Address: 282 Victoria Avenue, Remuera, Auckland | Telephone: (09) 520 0602
E-mail: [email protected] | web: www.victoriaave.com
Dear Parents,
We all get anxious. It is a natural part of our lives, but I am increasingly hearing from parents that their child is very anxious.
Occasionally during an enrolment meeting, parents tell me that their child is anxious about starting school, or a parent will tell me during an enrolment meeting, that their child is very sensitive. Sometimes I may get a visit or call from a parent telling me that their child is reluctant to come school because they are feeling anxious. I usually have 23 teachers who are anxious right before their class assembly item.
Anxiety is a normal part of life, it is natural to feel anxious about something new, or about people’s reactions to you, or what you are presenting, or what you are about to do. In fact, I think anyone who tells you they never get anxious are either kidding themselves or have an over inflated sense of self!
So why am I increasingly hearing from parents that their child is anxious? I don’t know why. I wish I did, then I could be of more help.
One cause of anxiety, that seems to affect mostly boys but sometimes girls around 9 – 10 years old, is separation anxiety. It seems ridiculous, that after years of happily saying goodbye to mum every morning and racing into school, a child should suddenly become very anxious about leaving mum. Sometimes the child will point blank refuse to get out of the car in the morning, or there may be floods of tears each morning and a reluctance to let go of mum. A child may physically cling to a parent and refuse to let go. It is a stage some children go through. It comes from an irrational fear that something terrible may happen to mum if they are not there with her. The child can’t be re assured, it is actually a feeling of anxiety that they can’t reduce. Often I am asked to intervene in the mornings – I have even been phoned by a parent who can’t get their child in the car and they pass the phone to their child so I can speak with them. Sometimes, I use distraction, read a book, or go upstairs with them to make a milo. I have used stickers as a reward if they come to school each morning without any problems. The great news about this kind of anxiety, is that it quickly dissipates and life returns to normal.
Often a child may feel anxious because something is happening at home that they have no control over. This is one time when reassurance does help.
Then there are anxieties about friendship issues, or bullying that has been happening that we haven’t been told about. We can help with those types of anxieties through our restorative process.
Sadly, a child can feel anxious as a result of a parent projecting their anxiety onto a child. An example of this is when I spot this at enrolment meetings. The parent will say something like, ‘Mary is an anxious child so she may have a bit of trouble settling into school life’. Unfortunately, this is said in front of Mary. What Mary hears is ‘Mum says that I am an anxious child, so my role is to be anxious, because that is what mum said I am.’ Whatever we are told about ourselves by someone special in our lives, is what we believe we are.
Sometimes a child can feel anxious because their parent is a ‘helicopter’ parent who fixes every little issue in their child’s life. The child gets the feeling that they can’t fix any issue themselves and feel anxious if an issue arises that they need to sort out without their parent. They have not developed any resilience and consequently become anxious.
This is an excellent New Zealand website about anxiety in children, causes and some does and don’ts for parents. https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/anxiety
Kind Regards
Janice Adamson
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DRAMA/SPEECH LESSONS: Click here for information
MUSIC LESSONS: Click here for information on Musiqhub music lessons
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES:
FOR TERM 3 2018
Click here for details on these activities.
Also:
Click here for After School and Holiday Community Based Programmes and Activities for 2018
What’s Ahead?
Please click here to view our online calendar
IMPORTANT DATES AND TIMES
School Times
School starts: 8.50am
Interval: 10.30-10.50am
Lunch: 12.30-1.25pm
School finishes: 3.00pm
School Times
School starts: 8.50am
Interval: 10.30-10.50am
Lunch: 12.30-1.25pm
School finishes: 3.00pm
Term Dates for 2018
Term 1: Wednesday 7 February to Friday 13 April 2018
~ Waitangi Day Tuesday 6 February ’18
~ Good Friday 30 March
~ Easter Monday 2 April
~ Easter Tuesday 3 April
Term 2: Monday 30 April to Friday 6 July 2018
~ Queen’s Birthday Monday 4 June ’18
Term 3: Monday 23 July to Friday 28 Sept 2018
Term 4: Monday 15 October to Thursday 20 December 2018
~ Labour Day Mon 22 October ’18
Term Dates for 2019
Term 1: Monday 4 February to Friday 12 April 2019
~ Waitangi Day Wednesday 6 February ’19
~ Good Friday 19 April
~ Easter Monday 22 April
~ Easter Tuesday 23 April
Term 2: Monday 29 April to Friday 5 July 2019
~ Queen’s Birthday Monday 3 June ’19
Term 3: Monday 22 July to Friday 27 Sept 2019
Term 4: Monday 14 October to Wednesday 18 December 2019
~ Labour Day Mon 28 October ’19
Stationery Sales
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 8.30-8.45am
Uniform Shop
– half way up dragon drive in the old dental clinic
OPEN FRIDAYS only: 8.15-8.45am
Orders and payments for uniform can be made online on our website ~ Click here
Lunch Orders
1. ‘Daily Lunch and Catering’ ordered through ezLUNCH: Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays – ONLINE ORDERS ONLY
Click here for term 3 menu and for Pita Pit click here.
