Week 5 Term 3, 2025

Parent Board Election Results Declaration

The board election is now concluded. The following parents and staff have been elected to the board for the next three years.
At the close of nominations, as the number of valid nominations was equal to the
number of vacancies required to be filled, I hereby declare the following duly elected:

Larissa Bendall
Andy Bedford
Hayley Brier
Matthew Owen
Virginia McCreadie
Olivia Graham (Staff Rep)

Val Mansfield
Returning Officer

Upcoming Events

There is lots of planning for the upcoming Disco and Pet Day coming up shortly. We also have a quiz night to look forward to on Friday, November 14, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Save the date and make this an event to come to.

The PTA will need help on the disco night to serve the sausages and to sell the glow sticks and lollies - please get in touch if you can lend a hand. Parents must pick up their children at the end of the night.

Cross Country - Wednesday, 13 August

Practices for the cross country have been happening since the beginning of the term. Now it is time to put it all together and run the event. Closed-in shoes are a must - no Crocs or bare feet. Parents and other supporters are welcome to cheer on the finish line, and of course, if you can marshal, we have a space for you. Please see Tayla Nicholson if you can help.

Following is the timetable for the events in case you have missed them.

Year 0/1 – Boys and Girls 9:20 a.m.

Year 2 – Boys 9:40 a.m.   | Girls 10:00 a.m.

Year 3 – Boys 10:20 a.m. | Girls 10:40 a.m.

Year 4 – Boys 10:50 a.m. | Girls 11:00 a.m.

Year 5 – Boys 11:10 a.m. | Girls 11:20 a.m.

Year 6 – Boys 11:30 a.m. | Girls 11:40 a.m.

Brilliant Bean Growing

This year for Pet Day there are some new competitions and events occurring. Introducing the first one.

Objective:

Students will plant and grow beans while observing, recording, and evaluating their growth through a diary or project board. This project promotes scientific thinking, responsibility, and creativity, linking directly to the Science and English learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum. All entries will be displayed for judging at Pet Day.

Categories:

• Junior (Years 0–2)

• Middle (Years 3–4)

• Senior (Years 5–6)

Important Information for whānau:

• Each student will receive five bean seeds between August 14–15, 2025.

• Beans must be grown in a container no larger than a 10L bucket (e.g., an ice cream container is fine).

• Students must bring their named bean plant and diary/project board to school on Friday, October 10, 2025, for judging.

• Place your project and plant on the table labelled for your year level.

Curriculum Links:

• Science – Living World
  • Life Processes: Understand what living things need to survive.
  • Ecology: Explore how plants interact with their environment.
  • Nature of Science: Develop skills in observation, recording, and reflection.

• English – Writing and Presenting
  • Structure, language features, and presentation of ideas for different purposes.

Observation & Diary/Project Board (August–October):

Students are required to create a 'growing diary' or project board that shows their effort and learning. This can be in a notebook, scrapbook, or on a poster board.

What to include:

• What you did to help the seeds grow.

• Type of soil used.

• Dates and times of planting.

• How often you watered your plant.

• Where it was placed (sunlight, shade, etc.).

• Any other things you did to help it grow (e.g., talking to it, rotating the container).

• Photos or hand-drawn pictures of each stage.

• A graph tracking the bean's growth (height over time).

• Reflections or comments about what worked and what you might do differently next time.

Handwritten diaries are highly encouraged and will be looked on favourably by judges, especially for younger children.

Presentation Phase (Pet Day – October 10):

• Bring your named bean plant and diary or project board to school.

• Set them up in the display area for your year level.

• Make sure your project is clear, colourful, and shows your best effort.

Judging Criteria (All Year Groups):

• Growth & Health: How tall, green, and healthy is the bean plant?

• Care & Responsibility: Does the diary/project board show consistent care and effort?

• Creativity & Presentation: Is the display neat, engaging, and well-organised?

• Scientific Thinking: Are growth patterns observed and explained? Are dates, measurements, or graphs included?

Mitre 10 have donated the beans and are coming to judge the final presentation alongside the beans on October 10, 2025. I hear that the staff are also joining in the competition.

If you would like to be a part of this competition, an instruction notice and the beans will be given out on Thursday.

General

School Carpark

There have been reports that the school car park is seeing an increase in traffic at pick-up time. Alongside the traffic, there are running students who are popping out of gates at a great rate of knots. Then add some rain to the mix. This is not a safe place to park or to pick up your children. Please park across the road and use the crossing to cross the road.

Lost property

There is a large amount of lost property in the cupboard. Lots of jerseys and hoodies without names. Please come and have a look and take your family belongings home.

Paid Union Meeting

The teachers, support staff, and I are all attending a Paid Union Meeting to advance our collective agreements on Friday, August 22, 2025. The school remains open with a very limited staff. If you are able to collect your children from 12.45 p.m., staff will be able to get to the meeting being held at Hilltop School. 

Teacher Only Day

IMPORTANT: There is a change to the Teacher Only Day planned in October.  It will now be held on Friday, October 24, 2025. The reason for the change is a Ministry of Education planning meeting for 2026, which clashes with our original date.

The teachers are focusing on the Mathematics Curriculum. This is the second day allowed by the Ministry of Education to support teachers in working on this refreshed curriculum.

Support Your Child’s Creativity

Your child has created a unique piece of art for the KidsArtWork.com calendar fundraiser. You can purchase calendars, cards, diaries, and more featuring their artwork. It’s a special keepsake and makes for great gifts - it also supports the school. Your child will bring home an order form. Please complete the order form and bring it back to school if you’d like to purchase.

Orders to be returned by Friday, August 22, 2025, to classroom teachers.

Start Date for 2026

School will start on Monday, February 2, 2026. Buses will be operational from that date.

Ngā manaakitanga,
Paula Farquhar
Principal – Tumuaki