Friday 13th March 2026

Kia ora koutou, Talofa lava, Mālo ē lelei, Kumusta,

It has been wonderful seeing so many of you come to our Goal setting learning conversations over the past two days. We know that the students are always so proud to sit and show you what they have achieved and what they want to work on.

If you were unable to come to either of these days, you can always make a time with your teacher to come in on a day that suits you.

Last week, we had a crazy and wonderful week of swimming. Our goal, as always, is to give the students the experience of swimming and water safety and to help build their confidence in and around water. The students always look forward to it and even though there were probably a few tired and grumpy children by the afternoon, we know it was worth it.

REMINDER

The Church carpark has disabled carparks for those adults or students who need to use them. Please ensure you are not parking in these parks if you do not have a Disability Sticker. If you park in one unnecessarily, you are stopping someone who needs it from using it and causing distress. This is particularly important for our families who are picking up our Special Needs students at the end of the day.

Our school gates are closed during the day to keep all our students safe. Please ensure that when you come through the gate you close it after you. Do not let any child out of the gate if they head towards it while you are coming through. The teachers will open the gate at the end of the day when the bell has rung.

Thank you for your support in this matter.

As the weather is officially starting to cool down, you might want to pop into the office and see if we have a school jacket that fits your child. We have varied sizes and order each term so if we cannot accommodate you this term, I can order some more for next term.

I thank you once again for all your support in helping make our school an amazing place to be!

I wish you a safe and peaceful weekend!

Ngā Mihi Nui

Jo Jones

We hope everyone has had a lovely week. It was great to catch up with so many of you at our Goal Setting evenings. We are very proud of how the children interacted with you as they decided on the goals they will focus on.

This week in R.E we have continued with our Lenten topic. This weeks theme in class was Vision. Ask your child about the story of how Jesus healed the blind man. Just as the blind man heard Jesus' voice and answered His call, we are challenged to do the same.

The children in Room 7 have been working very hard on their literacy and numeracy skills. During Maths, they are learning about the place value of numbers up to at least 30. They are using place value blocks, Numicon, and bundles of popsicle sticks to represent and build numbers.

In Literacy, we continue to focus on reading and writing CVC (consonant–vowel–consonant) words using the children’s knowledge of letter sounds. The children are becoming much more confident at segmenting and blending sounds when reading and writing.

Last week, I sent home fluency reading books for the children to read at home. Please help remind your child to return their books to class so they can take new ones home. In class, the students read specific books that relate to the sound or sounds they are currently learning. These books stay at school so we can continue to use them during our reading lessons.

In Waimana Room 2, we are getting used to our new classroom set-up with our new tables. The new arrangement has made learning more collaborative and flexible, giving the children space to work together, share ideas, and stay focused on their tasks.

We are also continuing to develop our number skills in Maths. The children have been practising ordering numbers from smallest to biggest, working on addition and subtraction, and enjoying some fun pattern movement activities that get both their minds and bodies engaged.

Included in this newsletter are some photos showing the children at their swimming lessons. They really enjoyed the experience and showed great enthusiasm in the water. During the lessons, the children had been learning important water safety skills, practising floating and kicking, and building their confidence in the pool. It has been wonderful to see them encouraging one another and trying their best as they develop these important life skills.

Finally, we will definitely miss Fr. Phillip when he leaves for Cebu. He has made our fitness time fun and exciting, and the children have really enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm he brings to our sessions.

Enjoy your weekend!