Join ezlunch today and Place an order Sushi is available through Daily Lunch and Catering
2. Pita Pit: ordered through ezLUNCH: Thursdays – ONLINE ORDERS ONLY
Join ezlunch today and Place an order
3. Subway: Wed and Fri – ONLINE ORDERS ONLY
Register to order online at www.subwayrialto.co.nz
School Dental Service
8b Ngaio St Orakei Ph 520 0603.
The dental team will be posting letters to all new entrants to our school as required.
Remember to ‘like’ Victoria Avenue School on Facebook.
NIT NIGHT TONIGHT!!
PLEASE, PLEASE CHECK FOR NITS – a number of classes have reported nits and if your infected child is not treated then many others will be!
Here is a link from NZ Health for info and treatment.
http://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/diseases-and-illnesses/head-lice
To download the app for free on iPhone or Android click this link. http://is.gd/3ffmjc
- Room 1: Wilson Chen
- Room 1: Ava Flathaug
- Room 2: Breanna Rendell
- Room 2 : Alex Baker
- Room 3 : Grace Liang
- Room 3: Jove Kyriak
- Room 4: Kai Wang
- Room 6: Jada Choy
- Room 6: Olive Wignall
- Room 7: Zach Williams
- Room 8: Thomas Bridge
- Room 9: George Smith
- Room 10: Ota Shimizu
- Room 11: Dana Horton
- Room 12: Cecilia Wang
- Room 13: Sabine Mihajlovic
- Room 14: Iris Tian
- Room 15: Tia Williams
- Room 16: Sam Mace
- Room 17: Harriet Richards
- Room 18: Atalia Ese
- Room 19: Clemmie Edgar
- Room 20 : William Jacka
- Room 21: Liam Jia
- Room 22: Lucas Wood
- Room 23: Arlo Honey


A big thank you to Rooms 19 and 20 who last Friday made a fabulous $475 for the school!! Also thanks so much from the PTS for all the yummy baking and and to the parents who helped run the stall.
Table Tennis Coaching
Ebi Kleiser, the Development Manager of the Auckland Table Tennis Association, carried out coaching sessions for years 5 & 6 students, at school Tuesday this week. Ebi will be coming back on Tuesday 30 October, to build on the work he did with the years 5 & 6 students. The coaching was timely because the primary school table tennis tournament will be held on Thursday 8 November. Last year the tournament had over 150 players from seventeen schools.
For all the budding players out there, Julie Hadlow (our English Language Learner specialist teacher) runs table tennis practise in the hall at lunchtime each Friday.
Cheerleading
DATE: Tuesday 4 September, 2018.
TIME: Please refer to the schedule. First race starts 9:20am, finish approximately 12:45pm.
VENUE: Martyn Wilson Field, corner of Shore Road and Orakei Road, Remuera.
EVENT COORDINATOR: Robert King, PE Teacher/Sports Coordinator. [email protected]
FIRST AID: The first aid station will be located by the results table, near the cricket nets. Please ensure runners have their inhalers/medication. Ice packs will be available.
COURSE: Please consult the maps. High visibility vested marshalls will be located at checkpoints around the course. All year groups start near the cricket nets, go around soccer goal posts, and finish near the results table.
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE: Y0-1 = 350m, Y2 = 500m, Y3-4 = 1k, Y5-6 = 1.9k
PRIZES: A presentation will be held at the end of each race to acknowledge the winning runners.
FINALS: The top eight Year 5 girls, Year 5 boys, Year 6 girls, and Year 6 boys, will compete at the Remuera Zone Cross Country on Tuesday 18 September.
CANTEEN: The Coffee Guy van and Palmers Garden Centre café will be open.
TOILETS: Two portaloos will be located near the cricket nets.
CLOTHING: The course will be wet and muddy. Bring a change of clothes, raincoat, & drink bottle.
FOOTWEAR: Shoes are recommended. No spikes please.
WEATHER: Reserve day is Wednesday 5 September. An email will be sent at 7:00am on the day if postponed due to thunderstorms/lightning/hail.
Click here for detailed information about the event
The Champions programme will be running on Thursday lunchtimes from 30 August until the end of term, in room 1. Champions is a fun, engaging 30 minute lesson which allows students to learn about positive Christian values and beliefs. The Christian Religious Education programme weaves together Bible stories with values set out in the New Zealand Curriculum. The Bible stories are used to illustrate and teach different values such as loving your neighbour, personal worth, courage, inclusion and forgiveness. All children are welcome to attend on a casual basis.

