Newsletter – 8 May 2023 – Pakuranga Heights School

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge Anzac Day. I hope you had a restful day and had the opportunity to reflect on the times and lives our forebears. Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou – we will remember them. The remembrance crosses we have situated by the Whanau Centre are a visual reminder of the local residents who sacrificed their lives for us.

Congratulations

To Miss Jazmyn Garrett-Dalton in Room 22 who announced her engagement. Congratulations on this exciting new journey together

Attendance Matters

The Government is focused on raising student attendance and engagement. As parents we know that regular attendance at school or kura has an enormous impact on young people’s engagement, participation, and achievement.

School attendance has declined over the past decade, and COVID-19 has made things worse. This means children and young people are missing out on learning, friendships and connections with their classmates and kaiako.

We all have a role to play in ensuring our young people are attending and engaging in their education. We know from research conducted by the Education Review Office that 41% of parents think it’s okay for their child to miss a week of school a term. We strongly encourage you to as parents and whānau to take on board the importance of their child attending school every day unless your child is sick.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION ATTENDANCE TARGETS

Measure	2024 Target	2026 Target
Percentage of akōnga attending school regularly (attending more than 90%, an average of 9 days a fortnight)	70%	75%
Percentage of akōnga who are moderately absent (attending more than 70% up to 80%, missing two to three days a fortnight)	6%	4%
Percentage of akōnga who are chronically absent (attending 70% or less, missing three or more days a fortnight)	5%	3%

How are we going?

9% of students at Pakuranga Heights School are either moderately absent or chronically absent
Pakuranga Heights School is slightly above the target – 3.1% better than the 2024 target for regular attendance
Pakuranga Heights School is 0.4 % slightly above the 2024 target for moderate attendance
Pakuranga Heights School is 1.7% slightly above the 2024 target for high non-attendance

We can do better together. ‘Our school vision is reaching new heights together’

School Uniform

School hats are not required in Term 2 and Term 3. Please label all clothing clearly and remind your children to put jumpers etc. in their bags if they are using them. Uniform rarely gets taken on purpose and is generally left in the hall or on the field etc.

Parking Reminder

Please do not park over our neighbours driveways as this can not only block their access but be a health and safety issue for other students. The neighbours can also get extremely annoyed and have a go at our office staff. If you are worried about parking come earlier or slightly after the 3:00 pm rush. Thank you, together we make it safe for all children.

You are invited to the PTA yearly AGM. Come and join us for the evening. 6:30pm start with a meet and greet with nibbles and snacks. We would love to meet more of our community. A short meeting will follow starting at 7:00pm.

This year we have one Entertainment book to give away to one lucky attendee.

See you all then!!