MENPS News
Te Whare Akoranga o Maungawhau, Nov 5, 2026
From The Principal
Kia ora koutou
Halloween Disco Thanks
Huge thanks to our PTA volunteers and staff for the fun they brought together for the Halloween Disco event. This is always a very popular date in the calendar, and the children went all out as always. These experiences are only made possible by a community effort and those who generously give their time, which is very much appreciated.
Softball Zones
As classes continue focusing on Athletics in school, we celebrate another fantastic Zones sports performance this week, with the girls taking 2nd Place. The boys did not quite make the top placings this time, but gave it their all and by all accounts had a fun team experience. Well done to all our participants!
Next week, we look forward to cheering the children on at Zones Basketball , Y5/6 Table Tennis, in addition to the Y3/Y4 (held at school) and Y5/Y6 (Margaret Griffin Park) Athletics events, which parents are welcome to attend (as always) if you are able to come along.
Book Week Celebrations
Thanks also go to Viv in the library and the teaching team for the many engaging Book Week activities this week, including the Book Character Parade, which was themed by class.
This resulted in a great sense of whanaungatanga and a lot of enjoyment for the children. It's a reminder not only of how important the joy of reading is to our learners, but also that there is still room in a busy curriculum to make sure learning still remains fun!
Teacher Appreciation Day
On behalf of the teaching team, I wanted to pass on how much the affirmations and positive messages making up the 'leaves' on our Teacher Appreciation Day 'tree' were appreciated by the whole team.
A few encouraging words can go a long way, so sincere thanks for so many thoughful messages - they certainly put a smile on many faces this week here at school!
Ka kite anō i a koutou
Alan Jackson, Principal
Events & Reminders
Monday 9th - Friday 13th November - Diwali Celebrations
Monday 9th November:
Year 3 Athletics Day - at MENPS (save day Wed 11th)
Tuesday 10th November:
Year 4 Athletics Day - at MENPS (Save Day 16th Nov)
Wednesday 11th November:
Zone Basketball - at MAGS
Mid Term 4 New Entrant Cohort Visit 2 - 9:00am - 10:30am
Thursday 12th November:
Table Tennis Competition (Yr 5-6) - Auckland Table Tennis Association - 99 Gillies Ave
Friday 13th November:
Year 5-6 Athletics Day - Margaret Griffen Park - 16 Griffen Park Road
PTA Second Hand Uniform Shop Open - 8:15am - 9:15am
Notices
🎃 Halloween Colouring Competition – The suspense is getting real!
Our colouring committee is busy working their magic to judge all the spook-tacular entries! There’s so much creativity and talent, so please bear with us while we give every masterpiece the attention it deserves. Winners will be announced soon!
A massive effort from everyone – you’ve made choosing winners no easy task! Ka pai! 🧡👻
🎉 END OF YEAR PTA PICNIC! 🧺
Monday 30th November | 5–7pm
Everyone is welcome! Come when you can, bring a picnic blanket and enjoy an evening of fun, lawn games and good company.
Treats available to purchase (cash or mobile banking only):
* Lollies, drinks & ice blocks – $2
* Candy floss – $4
We look forward to celebrating together! ☀️
Ice cream parties - 🍦 Ice Cream Parties – 4 December
Our winning classes will be celebrating with an ice cream party from around 2pm! A big thank you to the winning parents who have been invited to help serve their children.
The parties will be held in:
* Y0/1 – Room 12
* Y2 – Room 23
* Y3 – Room 32
* Y4 – Room 35
* Y5 – Room 6
* Y6 – Room 4
Please let us know if your child has any dietary requirements (e.g. lactose-free or vegan) by emailing menpspta@gmail.com.
We’d love to have more parents involved! Once we’ve confirmed our volunteers, we’ll share any remaining opportunities for others to join in and help serve. 🍦
📣 Join the MENPS PTA WhatsApp Community!
We’re slowly transitioning to a new way of connecting and organising our PTA volunteers, and we’d love you to join us!
Our WhatsApp community makes it easier to see the different PTA groups you can join, connect with other parents, and find ways to get involved that suit your interests and availability.
We’ll be moving things across gradually, so please bear with us as we make the transition. The goal is to make volunteering easier, more flexible, and more connected for everyone!
Every little bit of help makes a difference, and everyone is welcome.
👉 Join the community here:
Uniform Shop Appeal – We Need Your Help!
Our second-hand uniform shop is urgent need of all sizes to be donated.
If your child has outgrown any clean, good-quality uniforms in these sizes and others, we’d be incredibly grateful for your donation. Your generosity helps keep school uniforms affordable and supports families in our school community.
Donations can be dropped off:
* At the school office during school hours
* At the hall during late afternoon/evening pick-ups
* At the PTA room during Uniform Shop opening hours
Thank you for helping us keep our Uniform Shop stocked and supporting our MENPS whānau!
Email menpspta@gmail.com I Follow us on Facebook
Refer to the PTA website for information on the various fundraising and community activities
Co-Chairs Svantje Reiber and Sunny Nathu
Secretary Chantal Brunner
Treasurers Minaxi Chandra and Victoria Couto
PTA Advisor Chantal Brunner
Communications Gina Miao
School Representative Hilary Edwards
Community Notices
When you’ve got a question about money, who do you actually ask?
Money can be a complicated topic. KiwiSaver, investing, property, tax... but MoneyHub is putting on a day to help make it simple.
MoneyHub is New Zealand’s largest independent personal finance site, and the event is at the Auckland Showgrounds on Saturday 21 November. We’ve secured free tickets for our school community, so students, whānau and staff are all welcome.
Hear from Shamubeel Eaqub, Brad Olsen, Maria Slade, Sam Stubbs, Catherine Emerson and Luke Kemeys on choosing a KiwiSaver, investing, what the election means for your money, cutting your power and grocery bills, and preparing for retirement. Then take your questions to the expo floor and sit down with KiwiSaver providers, banks, insurers, mortgage brokers and budgeting services.
Parking, coffee and WiFi are included, everyone gets a goody bag, and there’s a draw for more than $10,000 of prizes. Under 15s come in with an adult at no charge.
Grab a ticket: https://events.humanitix.com/moneyhub-move-2026?discountcode=EDUCATION