Final Assembly 2010

Last Friday we had our final assembly for the year. This is an annual event and is always a fabulous celebration of the achievement of our children and school from throughout the year. Thank you to everyone who supported us in attending.

Below are some shots taken of the assembly and we will be putting up media and video of some of the proceedings during the week.

End of Year Reports - Celebrating Success

By now all families will have received their child(ren)'s end of year reports. This is a culmination of a whole year of work on the part of your child and his/her class teacher. We hope you enjoy these reports with your son or daughter and use this as a chance to celebrate their successes and how they've overcome challenges throughout the year. Please take note of any suggestions for 'next steps' that your child's class teacher has made, as they are important for his or her development.

Please also thank your child's class teacher for the hard work they have put into the learning of your child throughout the year. I've certainly enjoyed reading about the successes and sharing in many of them for our children.

Dental Care over the School Holidays

The Community Dental Service will operate an emergency service over the school holidays. This service is to provide relief of pain only and will not undertake ‘routine’ treatment. The service will be available each working day from 8:30am until 12:30pm from the Oral Health Centre, 16 Tuam Street, Christchurch for the following times:

Friday, 17^th December 2010, Monday, 20^th December – 24^th December 2010 (excluding weekends)

AND

Monday, 10^th January – 28^th January 2011 (excluding weekends)

This service will operate by appointment only and if we are unable to see your child, alternative options will be given. If your child has dental pain as a result of an accident please contact your dentist in the first instance.

You can phone and make an appointment for the emergency clinic by ringing 335 4222. Alternatively, your school dental clinic phone will have a message on how to access emergency care.

Staffing Update - Welcome Nathan Riki

I'm excited to announce that we have employed Nathan Riki for the first two terms of 2011 to take Tamara Bell's maternity leave position. Nathan is actually Tamara's brother so this is a fantastic teaching combination for our school! Nathan brings with him many talents and skills, including kapa haka, te reo Māori and sporting skills.

Nathan is a highly motivated person and a talented teacher who is very keen and excited about becoming a member of staff at Te Kura O Tiori! He is looking forward to meeting you all in the near future.

Welcome to our dynamic and talented team Nathan!

Staffing Update - Welcome back to Joe Murray

Matua Joe has led the Kapa Haka now for a
number of years,  it is great to have him back making
a difference to our children and our school.

I'm delighted to announce that Matua Joe Murray is our new Maintenance/Groundsperson and Kapa Haka tutor. Joe is a former parent of our kura and is well-known in the Tiori whanau for his amazing work in supporting and leading our Kapa Haka.

Joe is leading both junior and senior Kapa Haka and we will continue this into 2011. This is an exciting development in strengthening our kura.

Welcome back Matua.

Message from the Board of Trustees - National Standards

3 December 2010

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

The Board of Trustees wants to let you know our plans for the National Standards at our school.

We have decided to start our implementation of the National Standards in 2012. This process will begin during 2011 as part of our curriculum implementation. We are currently working towards our own version of the New Zealand Curriculum and are about to launch our new Strategic Plan for the next few years. Our wonderful staff have been working hard to develop our Curriculum to support our new Strategic Plan. The curriculum work in 2011 will incorporate the National Standards as a tool to help us make the best decisions about teaching and learning for our children. Consultants from the University of Canterbury are assisting us with these exciting developments.

We are liaising with the Ministry of Education regarding how best to implement the National Standards while we develop our own version of the New Zealand Curriculum for Burnham School. This will ensure that parents receive the best information about the learning of their children that will show what they have achieved in alignment with the Burnham School Curriculum and the National Standards.

We will keep you informed as the Curriculum development and National Standards work continues. Please contact us if you have any questions about this, or feedback regarding our reporting processes. It is feedback and positive communication that strengthens our partnership in learning.

Kind regards,

Angela Colenso and Rob Clarke

On Behalf of the Burnham School Board of Trustees

[click the title of the post or here to download this letter]

Holiday Programme - Fun with Electronics

You, your family and friends are welcome to come to Kendal School during the Christmas Holidays to build your own radio receiver. You will identify and solder electronic parts, assemble and test it and learn how it works. Full instructions, tools, parts and friendly help will be provided.

Parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters and your friends are welcome to join in the fun too.

