Midhirst School
Our Best Always, Ka Eke Tōku Pai
KAHA
K - Ka Eke Tōku Pai, Our Best Always
A - Auaha, Creative & Innovative
H - Hauora, Wellbeing
A - Ako, Reciprocal Learning
Term 4, Week 2 2026
Principal's Message
Nei rā te mihi atu ki ā koutou i raro i te korowai ō tō tātou nei tauheke a Taranaki. Greetings to everyone who sits under the cloak of our ancestor Mounga Taranaki.
I want to give a enormous mihi to all those who took part in the Midhirst Pet Day. The weather was challenging but I felt it was one of the best attended with high numbers of lambs, calves, and other animals. Those children who did not bring an animal had opportunities to participate in many activities set up. All child participated with the arts and crafts. This is fantastic.
This was made possible because of the Pet Day Team, the Fundraising Committee, Our Sponsors, the Judges, the activitiy organsiers, Whanau helpers with the setting up and the shops, and of course our akonga and their whānau for the time they have put into caring for their animal.
We will be sending out a survey for whānau voice on what went well and possible suggestions for next year.
This week Mr Faapoi and I are attending the Maori Achievement Collaboration being held in Taranaki. This initiative began in 2014 and has grown over the last 12 years. Each year it is held in a different rohe / place. We spend time going around the rohe listening to the different Pūrakau/Stories about the history of that area. This week we have been extremely lucky to have the opportunity to visit and listen to the rich history of Taranaki. Mātairangi (Airport), Pukeiti, Whare Hononga (St Mary’s Church), Pūkaka (Marsden Hill), Rere Kapuni (Dawson Falls), North Egmont Visitors Centre (Papakura o Taranaki), and Parihaka. We have had Key note speakers talking about education.
Mr Morgan recently applied for Tu Manawa Funding to support Active Play at Midhirst School. He was successful. The focus is around Pickle Ball, activating the line marking activities, and constructive play. Thank you Mr Morgan.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Yours Sincerely
Graham Sands
Pet Day Activity Winners
Guess the Weight Winners:
Sheep: 69kg - Susan Knowles
Hay Bale: 21kg - Trudy Vince
Horse Feed: 6.5kg - Trudy Vince
Palm Kernel Mix: 14kg - Miriske Gray
Maize Silage: 8kg - Scott
Wood Chip: 5kg - Daphne Knowles
Junior colouring in winner - Elise Oliver
Highly commended - Bonnie Sayers and Sofia Lowen
Senior colouring in winner - Olive Soper
Highly Commended - Matilda Soper and Eevie O'Connor
Junior Nail drive - George with one hit
Senior Nail drive - Eli with two hits
Adults - Hugh and Lucas both with one hit
Gumboot throw - George
Runner up Emmett
Guess the 'droppings' winner - Indiana with the exact amount of 120
Prizes will be ready to pick up from the office on Thursday
Basketball Skills
The Anderson's have kindly given up their Sunday mornings (starting 18 October) to hold Basketball skills at S.H.S for those children who want to learn between 10am - 12pm. Yrs 4, 5 & 6 from 10 - 11am and Yr 7 - 8 from 11am - 12pm. There is no cost - just turn up on the day!
News from the Classrooms
Junior Syndicate
Kia ora whānau, nau mai ki te Wik rua, welcome to week 2 of Term 4!
It was fantastic to see all of the tamariki and whānau at Pet Day on Friday. It was great to see everyone with their pets and participating in the day despite the cold weather! A massive thank you for all of the hard work that the Pet Day committee and fundraising committee put in to make Pet Day an amazing day for all tamariki.
This week for writing, the tamariki are doing recounts on Pet Day. In Weeks 3–4, the tamariki will be learning how to write to instruct. This will make for some great learning opportunities to support the tamariki in their writing.
In Ngā Motu, the tamariki will be writing about Firewise with a focus on letter formation and spelling CVC and CCVC words.
