An Update

Kia ora e te whānau,

Over the holidays you may have noticed our school grounds have become quite overgrown as we do not have a full-time caretaker. Classes are responsible for maintaining designated areas, while our contractor handles the mowing and limited maintenance.

Since classes are not present during holidays, the weeds get an opportunity to grow.

To address this, we've hired a part-time gardener for eight hours a week to assist with weeding. However, maintaining our large grounds requires many hands. As a small rural school with a limited budget, we rely on volunteers. If you have spare time, we would appreciate any help with weeding. Even 10-15 minutes before pickup time can make a difference.

Assemblies

Starting on the 20th, we will hold a short assembly every second Friday straight after the roll. During these assemblies, we will:

• Sing the school waiata
• Present certificates for students demonstrating respect, readiness, and safety
• Announce important notices from the school council
• Provide reminders to students if needed

You are welcome to attend. After the assembly, classes will proceed to their areas for weeding and cleaning, this could be something you could join in with if you have the time.

Kapa Haka

Kapa haka sessions will begin this Thursday for the entire school:

• Rooms 1–5: 1:30pm – 2:00pm
• Rooms 6–9: 2:00pm – 2:30pm

You are welcome to join us every Thursday. Our senior students can also join a pōwhiri group of 15-20 children that meets weekly, they are currently putting their names forward to be considered.

Upcoming School Beach Trip

Our beach trip is scheduled for the 27th of February. Please return permission forms to the office as soon as possible. This trip is a great opportunity to meet other whānau and your child's kaiako. We hope you can join us.

Tākaro with Harko Brown

We are excited to welcome back Harko Brown next week to run tākaro sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. These were a hit with the children last year, and we look forward to his return.

Bee Group

It was great to see this group start up again this week. If your child is part of this group, please remember that they need gumboots.

We are thrilled to be back at school, which has started well, with classrooms happy and settled. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s teacher.

Thank you for your continued support.

Leslee Allen

Week One School News 2026

Kaurihohore School Week One, Term One 2026

Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua," Let our past guide our future

Manaaki te katoa - be kind to all. 

Respect - Empathy - Kindness 

He aroha whakatō, he aroha ka puta mai

Kia ora e te whānau, nau mai hoki mai, welcome back! 

A big welcome to all of our new whānau, we look forward to getting to know you and

your children this year.

We will always endeavour to do our best for you and your children, we look forward to

working together with you in this partnership.

Please ensure all children have a full brimmed hat, or a hat with a flap at the back at

school each day. No caps please. Also ensure their clothes are named and that they

recognise their own belongings. Lost property is an ongoing problem and we really need your assistance to solve this problem.

We look forward to another great year here at Kaurihohore.

Leslee Allen

Minimum Expectations

Over the years, we have seen a real decline in basic behaviours, such as acknowledging the greeting of others, saying please and thank you, showing respect for the needs of others, respecting property etc.  This year, we are using these as the foundations of what it means to be a good citizen under the headings Respectful, Ready, Safe.  These are basic expectations that we feel children can meet (while it may look differently for some depending on age,needs or abilities.)  These then set a framework for what it means to be a Good Citizen and what it means to go above and beyond these expectations.

Every second Friday morning, starting next week, we will have very short assemblies where we can acknowledge a few children that we have seen go above and beyond these expectations.  

I will also be reestablishing a student council so that children can have more say in the identification of problems to be solved around the school and to enable them to identify children that are going above and beyond in the playground.

These minimum expectations will also be useful when having conversations with your child’s teacher as they will be able to identify specific areas that your child may need more support with.

Please support us at home by reinforcing these basic expectations with your children.

Devices

We are becoming really concerned about the amount of time children are spending on devices, we are noticing that many of our children are not able to play without the aid of a device and this is very worrying.  There is so much research now around the negative impact of devices on young brains.  We are also continuing to notice a real decline in language abilities, being able to speak in full sentences, listen for a period of time and knowing the meaning of simple, everyday words are important skills.  Language impacts reading, writing, maths and all areas of learning and the amount a child is read to and talked to matters.   We understand that lives are busy, but providing time to play without devices (zero device time if possible.) and providing time to talk, listen and be curious about the meaning of words, really matters for our children.

Pick up and Drop Off

 Children can be dropped off from 7.45am, not earlier, they need to wait in the

courtyard until the bell rings at 8am.  We do prefer that children come after 8am when there are more staff on site.   Please note that the office does not open till 8am.

Our bell rings at 2.55pm each day and classes endeavor to be down at the courtyard by this time.  Children in Rooms 1 - 4 are often out earlier at 3.50pm.  Children need to be picked up by 3.15pm.  If you are running late, we appreciate a phone call.

Please use the pick up line safely, do not block the entrance to the main car park and do not park in the pick up line at this time.  The staff car park is available for use at the end of the day, if there is space, but please do not park over the entrance to this car park as staff are often needing to get away to appointments or meetings after school.

Most of all, please be patient and watch for children at every instance.

Phones At School

Please note that children are not to bring phones to school. If they need to contact you,

they can come to the school office and phone you from there. If for some reason they

absolutely have to have their phone, they must leave it at the school office and pick it up

after school.

