Newsletter – Wednesday 4 March

SILVERDALE SCHOOL

School Newsletter

Learn to Journey – Journey to Learn

Ako ki te Haere – Haere ki te Ako

Newsletter – Wednesday 3 March

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.

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to Aria Breedt, Chloe Holton, Easton Page, Noah Maranon, Ayush Gosai, Jahvon Apiata and Lexi Halliday.

Attendance Matters: Our 2026 Attendance Plan

At Silverdale School, our goal is for every student to achieve 90% regular attendance. We know that consistent attendance is the single biggest factor in student progress and well-being. To meet the 2026 Ministry of Education mandates, we have updated our Attendance Management Plan.

Reporting an Absence

If your child is going to be away, please notify us before 9:00am:

School App/Website: Use our digital absence form.
Text Message: 027 336 9199 (Include child’s full name and reason).
Safety Check: If we haven’t heard from you by 9:30am, we will send an automated text. If we still have no contact by 11:00am, we will begin calling all emergency contacts to ensure your child is safe.

The STAR Framework: How We Support You

We use the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) framework to monitor absences per term. While we understand genuine illness (Code M) happens, we track all “unjustified” absences to ensure no student falls behind:

Tier	Days Absent	Our Approach
Tier 1	0–4 Days	Great Job! We continue to monitor and celebrate regular attendance.
Tier 2	5–9 Days	Early Alert. A Team Leader or DP will reach out to see if any support is needed.
Tier 3	10–14 Days	Formal Meeting. We will meet to create an Attendance Support Plan to remove barriers.
Tier 4	15+ Days	External Support. Referral to the Attendance Service for specialist intervention.

Key Reminders

Punctuality: Students arriving after 9:00am must sign in at the office. Consistent lateness will trigger a follow-up from the Deputy Principal.
Holidays during Term Time: The Board strongly discourages holidays during the school term as they are recorded as “unjustified” absences. Requests must be made in writing to the Principal in advance.
Medical Certificates: For absences of more than 3 consecutive days, the school may request a medical certificate.

Teacher Only Day Friday March 20

Our school will be closed on Friday 20 March for a teacher only day. Our teaching staff will be joining teachers from across our local area for a collaborative professional development session. This dedicated time allows our team to dive deep into the new Mathematics Curriculum, ensuring we are equipped with the best strategies and tools to support your child’s learning and numerical fluency. Kelly club will be open for the day.

PTA Hui

Our next PTA hui will be on Thursday 5 March at 7.00pm in the hui room next to the library, all are welcome to attend.

Cameron Lockie

Tumuāki/Principal

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.