Newsletter 18th August 2025
From the Principal
Dear Parents
A warm welcome to our new families This week we celebrate Tongan Language Week The theme for 2025 is 'Ko 'etau lea, ko e fe'unu mahu'inga ia ki he mo'ui 'ae Tonga - Our language is a vital strand of our Tongan culture'.
Senior Team Planning Days Reminder
The Senior team will be off site this week reviewing 2025 and planning for 2026. Mrs. Cheyrl Davies-Crooke will be Acting Principal on Thursday and Friday in my absence. I appreciate it may seem early to plan for 2026 but below are some reasons why it is important.
- Reduces Stress and Being Overwhelmed: The start of a new school year is often a whirlwind of activity. This proactive approach reduces the last-minute scramble and allows for a smoother, more confident start.
- Improves Curriculum Alignment: Early planning provides an opportunity to review the previous year, reflect on what worked and what didn't, and make adjustments. We can ensure our curriculum aligns with the national expectations,
- Facilitates Professional Development: Early planning highlights areas where a teacher or staff member might need additional training or support. This allows us to organise professional development opportunities, such as workshops or conferences, before the school year begins.
- Enhances Collaboration: The senior leaders share ideas, coordinate on interdisciplinary projects, and ensure consistency across levels, which ultimately benefits students.
- Promotes Consistency: Having a clear plan in place, especially for things like student behavior management and parent communication, ensures that all staff members are on the same page. This leads to a more consistent and transparent school environment.
For Students and Families:
- Reduces Anxiety: A well-planned start to the year can help alleviate anxiety for students, especially those who are new to a school or transitioning to a new level.
- Encourages Family Engagement: When schools communicate plans and expectations early, it gives parents more time to get involved and support their child's learning. They can make sure their children have necessary supplies, establish a new routine, and prepare for any upcoming challenges.
Congratulations to our talented speakers
During the past two weeks the school held our speech competitions.
We were all impressed with the confidence and quality of poetry recitals and speeches.
Congratulations to:
Year 3 Poetry Winner - Safaa Falal
Year 4 Speech Winner - Aiden Dorosamy
Senior School Speech winner - Tui Hutchinson
Senior School FlashTalk winner - Onelie Peiris
Our Head Girl, Onelie went on to win the local Cluster School Competition with her FlashTalk. Onelie will represent the Howick and Pakuranga Schools at the Auckland finals later this term. An outstanding achievement.
School Board Elected
Congratulations to Cherish Pomare and Mrs Sue Kandasamy (Staff Representative)
A special thank you to Mr. Matt Robertson who has retired from his position after serving two terms as a Board member. We have really appreciated his focus on doing what is best for the students and his dedication to making sure the staff are well looked after.
Parent Partnership Meeting Attendance
Thank you, we were delighted at the high turnout whether it be in person, phone or by Zoom. A great benefit is that going to parent-teacher interviews shows your child that you're interested in their learning and life at school.
Whole school average 92%
Since last year
Average attendance by parents has gone from 89.26%
Reduced Lateness
Thank you we have noticed a significant drop in children arriving late. Here are just a few reasons it is so important for your child to be on time.
Better Academic Performance: Arriving on time allows students to settle in and not miss important instructions or the start of lessons, leading to better comprehension and progress.
Develops Responsibility and Discipline: Punctuality is a key life skill. Being on time teaches students to be responsible and disciplined, qualities that will benefit them in their future careers and personal lives.
Reduces Stress: Rushing to school and entering a class in progress can be stressful for students. Arriving early or on time allows for a calm start to the day, making them more receptive to learning.
Improved Attendance and Engagement: Students who are not late are more likely to have better overall attendance and are more engaged in class activities, as they don't feel like they've missed out.
Respect for Teachers and Classmates: Arriving on time shows respect for the teacher's time and for the learning of other students, as late arrivals can be disruptive to the entire class
Upcoming Paid Union Meetings (PUMS)
NZEI Te Riu Roa are holding PUMs for all NZEI Te Riu Roa members at schools between 18 and 29 August 2025. These members include those covered by the Primary Teachers', Area School Teachers,’ Primary Principals', Area School Principals.’ Support Staff in Schools’ and Kaiārahi i te Reo and Therapists' collective agreements.
PUMs are both a statutory entitlement, under section 26 of the Employment Relations Act 2000, and a contractual one, in many of the collective agreements outlined above.
Due to this our school will have to close early on Thursday 28th August. We will close at 2pm on this date, due to staff attending.
Emotions in Motion
This term, a group of Year 5 and 6 students are taking part in Emotions in Motion, an eight-week programme run by the Kia Ora Ake team. The sessions help students better understand their emotions, develop strategies to support themselves and others, and recognise that all emotions, both positive and negative, are a natural part of life. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to build skills that support their overall wellbeing.
Photolife
Student photos have now been uploaded to Photolife website and are ready to be viewed and ordered.
Key Codes will have been emailed to you already. Please check your junk, spam, or promotions folders, in case the message was filtered.
Please note: Free delivery is available for all orders placed before MIDNIGHT ON SUNDAY, 31 AUGUST 2025.
PTA News - Mathathon
Celebrating Excellence
Room 17's Mini Figure Madness
Are you bored at home just playing chess? Well look no further. Come to Room 17 where we have lots of action figures.
First we had to build our figures which came in a flatpack. We had to gently take them off and we did it in order of the numbers. Then we had to put all the pieces together to build our action figure.
Next we had to do our colour scheme. We grabbed the paint and wrote the colour on the white board. We had to choose our colours wisely. Then we had to find a picture of our action figure in the book and we used coloured pencils to colour our action figure in with our colour scheme.
Next we had to paint our mini figure. We used thin little paint brushes to give detail to our figures. Painting the action figure was very tricky and hard.
I liked making the mini figures because they look awesome.
By Tawhirimatea