Attendance

Regular attendance is crucial for children to be successful at school, academically,

socially and emotionally. As you may know the government is actively working towards

improving attendance at all schools. 90% attendance is counted as regular, this is less

than five days of absence a term. Data shows that children who attend at least 90% of

time has a greater chance of being successful and happy at school.

The government has set a target of 80% of children attending school regularly.  

2025 Attendance Rates:

Term 1 2025 - 65% regular

Term 2 2025 - 72% regular

Term 3 2025 - 48% regular

Term 4 2025 - 62% regular

We are really concerned about the amount of children not attending school regularly and hope that you can help us this year to turn this around.

Please support us by ensuring your child is at school regularly, unless they are unwell. If

your child is going to be away, you MUST let us know. We also are required to have a

reason for the absence as this data is collected by the ministry. Please advise us of their

absence by 9am, you can phone the office, text our cellphone (0275029974) or email

kauriabsences@gmail.com. 

Fundraising

We need to raise just over $40 000 this year to cover our budget. Like last year this money covers learning support and staffing, ensuring we have people on the ground to help our children when they need it. 

This learning support benefits everyone. We hate relying on fundraising and really wish

that government funding actually matched our needs. Sadly this is not the reality. We

will be advertising fundraisers as they come up and appreciate your support. You can

also donate to the school via Kindo, or if you know any businesses keen to sponsor us,

We are always happy to chat. We are very grateful for your support. Last year we

managed to raise almost $56 800.  Raising more allows us to put aside funds towards projects that will benefit the school, like the junior sandpit.

If you have any ideas for fundraisers and are happy to be an integral part of planning and actioning these fundraisers, please get in touch with Dianne.

Enrolments

We currently have positions in year 3 and 4 available for any out of zone students, if you know of anyone with a child in this age range, please let them know to come and speak with Shelley in the office.  

Contacting Us

You can find all staff emails on our blog page under the tab ‘our staff,’ however the best

way to contact your child’s teacher is via seesaw message. Teachers will endeavour to

answer when they have time during the day, however please don’t expect replies to

messages or emails after 5pm. We will respond the next day as soon as we can. 

Please refrain from using Facebook messenger, or our personal phone numbers

to contact us.

Our school blog is kaurihohoreschool.blogspot.com you can find old newsletters etc here.

Office emails are:

Shelley- admin@kaurihohoreschool.co.nz

Dianne - reception@kaurihohoreschool.co.nz

Enrolments - kaurienrolments@gmail.com (managed by Shelley and Leslee)

Leslee - principal@kaurihohoreschool.co.nz

Reporting Absence - kauriabsences@gmail.com

If you have questions or concerns, please direct these to your child’s teacher as soon as

you can, so we can nip anything in the bud before it becomes a bigger issue.

Beach Trip - 27th February

On this day, the whole school travels to the beach. A form came home about this yesterday that needs to be returned.

For this trip to go ahead, it is absolutely crucial that we have the necessary supervision

to do so. While it can often seem that we have too many cars, it is needed. We need

people prepared to come to the beach and supervise a small group of children in and out

of the water. If you feel your child would struggle on this day, then we ask that you come along to supervise them yourselves. If you feel going to the beach with the whole

school will be too much for them, please let us know that they will not be coming along. It

is a huge responsibility to take the whole school to the beach and we can not do it

without your support. 

You must meet us at school so we can do the roll and ensure all

children are accounted for. You are more than welcome and encouraged to carpool on

the day, as parking is very limited. 

The beach trip is a great way to get to know teachers and other whānau.

Please return your forms ASAP.

KINDO

Kindo is an app that allows online payments for items at school like pizza days etc. If

you go to the links below to either create an account, or log in. These links are also at

the top of our school blog site.

Create and account.

https://shop.tgcl.co.nz/shop/flow_join.shtml

Log in

https://shop.tgcl.co.nz/shop/index.html

Swimming Timetable

School Bank Account Details -

Account 12-3093-0200709-00

Kaurihohore school board of Trustees

Term One - Known Dates

6th of February - Waitangi Day (school closed)

24th February - School Board meeting 7pm (community welcome as observers)

27th February - Beach Trip

2nd April - Last day of term - term awards 2.10pm under canopy

—--

20th April - First day back Term 2

—---

Last day of the year - 15th of December 12pm finish

Food for thought…

End of year wrap up

End Of Year Wrap Up 2025

Kia ora Koutou

End of Year Wrap Up

Our last day of school is Tuesday, 16th December. School will finish at 12:00 pm, and children should be picked up by 12:30 pm. This half-day will focus on cleaning up, and children attending will assist with end-of-year tasks.

The school office will be open until the end of that week from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm for any inquiries or visits.

Start of the New School Year

We commence the new school year on 3rd February. Please note, our annual school beach picnic at Whangaumu Bay is scheduled for 27th February. We will need significant transport and supervision, so we hope this advance notice allows you to arrange time off to join us.

We are excited to welcome back Harko Brown, who will work with classes and staff on 17th and 18th February.