In Panitahi, the tamariki will be writing using conjunctions and long vowel sounds.
Finally, in Taranaki, the tamariki will be focusing on learning how to edit their writing to ensure it makes sense. They are also focusing on adding the correct suffixes to ensure their work is written in the correct tenses.
Taranaki is lucky to have Whaea Nikki in every day for the next 5 weeks. She is starting to take group learning and whole-class learning! We have a lot of fun activities to do with her, and the tamariki love seeing her every day!
Have a great week!
Ngā mihi,
Ben, Meg, and Marg
Senior Syndicate
Kia ora whānau,
We hope everyone had a lovely weekend and is ready for another great week of learning in the senior syndicate.
This week in writing, we are exploring poetry and different types of poems. Students will have the opportunity to read a range of poems, explore creative ways to use language, and have a go at writing their own. In maths, we are focusing on Number, revisiting key skills and strategies to build confidence and strengthen understanding. We will also be completing some reading assessments to see how students are progressing with their reading throughout the year and identify the next steps in their learning.
On Wednesday afternoons, the Senior Syndicate will be heading outside for athletics practice as we prepare for the upcoming Cluster Athletics at Toko School on 2 November. Students will be practising a range of events, including shot put, discus, long jump, high jump and relays.
A big thank you to all our whānau for your support with Pet Day on Friday! It was fantastic to see so many families getting involved and supporting the students. Despite the freezing cold and challenging weather, we had an awesome turnout, and we really appreciate everyone who helped make the day so special.
Have a wonderful week, whānau!
Ngā mihi,
Ilana, Jono and Colleen
Pouakai:
Congratulations to all students that took part in Pet Day on Friday, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all your amazing pets. This week we are busy finishing off testing. Congratulations to Connor, Gus (from Taranaki class), Christopher and Anish for scoring outstanding results in the Basic Facts test, 6 minutes to answer 120 questions.
Every Monday afternoon Year 4’s will join the juniors to practise for the upcoming Tabloid Sports event here at Midhirst School on Wednesday 18 November. Every Wednesday afternoons Year 5’s are busy practising Athletics skills for the upcoming Athletics day for all Year 5-8 students at Toko School on Monday 09 November. Whanau is welcome at both events.
Have a fantastic week,
Ngā mihi nui,
Colleen 😊
Hops Holiday and After School Programs
A massive thank you to Hops Holiday and After School Programs for the very generous donation of a party hire package for the Christmas Cracker Raffle. https://www.hopsholidayandafterschoolprograms.com/
Whats On
22 October - Yr 7/8 Tech at S.H.S
2 November - Athletics at Toko School, Yr 5-8
2 November - Alternative Energy Road Show
5 November - Yr 7/8 Tech at S.H.S
13 November - Year 8 Orientation Day at S.H.S
18 November - Tabloid Sports Yrs 1-4
19 November - Yr 7/8 Tech at S.H.S
23 - 27 November - Senior Camp at Vertical Horizons
2 December - Yr 8 Leavers Dinner
3 December - Yr 7/8 Tech at S.H.S
9 December - Prize Giving, 6pm at S.H.S
10 December - Fun Day
11 December - Last Day of 2026, 1pm finish
Aluminium Cans Thank you to everyone who is sending aluminium cans to school, we ask that food tins, glass and general household rubbish not be included with the cans. This is a real Health and Safety issue when students open the bags to squash the cans. Thank you for your help and understanding.
About Us
Email: office@midhirst.school.nz
Website: www.midhirst.school.nz
Location: 8 Erin Street, Midhirst, New Zealand
Phone: 06 762 8670
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Midhirst-School-660469337328813/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&eid=ARCLyXJTQ4E6wYd2RDui3i7kXfFv2V_cMCGZMJrYO5A-oiXryL0dH1pCSIHNWSV1k37sjbn5m1DsiEKi