You’ll learn a lot of interesting stuff, a great snack and drink is provided, and you’ll take home a project that works to show and amaze all your friends.

Places must be strictly limited so tell us you are coming now.

Just call David or Mary on 03 358 2424 or e-mail ZL3DWS@nzart.org.nz

http://sites.google.com/site/zl3buildathon/

New Sports Equipment

Today it was really cool to see the children excited about receiving new sports equipment funded by the PTA. What a huge difference this makes - I even got to brush up my cricket skills with some of the seniors! Thank you to the PTA team for their ongoing support of our school!

From our Student Leadership Council:

"A HUGE thank you to the parent teacher association (PTA) for the brand new sports equipment for our school. The Student Leadership Council thinks the PTA have done a tremendous job and the children in our school will love the new equipment."

What it means to be an EnviroSchool

We've been made aware that a couple of parents are wondering about the decision to close playground rubbish bins. This decision is an important part of our commitment to being an EnviroSchool. A growing number of other schools near us are all bin free, including new schools. The EnviroSchools programme (www.enviroschools.org.nz) is a national strategy which now includes a quarter of all schools - that's over 200,000 students! This number is growing as schools see the importance and relevance of what the EnviroSchools programme has to offer.

The purpose (kaupapa) of Enviroschools is to develop the well-being of the whole school, community and eco-system. It’s about working out how to live so that our society and economy nourishes the natural systems that give us life. Read here to learn about some of the other benefits to this programme...

Of particular note are the underlying kaupapa (or principles) that are very closely aligned with our school values of: Respect/Whaikoha, Achievement/Angitu, Tikanga/Responsibility and Whakapono/Strength or Self-Belief:

1. Empowered Students are enabled to participate in a meaningful way in the life of their schools and community, their unique perspectives are valued for the knowledge and insight that they bring, and they are supported to take action for real change. Our EnviroGroup does a wonderful job of leading this in our school.
2. Learning for Sustainability recognises the types of teaching and learning that foster student empowerment, decision-making, action and sustainable outcomes.
3. Māori Perspectives honours the status of tangata whenua in this land and the value of indigenous knowledge in enriching and guiding learning and action.
4. Respect for the Diversity of People and Cultures acknowledges the unique gifts, contributions and perspectives of individuals and groups, reinforcing the need for participatory decision-making in Enviroschools.
5. Sustainable Communities act in ways that nurture people and nature, now and in the future, to maintain the health and viability of our environment, society, culture and economy.

We are teaching children to take responsibility for their rubbish by taking it home. This includes yoghurt pottles which children rinse and take home to reuse or recycle. Already we are seeing children take increased responsibility and show more respect for our school environment.

One advantage for parents is that you can see whether or not your child is eating their lunch/snack. Some parents report that they are even changing what types of packaging they send lunches/snacks in, which is most encouraging!

This is only one aspect of our EnviroSchools programme, and the EnviroGroup will be exploring ways to continue to improve the system based on feedback. If you would like to give us feedback then please do so. You can do this via the school office, speak to a staff member or me, or comment on our blog posts.

Remember - the best way to strengthen our partnership is through positive communication in the right forum.

Talented Tamariki

Over the last couple of weeks we've been treated at our kura to a whole range of talented students all showing strength and self-belief to share their talents. This is one of the many examples of our amazing place of learning and the partnership that supports this. Children have shared jokes, dances, songs and musical instruments. Congratulations to the Student Leadership Council, in particular Jayden and Cameron for your leadership. Organising this event has involved our SLC figuring out how to make this happen and they have led it from the start.

 

The children have learned that two important aspects of leadership are how effectively one communicates and how well we organise special events such as these. Well done to our performers, these talented tamariki have shone not only through the skill of their performances, but also in the values and competencies developed as part of taking the risk!

 

Intentions Next Year

As we approach the end of the year, it is time now for every family to let us know of your intentions for 2011. Please go to www.burnham.school.nz/nextyear to let us know what you are intending.

Of course, if you wish to speak to Rob or the class teacher about the placement of your child next year, we are more than happy to make a time. Face to face is always the best way to strengthen our partnership.

