Tuesday, December 12, 2023

End of year and start of year information

 Thank you all for another great year.  I really appreciate the support that you, our community, provide for our wonderful school.  

Without you as a collective supporting our purpose and values the unique nature of our school would not resonate so strongly.    There are not many schools where the staff average so many years in one place (around 15 years on average.)

As I said at our Senior awards, creating a successful school is a team effort.  We have an amazing staff and a brilliant community.  In a world where all of us are time poor, I thank those of you that have managed to prioritise some time for us.  This may be in the form of fundraising, in the form of transport or simply supporting the learning we do in the classroom at home by checking in with your child’s seesaw.  

Without our fundraising we would not have the turf our children play on, the canopy we are lucky to assemble under, the mini basketball court, the pool, the small class sizes, the extra learning support…and the list goes on and on.  The fundraising that you support, makes that much difference and the reality is, everyone benefits.  

I am truly grateful to be able to lead such an incredible staff and belong to an amazing community. 

We have many families for whom this is the end of their journey with us.  As your children move onto intermediate, and you leave us behind, I hope that you remember your time here with fondness and even if we didn’t always get everything right, you know we always did your best.  Thank you for understanding we are human.

Many of our families that end their time with us have made a significant difference to this place and will be remembered in each and every little or large thing we managed to put in place because of their efforts, for this we are grateful.  

To the Year Six students that leave us this year:

When all is said and done and the competition has been run,  the awards have been given and the applause has died down.  There is one thing that matters most, the person you have become.

Compassion and kindness and showing empathy for others will be their own reward.  You’ll be rewarded in the good you do, the friends you are cherished by and the memories you leave others with.

Be the person that is remembered by others with fondness, because at the end of the day it is about who you have become, not what you have won.

Mā te huruhuru ka rere to manu

Let your feathers be ones of kindness.


 Together we are and will continue to make a difference for our children.  

Tangata ako ana i te kāenga, te tūranga ki te marae, tau ana

A person nurtured in the community, contributes strongly to society.

End of Year Info -

Reports will have been posted on seesaw this week.  Please leave a heart on your child's post even if you don't like it, so we know it has been read.  If you need a hard copy and are unable to print it yourself, please ask your child’s teacher.

If you have a year six child, either download their journal or items that you would like to save, before you lose access early next year.

Our last day is Friday the 15th and this ends at 12.00pm.  Friday is used as a day to clean up, sort classes and move any furniture that needs moving.  Send children to school prepared to help with this.  Children need to be picked up by 12.15pm on this day.

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Start of School Info -

All children now know their classes and lists will be sent home via seesaw.  School starts on the 5th of February and the last day of 2024  is the 18th of December.  The office will be open in the week prior to our starting date if you need to get in contact.

Next year there will be a couple of MOE allowed teacher only days.  We will advise you of these days when we have them.  These days have been allocated by the MOE so schools can get to work on developing and refining their curriculum.

The date for the Beach Picnic has been set for Friday the 23rd of February.  We will rely heavily on parent transport and supervision on this day, so set it aside if you can.  This year it had to be cancelled due to water quality, so we have our fingers crossed that next year it will be able to go ahead.

Stationery lists will be popped on seesaw, but can also be accessed online, by searching your child's class.

2024 Stationery

Office Max online myschool.co.nz.

Office Products  online & In store nzschoolshop | Back To School Suppliers | PS Limited | Official Site  21-23 Commerce Street Whangarei. Branch Opening Hours Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

Qizzle Online: www.schoolpacks.co.nz

These companies have your child's class list, if purchasing online you just need to search the school and then the class.  

New Entrant Room Piwakawaka (RM1) is to be purchased at school if needed. If your child is staying in with Michelle she will let you know what they may need and this can be purchased at school.

We wish you a happy Summer break and we will see most of you back next year.



Leslee Allen