Class Information and Communication

Class lists have been sent home via Seesaw message, and children have had three visits to their new teacher. For any questions or concerns, please message teachers directly, rather than seeking the advice of others. You can do this via Seesaw. Addressing queries early helps ensure a smooth transition at the beginning of the year and helps everyone to be on the same page.  

Stationery and Reports

This year, the school will provide stationery directly. You will receive an invoice via Kindo, unless you have opted out. This ensures all students have the required supplies from day one.

Your child's report will be shared through Seesaw. Please read it alongside other comments from the year and hit the like button to confirm receipt. We appreciate your engagement and support.

Year Six Journals

For Year Six students, please download their journal by mid-January, either entirely or selected items, as class changes will limit access to past information.

Staff Farewells

We bid farewell to several valued staff members:

• Ronda Gibson: After 21 years, Ronda is retiring, having contributed greatly to our school community and impacting the lives of some many children and their whānau. We wish her all the best.

• Rachel Barclay: Rachel has provided invaluable support for some of our children in literacy. She is an incredible practitioner with a wealth of expertise, we hope to work with her again in the future.

• Chelsea: After seven years, Chelsea leaves for new adventures. Her support has greatly benefited many children and we have been very lucky to have her as a part of our staff.

• Nicky Robinsion: Nicky's caring nature has been an asset to our youngest learners. We hope she might return someday.

Celebrating Progress

During our junior and senior prize-givings, we emphasized the importance of cherishing childhood and celebrating progress. Education is not about racing to meet benchmarks but about personal growth at an individual pace. Learning starts from where each learner actually is, not where a level of phase says they should be. Thank you for supporting your child's academic, social, and emotional development.

Appreciation for Volunteers

A sincere thank you to our wonderful volunteers:

• Anne Mcinnes and Jan Cook: For the practice they provide for some of our learners.

• Moira McKay: For her invaluable help in junior rooms.

• Belinda Loring: For maths practice support and running the popular chess club.

• Bronwyn Bayne: Our grant application guru, thank you for all you do!

• Sarah Moon: Sarah is no longer a parent here, however she designs our raffle tickets and advertising for this every year, without charging, we so appreciate this!

If you wish to volunteer, please visit the office. The first step is police vetting.

I also want to thank everyone that has supported school trips, school events and fundraising events in some way, we could not provide the opportunities we do, without your support.

Farewell to Our Year Six Children

To our departing Year Six students, we are proud of your growth and accomplishments. Remember, kindness is a powerful trait. As you embark on new adventures, make choices that bring you closer to your goals.

Property Projects

Over the break, we will have a lot of property projects going on to update our infrastructure.  Please be mindful of this if you are using the school grounds.

We also have a new grant application that has been completed by Bronwyn Bayne.  If successful this will see updates made to our top playground area.  Keep your fingers crossed, we expect to hear the outcome of this around April 2026.

Fundraising

This year, we set a goal of $45 000 to help us pay for learning support in the school.  Having people available that children can co-regulate with benefits not just that child, but every child in the school.  This fundraising does not completely cover the required amount, but goes a long way to ensuring we can cover this.

This year we have managed to raise $56 800.  What an amazing effort.  We will take $5000 from this and put it towards fundraising for a new sandpit area.  Over the Summer break, we will also be replacing the seating outside Room 3 and 5, fixing the step up to the discovery shed to make it safe and building a permanent Gaga pit that the children will LOVE.

I want to take a chance to thank YOU for any way that you have assisted with fundraising.  Even if it was just throwing your weight behind one aspect of this, we appreciate you!  This helps to prevent the Little Red Hen effect, where a few people do the work, while everyone benefits.  

A massive shout out to Dianne Wyatt, without her driving fundraising in the school, we just couldn’t do it.

Along with fundraising, we have raised $17 664 in grants that have been used to purchase specific items around the school.  We have received $5401 in donations often made through Kindo and $5000 in sign sponsorship that again is used to support curriculum resources.  We are incredibly grateful!

It is sad to think that we need to raise such a huge amount of money on top of government funding, but that is just our reality right now. 

Our School Board 

A big thank you to our School Board, you continue to drive this school forward with positivity and a clear direction of what kind of place we want to foster.  Thank you to Bob Newport as an outgoing member, we have appreciated your hard work over the time with us.  

Our Staff

You are the most fantastic bunch of human beings I could hope to work with.  Thank you for continuing to move forward in what have been really trying times.  Each and everyone of you works so incredibly hard for our children and to be the best practitioner you can possibly be, for that, I am truly grateful. 

Class Teachers For 2026

Room 1 (Pīwakawaka) - Lisa Lipsham and Laura Stanners

Room 2 (Ruru) - Laura Stanners (this class will not open till Term 2 or 3)

Room 3 (Kāhu) - Leslee Allen and Tracey Angelo-Jones

Room 4 - (Pūkeko) - Steve Ferguson

Room 5 - (Kōtare) - Jo Kake

Room 6 - (Tūī) - Nicky Cleaver

Room 7 - (Huia) - Kelly Glasgow

Room 8 - (Kiwi) - Cathy Hadfield

Room 9 - (Miromiro) - Vikki Tuckey