2026 Newsletter - Week 8, Term 2

Kia ora koutou,

The term races by and we are preparing for a range of mid-year activities, which are getting closer all the time. These include:

* Year 4 to 6 swimming sports (Week 9 of the term - next week!)

* GMS Matariki celebrations (Week 10 of the term)

* Parent interviews (Week 11 of the term)

* the last day of term, and a farewell to Mrs de Lange (Friday 3 July).

More information about each of these will be communicated to you.

An aspect I do want to raise is the matter of changes to the New Zealand curriculum, and the impact this may have on your children's reports this year. Mid-year reports are currently being prepared to be shared with all parents and whānau in the mid-year interviews.

The school curriculum has been rewritten over the past few years. One major adjustment from the start of 2026 has been to raise expectations for each year group in reading, writing, and mathematics. We are in the situation where we have had shifts in what children are expected to learn in different age groups. What might previously have been viewed as a child moving along well and meeting expectations, can now under some of the new requirements, see the child be seen as not meeting the criteria. While this might be great for education into the future, it puts our current students into a challenging situation. We are now in a transition phase that will take a couple of years to work through for children and teachers.

I am not going to go into the merits of whether I feel these changes are right or wrong. However, our school, along with many others throughout New Zealand, are making the effort to set out to parents these significant changes. It may appear that your child's progress has changed or even dropped—when it is actually a change in the curriculum framework.

Attending the school interviews can help reinforce the progress your child is making. We will be making a significant effort to talk through progress and be able to understand how your child is going and what learning is coming next. Please make sure you ask if you have any difficulties making a booking under the different system we are using.

Have a great week.

Ngā mihi

Mark Johnson

Principal/Tumuaki

We have had the following students start with us since the last newsletter:

Breeze Culshaw, Harlice Culshaw and Mackenzie Waite.

A very warm welcome to you all!

Our school roll is currently 478.

Thursday 18th June - GMS Swimming sports - year 4 to 6

Thursday 25th June - Matariki evening

Friday 3rd July - Last day of term 2

The canteen will be closed next Wednesday 17th June. If you have already booked your child's lunch for that day, can you please cancel it in the Kindo App so you receive a credit back to your account.

We apologise in advance for the inconvenience.

We have parent/teacher interviews coming up at the end of the month on Monday 29th June and Tuesday 30th June.

School will close at 2pm both days. Children can be picked up from 2pm. Supervision will be provided until 3.00pm for those who can not be collected any earlier.

Interview time slots are for 15 minutes. Interviews will start at 2.15pm on both Monday and Tuesday. The last interview time on Monday will be 7pm and Tuesday at 6.45pm.

Bookings can be made through the Hero App, under "School Bookings" on the front screen, and then follow the prompts.

Hero will only allow one parent booking per child. If your child goes between two households and you wish to have a separate interview to their other parent, then this can be organised. If you only have one child at school, your child's teacher can make the booking for you. If you have two or more children in this situation, contact the office and our staff will be able to make those bookings for you.

If you do not have access to the Hero App, contact Carolyn or Sara at the school office.

The school will be having a teacher-only day on 31 July to further unpack the New Zealand curriculum and develop more stuctures to meet the chnages that it brings for Greenmeadows School.

One of the ongoing dilemmas an urban school like ours faces is whether we allow out of school hours access. We have amazing facilities and would love to have the opportunity to allow people and families in during weekends and after school. However, the reality is that many schools suffer damage, theft and multiple incidences of antisocial behaviour when out of hours access is granted. Such a sad reflection ...

Our school has had a long standing policy of asking people not to enter the school when the gates are locked. A number of people - both young and old choose to ignore this, even though it is clearly evident on signage around the fences. Policing this is difficult. Lately we have suffered damage and vanadalism. So we ask that school families please help by keeping spreading the word not to enter the school grounds when our gates are locked.

We are now at the time of year when we start to see lots more children catch winter coughs, colds and other viruses. Classrooms are starting to see more children off sick. If your child is unwell we urge you to keep them at home until they have recovered. We want to limit the spreading of any bugs, as well as make sure your child gets the chance to recover fully.

Now with the new Hero system we are unable to text parents when children have been in the sickbay for a minor injury. In future please look out for any email communications from us as this is our only way of contact. Rest assured If the injury was more serious we will always call.

For new parents who are anaware of this, school policy is we must contact parents when any student knocks their head in any shape or form. For serious head knocks we will always call, but for minor injuries we will just send through an email, so keep an eye out for us in your inbox!

Scholastic Book Club Issue 4 closes on Friday 19th June at 4pm. Please place all orders through the LOOP app. No cash accepted.

If you have a child who is going to turn five at any stage this year or next year, and they are going to attend Greenmeadows School, please let us know as soon as possible.

This also applies to any relatives, neighbours or friends you may have who live in our zone and wish for their children to come to our wonderful school.

Even if you think we may already know, there is no harm in telling us (again).

You can either phone the school or email Sara at saraa@gms.school.nz

Many thanks for your help.

We are looking for a friendly, energetic and positive individual who has experience and a passion for

working with children to lead our Before School, After School and School Holiday Programme.

The Supervisor has a hands-on leadership role with responsibility for the day-to-day running of the

programme, ensuring children are safe, engaged, and having fun. The Supervisor leads a small team,

manages operations, and helps deliver high-quality care and activities.

If you are interested or know anyone who might be interested contact gmsoscarinc@gmail.com for

more information.

Once again we are running the Hell Pizza Challenge. This is open to all students in the school. Collect a sheet from the library, read 7 books from school, home, or a library, fill it in, and return it to the library. A voucher will be given for a free 333 kids' pizza from Hell Pizza. There is no limit on how many wheels a student can earn. Vouchers expire 31st January 2027.

Time to stock up the coffee supplies? You can choose between 250g, 500g, or 1kg sized coffee beans or plunger style grounds. The coffee is available in strong, medium, mild or decaffeinated blends.

Sales from the Greenmeadows School coffee will go towards funding sport and athletic related activities/equipment at our school. For a large 1kg bag, which sells for $52.50, the school will receive around $15.00 back.

Ordering is open so head to our purchase page to get your bag delivered tomorrow! Please EITHER scan the QR code or click on the link below to order. Orders will arrive at the school reception office and can be collected or sent home with students. Please select ‘Pick Up’ at checkout for this option. Delivery is also available via the shipping option.

Email: admin@gms.school.nz
Website: http://www.gms.school.nz/
Location: Greenmeadows School 45 Osier Road, Greenmeadows, Napier, New Zealand
Phone: +64 06-844 7024
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gmsnapier