to take part. 

These assessments are not easy and all require students to have a good grasp of reading to access the matterial.  They are completed as an online digital assessment. Further information on ICAS can be found at: https://www.icasassessments.com/

There is a cost of $20.70 per subject to sit these assessments which is paid at the time you register your child.  If you would like your child to sit one or more of these assessments you need to register them and pay for the assessment on the following web page.   This must be completed by 1st August 2022

ICAS Registration

You will need to enter the school access code: TDS767

The assessment will occur at school within the time periods indicated below: 

English – 15 August 2022 – 19 August 2022

Science – 22 August 2022 – 26 August 2022

Mathematics – 29 August 2022 – 2 September 2022  

Year 1-6 Swimming

 Every year the school provides opportunities for students to engage in lessons that focus on water safety and survival skills for life. This year in weeks 1 and 2 of Term 3, Monday to Friday, lessons will be available at the Graham Condon Sports and Recreation Centre. The Swimsafe programme provided is based on Swimming New Zealand’s foundation skills in which children will learn entry, balance, buoyancy, breathing and water safety.  Uniform:  If it would assist your child when getting changed, they are welcome to wear their PE uniform during these two weeks.   
Parents are most welcome to come and watch the progress being made.  There is no charge for the lessons or transport to and from the pool.
If your child is unable to participate please email your child’s classroom teacher. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the teacher of the child concerned or log on to www.ccc.govt.nz/rec-and-sport/learn-to-swim/swimsafe/

Dental Care in the School Holidays

The Community Dental Service will be providing limited appointments during the school holidays at:

Woolston Community Dental Clinic, 11, Hopkins Street, Christchurch
Hornby Community Dental Clinic, 2 Hei Hei Road, Christchurch

You can access these appointments by calling our Contact Centre on 0800 846 983, noting that priority is given to children with immediate dental needs.

For any dental advice please call the Contact Centre on 0800 846 983 or email commdental@cdhb.health.nz

Enrolment Applications for 2023

Applications for enrolment for 2023 close on 26 August 2022.  Please ensure you submit an application for enrolment if you have a child turning 5 in 2023.  Further information can be found at: https://www.emmanuelchristian.school.nz/enrolment/

Year 3-10 Parent Teacher Conferences 

On Thursday 4^th and Tuesday 9^th August  we will be running Parent Teacher Conferences.  Bookings will be available on both days from 3:10pm until just before 7:30pm

For parents of students in Year 3-10 this will be a chance to meet with your child’s teacher(s) and discuss their progress over the first half of 2022 

 We would encourage you to bring your child with you, so they can contribute to this discussion.

To make a booking please go to: Booking Link 

If this link does not work for you you can go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and enter the event code gurnk.

Bookings are currently open and will close at 6pm on Tuesday 2^nd August.

We would encourage you to make this a priority if at all possible.  

For those of you who also have a child in Years 1-2 your child’s teacher will contact you when they are due for their 3 way conference meeting.

Board of Trustee Elections

It’s board election time again. Next term we will be electing board members for the next
three years.

Nominations will open for the election of  2 parent representatives to the school board no later than 15 July. NOTE: This starts during the school holidays.  You will recieve an email from the Returning officer with further information.

The returning officer for the triennial board election is Bernardine Vester. She can be
contacted at returningofficer@myschoolelection.nz

The timetable for the election is:
Call for Nominations: No later than 15 July.
Nominations close: Wednesday 3 August (Wednesday, Week 2 of Term 3)

If there are more nominations than vacancies, then parents and caregivers will receive an
invitation to vote either electronically or by post.
Voting starts: Wednesday 10 August
Election day is September 7.
Voting count: Tuesday 13 September
New board in place: Wednesday 14 September.

Nominations can be made online through an email link provided in the Call for Nominations.
However, a hard copy nomination form will be available from the school office.
If you wish to stand for the board, it is recommended that you provide a candidate statement and photograph.

If you would like to talk to a current Board member about what is involved then please let us know and we can put you in touch.

Popcorn Fundraiser – Thank you to Dr Bugs

A huge thank you to Dr Bugs popcorn.  Dr Bugs are a local company who each year help us to run a successful fundraiser.  They have products in many supermarkets or you can order from their website (they have cheap delivery options).  https://drbugs.co.nz/ 

Thank you to all the families who supported this fundraiser.  We raised $1000 which will be used for sports team uniforms.

Free Period Products

As part of the Ministry of Education Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata – Period Products in Schools Initiative, we would like to remind you that we have plenty of free period products available for your daughters.  
These are available in the sickbay for the girls to come and collect whenever they need them. 
If they are unsure where to find them they can ask Mrs Brand or Mrs Morrison in the Office (or hand us a note).
Students can take as many packs of product home as they need to each month as they are for them to use at home as well as at school.

Lunch Online 

If you are new to LunchOnline you will need to set up an account and top up your account with a payment from a credit card (minimum top up is $10).  Lunch orders can be saved as favourites for easy reordering.