School Newsletter Term 3, Week 10

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Tony West

Principal

Our last VIBE assembly of the term will start at 2.10 today and is led by Pihipihingā. We look forward to seeing you in the hall for our final celebration of the term.

Today is the last day of Term 3 and we will all be on holiday for 2 weeks - coming back for Term 4 on Monday 6th October. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Please look through the lost property this afternoon to collect any items of clothing misplaced over the term to take home. They will be laid out on the benches in the quad area.

Please update your details with the school office if

• Your physical address has changed
• Your mobile phone number has changed
• Your child is taking any medication
• Any interim or parenting order updates
• Your emergency contact changes

If you are moving to a different school for the 2026 school year (not including our Year 6 students), please let the school office know so we can plan accordingly. Thank you

To ensure the safety of all students, we will be implementing a new bell schedule. From now on, a bell will sound at 3:15 p.m. every afternoon to remind parents and caregivers that all visitors and students not involved in supervised after-school activities must leave the school grounds.

This change is necessary for two main reasons:

• Student Safety: We have had several instances of unsupervised children in the playground after school. This has led to unsafe behaviour and has required staff to intervene. The new bell will help us make sure all students are accounted for and are in a safe environment.

• Reduced Noise: Clearing the grounds promptly will also help us reduce noise levels during after-school staff and team meetings.

Please note that the gate next to the staff car park will remain open for any sports teams practicing after school. All other gates will be locked by Brendon starting at 3:30 p.m.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Your help in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Dear West End School Parents,

We are excited to announce the details for the 2026 Senior School Cam. Your child will have the fantastic opportunity to attend Vertical Horizons Camp in Taranaki from the 28th April - 1st May 2026. This promises to be an enriching and memorable experience for all our senior students.

Camp Details

The camp will run for 4 days and 3 nights during Week 2 of Term 2, 2026. Students will travel to and from the camp by bus.

Camp Costs

The cost for the camp is $290 per child. We understand that this is a significant expense, and to help ease the financial burden, we will be offering a payment plan option. Additionally, we will be organizing various fundraising efforts throughout the year to help lower the overall cost for families. More information on the payment plan and fundraising initiatives will be provided in following communication this term as well as term 4 of this year.

Parent Helpers Needed!

To ensure the smooth running and safety of the camp, we will require the support of 10 parent helpers. If you are interested in joining us for this exciting adventure and supporting our students, please indicate your interest by email to thalatokoua@westend.school.nz. All helpers will undergo a vetting process to ensure safety and transparency.

We will be providing more detailed information about the camp activities, what to pack, and health and safety procedures closer to the time. In the meantime, please mark these dates in your calendar!

If you have any initial questions, please don't hesitate to contact Tui or the school office.

Thank you to all of our whānau that made it into our hall to enjoy our Visual Art Show whilst the 3 Way Conferences were taking place.

The hard work and artistic talent of our West End staff and students were on full display and it has truely transformed our school hall.

We will be keeping this art on show for the remainder of the year so if you haven't been able to see our masterpieces, you can enjoy them during our Vibe Assemblies.

We are in need of parent volunteers to help with breakfast clubs. If you are available to do even one morning please contact sport@westend.school.nz

Congratulations to both of our EPro8 teams, the West End Legends and the West Endgineers, who represented West End School with pride this week at the regional competition!

Competing against 10 other schools from around Manawatū, our teams worked for two and a half hours to build a Foosball Table and a Laser Target.

The West Endgineers team was phenomenal, earning first place and a spot in the Grand Final the next day. They continued their amazing work at the finals, placing third overall.

We are incredibly proud of all of their hard work and achievements, and the way they demonstrated our school values throughout the competition.

As part of our Numicon programme we have been learning about money in room 15. We have made a shop and we use play money to purchase things. We show kotahitanga in the way we work together and take turns being the shopkeeper.

We can identify the differences in coins and we are learning about trading and value. Our play money is identical to NZ money and that is helping us to recognize the different notes and coins. Some of us even put our money together so we could buy items that were of greater value.