Draft Strategic Plan - Feedback please

The Board of Trustees have been undertaking a very exciting process of updating our Strategic Plan. This committee have now developed a draft strategic plan for 2-11-2014 which we need your feedback and comment on. This document, along with other information about the process we've undertaken, is located at this address:

www.burnham.school.nz/ourfuture

I strongly encourage all whanau, friends and community members to give the team their thoughts on this plan, using this online form or the paper feedback sheet which will come home with this weeks newsletter.

Rob Clarke

Principal

School Beautician - Cleaner Required

School Beautician - Cleaner 25 hours per week

Burnham School - Te Kura o Tiori seeks a new cleaner. This position involves general cleaning duties, liaison with other staff and supporting the development of a great learning environment. The successful candidate will have an eye for detail, excellent communication and teamwork skills, be dedicated to quality work and show a commitment to getting the job done to the highest possible standards. You will become part of a dynamic and committed team.

To apply, please post or email a letter of application and CV to the principal, Rob Clarke at principal@burnham.school.nz by: noon 15 November.

Burnham's Got Talent - sign up form

Welcome Wendy to the teaching team

We've just welcomed a new teacher to our team - Mrs Wendy McIntosh. Wendy is an exceptional teacher with lots of great experience and skills to bring to the learning mix for our tamariki.

Wendy is supporting the learning of Room 1 as Melissa takes some time to enjoy the last few weeks of her pregnancy. It's great having you on the team Wendy.

 

Athletics 2010

What amazing athletes we have at Burnham School! Congratulations to everyone who competed during last week's highly successful athletics sports. Thank you to Linda Sweeny and Mel Lawler who organised this event for our children. 

Strike Percussion Performance

These shots speak for themselves. A huge thanks to Nicky Wuts, our percussion tutor, for organising this FREE concert for our school. Nicky is leaving Burnham to move up north a her husband is posted. We will miss you Nicky and appreciate the work you've put into helping establish our itinerant music tuition programme.

More on Strike here...

 

Expo of Learning Programme 2010

Burnham Home

Burnham School - Te Kura o Tiori

Expo of Learning Programme

5-7pm Thursday 28 October

Burnham School Ampitheatre

  Come along and celebrate your child/children's learning!

The purpose of our annual EXPO of Learning is a great chance for parents/caregivers and whanau to come into the classroom to view examples of our children's learning. 

5pm Welcome and Introductions - Rob and the team, including new Board of Trustees members
5.05pm Performance - Folk dancing by juniors
5.30pm Class Tours:

                Seniors - Dancing Like The Stars, eportfolios
                Juniors - Inquiry work  

6.00pm Dinner - subway
6.25pm Family Fun Challenge - the terrible tower challenge (bring a newspaper to use, we will supply some also) - Chris Thurlow
6.45pm Prizes for the terrible tower challenge
6.55pm Farewells - Rob

Notes:

• Please return your subway order form to the office by 9am Thursday (tomorrow) so Trish can process orders ready for the evening.
• If parents have questions about their child's learning or any aspect of class programmes, please make a time with your child's class teacher.
• Please bring warm clothing as we do not have access to our school hall - the Family Fun Challenge will be outside.

Changes to Bus Routes

Metro Buses are changing their bus routes. The 520 service which our children use from and to Rolleston is being replaced by a new service that links Lincoln – Springston - Rolleston – Burnham (bus number 820, ETA Burnham 8.41am, ETD Burnham 3.18pm). The Rolleston – Hornby – city route will be bus number 88. These changes take affect 1st November. For more information go to: www.metroinfo.org.nz/route-changes.html

Click here to download the timetable as a PDF...

 

Athletics Day 2010

Burnham Home

Burnham School - Te Kura o Tiori

Athletics Day Programme – Tuesday 19 October 2010

 

Senior Programme

9.30 - 10.00	Sprints 7 Year Olds - 13 Year Olds
10.30 - 1.45	Field Event Rotations       High Jump    Long Jump Discus           Shot Put Long Distance Running
12.15 - 1.10	Lunch*
2.00	House Relays - Burrows Field
2.30	Flying House Relay - Burnham School Track

*Families may bring cash for a sausage sizzle run by the PTA ($1.50 per sausage)

     

