School Newsletter Term 1, Week 9

Kia ora e te whānau,

As we reach the final bell of Term 1, I want to take a moment to reflect on what an incredibly vibrant and active term it has been. From the classroom to the sports field—and quite literally through the mud—our students have shown remarkable resilience, spirit, and kindness. It’s been a whirlwind of activity, and the energy around the school has been nothing short of infectious.

A massive congratulations to our competitive swimming team! Our students represented the school with pride at the recent Interschool Swimming Competition. Their sportsmanship was the highlight of the day. A special shout-out to those who placed in the finals.

Speaking of the water, our regular swimming lessons conclude this week. It has been wonderful to see the progress in water confidence across all year levels. We are grateful to the instructors and the teachers and Teacher Aides who helped with the logistics of getting everyone to and from the pool.

Last week, our students took on the Mount Biggs Tough Kid challenge, and "tough" was certainly the operative word! Seeing our kids navigate the obstacles, conquer the mud pits, and cross the finish line with huge (albeit slightly dirty) smiles was a highlight. This event is all about participation and perseverance, and our students proved they have both.

One part of our term has been our ongoing relationship with Lots of Hugs Preschool. Their students have been visiting our school to learn about what school looks like for someone joining our kura. We look forward to continuing these visits in Term 2.

As we look ahead, the excitement is building for our upcoming School Camp in Week 2 of next term. This is a milestone experience for our students, filled with adventure and team-building.

Action Required: Please ensure that all camp payments are made as soon as possible. Having these payments settled allows us to confirm bookings and finalise our safety ratios.

If you need to discuss a payment plan, please contact the office as soon as possible. We want to ensure every student has the opportunity to attend.

Finally, I want to thank our incredible staff, PTA and our supportive parent community. It takes a village to provide the range of opportunities our students enjoy, and we couldn't do it without you.

We wish you all a safe, relaxing, and happy holiday break. Whether you are heading away or enjoying a "staycation," we hope you find time to recharge. We can’t wait to see everyone back, refreshed and ready for the adventures of Term 2!

Ngā mihi nui.

.

Tony West

Principal

West End School - Te Kura O Urumutu

No school on Friday

There will be no school tomorrow as it is Easter Friday and is a New Zealand public holiday. Our Term 1 School Holidays will commence. We look forward to seeing you all back for Term 2 on Monday 20 April

Children can wait in the quad from 8.15am.

We are having a few children being dropped off very early into school, some well before 8am. For your child's safety, please do not drop your child off at school before 8am.

We will be having lost property on display in the quad on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. We will be taking classes around to collect anything they have left behind, but please come and have a look yourself at these times. We will be donating anything not taken to the Salvation Army in the holidays.

Our pōwhiri to welcome new whānau and children to West End School will be at 9am on Thursday 23rd April starting at 9am. An app message will be sent out early next term with more information.

We are writing to inform you that during Weeks 1 to 3 of Term 2, our school will be participating in the Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) programme.

This is a comprehensive child protection programme that has been successfully delivered in New Zealand schools for many years. It is led by our local Police School Liaison Officer in partnership with our classroom teachers.

Why are we teaching this?

The goal of Keeping Ourselves Safe is to provide students with the skills and confidence they need to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. The programme is tailored to be age-appropriate for Year 1–6 students and focuses on:

Identifying and trusting their own feelings.
Understanding the difference between "good" and "bad" secrets.
Learning how to say "no" to things that make them feel uncomfortable.
Knowing who their "safety people" are and how to ask for help.

What to expect

The lessons are designed to be interactive and supportive. Because you are the most important people in your children’s lives, the programme also aims to strengthen the communication between home and school regarding personal safety.

How you can help

During these three weeks, your child may bring home activities or talk about what they have learned. We encourage you to engage in these conversations, as it reinforces the "Safety" message in a familiar environment.

All information regarding the content taught is available online. Please click the link below for information.

If you have any specific concerns or would like to discuss the programme further, please feel free to contact your child’s classroom teacher.

We look forward to working together to empower our students with these essential life skills.

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WES Health Curriculum Consultation_ 2026.pdf

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At West End School, we plan and deliver a range of programmes which promote health and wellbeing, affirms children’s uniqueness, self confidence, hauora and celebrates cultural diversity and richness. Alongside these programmes, we may also deliver one-off programmes, aimed at supporting a current issue or need, to build students' understanding, knowledge and awareness.

Supporting the health curriculum, are our school values and dispositions, which are interwoven into our programmes.

Health Education is an integral part of our school curriculum and we aim to provide a balanced, informed and empathetic approach to promote health and wellbeing. Please click on the PDF document above for information on what West End School's Health Curriculum.

The Consultation Process - Your Feedback

We welcome you to provide feedback on our Health Curriculum by visiting the link below.

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We are excited to be preparing for our upcoming school camp, which promises to be a

valuable and enjoyable experience for all students. Camp provides important opportunities

for learning, teamwork, and personal growth outside the classroom.

To confirm and secure your child’s place on camp, we kindly request a starting contribution

toward the overall cost. This helps cover accommodation, transport, activities, and

supervision.

Contribution amount: $25.00

Payment due by: 27 April 2026

Payments can be made:

via Kindo or;
through internet banking. Bank Account Number 12-3143-0395410-00 (Reference:
‘’Camp” and your child name and classroom) or;
via eftpos through the school office

If you would like to discuss a payment plan or require support, please don’t hesitate to

contact the school office—we are happy to work with you.

