MENPS News

From The Principal

Kia ora koutou

Illness and Absences

Short-term illnesses (such as the flu, colds, and gastrointestinal bugs) are the leading cause of justified student absences in schools, accounting for approximately 5% of all time off during the school year, on average

As we experience seasonal weather changes, this means we can anticipate spikes in illness, but it can sometimes be difficult to make the call on when children should (or shouldn’t) be at school.

In addition to prioritising the immediate wellbeing of a child who is sick, of course, it's also important to consider helping contain and limit the spread of infectious diseases as they can be passed on so easily to other children (and staff) in busy classroom environments. To help navigate these decisions, we have developed a general guide based on Health NZ advice, covering the most common symptoms and outlining the appropriate steps.

Further information can be found here, including a list of publicly notifiable diseases, with key guidelines as follows:

When To Send your Child To School

When To Keep Your Child At Home

Children should be kept at home for the following:

FEVER - Keep them home until:

Their temperature is below 38°C
They have been fever-free for 24 hours without paracetamol or ibuprofen
They are acting normally again

Seek urgent advice if fever comes with: Severe headache, sleepiness or confusion, rash, trouble waking them, breathing problems

VOMITING OR DIARRHOEA - Keep them home:

While symptoms continue
For 48 hours after the last vomit or diarrhoea

COVID-19 - If they have symptoms:

Do a RAT test if possible - if positive:
Stay home until symptoms improve and fever has gone for 24 hours
Health NZ recommends staying home for at least 5 days from symptom onset or positive test

SORE THROAT - Keep them home if:

They need pain relief to cope
They seem unwell
Māori and Pacific children with sore throats should be checked promptly because of rheumatic fever risk.

WHEEZING OR BREATHING DIFFICULTY - Keep them home if they:

Are wheezing
Struggle to breathe
Cannot focus because of coughing
Get urgent medical help if breathing is difficult

NEW RASH - Seek medical advice urgently if a rash comes with:

Fever
Drowsiness
Severe illness
Recent exposure to measles or chickenpox

HEAD LICE OR SCABIES

Head lice: return once treatment has started
Scabies: return 24 hours after first treatment

General 'Rule of Thumb'

Ask yourself:

Can my child comfortably take part in learning?
Are they likely to spread illness to others?
Do they seem generally well in themselves?

If the answer is “no,” keep them home to recover.

Returning to School After Illness

Children must return as soon as they are well enough. A doctor’s note is usually not needed.

Sickbay Notifications via HERO App

On a related note, when children visit sickbay, you may receive a notification from the HERO App to make you aware, but please note that these will always let you know whether or not we are requesting a pickup or visit to school (which is often not actually needed), so please make sure you read the full notification - sometimes, it may be for information purposes only as part of our routine sickbay procedures.

School Hours

Finally, a reminder that children are not permitted unsupervised on school grounds outside the hours of 8.15 AM and 3.15 PM. There are no exceptions to this rule. Outside of these times, children are a parental responsibility and must be appropriately supervised (or booked into SKiDs if needed).

This also means that children should not be sent back to school after the school day has ended to play on playgrounds unsupervised as this is a health and safety concern.

Ka kite anõ i a koutou

Alan Jackson, Principal

Events & Reminders

Friday 22nd May:

PTA Mid Term Ice Block Sale - $2 - 3:00pm - 3:30pm

Tuesday 26th May:

Zone Football - Keith Hay Park (save day Thurs 28th May)

Wednesday 27th May:

PTA Second Hand Uniform Shop open - 8:15 am - 9:15am
Mid Term 2 New Entrant Cohort Visit 2 - 9:00am - 10:30am

Monday 1st June: Holiday - King's Birthday

Notices

MENPS Walking School Bus

We are getting our MENPS Walking School Bus back up and running and in light of recent petrol prices think this is the right time for it. We have 2 routes that we will be launching. The ‘Henley Route’ and ‘Prospect Route’. Please click on the link below to find out more information about them and to sign your child/ren up for them. Initially they will run in the mornings but we are hoping to extend to the afternoon buses if we can have more parent volunteers.