Junior Programme      

10.30	Track events Running Backwards race Egg and Spoon race Sack race Three Legged race
	Collect cards, brainfood, drinks, toilet, play in the playground only
11:45	First Rotation of Field Events
	Rotation 1 High Jump - 5 Year old girls Long Jump - 5 Year old boys Throwing - 6 Year olds
12.15 - 1.10	Lunch*
1:10pm	Re-assemble for field events – second and third rotations
	Rotation 2 High Jump - 5 Year old boys Long Jump - 6 Year olds Throwing - 5 Year old girls Rotation 3 High Jump - 6 Year olds Long Jump - 5 Year old girls Throwing - 5 year old boys
	(2ish can watch senior circuit relays at Burrows field)
2:30pm	Flying House Relay

*Families may bring cash for a sausage sizzle run by the PTA ($1.50 per sausage)

Junior Athletics Day 2010

Burnham Home

Burnham School - Te Kura o Tiori

Junior Athletics Day Programme – Tuesday 19 October 2010

 

10.30	Track events Running Backwards race Egg and Spoon race Sack race Three Legged race
	Collect cards, brainfood, drinks, toilet, play in the playground only
11:45	First Rotation of Field Events
	Rotation 1 High Jump - 5 Year old girls Long Jump - 5 Year old boys Throwing - 6 Year olds
12:15-1:10pm	Lunch*
1:10pm	Re-assemble for field events – second and third rotations
	Rotation 2 High Jump - 5 Year old boys Long Jump - 6 Year olds Throwing - 5 Year old girls Rotation 3 High Jump - 6 Year olds Long Jump - 5 Year old girls Throwing - 5 year old boys
	(2ish can watch senior circuit relays at Burrows field)
2:30pm	Flying House Relay

*Families may bring cash for a sausage sizzle run by the PTA ($1.50 per sausage)

Pet Day Photos

Pet Day Final Notice

Burnham School Pet Day Information - Pet Day is on Friday 15th October!

3 Sleeps to Go!

Pets

Pets need to be brought to school at 1pm. All pets need to be on a leash or in a cage. If you can’t hold your pet please bring your Mum or Dad. If you know your pet won’t cope with Pet Day children may bring along a photo of their pet. All animals must have water. Children must bring a plastic bag to take home any ‘deposits’ their animal may leave (poo).

 
Dogs are able to enter a Dog agility and/or Dog Obedience competition.
Please see the map on the back of this page, so you know where your family pet needs to go. Please also see the Pet Day Safety Rules written by the Room 3 children. If it is raining a decision will be made by 11am to cancel the Pet part of Pet Day. The Displays and competitions will go ahead regardless of the weather.
 

 

Displays and Competitions - entries must arrive at school before 9am. All entries will be judged in the morning.

All children are asked to enter at least one of the following competitions/displays. However children may enter in all events.

Sand Saucer Competition - on display in Room 9

Children are to decorate a saucer using flowers – Tip: keep the sand damp to ensure the flowers stay in the creation!

For ideas go to …
http://www.raumatibeach.school.nz/791/image_galleries/29-wharemauku-flower-show/categories/69-room-4-s-sand-saucers

Cup Cake Competition - on display in Room 8

Bake and decorate 3 cupcakes.
Check this site if you need a recipe.
http://www.cupcakerecipes.com/easyrecipe.htm

Check this site out for ideas for decorating cupcakes.
http://www.cupcake-decorating-ideas.com/themed-cupcakes.html

Lego or Similar Construction - on display in Room 3

Bring along a named construction.

Vegetable Sculpture - on display in the library

Let your imagination go wild! Create something using fruit and vegetables. Hint - Toothpicks are excellent for holding things together. Check this site out for vegetable sculptures.
http://www.thatwasfunny.com/vegetable-sculptures/1480

Pet Day Safety

Written by Room 3

All cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, rats and birds need to be in a cage.
All dogs need to be on a lead. If you can’t control your dog, your mum or dad will need to stay with your dog.
You must take all you animals poo (bowel motions) home - bring a plastic bag.
Parents must deliver the pets to school at 1pm. No pets to come to school before 1pm.
All pets must have water at all times.
When you tie your dog up you must make sure your dog can’t reach another dog.
Always ask the owner of the pet if you can pat it.
Never walk up to the back of a horse. Always go to the front of the horse.
Remember some animals may bite or kick! Take care!

