Friday 25th September 2026 Newsletter
Friday 25th September 2026
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Kia Ora Parents & Whānau,
Wow, what a busy term it’s been! There has been lots of learning happening across the school, along with plenty of other exciting activities and events.
The week didn't quite get off to the best start when we had a fire evacuation caused by contractors beginning work on the stormwater drainage project around the school. Thankfully, it was a false alarm and everyone was safe. The students didn't seem to mind too much, especially when the fire brigade arrived. In fact, they started cheering when the fire truck turned up!
This week we also shared information with families about staffing for next year. If you happened to miss it please see the letter below.
Our attendance continues to be really strong, currently sitting at 95.3%. Thank you for your efforts in getting your children to school each day. It really does make a difference to their learning. Today, we handed out a whopping 20 attendance certificates to students who attended every day this term. That's 28% of our school, which is a fantastic achievement; 75% of these are boys so well done to them! A huge congratulations to those students and their families.
Looking ahead to next term, we are excited to begin preparing for our school production. Ms Fin and the staff have everything well in hand, and we're sure it is going to be a hit! Swimming season also starts next term, with lessons provided by Brittney from Johnston Waters. Teachers will share more information with classes and families once we are back at school. We are also looking forward to hosting a Scholastic Book Fair from 20-23 October. This is always a great event and a wonderful opportunity for students to discover some new books.
Thank you for all your support throughout the term. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday break, and we look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Tuesday, 13 October.
Mihi mahana,
Andrea Holt
PRINCIPALS AWARD
Elliott - for showing kindness, helpfulness and respect towards others.
Grayson - for having a lovely teachable attitude to learning and improved concentration.
Nikau - for showing honesty with your learning. This means using your own brain. Sometimes learning is hard and you are honest about this and ask for help. I like how you try so hard!
Mrs Collins- for surviving Friday, Monday and Tuesday while Mrs Black was away!!!! (Unfortunately Mrs Collins was absent for her photo)
CLASS CERTIFICATES
Hazel - for tidying the bookcase beautifully.
Francis - for a top effort in friendliness, effort and attitude in learning.
Liam - for showing excellent handwriting and being a responsible class member.
Beauden - for being hardworking, focused and responsible with your learning.
Van - for settling into school routines and a willingness to learn and try your best!
Iyana - you are making a really big effort with your writing! You are getting more words down and using your sound knowledge.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy birthday wishes this week to Bella, Charlotte and Harrison. We hope you all had super fun birthday celebrations.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!
CONGRATULATIONS - 100% ATTENDANCE
A huge congratulations to the following students who have achieved 100% attendance this term.
Max, Everly, Ana, Jerrol, Liam, Toretto, Lydia, Grayson, Charlie D, Waelyn, Donnalily, Flynn, George,
Harvey, Lennox, Albie, Iyana, Kadin, Cooper, Arthur and Hugo.
CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS - TERM 4
Monday 12th October- Teacher Only Day
Tuesday 13th October- School reopens/Fiji Day
20th- 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 12th October. - Teacher Only Day
Tuesday 13th October. - first day term 4
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
HEALTHY LUNCHBOXES
We are encouraging all students to bring healthy lunchboxes to school to help support their learning, concentration, and energy levels throughout the day. Recently, we have noticed that some lunchboxes contain a higher amount of treat foods than we would like. A healthy lunchbox might include items such as sandwiches, wraps, fruit, vegetables, yoghurt, cheese, crackers, or other nutritious snacks. Treat foods and sugary drinks should be kept as an occasional addition rather than the main part of a student's lunch. Thank you for your support in helping our tamariki develop healthy eating habits and arrive at class ready to learn.
COMMUNITY CONSULTATION
A couple of weeks ago, we sent out a questionnaire to support the development of our next two‑year strategic plan. So far, we’ve received only ten responses. We would really appreciate it if you could take a few moments to complete it, via the link below, as your feedback directly shapes the direction of our school and supports the best outcomes for your children.
POOL ATTENDANT
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.
TEACHER ONLY DAY (TOD)
Friendly reminder that there will be a TOD on the first day of the next term, Monday 12th October. School will reopen on Tuesday 13th October.
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.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Maree Black on reaching 25 years at Balfour School. Maree's commitment, hard work, and care for our school community have made a real difference over the years. We are incredibly grateful for everything she does and are delighted to celebrate this special milestone with her (even though we did celebrate a little bit early in February!). Thank you, Maree, for your 25 years of service and dedication to Balfour School. We look forward to many more!
KORIMAKO - What a great way to finish Term 3! This week has been about bringing together our learning, working collaboratively, and preparing to share what we have achieved throughout the term.
In preparation for the Korimako Assembly, students have been busy practising their presentations and role plays. They will be sharing their learning about The Silk Roads from Social Sciences, The Five Kingdoms from Science, and putting on a fun Probability Show to demonstrate some of their Mathematics learning. It has been wonderful to see the children working together and building their confidence to perform in front of an audience.
In English, our focus has been on strengthening the foundations of good writing. We looked at sentence structures, grammar, and punctuation, with students practising how these skills can make their writing clearer and more effective.
In Mathematics, we moved into Geometry, focusing on 3D shapes and their nets. Students worked in pairs to explore different nets and enjoyed the hands-on challenge of folding and constructing their own 3D shapes.
As Term 3 comes to a close, I would like to acknowledge the effort and progress the students have made throughout a very busy term. Thank you to all our parents and whānau for your ongoing support with learning, sporting events, trips, fundraising, and preparations for our upcoming camp.
Have a wonderful and well-deserved holiday break! I hope everyone has time to relax, enjoy time with family and friends, and return refreshed and ready for our final term of the year.
Ngā mihi,
Anish Krishna
Korimako Class Teacher
PIWAKAWAKA Kia ora,
This week in Piwakawaka we have been collecting facts, organising them and writing them into factual paragraphs about a topic of our own choice.
Year 4's are learning about y and ey that are at the end of words usually and make a long ee sound. Year 3 are learning about the oo sound and spelling. Everybody has been learning about geometry - including about shapes and terms such as congruent.
We had a great time performing in assembly last week, and enjoyed hosting everyone in our classroom. Thank you for squeezing in.
The construction workers arrived and are starting work on the drainage behind our classroom.
Nga Mihi,
Judy Finlayson and Piwakawaka students.
TUI
Kia ora Whanau
What a whirlwind of a term. Time certainly flies when you are having fun!
This week in Tui we have been finishing off our exploration of shape by looking at 3D shapes and their attributes.
For writing we have been writing descriptions about different animals - polar bears, giraffes, elephants and tigers. I have learnt a lot of facts from the children during our discussions and we have a few David Attenborough fans.
Reading and structured literacy continue as usual. I have been really impressed with the attitudes of all the children- they all want to do their best! The children enjoy learning about different spelling concepts. It is great to see it filtering through into their reading and writing.
We continue to practice one of our production songs in preparation for next term.
Friday - hopefully your children enjoy a slightly less structured day with a reading of Puss in Boots, followed by some fun activities.
Hope everyone thoroughly enjoys the school holidays and you make the most of your children being home! Rest up- Term 4 is going to be action packed!
Safe holidays
Jill Robb & Sarah McLean
Room Tui
HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPIENTS
Last Friday's Principal's Award recipients enjoying their Hot Chocolate with Mrs Holt.
Thinuli, Katie and Robbie.
HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPIENTS
Today's Principal's Award recipients enjoying their Hot Chocolate with Mrs Holt.
Nikau, Grayson and Elliott.
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
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!