If you are able to help be a parent supervisor for either of these routes or would like to start one around your area, please email aonel@mteden.school.nz We are looking to expand the routes we have but it all depends on the parent volunteers we can get. Thank you to those who have helped get these walking buses up and running.

Walking School Bus sign up

EZLUNCH - Available Mon-Fri

Ezlunch is back for Term 2

Ordering Ezlunch through Kindo is quick, easy, and one less thing to think about in the morning. You order from home (or on the go), and your child's lunch is delivered to school, ready to eat.

Here's how:

Log in to the Kindo app (or set up an account at shop.kindo.co.nz)
Pick from the menu on your school's available days
Your child collects their lunch at school

💰 Order & win!

Every Ezlunch order placed between 27 April - 22 May goes in the draw to win 1 of 5 x $50 Kindo credits each week.

Order here 👉 mykindo.co.nz

T&Cs apply.

🌏Help us to Celebrate MENPS Matariki, Dragon Boat & Cultural Festival! 🎉

Mount Eden Normal Primary School’s Matariki, Dragon Boat & Cultural Festival is happening on:

📅 Sunday 21st june

⏰ 12:00pm – 3:00pm

📍 73 Valley Road, Mt Eden

This special event celebrates culture, connection, creativity, and community — and we would love your help to make it truly representative of the amazing diversity within our school.

The PTA is inviting families to come forward with ideas, activities, or contributions from any culture, country, or background. We would love to support you in sharing something meaningful from your heritage or traditions.

We are looking for ideas such as:

🍜 Traditional foods or snacks

🎨 Arts, crafts, or cultural activities

🎲 Traditional games or interactive experiences

🎶 Music, dance, singing, storytelling, or performances

👘 Cultural displays, clothing, decorations, or demonstrations

🛍️ Market stall ideas

✨ Anything else that celebrates your culture and helps bring our community together

Whether your idea is big or small, the PTA can help support with planning, resources, setup, or coordination.

This festival is all about celebrating who we are as a community:

“He iwi tahi tātou — We are all one people.”

If you would like to participate, perform, run an activity, or share an idea, please contact the PTA:

📧 menpspta@gmail.com

We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Uniform Donations – We Need Your Help!

As we head toward the end of the year, we are inviting families to donate any good-quality, pre-loved school uniforms. Especially long pants. A donation box will be stationed at the school reception, and students are also welcome to bring donations to the end-of-year assembly — and anytime beyond that.

Donation boxes will be readily available, and all contributions are greatly appreciated. Your support helps ensure that every student in our community has access to the uniforms they need.

Term 2 uniform shop dates as below:

Fri 24/04

Friday 08/05

Friday 15/05

Wednesday 20/05

Wednesday 27/05

Friday 05/06

Friday 19/06

Wednesday 24/06

Wednesday 01/07

Friday 03/07

Thank you for your generosity and kindness!

Upcoming Events Coordinator & Volunteers

Annual Menps Cultural Festival, Matariki and dragon boat Celebration

Our annual festival has become a community staple, whether you’d like to perform, dance, sing, share a craft or food from your country, let us know and we will weave it in to the fabric of the

festival.

When: Sunday 21st June 2026

Where: Mount Eden Normal Primary School

Time: 12PM-3PM

Interested in volunteering your time in any capacity or showcase your culture? Please email the

team on menpspta@gmail.com

Second Hand Uniform Shop will open next Friday or Wednesday- 27th May&29th May

8.15 - 9.15am (27th May&29th May)
In the PTA Room: follow signs from Valley Rd gates OR
Order by emailing Jane at menpspta@gmail.com.
Pay via Cash or Bank transfer.

Keep Collecting Yummy Fruit Stickers!

Some Yummy apples stickers are worth 2 points

Did you know that some of Yummy apples stickers are worth 2 points? Buy and enjoy these lovely new apple varieties, Lemonade, Ambrosia and Sweet Tango and DOUBLE your points. Stickers from these varieties can be put on the side of the Collection Sheet that has a picture of trees. If you don't have a Collection sheet, head to the office to get one or collect stickers on a blank sheet of paper.

Happy collecting MENPS!

Email menpspta@gmail.com I Follow us on Facebook

Refer to the PTA website for information on the various fundraising and community activities