Friday 16th October 2026 Newsletter
Friday 16th October 2026
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Kia Ora Parents & Whānau,
Welcome back to Term 4. We hope you all had a relaxing holiday break and were able to enjoy the lovely spring weather.
It has been wonderful to see our students back at school, settled into their learning and working hard. There is plenty to look forward to this term, with our school production, camps, swimming programme, and lots of exciting learning opportunities ahead.
The teaching staff enjoyed a day of professional learning in mathematics on Monday, and we were pleased to welcome the students back on Tuesday.
Today, our Glenure Whānau group came to school in their pyjamas. This was the reward they chose for winning the Term 3 Whānau Points Competition. It was great to see them embracing the fun and celebrating their achievement.
Swimming will be a regular part of our programme this term. Please ensure your child brings their swimming togs on the days advised by their teacher so they can fully participate in these valuable lessons.
Next week, the Korimako class is looking forward to attending the Science Roadshow at NSC. This promises to be an engaging and hands-on learning experience, and we know the students are excited to take part.
We look forward to another busy and successful term and thank you for your continued support.
Mihi mahana,
Andrea Holt
WELCOME
We would like to express a very warm welcome to Ryeen and Xidhrie. Ryeen has recently turned 5 and joined Mrs McLean, Mrs Robb and the cute class of Tui students. Xidhrie has recently moved here and joined Mr Krishna and the cool class of room Korimako students.
We would also like to warmly welcome your families to our school community.
PRINCIPALS AWARD
Ana - For being kind and supportive towards our new student and willingly offering help to make them feel welcome.
Billy - for always trying your best, friendliness, being respectful, kind and honest.
Hugo - for having a remarkable ability to remain in control of your focus and actions.
CLASS CERTIFICATES
Hazel - for always trying really hard in all curriculum areas.
Robbie - for good short story writing.
Archer - for quality writing and improvement.
Kassandra - for showing excellent handwriting and taking pride in presenting your work neatly.
Ellie - for making a positive start to the new term. You have a great attitude towards your learning and give everything a go.
Hayley - for starting the term positively, giving everything your best and treating others with respect.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy birthday wishes this week to Ryeen and Waelyn. We hope you both had super fun birthday celebrations.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!
CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS - TERM 4
19th- 23rd October - Scholastic book fair in school
Wednesday 21st October - Swimming starts
Thursday 22nd October - Science roadshow - Korimako class
Monday 26th October - School closed - Labour Day
2nd - 5th November - Year 5/6 camp - Dunedin
Tuesday 24th November - Production 1pm and 5.30pm
Tuesday 1st December - Production reserve date
2nd - 4th December - Y3/4 camp - Omaui
Monday 14th December - Leavers ceremony
Monday 14th December - School closes 12.15pm
TERM DATES 2026
Monday 14th December - last day of Term 4
Tuesday 2nd February 2027 - Beginning of term 1
BOARD MEETING DATES FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR
TERM 4. - 28th October - 7.00pm. 2nd December - 7.00pm
POOL ATTENDANT - THIS IS A PAID POSITION
We are still working to recruit a pool attendant for the summer season. At this stage, we have one parent who may be willing to job‑share, so if anyone else is able to help, please let us know. Having this role filled supports the whole school community.
ASSEMBLY
Assembly is held on Friday mornings at 9.00am. Everyone is welcome. You will receive a text message if your child is receiving a certificate, except if it is for a bithday ceritificate where we will presume you know they will automatically be receiving a certificate.
BALFOUR PRODUCTION
Calling all creative parents and whānau — we need your help. Our school production is coming up, and we’re looking for support with costumes and props. If you can sew, build, paint, or design, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us, if you’re able to lend a hand.
THE BOOK FAIR
Next week from Monday morning to Friday afternoon we will be holding our Bi-Annual Scholastic Book fair. This will be held in Room 1. You are most welcome to come in and look at the books and purchase any. The children will have the opportunity to view these books too. But will only be able to purchase with parents permission and bring either cash or a note to say their parents approve of the amount and will pay online. There are some beautiful books for sale and these are very reasonably priced. This is a great chance to do some early Christmas shopping!!
KORIMAKO - Welcome back to Term 4! It has been lovely to have the children back in Korimako after the school holidays. We began the term by sharing holiday stories and experiences, giving everyone an opportunity to reconnect with classmates and settle back into our classroom routines.
Fiji Day Celebration: On Monday, we celebrated Fiji Day with a special flag ceremony and a speech highlighting Fiji’s history. Students created Fiji Day posters and carried out research to learn more about Fiji’s culture, history, and traditions. It was a great opportunity to celebrate and appreciate Fiji’s rich heritage.
Mathematics: We began our new topic, Rational Numbers – Percentages. Students are starting to explore what percentages mean and how they can be used in everyday situations.
English – Writing: Students continued completing their Daily Writing Challenges and worked on a Persuasive Long Write. They explored how to express their opinions, develop convincing arguments, and encourage readers to agree with their point of view.
Structured Literacy – iDeaL: We focused on Concept 23 – Hopper, learning about double consonants and practising how these patterns work in words to strengthen students’ spelling and reading skills.
It has been a positive start to our final term, with students returning to their learning and participating in a range of activities. We look forward to the weeks ahead and the opportunities they will bring. Thank you, as always, for your support from home!
Ngā mihi,
Anish Krishna
Korimako Class Teacher
PIWAKAWAKA Kia ora,
This week in Piwakawaka: We have almost finished the first week back at school! Everybody has been learning about fractions in math. We have finished watching The Sound of Music, which was last terms' Honour Roll activity.
Ms. Fin has been preparing for camp. We also had Mrs Douglas teaching us for a day. She is the new teacher for Tui in 2027.
