Friday 8th May 2026 Newsletter
- 11 hours ago
- 5 min read
Friday 8th May 2026
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Kia Ora Parents & Whānau,
It’s been a fantastic start to the term, and I want to take a moment to celebrate something really important — our attendance. Each term we receive a report from the Ministry of Education, and at the end of Term 1 our school reached 87% regular attendance, a huge lift from 74% at the same time in 2025. This improvement reflects the commitment of our parents and whānau, and we genuinely appreciate the effort you put into getting your children to school each day.
All schools are now required to have an Attendance Management Plan, which you can find on our website. This is actively in place at our school, and we work through interventions when needed to support students and families.
Students are busy preparing for Cross Country, practising during lessons and in any spare moments they can find. A letter went out earlier this week with all the details, and we appreciate your support in getting them to the venue on the day.Wishing you all a happy and safe weekend.
Mihi mahana,
Andrea Holt
CLASS CERTIFICATE RECIPIENTS
Hazel - for working hard to be independent during your transition to school.
Katie - demonstrates positive values both inside and outside the classroom.
Billy - for a positive approach to overcoming challenges. Well done!
Jaylen - for making great progress in your speech and showing care in slowing down to express yourself clearly..
Waelyn - for a positive cheerful week and being very helpful.
Everly - a respectful and responsible learner who sets a great example for others
PRINCIPALS AWARD RECIPIENTS
Cooper - for consistently setting a positive example through being supportive
and demonstrating friendship both in and out of the classroom.
Ana - for letting your positive inner voice encourage and guide your actions and attitude.
Taylor - for a determined and very positive approach to learning, taking guidance with a positive attitude.
CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS - TERM 2
Friday 22nd May - Cross Country
Monday 1st June - No School - King's Birthday
Wednesday 3rd June. - Northern Cross Country
Wednesday 10th June - Firewise
Thursday June 25th - Visit to Riversdale Arts Exhibition
Friday 3rd July - End of term 2
TERM DATES 2026
Friday 3rd July - last day term 2
Monday 20th July. - first day term 3
Friday 25th September. - last day term 3
Monday 12th October - first day term 4
To be confirmed - last day term 4
BOARD VACANCIES
Towards the end of the year, we will have a vacancy on the Board. If you are interested in learning more about what the position involves, or would like to discuss it further, please get in touch with us. We’re happy to answer any questions.
SMART ASSESSMENT TOOL – TRIALLING THIS YEAR
From this term, our teachers will be using the Smart Assessment Tool, a digital platform that gives us clearer, real‑time information about each child’s progress in reading, writing, and maths. It helps teachers identify strengths, track growth over time, and plan next learning steps with greater accuracy. This tool will sit alongside our usual classroom assessments and support us to make well‑informed decisions about teaching and learning.
We are trialling this tool throughout 2026 and we will keep you updated as the year goes on about how it is supporting teaching and learning across the school.
PERMANENT BUS CHANGE/EMERGENCY MEDICATION FORMS
WE STILL HAVE SEVERAL OF THESE THAT HAVE NOT BE RETURNED. CAN WE PLEASE HAVE ALL OF THESE FORMS RETURNED ON MONDAY. WE NEED THESE FILLED IN AND RETURNED PLEASE AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH TERM EVEN IF THERE IS NO CHANGE FROM LAST TERM. PLEASE ENSURE THEY HAVE YOUR CHILD/RENS NAME ON AND THEY ARE SIGNED.
SWIMMING POOL - KEYS RETURNED TO THE OFFICE PLEASE
The swimming pool is now closed for the season and we would appreciate it if all keys could be returned to the office.
BUSES
Our three bus drivers are Robin McGregor, Megan Ballantine and Graeme McGaughey. As a courtesy we ask parents to text the bus driver if your child is off the bus in the morning. Also please do not make alternative arrangements for your child to travel on another bus unless you have checked with the driver that they have room. Please also notify the school office. Please note that the office is only open until 1.30pm so any last minute notices must be sent to the mobile phone otherwise they will be missed.
Please remember that if your child is going home with someone else, the school must hear this directly from you. For safeguarding reasons, we cannot accept messages passed on by another parent. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe.
Robin 0272217112.
Megan. 0274086164
Graeme 0274044577
MAINTAINING CLEAR COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
A reminder that all matters relating to your child’s work, behaviour, or welfare should be directed to their class teacher. Support staff are not able to respond to messages or queries outside of school, and all communication should go through the appropriate teaching staff. Thank you for helping us maintain clear and consistent communication channels.
KORIMAKO This week has been filled with meaningful learning and exciting opportunities for our students. In Mathematics, students have been learning about 3D shapes and exploring their different features and properties. In English, students have been reading legends, completing grammar activities, and continuing to develop their persuasive writing skills. We have also started planning for our Term 4 camp, and students are very excited about the upcoming Dunedin experience and the opportunities it will bring for learning and adventure. We also have our first SMART assessment coming up next Tuesday, and students have completed a familiarisation session to help them understand the assessment format and feel more confident and prepared.
Ngā mihi,
Anish Krishna Korimako Class Teacher
PIWAKAWAKA This week in Piwakawaka, we have learnt more keyboarding skills and tools we can use in our SMART Assessments next week. Year 3 have learnt about the soft g spelling that is usually followed by an i, e, or y. Year 4 have learnt about the 'ow' sound spellings of ow and ou.
The class was excited to investigate their salt crystals in the microscope. We have also kept up with our daily cross country practice. Have a great weekend.
Nga mihi
Judy Finlayson. Piwakawaka Class Teacher
TUI Kia ora whānau,
This week we will be exploring phonics sounds, focusing on ‘at’ and ‘ch’ sounds. With maths we will be focusing on measurement using Jack and the Beanstalk and estimation. With writing we practised letter formation of ‘s’ and ‘t’, including the ‘who’ and ‘where’ of a sentence, developing questions for ‘who’ ‘what’ ‘where’ ‘when’ and ‘how’, and beginning with ‘before’ ‘after’ ‘if’ and ‘when’. We also reflected on living things and played some xylophones.
Ngā mihi, Natasha Humphrey Room Tui Kaiako
COMMUNITY NOTICES