Pet Day Plan

 
1pm Pets Arrive
1-1.30pm Judges visit Pets – Children must stay with their pet until the judge has talked to them. The judge will be asked questions about their pet and how they care for their pet – all children will get a certificate.

1.35pm Dog Agility

2pm Dog Obedience

2.30pm Grand Parade – all pets and owners to take part.

Parents may take their children home after the Grand Parade – please let your child’s teacher know if you leave before 3pm. Remember to take your family pet home too!

Finalist in the 2010 Interface Awards - best use of a free web2 tool

Our school has been recognised in a national competition for the 'best use of a free web2 tool'. This competition is held by Interface magazine, which is an ICT magazine for educators across New Zealand!

Our entry relates to our use of class blogs, google apps (which we call Burnham Ako) and our eportfolios for the senior school. We are immensely proud of the great work the staff and students to do make learning exciting and inspiring in this area!

Educators across New Zealand are voting now for first and second place. We will let you know if we win this exciting national competition!

Stress Test

I am not sure exactly how this works, but this is amazingly accurate.

The picture below has 2 identical dolphins in it. It was used in a case study on stress levels at the Mayo Clinic and later at Fletcher Medical Center in Burlington.

Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical. A closely monitored, scientific study revealed that, in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress will find many differences between the two dolphins.

The more differences a person finds, the more stress that person is experiencing.

Look at the photograph and if you find more than one or two differences you may need to take a holiday.

A Celebration of Talent

On Wednesday night we held our first music celebration. This event involved approximately 55 children and attracted a huge crowd for our school of over 100 parents, grandparents, and other family members. We are very proud of all the children's achievements in their growth as musicians and performers - keep up the awesome work team!

A huge thank you to Liz Nichol and Nicky Wuts our amazing music teachers who are making such an amazing difference to our school and community through this superb programme.

The programme for the evening can be downloaded here if you would like to keep it.

We are especially grateful to the team at the Thrift Shop who have supported the school with donations of funds towards musical instruments. Thank you also Bridget and Penny from the PTA who helped provide tea and coffee.

Thank you all for your support.

Champions at Burnham School!

Today I had the pleasure of seeing our senior Under 11s come out on top at the Canterbury rugby tournament! Congratulations lads, we are so proud of you all! Here are some shots of them in action:

A huge thank you to the Dads who supported us - Joe Taipari, Dave McIntyre and Leon Kingi. You guys are awesome.

EQ - Developing Resilience

Recent events have tested everyone in one way or another and are a powerful reminder of how lucky we are, as well as how adaptable we are. This is an area of learning which is of great interest to me because it impacts on all other areas - the issue of developing resilience.

Our school values research indicated that Strength/Self-Belief was one of the top rated values by parents, children and staff. This important value is an essential component of all learning and it comes under the general area of emotional intelligence.

In this week's newsletter I briefly touch on the idea of how our children gain strength. I believe children gain strength/self-belief mostly from the role models around them but they also gain this from the environment in which they develop.

Some of key messages from our Community Support Meeting, run by NZDF personnel last week, included:

1. Children gain their strength from us as the key adults in their lives. This means that if we aren't coping well, this is likely to affect our kids. Get help or ask for it if you need/want it.
2. Every reaction to traumatic events is normal - everyone responds in different ways. Many children may not respond/react straight away, so monitoring our kids for the next few weeks is important.
3. Providing reassurance, love, positive communication and hope are key to learning to become more resilient.

Some authors believe resilience comes into three main areas, as follows:

I HAVE

• People around me I trust and who love me, no matter what
• People who set limits for me so I know when to stop before there is danger or trouble
• People who show me how to do things right by the way they do things
• People who want me to learn to do things on my own
• People who help me when I am sick, in danger or need to learn

I AM

• A person people can like and love
• Glad to do nice things for others and show my concern
• Respectful of myself and others
• Willing to be responsible for what I do
• Sure things will be all right

I CAN

• Talk to others about things that frighten me or bother me
• Find ways to solve problems that I face
• Control myself when I feel like doing something not right or dangerous
• Figure out when it is a good time to talk to someone or to take action
• Find someone to help me when I need it

Some questions you might like to consider over the dinner table:

• How does our environment enable our child(ren) to gain self-belief/strength?
• What is the relationship between making mistakes and developing self-belief?
• How can we work more closely with school to further develop self-belief in our child?
• How does self-belief/strength link in with self-esteem and how can we maximise this?

Here are some great links for further reading that I've found...

If you have ideas please feel free to make comments on this blog post.

Acts of Kindness

Staff and volunteers have worked hard to ensure the school is a safe and nurturing environment as children learn to cope with the aftershocks and how to Drop, Cover & Hold. We've had support from a number of people who I'd like to acknowledge: Steve, Tracy, Zoe, Kelly from BOOST, Paul K, Joe M, Ange and Kala, Jackie, Liz, Sue, Joe T who supplied us with some soldiers who made a huge difference.

The support we received last Friday gave the staff time to prepare for opening this Monday. We've also had additional staff on deck this week to support where required. Please welcome Melissa Lewthwaite as an additional Teacher Aide in our school until the end of term. Melissa is on loan to us from Halswell Residential College.

Burnham School would like to thank the personnel from the New Zealand Defense Forces for their support in helping with clean up after the recent earthquakes. In addition to this support, Plimmerton School has sent us care packages and cards. We greatly appreciate these acts of kindness. Thank you, your support makes a huge difference!

Quote of the Week

Welcome back

There's nothing quite like being a teacher in Canterbury this week - especially after what we've all been through over the last week. Here are some photos of our wonderful children, amazing staff and school:

Plunket Information for Children Under 5

A message from Rica Larkin - Rolleston Plunket Nurse

Plunket services for those families in Burnham with children under 5 yrs.

Currently we are running 4 hubs (or 4 Plunket clinics) which the closest is the Rolleston Plunket rooms 1 John S.t, 3478028. Open 10am - 3pm Mon to Fri.

The other 3 clinics are situated in Christchurch 166 North Parade, Shirley, 5 Twigger St, Addington, and one in Kaipoi. Rolleston Plunket will have 3 Plunket Nurses, myself, Gail Sefton, Chris Steele and a Community Health worker, Debbie Clark.

The purpose of these hubs is to offer support for families who may need it with young children primarily under 12 months of age or families who have any issues or concerns with their children.

Currently Plunket staff are not home visiting until further notice. We do urge parents to seek their G.P re any medical or health concerns.

Also Plunketline is available on 0800 933 922 a 24 hr service 7 days a week.

School Closure - Update 6 - Ready for Action

Just a quick update for everyone. The school is safe and the physical environment has had a thorough clean up today. Huge thanks to the staff team who came in to work the day, as well as a number of parents, BOOST staff, as well as a number of soldiers who helped out. Without this help we may not have been in a position to re-open on Monday.

Now the physical environment is safe and tidied, we turn to supporting, nurturing and strengthening our emotional environment. The team have had a full staff meeting this afternoon to look at the timetable for Monday which is published for you to see, as well as strategies for ensuring we are best-prepared to help our children transition back to school.

We've got access to Ministry of Education and Army camp resources and services for supporting adults and young people who are dealing with trauma. We've also got additional staff on deck on Monday and may have more if required during the week. Our camp padre, Leon O'Flynn, is available to parents on Monday 2-3pm for a chat in the library if you wish, as am I as the principal.

Any parent/caregiver wishing to join their child or children during the day is most welcome, as long as you first sign in at the office. Our procedures are rigorous and we will be training children how to cope in the unlikely event we encounter further events. This training is future-focussed and aims to support children to be prepared and know how to respond. It will also ensure children can talk if they wish to which will help process and move through any trauma.

This is an excellent site to explore with the kids!

We will be posting resources for parents on our web site, along with some homework for the weekend leading up to school on Monday. For Monday all children need to bring and we will be asking for:

1. A full water bottle for drinking.
2. Every family to confirm their contact details including mobile numbers, emails, and emergency contact details. You will be given a slip to confirm or amend.

Rob and the team.

School Closure - Update 5 - Clean Up Friday, Opening Monday

Dear parents/whanau and friends of Burnham School,

I hope you are managing to get some rest and are starting the process of recovery as a family from the events of the last week. We've now managed to get all the essential services required to run the school back 'on line' and are preparing to have our clean up tomorrow.

We've been briefed by Burnham Army Camp psych services and are well-supported by the Commander and his team and are truly appreciative of their support. The padre service and Community Services Officer is available to anyone requiring support, as are the staff of the school. We've been meeting with other groups such as the Ministry of Education traumatic incident response team and other schools to ensure that we are well-prepared to support the kids when we re-open on Monday.

Tomorrow morning at 10am there is a special Community Support Meeting held at the Community Centre (opposite BOOST and down the road from the Four Square) which is open to everyone in our community. I urge you to consider this and take the kids. Check the attached flyer for more information. Also attached is a handout from Civil Defence which is the most up to date advice on coping. We will be producing resources for parents/kids as well as providing you ideas leading up to school starting on Monday.

At 11.30am we'd love 10 or so adult volunteers to support staff in the clean up. We anticipate clean up will only take a couple of hours and should be complete just after lunch time. 

If you are able to offer a hand, please text me on 021 590 572 to indicate who is able to come and bring: a bottle of water, your mobile phone, gloves to protect hands from glass/rubbish.

Sleep well and we'll see you on Monday, if not before.

Rob and the team.

School Closure - Update 4 - School Closed until Mon 13th

Dear parents/whanau and friends of Burnham School,

The decision has been made, in conjunction with Ministry of Education advice and liaison with other local professionals, to close the school until Monday 13th September. No one is allowed to enter the school site without express permission by Rob Clarke the Principal.

If you require support please text or call us:

• Rob - 021 590 572
• Cherie - 021 245 5099

At this stage we intend on initiating the clean up and planning of re-opening process this Friday, however this may change based on other factors. We will keep you informed.

If you have internet at home and want something to do with the kids - why not get them to blog to their class blog a joke or to write a story (clean jokes only please!).

Kind regards,

Rob Clarke - Principal

Ange Colenso - BoT Chairperson

School Closure - Update 3 - School Closed until Wed 8th

Dear parents/whanau and friends of Burnham School,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and staff team we hope everyone is managing during this challenging time. This is certainly a test of our resilience and ability to cope. The school has sustained minimal damage and is amazingly untouched. There is minimal mess to clean up in most areas, in fact chairs are still on desks!!!!

Please know that we are on hand if anyone in the community requires assistance of any kind, just ask by texting Rob 021 590 572 or Cherie 021 245 5099 and we can help. If there are children who require assistance please also consider asking for our support. Even a reassuring phone call can sometimes help. It may be worth showing your children the photos at the end of this post to reassure them that the school is in great shape!

We have been in close contact with a range of other professionals over the weekend and early this week and have managed to get the entire school assessed for safety. We have confirmed the following:

1. Sunday: a visual check around the school (including playground, walls, fences) and through every space by Ange and Rob.
2. Monday: a thorough check by a structural engineer and a fire safety engineer to check structural integrity of buildings - the whare and hall are closed until we get more in depth assessments completed. Every other space is safe.
3. Monday: checks of water contamination and quality have been undertaken by a qualified water technician - ph levels are good and we are receiving chlorine via the camp water supply. Water pressure is unaffected
4. Tuesday: a glazier has been booked to replace 3 broken windows. We will confirm other elements of our infrastructure today or tomorrow such as electrical supply, communications and sewerage.

While we have declared that the school is safe for staff and adult volunteers to begin the clean up process, given the frequency and strength of aftershocks we believe that it is counter productive to begin this until we can ensure the wider environment is safe and that everyone involved in the clean up has had space and time to ensure the emotional safety of their family. 

The Ministry of Education and Civil Defence have not yet been able to advise us as to the timing of our clean up, so we have decided to delay this and close the school on Wednesday to children. 

Clean Up Wednesday:

• At this stage we intend on staff and a small group of adult volunteers to support the clean up process beginning 1030hrs Wednesday. 
• No adult is to enter the school site without permission from Rob Clarke, Principal. It is essential that this clean up process is strictly controlled and everyone on site is known to the staff team. 
• If you wish to offer help for this, please text Rob on 021 590 572.

On Behalf of the Board of Trustees
Rob Clarke - Principal
Ange Colenso - Chairperson