Thank you for your support in making this opportunity possible for our students.

Our interschool swim team had an incredible time at this year’s event, held at the Lido. Competing alongside six other local schools, our West End students enthusiastically participated in a wide range of races, demonstrating both skill and determination.

The atmosphere was vibrant and uplifting, with teammates cheering each other on from start to finish. Our school values were clearly on display throughout the day. Whakamana was evident as students encouraged and uplifted one another, while mana aoturoa shone through in their confidence and willingness to challenge themselves. Manaakitanga was reflected in the care and support shown between teammates, and kotahitanga was at the heart of it all, as the team came together in unity and pride.

To celebrate their efforts and achievements, the team enjoyed a well-deserved ‘free swim’ at the conclusion of the races — a perfect way to end a fantastic day.

What an amazing day we had at the Mt Biggs Tough Guy and Tough Girl event! Our students showed outstanding effort, determination, and school values throughout the entire course.

Manaakitanga was clearly seen during the relays, with students encouraging and supporting one another every step of the way. Whakamana shone through as every participant gave their best effort, showing courage and pride in their achievements. When parts of the course became challenging, students demonstrated Mana Aotūroa by problem-solving and working out the best ways to successfully complete each obstacle.

It was a fantastic day filled with resilience, teamwork, and lots of smiles. A huge thank you to all our wonderful parent helpers — events like this would not be possible without your support. We would also like to give special thanks to the amazing organiser for coordinating such a memorable and well-run event for our tamariki.

Room 15

Room 15 has been busy exploring maths through hands-on learning with Numicon shapes, pegs and number rods. We have been using these materials to share and communicate our ideas while developing our understanding of number concepts.

We have been focusing on comparing size, creating patterns, and ordering numerals, while building confidence with the language of maths. Through this learning, Room 15 is showing whakamana by confidently sharing their thinking, and mana aotūroa as they explore, compare, and make sense of the world around them.

Rūma Tekau

Ko Wai Au? Who Am I? This term we have enjoyed getting to know our classmates. We have engaged in a number of activities throughout the term, but some of our favourite ones have been designing our own clothes and our All About Me! Both of these activities required learning a cross-thatch technique for colouring in, measuring and spacing the letters in our name or design and considering complimentary and contrasting colours.

Room 3’s Cultural Jars: Ko wai au

Room 3 has had a great start to the year. We have been building relationships with each other through art, games, discussion and by sharing our Pepehas.

Above you can see our cultural jars. We used this activity as a way to share what we know about our cultural heritages. We explored cultural heritages by sharing what is important to us and our families. We used pictures to show what we think is important to us, our families and the communities we identify with.

Te Wao Nui o Tāne school camp at Vertical Horizons Camp in Taranaki from the 28th April - 1st May.

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. Payment can be made via Kindo. We understand that this is a significant expense, and to help ease the financial burden, we are offering a payment plan option. Additionally, we will be organizing various fundraising efforts throughout the year to help lower the overall cost for families. Please ensure that a deposit has been made to your child's camp fees as confirmation that you are wanting your child to attend camp this year. If you have any questions or concerns around this, please contact the school office.

If you have any questions, please contact Te Wao Nui o Tāne team leader Louise Ellis lellis@westend.school.nz

Rūma Waru

This term Pihipihinga have been learning about Rūaumoko and his association with earthquakes and volcanoes. The tamariki have been writing about Rūaumoko and what they think he looks like, as well as creating their own Rūaumoko mokomoko (Lizards).

We have learnt kupu such as puia oho (active volcano) and matā or rangitoto (lava). They have all displayed mana aotūroa by making connections with Rūaumoko, volcanoes and earthquakes.

Tau kē tamariki mā!!

Please let your classroom teacher know if you have not received a classroom post from Skoolbooks.

WEEK 9

Swimming - Tipuranga and Pihipihinga - Thursday 2nd April
Good Friday - Start of School Holidays - Friday 3rd April

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS: Friday 3rd April - Sunday 19th April

TERM 2, WEEK 1: Starting Monday 20th April

Keeping Ourselves Safe Program for Years 1-4 commencing

Plant to Plate for Room 2 and Room 9 - Wednesday 22 April
6 Week Conferences for Room 15 and 16 - Thursday 23 April
EPIC Music - Friday 24 April

Keeping Ourselves Safe Program for Years 1-4 continuing

WEEK 2

ANZAC Day (no school) - Monday 27 April
Te Wao Nui o Tāne Camp - Tuesday 28 April - Friday 1 May
EPIC Music - Friday 1 May

Keeping Ourselves Safe Program for Years 5 - 6

WEEK 3

Plant to Plate for Room 6 and Room 9 - Wednesday 6 May
EPIC Music - Friday 8 May

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

Ballot Dates Drawn at 11.30am of the dates stated below

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

Please notify the school if your child is absent.

PLEASE DO NOT TXT OR EMAIL THE CLASSROOM TEACHER.

ALL ABSENCES SHOULD BE ADVISED VIA THE OFFICE.

Please remember to advise the office by 8.30am if your child is not attending school.

You can telephone 358-2465 and leave a message or txt 021 118 0156.

ABSENCES CAN ALSO BE SENT EASILY THROUGH OUR SCHOOL APP and our website.

In both cases please give a reason for absence.

Thank you.

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

School Newsletter Term 1, Week 9