We are reviewing writing in different styles that we have learnt about this term. We have continued to practice for production and prepare our props.
by Archer and Ms Fin.
Nga Mihi,
Judy Finlayson and Piwakawaka students.
TUI
Kia ora Whanau
Welcome to Term 4!
This week in Tui we have welcomed a new young person, Ryeen. Ryeen turned 5 in the holidays so welcome to Ryeen and her family to Balfour School.
Historically Term 4 is usually quite hectic and this one is proving to be just that.
We continue with our good routines of reading and structured literacy and building on last terms achievements. It would be really great if every child could be reading their book that gets sent home each night. It really does make a difference.
For writing we are building on good foundations of full stop, capital letter, finger spaces and making sure our writing makes sense. Some of the older children have been practising adding conjunctions (joining words) to their sentences.
In maths we are exploring place value alongside basic facts and problem solving.
We are exploring Organisms for science and Geography - describing human and physical features of landscapes.
Starting next week we will be swimming every Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday will be a structured session and Friday will be somewhat structured.
Lastly, production is gaining momentum and all classes are busy getting ready for this.
Please don't hesitate to get in contact with us at any time.
Jill Robb & Sarah McLean
Room Tui
HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPIENTS
This week's Principal's Award recipients enjoying their Hot Chocolate with Mrs Holt.
Ana, Billy and Hugo.
STAFFING 2027
Kia ora parents,
We are very pleased to let you know that Mrs Shannon Douglas has been appointed as the Tui Class teacher from the beginning of Term 1, 2027. Shannon is a beginning teacher and she brings a wealth of experience from other roles in education and community work. This year, she has been a LAT at Lumsden School while completing her teaching qualification, and she has impressed us with her capability, calm manner, and genuine passion for working with children.
We are delighted to welcome her to Balfour School and are confident she will be an excellent fit for our school and community. One of the wonderful things about this appointment is that Shannon will be in school every week next term, supporting classroom programmes through relieving work and covering classroom release time for teachers. This means she will get to know our students, staff, routines, and culture well before she begins in her full‑time role.
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, we are very fortunate to have Sarah McLean and Jill Robb continuing their brilliant work in Tui Class throughout Term 4. Their steady presence and strong teamwork have been invaluable, and we are grateful for the care and expertise they bring to the classroom.
We look forward to the year ahead and are excited about the continuity and strength this team will provide for our learners.
Ngā mihi nui,
Andrea Holt
CHILDREN"S AFTER SCHOOL GOLF
Our “School Pupils” Golf Club will begin again next Friday 23rd October. For the benefit of any
new players, I have outlined some of the details about this activity below.
This Club is open to all pupils from year 3 and above, and will meet at the Riversdale Golf
Course each Friday during the summer terms.
Sessions times will be 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm. There is no cost for these Friday sessions and all clubs and balls are provided but children are welcome to bring their own.
If your child is interested in being part of this activity, or if you have any questions about this
club, please do not hesitate to phone Debbie Schriek on 0210462596.
JUNIOR TENNIS
The season is fast approaching and we are asking for you to make contact if your child is keen to play either B or C grade tennis. Coaching will also available. Beginners most welcome.
Contact: Helen McFelin 021 0279 5269
BALFOUR YOUNG FARMERS
Balfour Young Farmers are excited to be holding the 2027 Southland/Otago Young Farmers Regional Contest on Saturday, 13 February.
At this event, Southland/Otago FMG Young Farmers will go head-to-head for the opportunity to take the one spot representing Southland/Otago at the New Zealand FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest, which is being held in Christchurch in July 2027.
The Agrikids and Junior Young Farmers contests will also be taking place as part of the event in February, with schools from across Southland and Otago invited to participate. We are excited to bring this amazing event to our community and hope to see everyone getting involved!
We are getting in touch as it would be fantastic to see some of our local schools entering teams in either the Agrikids or Junior Young Farmers contest.
Registrations for these two events open to the public on Monday, 12 October at 10 am (the first day of Term 4). So set a reminder, because spots sell out fast!
Here is a link to find out more information: Agrikids and Junior Young Farmers Info, or please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
We are looking forward to seeing lots of our local schools getting involved and having teams take part!
Southland Rugby League is helping establish junior teams based in Gore and Eastern Southland,
with local training and travel into Invercargill on Friday nights to take part in our summer competition.
We’re seeking players for the following grades:
●. Under 8s
●. Under 10s
●. Under 12s
●. Under 14 Girls
●. Under 14 Boys
Players of all experience levels are welcome, including children who haven’t played rugby league before. We already have some interested families and keen coaches, and we’re now working to build enough numbers across each grade to establish teams.
Parents and caregivers interested in coaching are also encouraged to get involved. Southland Rugby League will provide coaching development, practical session ideas and support to help them feel confident leading their teams. Previous rugby league coaching experience isn’t necessary.
Player and coaching expression-of-interest form: https://forms.gle/UbPSguzP1RWwPYEi6
Please complete the form as soon as possible, even if you couldn’t attend the recent muster. It helps us
identify player numbers, age groups and available coaches so we can coordinate the next steps.
Our aim is to support local coaches to begin running sessions from next week, once numbers and coaching arrangements are confirmed. Training details and information about travelling to the competition will be shared directly with interested families.
Thanks for helping us build this opportunity for children across Gore and Eastern Southland. Please get in
touch if you have any questions.
For more information or to speak with someone directly about joining a team or getting involved in
coaching, please contact Justine at Pioneer Rugby Club or Steve Kelly at Albion Rugby Club. You’re also
welcome to contact me, and I can put you in touch.
Dominic Bradley
Southland Rugby League Development Officer
Email: dominic@nzrl.co.nz
Phone: 021 491 625
Website: Southland District Rugby League - Home
