The great news is that the school has passed the structural assessments and every room will be open tomorrow. We will have a tea and coffee station open tomorrow in the hall from 8.30a.m - 10.00a.m. and 2.00p.m.-2.45p.m. for parents and caregivers.
It's going to be a challenge to get the kids to bed early tonight and ready for school in the morning but we are looking forward to it.
Take care
Sylvia
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
After the earthquake(s)...
My thoughts are with all of our school community after the massive earthquake on Saturday morning, and the subsequent aftershocks (when does an after shock become an earthquake in it's own right?). I hope you are all looking after each other and I hope you have not suffered too much damage.
Like most Cantabrians we woke up to the earthquake, jumped up and shot straight for the kids. It seemed to take forever to get to them and I managed to hurt my shoulder on the way! I don't remember us saying anything I just remember the deafening noise of the quake. We were fortunate to all be ok after the shake (Ezra managed to sleep through until 7 a.m.) and once we had managed to find the torch and some candles we texted family and friends while huddled under the blankets. I have never been so pleased to see daylight!! At 7.30 a.m. we headed down to school and I did a scan of the buildings and school playing fields. While in the admin block there was an after shock that set me racing off to the family in the car.
This week I have worked with the Board of Trustees (many of whom suffered terrible damage to their own homes and some personal injuries) to ensure the safety of the school prior to the children returning. Initial assessments have revealed the need for structural engineers to come and double check two rooms. We will also get the swimming pool fully assessed. We have a couple of windows which need repair and the photocopier and some other items are broken and not working. We are waiting for the results of water tests.
Unfortunately some of our staff also suffered severe damage to their homes but we are all so grateful no one was hurt. We will spend the next few days tidying classrooms and preparing for the return of the children hopefully on Monday. I know my kids can't wait to return to school and preschool although I am reluctant to let them out of my sight. When school re-opens we hope to have a designated space for parents to have a coffee and a chance to talk while their children go and get ready for the school day.
We have strategies and resources from the Ministry of Education for helping children cope with trauma. We will do all that we can to support your children through such an 'unstable' time. We will calmly discuss emergency procedures with the children and walk them through an emergency drill. We will attempt to maintain routine and structure within a relaxed and comforting environment.
Please keep checking out my blog for more updates.
Take care
Sylvia
Like most Cantabrians we woke up to the earthquake, jumped up and shot straight for the kids. It seemed to take forever to get to them and I managed to hurt my shoulder on the way! I don't remember us saying anything I just remember the deafening noise of the quake. We were fortunate to all be ok after the shake (Ezra managed to sleep through until 7 a.m.) and once we had managed to find the torch and some candles we texted family and friends while huddled under the blankets. I have never been so pleased to see daylight!! At 7.30 a.m. we headed down to school and I did a scan of the buildings and school playing fields. While in the admin block there was an after shock that set me racing off to the family in the car.
This week I have worked with the Board of Trustees (many of whom suffered terrible damage to their own homes and some personal injuries) to ensure the safety of the school prior to the children returning. Initial assessments have revealed the need for structural engineers to come and double check two rooms. We will also get the swimming pool fully assessed. We have a couple of windows which need repair and the photocopier and some other items are broken and not working. We are waiting for the results of water tests.
Unfortunately some of our staff also suffered severe damage to their homes but we are all so grateful no one was hurt. We will spend the next few days tidying classrooms and preparing for the return of the children hopefully on Monday. I know my kids can't wait to return to school and preschool although I am reluctant to let them out of my sight. When school re-opens we hope to have a designated space for parents to have a coffee and a chance to talk while their children go and get ready for the school day.
We have strategies and resources from the Ministry of Education for helping children cope with trauma. We will do all that we can to support your children through such an 'unstable' time. We will calmly discuss emergency procedures with the children and walk them through an emergency drill. We will attempt to maintain routine and structure within a relaxed and comforting environment.
Please keep checking out my blog for more updates.
Take care
Sylvia
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Superstar Swimmers!
Through the support of Youthtown and SWiS we have been able to send all of our middle school children along to Aquagym for swimming lessons. This has enabled them to develop and consolidate the skills they have learned in our 'cold' school pool. We are very grateful for this wonderful opportunity.
The rest of the school are getting some 'physical' action, too. The seniors are off to Hagley Park every Thursday for football, rugby and netball. The juniors are participating in the perceptual motor programme - lots of jumping, balancing, co-ordinating etc. AND finally the very exciting part of the perceptual motor programme is that our very own superstar Miss K is completing her thesis work on this programme.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
web 2.0 technologies
I attended an informative session on google-docs and moodle this morning but there is never enough time to play...e-learning is a priority learning area for our students and really important for us as professionals to constantly improve our own knowledge and skills.
Do you think we should connect to the fibre network running along Shirley Rd??
Do you think we should connect to the fibre network running along Shirley Rd??
Friday, March 12, 2010
Shirley Primary School Triathlon 2010
We are so proud of our Shirley Superstar Triathletes who all participated in our very first school triathlon.
The children showed great determination and were all superstar winners on the day.
Check out some of the triathlon action below :)
The children showed great determination and were all superstar winners on the day.
Check out some of the triathlon action below :)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Happy 2010
We are already well into week 2, term 1 2010. It has been great to return to school and see our Shirley Superstars excited, energised and ready to learn. The teachers have planned some very exciting programmes for 2010 based on our topic (and vision statement) 'reaching for the star in me..' We have campSSS, picnics, mini triathlons...all sorts of things to look forward to.
The student Council are busy planning community events, mufti days and preparing to look after our school turtle "Squirt."
And of course, we are all looking forward to our new admin building, our classrooms have all been beautifully refurbished and modernised so now it's our turn!
The student Council are busy planning community events, mufti days and preparing to look after our school turtle "Squirt."
And of course, we are all looking forward to our new admin building, our classrooms have all been beautifully refurbished and modernised so now it's our turn!
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