TWNOT last Friday had the privilege of getting to experience food from the culture they have been learning about this term. In Room 3 they have been learning about the Netherlands. They got to make Pofferjes which is a dutch pancake. They were super tasty!! In Room 4 they have been learning about Mexico. They got to make salsa, beans and rice that was served in a tortilla. Yum Yum! In Room 5 they have been learning about Botswana. They got to make Botswana biscuits. Very delicious! The cultural day did not stop there. From baking and cooking in the morning to then showcasing their learning to each other. Each class got to walk around and experience the other cultures through looking at their work and artwork that they had been working extremely hard on. The cultural day was an amazing way to highlight and showcase all of the students learning in a hands-on experience.

Registrations for summer sport are being put on Kindo - please check to see which sports are currently available. Netball, Hockey, Tennis and Football will be the sports you can register for.

Next term our swimming starts up again at Hilton Brown. Below are the days and times each class will be swimming. Please send your child to school with swimming togs, a towel, and a hair tie if your child's hair needs tying up on the day they are swimming.

WEEK 10 - Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

• VIBE Assembly Pihipihingā - Friday 19th September
• Last Day of Term 3 - Friday 19th September

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS: Friday 19th September - Monday 6th October

TERM 4, WEEK 1

• Swimming Starts - Monday 6th October (Te Wao Nui o Tāne)
• Swimming: Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 7th October
• Power Hour - Wednesday 8th October
• Swimming: Tipuranga - Thursday 9th October

WEEK 2

• Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne - Monday 13th October
• Swimming: Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 14th October
• Power Hour - Wednesday 15th October
• Swimming: Tipuranga - Thursday 16th October
• Tipuranga VIBE Assembly - Friday 17th October

WEEK 3

• Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne - Monday 20th October
• Swimming: Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 21st October
• Power Hour - Wednesday 22nd October
• Swimming: Tipuranga - Thursday 23rd October

WEEK 4

• LABOUR DAY: NO SCHOOL - Monday 27th October
• Swimming: Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 28th October
• Power Hour - Wednesday 29th October
• Swimming: Tipuranga - Thursday 30th October
• PIHIPIHINGA VIBE Assembly - Friday 31st October

The PTA are Fundraising for Sports & Cultural resources & School Camp and this is taking place of our Quiz Night.

Please check your child’s school bag for raffle tickets & seller information at the start of next term - Wednesday 8th October. Two raffle books will be sent to each child. If you do not wish to receive a raffle booklet, please email your classroom teacher before this date.

There is a total of $4999 worth of prizes to be won, which includes FOUR prize packs for ticket sellers plus Lunch with Mr West to be won!

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Term 1: Monday 29 Jan - Friday 11 April

Term 2: Monday 28 April - Friday 27 June

Term 3: Monday 14 July - Friday 19 Sept

Term 4: Monday 6 Oct - Friday 12 Dec

Term 1 for Term 2: Wednesday 26 February 2025

Term 2 for Term 3: Wednesday 14 May 2025

Term 3 for Term 4: Wednesday 30 July 2025

Term 4 for Term 1 2026: Wednesday 8 October 2025

Term 1: Monday 2 February - Friday 3 April

Term 2: Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July

Term 3: Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September

Term 4: Monday 12 October - Friday 11 December

Term 1 for Term 2: Wednesday 26 February 2026

Term 2 for Term 3: Wednesday 14 May 2026

Term 3 for Term 4: Wednesday 30 July 2026

Term 4 for Term 1 2027: Wednesday 7 October 2026

Our school gates are opened at around 8.05-8.10am. If you have to drop your child off early, please do so as close to this time as possible for their own safety.

West End School starts at 8.50am in the morning. Children can wait next to the turf until 8.30 and then enter the school grounds when the bell goes. Please try to get your child to school on time as this sets them up for the day and helps establish a healthy routine - so they're not catching up with learning if they arrive late.

School finishes at 2.50. If you are picking your child up, please be at school at this time. We are having many parents turning up late which causes disruption for our office staff and teachers who have to delay appointments and meetings after school.

It is very important that families register with Kindo, as this is now the only way to register your child for school sports, and ordering PTA lunches.
Below are the links to register.
If you require help please call the Kindo helpdesk on

0508 454 636

New users need this link

Existing users need this link