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Birkdale Bulletin
Weekly Newsletter of Birkdale Intermediate School
Providing a quality education in a caring environment
24 April 2015
We are very thankful to Genesis Energy for coming to our
school and installing these solar panels because now we
can learn about solar power, energy efficiency, and save
a great deal of money that we would have spent on extra
power!
Zoe, Rosie, Ethan and Zoe
Issue No. 10
School Gen is a programme developed and
Hagrid and his friends from the Harry Potter series, Fluffy
supported by Genesis Energy. The goal of the
and Buckbeak, are visiting our library. They are on the
programme is to raise awareness of solar energy
shelves to encourage students to read a wide range of books. and energy efficiency for students across New
Parent Workshop
12 May 2015, 7.00 – 8.30 pm (plus time for questions)
Venue: Owen Goodwin Theatre,
Birkdale Intermediate School
200 Birkdale Road
Zealand.
In 2014 Birkdale Intermediate School entered a competition
to win an installation of solar panels. We were excited
about this because it meant we would be able to generate
our own electricity and learn about solar energy. Birkdale
students made a video highlighting the special features of
our school and Genesis Energy told us they were coming to
our school in person. They came and interviewed some of
the students involved in the video. Shortly after our school
was told that we had won, and solar panels would be
installed in 2015.
A team of painters are working in the school
Painters are working on the Technology Centre, Theatre
and Library, giving them all a new coat of paint to keep our
buildings in top condition.
Skip forward to 2015.
On Monday 20th April, an exhibition kindly provided by
Chris Bass for our “Lest We Forget” Quest was set up in the
Kereru nest. It is a display of the weaponry, tools, food and
accessories which the US and Japanese forces had to use in
World War II. It includes a light machine gun, a RBZ radio
receiver, a portable flame thrower and a US MZ mortar.
There is also a display case showing the accessories the US
military had, such as gum, tobacco, mirrors, flasks, first aid
kits and insect repellant.
In the first week of Term 2, Genesis Energy came to install
the solar panels on top of Rooms 15 and 16. We decided
to interview the installers to find out a bit more about the
solar panels and how they would work in our school.
We first wanted to know how the panels work. We were
told that the the panels have silicone in them so when the
sun hits the solar panel it creates DC energy which is then
converted into into AC energy before it is pumped out.
This energy isn’t stored. It uses something called the Grid
Tide System so all the energy that is generated goes straight
into the classrooms but all the leftover energy gets sold to
the supplier. They told us that because we are a school, we
Birkdale Intermediate is very thankful for the opportunity to probably won’t have any leftover (except over the school
holidays).
enjoy this exhibition. Thank you, Mr Bass, for lending your
collection to the school.
It was interesting to learn that each panel can collect 250
Asta, Alex and Austin Room 1.
Please remember to order your child’s class photo by
Monday 21 May 2015 to take advantage of the free
delivery period. You can order online or envelopes are
available at the office. If you are using the envelope
system please note that you cannot pay at the school
office by eftpos. If you have any queries please do not
hesitate to contact the office staff who will be happy to
help you.
Dear Parents
Hagrid visits our library!
Order your Class Photos
watts of power, but the sun gives out 1000 watts per square
metre.
That made us curious about how much power a classroom
uses. We learned that if a classroom has 10 lights of about
100 watts per light and a heat pump of about 1000 watts the
total power used per day is around 12,000 watts. Using the
solar panels we have saved 4000 watts. If we cut down on
our electricity use we would be able to make more use of
our solar panels.
The last question we had was, “Have the solar panels
improved since previous designs?” The answer was
“yes.“ The better they get, the closer they get to collecting
1000 watts (the amount the sun can give), the more efficient
they are the less money we have to spend on power.
Enrol now for drum, piano or guitar lessons at
School in Term 2
Spaces are still available for drum, piano or guitar tuition
at school during the school day. To enrol or make further
enquiries, contact the Music Education Centre on 444-5654
or http://www.musiceducation.co.nz/enrol-for-lessons/
Photolife Class Photos
Come to a friendly, informal presentation which is
designed to give you the information you need to
understand your children’s needs and to support them at
home. The presenter, Ross Lugg, is a leading Educational
Consultant and Dyslexia Specialist.
It will include:
•Understanding learning difficulties (including dyslexia,
dyspraxia).
•Identifying if your child has problems – and what to do!
•Supporting your child at home (assistive technology,
educational software, appropriate strategies).
•How to use the Steps programme to support your
child’s literacy.
•Particular emphasis on literacy and numeracy skills.
•Coping with homework issues.
•Most importantly – a chance to ask questions!
There will be an opportunity to see leading NZ and UK
educational software programmes covering literacy
and numeracy and also to get information about other
resources which may be appropriate to your child.
To Register: Contact Yolanda Choromanski at Birkdale
Intermediate 09 483 9168 or [email protected]
All the best for the coming week.
Richard Coote,
Principal
Important Dates
27/4
28/4
30/4
1 May
6/5
13/5
18/5
ANZAC Day observed
Y7 (B) Football
Y8 (B) Football
Mufti Day $2
Y7 Mathex
R11/14 Writers festival
Y8 Mathex
Y7 (G) Football
18/5BOT Meeting
19/5
Y8 (G) Football
21/5
HPV No. 2
25/27
ERO visit
27/5 Rugby (B)
29/5 Science Road Show
1 June Queen’s Birthday
3/6 Yr 6 Open Evening