Kōkopu Newsletter

Kia ora whanau,

It has been a fantastic start back at school, with students quickly settling into routines and getting back into the groove of learning. There is a real sense of purpose across the school, and it has been wonderful to see classrooms buzzing with energy and enthusiasm. A special welcome to all our new students and whānau – we are so pleased you are part of our Kokopu School community where we are Growing Together, Learning Forever.

Last week I was particularly impressed by the wide variety of learning approaches happening across the school. From focused textbook work to reading under the shade of the trees, hands-on learning experiences, and collaborative group work using our interactive screens. Our classrooms are such great places to learn.

This reflects our commitment to Akoranga – Learning, as outlined in our strategic plan. Our teachers are thoughtfully responding to the diverse learning styles, strengths, and needs of their students. It is wonderful to see students taking ownership of their learning.

Congratulations to our newly elected Student Council representatives. These students have been chosen by their peers to represent their classes, contribute ideas, and help organise events and improvements around our school. This is a fantastic example of student leadership in action and reflects our strategic focus on growing leadership opportunities.

Student Council Representatives 2026:

• Rm 1: Jakya & Clarissa
• Rm 2: Mary & Van
• Rm 3: Slade & Mason S
• Rm 4: Logan F & Kaliah
• Rm 5: Ted & Ryan H
• Rm 6: Logan P & Louie R

We look forward to seeing the positive impact you will make across our school.

Our swimming pool shed project is now back underway and moving full steam ahead. We are currently waiting on a revised timeline, which may have some impact on our swimming sports and triathlon events. However, our building team is working hard and will make every effort to have things completed as soon as possible.

Thank you to our staff, students, and whānau for the positive way you have started the term. When we see students showing respect for themselves, others, and our environment, and striving to do their best in learning, we truly see our vision in action.

Together, we are Growing Together, Learning Forever.

Regards

Yaron Overeem

PRINCIPAL

Bible lessons will be held weekly on a Friday for Terms 1 and 2 between 8.30am and 9am in the library.

The programme is presented through the art of story-telling, multimedia, interactive games and activities.

Each lesson has a specific learning outcome and reinforces the values found in the New Zealand Curriculum.

Stories are presented from:

• The Bible

• NZ Māori History

• Inspiring Stories from around the World

Some of the values presented are:

• Respect

• Friendship

• Resilience

• Helping others

• Making good choices

• Having courage

You can watch a video here outlining the program
https://nzchristiannetwork.org.nz/directory-nzcn/launchpad

If your child wishes to attend please complete the following form here

Bible in Schools will be held every week for Term 1 and 2.

CAMP MEETING TOMORROW EVENING .... TUESDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 5.15PM IN ROOM 6

Rooms 3, 4, 5 and 6 have an exciting camp at Tangihua Lodge coming up very soon.

Camp 1
Room 3 and 4 (Year 5-6) – Tuesday 10th March – Friday 13th March (3 Nights)

Camp 2
Room 6 (Year 7-8) – Tuesday 17th March – Friday 20th March (3 Nights)
Room 5 (Year 3-4)

You should have had a notice home last week with all the relevant information and a link to the permission forms for you to fill in. The link is below.

https://www.kokopu.school.nz/camps

Please get the forms filled in by this Wednesday, as invoices will be sent home this week and we need to know who our parent helpers are.

On Tuesday 17th February 6pm in Room 6

All parents of Year 7 & 8 students are welcome to come along to our Whanau Information Event for the Positive Puberty Programme which will take place after the camp meeting tomorrow evening.

After the zoom meeting with our programme providers there will be an opportunity to ask questions.

On Tuesday 24th February the staff and Board of Trustees would like to invite all our school community to bring a picnic dinner for your family to the top field at 6.00pm. The school BBQ will be available for use.

This is a wonderful opportunity to meet other school families, the Board and staff.

Zone Swimming Competition will be held on Tuesday 3rd March from 9.45am to 12.30pm at Maungatapere School.

Due to our pool being out of action we will host the zone competition at Maungatapere School pool.

