Newsletter – Wednesday 25 February

Newsletter – Wednesday 25 February

Kia ora, Talofa, Malo e leleli, Kia orana, Fakalofa lahi Atu, Taloha Ni, Ni sa bula, 你好, Namaste, 안녕하세요, Hola, Xin chao, السلام عليكم. 

Welcome

Welcome to Areej Saad who started with us this week.

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to Manaia-Rose Apiata, Isabelle Martin-Williams, Lara Saddam, Olivia Kinross, Francois Alberts, Billie O’Connor, Phillip Alberts, Miles Su, Georgia Nolan, Osmond Guan, Darsha Zubko, Lihmé Theart, Alice Liu, Christine Brooks, Nihaal Karthachira and Huxley Wiles.

Silverdale School Learner Assets

Like all communities, people in schools have a language they use to help everyone feel connected and to enable consistent and clear communication. As educators, we know that the words we use have a great deal of power. What we say and how we say it helps shape a child’s view of themselves as a learner and their understanding of learning itself. Much of the language we use at Silverdale School relates to our KERI Values (Kindness/Atawhai Excellence/Hiranga Respect/Whakaute Integrity/ Ngākau pono). 

In preparing students to become active citizens in the 21 century, we need to do more than provide students with information. Knowledge by itself is insufficient. It is the skills and dispositions that students learn that will transfer across learning areas and into the future. Different learning situations require different skills and attitudes which, when mastered, can be considered to be assets to us as learners. Silverdale School has identified four learner assets which will be explicitly taught and focused on to aid in this. These are;

Self Manager / He kaiwhakahaere i a koe anō

Collaborator / He Hoa Mahi Tahi

Innovator / He Tangata auaha

Communicator / He Kaiwhakawhiti Kōrero

Being a Self Manager / He kaiwhakahaere i a koe anō is an important asset. Some of the skills you need include being able to stay focussed, manage your time and be organised. This is also about being a responsible and resilient person, reflecting and learning from mistakes. Also important in this area are the skills of regulating emotions and taking responsibility for your own learning and behaviour. 

Being a Collaborator / He Hoa Mahi Tahi includes being able to compromise, take turns and take on different roles in a team. You will need to be inclusive, culturally aware, reliable and a team player. It helps to be empathetic so that you can understand others’ points of view. 

Being an Innovator / He Tangata auaha requires creativity, curiosity and having an open mind. It will be important to be resourceful and have a range of problem solving skills. You will also need to have research skills as you observe and investigate.

Effective Communicator / He Kaiwhakawhiti Kōrero is an essential asset for learning. We need to learn to listen actively, respond appropriately to others and get our message across in different ways. Good communicators are responsive and respectful. A key focus here is to develop confidence and encourage contribution. 

Learner Assets are not just for our children or specific to home. You can try modelling the language in relation to yourself or when you observe an asset in action, for example; praising your child if they self manage and get themselves organised in the morning for school.

Principal Awards

Congratulations to the students who received principal awards at last week’s assembly.

KERI Awards

Well done to the following children who received Caught by KERI awards at last week’s assembly. 

Assembly Presenters

Congratulations to our celebration/whakanui assembly presenters at last week’s assembly.

Travelwise

A message from our Travelwise Team.

The NPHS -Northern Region Vision and Hearing Screening team will be visiting our school on FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2026.

This screening is for Years 0-2 students who have not yet completed their B4 School Check, or any required follow-up rescreen.

(Further information: B4 School Check – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora).

If you do not want your child to take part in the vision and hearing screening, please let the office know before the visit – office@silverdaleprimary.school.nz 

Your child’s screening results will be sent home with your child. 

These results may also be shared with the school, including your child’s teacher to support their learning and wellbeing.

Travelwise – Walking School Bus

Silverdale School currently offers walking school bus routes starting from:

Skipjack Pass – Departs each morning at 8.20am. Follows Skipjack Pass, Outlook Terrace, Manuel Road, Miller Rise and Bankside Road into school. 

If you would like to start your own route, please reach out!

We strongly encourage children to walk to school as it promotes healthy living, provides opportunity to make new friends, and helps reduce chaos at the school gate.

What is a Walking School Bus?

A walking school bus is just like a school bus except children walk to school under the supervision of adult volunteers, creating a safe and social journey to school.

Children are collected from stops along a planned route and dropped off at the school gate. Along the way they learn how to safely negotiate the road and have an opportunity to socialise and share stories with friends and neighbours. What a great way to travel to school!

Walking school buses also make a contribution to reducing the amount of traffic around schools – in Auckland there are more than 200 active walking school buses, with over 4,000 children regularly walking to school. That’s a lot of active feet on the street.

How do I join?

Email: alexfranklin@silverdaleprimary.school.nz

What are the benefits of the Walking School Bus?

Health and fitness – for children and parent walkers alike

A big time saver as you don’t have to negotiate the slog to school, traffic at gate, etc – the bus does it for you

Great socialisation – lasting friendships for the kids, and parents get to meet fellow members of the community

Promoting independence in our little ones

Kids get great rewards, including: fun bag tags, certificates, and choices of goodies when they finish ‘bus tickets’. Exclusive special events at school, like free sausage sizzle, milo and muffin mornings, summer lunchtime swimming in the pool 

Safety. As it’s a supervised group, you know your children will benefit from the presence of adults.

What parental commitment is involved?

The WSB works thanks to parents like you. One morning a week you ‘drive’ the bus, the other four mornings you’re freed from the school run. Of course, you can ‘drive’ more often if you’d like.

What happens if you can’t make it one morning?  We all have times when sickness, work or other commitments mean we need help, and WSB parents support each other through them. Just shout out to fellow bus drivers on your route, and arrange for a swap or if someone can help out.

Thank you to our Newsletter Sponsors

Community Notices

Silverdale Rugby Club – Junior Registrations

Our junior program is focused on creating a fun, inclusive, and supportive environment where children can build confidence, develop skills, stay active, and most importantly, enjoy being part of a team. We are passionate about providing positive opportunities for young people in our community, and we would love to connect with families at your school who may be interested in giving Rugby a Go!!

• A link to our website with full registration details
  https://www.silverdalerugby.co.nz/juniors/2026-junior-rugby-registration
• Link to our Silverdale Junior Rugby Friends & Family Facebook page
  https://www.facebook.com/groups/silverdalejuniorrugby/

We’re excited to let you know that the Good as New Pre-Loved Kids Market is happening on Saturday 28 February at the Orewa Community Centre.

We would be so grateful if you could help us spread the word to your school community — perhaps through your newsletter, events page, Facebook page or Instagram account.

This much-loved local market has been running for over 10 years and is a fun, affordable morning out for families. It’s a great opportunity for parents to on-sell items their children have outgrown, and for other families to pick up quality bargains on:

• Kids’ clothing

• Toys and games

• Books

• Nursery furniture

• Buggies and baby gear

• And lots more

Let’s all get behind recycling and supporting local families.

Event Details
Good as New Pre-Loved Kids Market
Orewa Community Centre
Saturday 28 February
9.00am – 12.00pm
40+ stalls selling pre-loved children’s items
Free admission

For enquiries: 021 217 7904

More information can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/Goodasnewprelovedkidsmarket/