Newsletter – 22 October 2019 – Pakuranga Heights School

Welcome back!
A very warm welcome to all our new students and families. I hope you all managed to spend some quality time over the holidays with your children. My oldest of two children, who recently got engaged, visited from Brisbane for a week with his fiancée and I surprised them with an engagement party. It was a magical evening and so lovely to have our family and friends from both abroad and near reunited for this special occasion. We don’t get to see each other that often and when we do we have to make the most.

Term 4 is always a very busy and exciting term as we continue working towards meeting set goals as well as celebrating another year of learning and success. Please ensure the dates below are in your diary as we’d hate for you miss out.

Building Update
We are pleased to announce that all building works, both scheduled and unexpected in 2019 have been completed. The big project in 2020 will be the shade structure over the Middle School courts. This is expected to take between 6-8 weeks to install and the expected date of completion is March 2020. Other work in 2020 include the removal of the caretakers shed and the boiler room that is across from Room 21 in Senior School. This will open up that area nicely giving senior students more room to play at break times.

Term 4 – Sun Safety is Important
We encourage all children to be sun smart by wearing hats and sunscreen. There are several reasons why New Zealanders are at a high risk for developing skin cancers – including our ancestors having fair skin, our low ozone levels and our cultural emphasis on ‘the great outdoors’.

Keeping sun safe is not optional in our country, it is essential. Our unique environment causes us as New Zealanders to be particularly vulnerable to damaging ultraviolet rays. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in this country – almost 80% of new cancer cases in New Zealand are skin cancers.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, and together with Australia we have the highest melanoma rates. There are nearly 67,000 new skin cancers a year, including 2400 new cases of melanoma. There are over 300 deaths from skin cancer annually.

Maori and Pacific Islanders represent a low percentage of the overall skin cancers diagnosed, however they are more likely to suffer from fast-growing and difficult to diagnose melanomas. Prevention is much, much better than cure.

As skin cancer is so serious, it is vital that parents teach children in New Zealand how to be sun safe. And the best mode of teaching is to model sun safety ourselves. How can we do that? Learn the S and W words below and repeat them all the time in your family – make sure you think about each aspect before spending time in the sun until sun safety becomes a firm habit amongst those in your household.

SHADE
Limiting your UV exposure from sunlight is best achieved by keeping in the shade as much as possible. If you plan to sit on the beach (or somewhere else in the sun) often as a family, a sun umbrella is a great investment.

SLIP
If being in direct sunlight is unavoidable, cover your skin with clothing. Think about putting a long sleeve t-shirt, and long, light pants on yourself and your children. A small amount of discomfort now could prevent serious repercussions later.

SLOP
Sunscreen should be used in addition to covering your skin, not instead of. Always have to hand some SPF 30+ sunscreen – check it has not expired and store it in a cool location. Apply sunscreen quarter of an hour before sun exposure, and reapply it every two hours or after swimming. Use approximately a teaspoon on each limb, and 1/2 a teaspoon on other exposed areas.

SLAP
Slap on a hat. Have spare sunhats for the family kept in the car, so you are not caught out.

WRAP
Wear sunglasses that block UV to protect your eyes and the skin around them. The best sunglasses will state on them that they meet Australian/New Zealand standards for UV protection.

* Special children’s sunscreen is not required, so long as your child does not react to regular sunscreen. Children’s sunscreen is often a milder but effective version. It is generally considered that the benefits of sunscreen far outweigh any concerns over the products used in sunscreen formulation.

The sun is harshest between the months of September and April in New Zealand – so it is best to apply the above practices throughout this period. Be very careful around reflective surfaces at any time of the year – including snow and water. They make the effects of the sun on the skin much worse.
http://www.kiwifamilies.co.nz/articles/keeping-safe-sun/

Early finish on Friday, 20 December 2019
School will finish at 1pm on the last day of school this year, please make arrangements to have your child collected early on Friday, 20 December 2019.

Children who normally attend the after school care programme will be able to attend after school care from 1pm onwards.

Sue Kandasamy
Acting Principal

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