We will host Matarau, Te Horo, Purua Schools.

Only our top swimmers will go to Maungatapere to compete in this competition.

We will notify you soon regarding students who have been entered.

Everyone is welcome to come along and support our swimmers.

The best place to park for this event is in Beverley Crescent please.

Our beekeeping programme will start this Thursday 19th February. All our student beekeepers need to wear gumboots or closed in shoes please.

Order for the whole term. Order the night before - or even by 9am on the day. Perfect for busy households and bare pantries. Scan the QR code below to order from Pizza Fusion on Tuesday, West End Sushi on Thursday and Titoki Store on Friday.

Term 1 2026

Mon 09/02 - Room 6 Tech at Manaia View School and every Monday for Term 1 and 2

Wed 11/02 - Kapa Haka and every Wednesday for terms 1, 2, 3 & 4

Tue 17/02 - Camp Meeting 5.15pm

Tue 17/02 - Room 6 Parent Puberty Meeting via Zoom @ 6pm

Mon 23/02 - Board of Trustees Meeting 5.30pm

Tue 24/02 - Community BBQ

Tue 03/03 - Zone Swimming Sports

Tue 10/03 to Fri 13/03 - Room 3 and 4 Camp Tangihua

Mon 16/03 - Board of Trustees Meeting 5.30pm

Tue 17/03 to Fri 20/03 - Room 6 Camp Tangihua

Tue 17/03 to Thu 19/03 - Room 5 Camp Tangihua

Tue 24/03 - Bike Day

Tue 24/03 - Year 7 & 8 Epro 8 @ 4pm

Wed 25/03 - Triathlon

Thu 26/03 - Year 5 & 6 Epro 8 @ 9.30am

Thu 02/04 - Last day of Term 1

Fri 03/04 - Good Friday Easter

2026 Term Dates

• Term 1: Tuesday 3 February – Thursday, 2 April
• Term 2: Monday, 20 April – Friday, 3 July
• Term 3: Monday, 20 July – Friday, 25 September
• Term 4: Monday, 12 October – Tuesday, 15 December

All children are required to wear hats while outdoors this term as part of our sun safe policy 🌞

Please name all hats, shoes and any other clothing so our lost property bin stays empty for a while.

Lyn Moase will be taking guitar and ukelele lessons again this year starting on Wednesday 11th February. Please phone Lyn on 0212979437 if you would like to book your child/children in for lessons.

Room 6 will travel by bus into Manaia View School on Mondays for Technology lessons.

Please ensure all Year 7 & 8 students are here by 9am to catch the bus.

We would love to welcome new members to our PTA. Any help with events on the food stalls would be appreciated. i.e. Swimming Sports, Triathlon etc. If you are interested in joining us or helping out please contact Amy Pugh phone 0211729388.

As a parent at Kokopu School you have access to our free Qustodio – Parent Internet Monitoring App and online safety advice. The Qustodio Parent App is a comprehensive parental control and digital wellbeing app designed to help you manage and supervise your child’s online activities. With over 6 million parents and 24,000 schools worldwide using Qustodio, it stands out as one of the most trusted and best-rated apps on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

· You can learn more about how to set it up here: kokopu.onlinesafetyhub.nz/parent/topics/Qustodio

· Make your free account here: https://www.qustodio.com/en/30-days-school-special/?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=OSHub&utm_campaign=kokopu-nz

If parents/caregivers want to visit the website https://kokopu.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm to look over our school policies and procedures, please see the following instructions: Enter the username (kokopu) and password (0179). Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.

Don't forget we are collecting Yummy Stickers. So please collect the Yummy cut-out labels from bags (each cut-out label is worth 10 stickers) and individual Yummy apple stickers. Yummy apples are available from New World, PAK’nSAVE and participating Four Square stores. The more you collect, the more sports gear you get so get going and start collecting your Yummy cut-out labels and stickers now!

Email: office@kokopu.school.nz
Website: www.kokopu.school.nz
Location: 921 Kokopu Road, Kokopu, New Zealand
Phone: 094346765
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokopuschool