School Newsletter Term 2, Week 9

Kia ora,

It has been an incredibly busy and rewarding few weeks around the school. From cultivating our gardens to cultivating our minds, our students and staff are putting our core values into action every single day.

Our Kind Hearts group has been working overtime to spread positivity throughout the school. This month, they’ve organized a "Meet and Greet" initiative. This will be rolled out over the coming weeks and we look forward to this being another welcoming initiative to West End School.

The gardens are bursting with life thanks to our Plant to Plate program. Students have been getting their hands dirty learning about sustainable agriculture, soil health, and seasonal planting.

• In the Garden: This week, the classes harvested vegetables and leafy greens.

• In the Kitchen: Students turned their fresh harvest into a delicious, hearty meal which they then enjoyed for lunch.

You may have noticed some new, enthusiastic faces in our classrooms recently. We are thrilled to continue to host a talented cohort of Trainee Teachers onsite this term.

Partnering with local universities to mentor the next generation of educators is a privilege. These trainees bring fresh ideas, energy, and up-to-date educational research into our spaces, working alongside our experienced staff to provide even more support for our students.

New Garden Oasis

If you’ve walked past Room 16 lately, you will have noticed a wonderful transformation! Construction is complete on our brand-new flower bed garden. This vibrant new space will not only brighten up the concrete walkways but also offer our students a hands-on connection to nature right outside their classroom door.

Building Warrant of Fitness (BWOF) Audit

Safety is always our top priority. We recently underwent our official Building Warrant of Fitness Audit. This comprehensive check ensures that all our school buildings compliance systems—such as alarms, emergency lighting, and exit signs—are fully up to code and functioning perfectly. We are pleased to report that everything is shipshape.

Essential Maintenance & Upkeep

Winter and autumn weather can take a toll on school infrastructure, so our team has been hard at work keeping things clear and safe:

• Replaced Broken Grates: A number of damaged drainage grates around the courtyard and fields have been replaced to ensure smooth drainage and prevent any tripping hazards.

• Cleared Spouting & Downpipes: To prevent leaks and water pooling during heavy Palmerston North downpours, a full sweep of the school's roof plumbing was completed. All spouting and downpipes are now clear of leaves and debris.

A big thank you to our wonderful property team and contractors for their hard work in keeping West End School looking sharp and running smoothly! Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to improve our school spaces.

West End School - Te Kura O Urumutu

In Room 15 and 16, we have been using mana aotūroa to explore Matariki and Puanga. If you visit our cloakroom, you will see a wonderful display of our hands reaching for Hiwa-i-te-rangi (the wishing star) as we share our goals for the year with whānau and our school community.

To create these goals, we thought about the ways we could use whakamana through the rest of the school year, and the things we want to achieve.

I want to read lots of books - Luka

I want to be good at singing our school song - Louis

I want my handwriting to be great - Arleaux

I want to get better at soccer - TA

So many great goals from our youngest learners!

Ka taea e koe!

On Wednesday 17th June, Ruma 5 spent most of the day participating in the wonderful Plant to Plate programme. It was a fantastic opportunity for our tamariki to experience hands-on learning connected to Te Mātaiaho, developing their understanding of sustainability, wellbeing, science, and working together as a community.

Students took part in a range of meaningful activities led by the amazing Plant to Plate team. Some tamariki decorated pots and planted strawberry plants to take home, while also learning about safe gardening practices and the importance of handling bagged soil carefully. Others helped prepare new garden spaces and explored the plants already growing in our school gardens and orchard.

In the kitchen, all Room 5 students worked collaboratively to prepare delicious dishes which we enjoyed together at lunchtime. Throughout the day, our school values of Whakamana, Kotahitanga, Mana Aotūroa, and Manaakitanga were proudly demonstrated through teamwork, respect, perseverance, and caring for others and our environment.

Tēnā tātou e te whānau o te kura o Urumutu!

Ā tē wiki tekau, ka haere a Pihipihinga ki te marae Te Hotu Manawa o Rangitāne o Manawatū. Hei hono i tēnā ki tā mātou ako, I ako mātou i ngā wāhanga o te marae, o te wharenui hoki. I tuhia ngā whakaāhua o te whare, ā, i hanga i tētahi wharenui. Whaowhia te kete mātauranga!

Greetings to our West End School whānau!

Next week,Pihipihinga will be heading to Te Hotu Manawa o Rangitāne o Manawatū marae. To connect this to our learning, we have been learning about the parts of a marae and a meeting house. We have been doing descriptive writing about the meeting house, and built our own wharenui. Fill the basket of knowledge!