School Newsletter Term 1, Week 3

Kia ora e te whānau,

It has been an incredible start to the year, and the energy vibrating across our school grounds is infectious. We want to begin by extending a big thank you to Te Wai Nui o Tane for their efforts during our recent VIBE assembly. Your contribution brought a wonderful sense of spirit, culture, and connection to the event, setting a vibrant tone for the term. It was a powerful reminder of the strength of our community, and the positive "vibe" you helped create has given our students a brilliant foundation to build upon.

This momentum is carrying over beautifully into our physical education programs, as our swimming lessons are now officially in full swing. It has been fantastic to witness the enthusiasm of our students as they take to the water with such confidence. We are especially impressed by the maturity and organisation displayed by everyone; seeing our students coming consistently prepared with their swimming togs, towels, and goggles is a testament to their commitment to learning this vital life skill. This level of preparation allows our instructors to maximize every minute in the pool, and the progress in water safety and stroke technique is already visible.

The field is also buzzing with activity as practice is now well underway for our upcoming Athletics Day. Whether it is refining sprint starts, mastering the coordination of the high jump, or finding the perfect technique for the discus, the students are putting in the hard yards with smiles on their faces. It is wonderful to see them cheering each other on during these practice sessions, displaying the kind of sportsmanship and perseverance that defines our school spirit.

None of these successes would be possible without the steady hands and hearts of our dedicated staff. We want to offer a massive thank you to our teachers and teacher aides for ensuring such a remarkably calm, focused, and professional start to the year for all our students. Transitioning back into the structured routines of the school day can often be a challenge, but their composure, meticulous planning, and genuine care have created a grounded environment where every child feels safe and supported. We are incredibly proud of the progress made in these opening weeks and look forward to seeing this wonderful energy continue as we move toward our big sporting events.

Ngā mihi nui.

.

Tony West

Principal

West End School - Te Kura O Urumutu

Home

Our school vision Mahi Tahi, Whakaaro Tahi, Akoako Tahi, Working Together, Thinking Together, Learning Together empowers our children to be confident, connected and actively involved in their learning. We strongly support our children to be active learners utilising technologies and the community around them. West End School is committed to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment, where families are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning. We invite you to visit and see for yourself the innovative learning that takes place at West End.

westend.school.nz

Bringing in a change of clothes: Please bring a change of clothing (particularly for those younger children) in case they get their clothes wet from playing or if they have an accident.

Sunhats and Waterbottles: As we are in the summer months, sunhats are compulsory. We still have a number of students without sunhats. Please ensure they have a named wide brimmed sunhat. Please also ensure your child has a named waterbottle to stay hydrated.

Parking:

Please park on the road in designated parks.
Parking on double yellow lines is not allowed and will incur parking fines when patrolled by Police. Please do not park in the staff carpark.
Please be courteous of other people - it can get busy at drop off times so please be aware of others.

Crossing the Road:

Please use the pedestrian crossing at all times. We have had many near misses and a few incidents where students have been hit by a car when crossing the road that are not controlled by the lights. Please set a good example to our children by using the pedestrian crossing.
When at the lights, please listen to our trained road patrollers, stopping when asked.
Please remind your child to walk across the road (no running) and if they are on a bike or scooter, to hop off it and walk across.

Bikes and Scooters:

Please remind children who are bringing bikes and scooters to always wear a helmet when riding a bike and ensure their bike/scooter is safe to come to school.
Walk their bike or scooter when they get into school grounds, and these can be stored in the bike shed.

Te Wao Nui o Tāne are hosting our first VIBE Assembly of the year this afternoon. Whānau are welcome to join us in the hall. We will start our assembly at 2.10 so if you could be seated by then, we can start on time.

We are excited to announce the launch of our new Learning Support Programme at West End School, a strategic initiative designed to ensure every student with diverse learning needs can thrive.

At the heart of this programme are our new Learning Support Coordinators (LSC), Dan Minchin, Shinade Cousins and Nicky Bowles who will in partnership with classroom teachers and with the use of assessment data will identify student needs and coordinate targeted interventions, ensuring that our teaching strategies are evidence-based and effective. This position acts as a vital bridge between the school, external specialist agencies, and our families, ensuring that no student’s progress is left to chance.

By collaborating with our teachers, we are not just supporting individual students—we are building the entire school’s capacity to celebrate and support all learners. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this focused support will have on our school-wide achievement and well-being.

Room 15 and 16

As part of our exploration of 'Ko wai au?', in Rooms 15 and 16, we have been showing our mana aotūroa by creating self portraits. We used permanent ink and pastels to create our portraits, and some of us had never used these materials before. It was important that we showed whakamana, as we had to draw our features in pencil before drawing carefully over them with a permanent pen. We are really proud of our self portraits, and are looking forward to sharing them with whānau and other visitors to our classrooms. Ka pai Rooms 15 and 16, what a creative start to the new school year!

Room 12

Ko Wai Au – Who Am I?

In Room 12 we have been exploring the question Ko wai au? Who Am I? as we build strong connections with one another at the start of the year. Through a range of creative activities, we have been learning about what makes each of us unique.

Maths About Me shares information about ourselves using numbers. We explored facts such as our age, how many people are in our whānau, and other important numbers that tell our story. This activity encouraged mana aotūroa as we confidently shared our thinking and celebrated the different experiences we each bring to our classroom.

Our All About Me Shoes were a colourful way to express who we are. We recorded written information about ourselves on a shoe template and decorated it to reflect our personality. Each design was bright, creative, and completely unique. As we listened to one another share, we demonstrated manaakitanga by showing respect, kindness, and genuine interest in each other’s stories.

We also created Visual Pepeha, sharing our connections to our maunga, awa, whānau, and the places that are special to us. Presenting these visually allowed everyone to participate in ways that suited them, while strengthening our sense of belonging and kotahitanga — knowing we are stronger together.

Room 2

Te Wao Nui o Tāne – Kotahitanga: We Belong Here

Kua pai te tīmatanga o te tau mō Te Wai Nui o Tāne, as we begin the year with a strong focus on kotahitanga – we belong here. Our classrooms have been filled with whanaungatanga, laughter, and the building of positive learning relationships as we establish routines and get to know one another.

At the start of the year, we captured class photos to celebrate our team and mark the beginning of our shared learning journey. These photos reflect our growing sense of belonging, manaakitanga, and pride in being part of Te Wai Nui o Tāne.

We are excited for a year of learning, connection, and growth as we support one another and continue to strengthen our team together – mā te mahi tahi.

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.

Camp Meeting on Tuesday 17th March at 5.30pm

We will be providing more detailed information about the camp activities, what to pack, and health and safety procedures closer to the time. In the meantime, please mark these dates in your calendar!

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

Room 8

He mihi tēnei ki a mātua mā, whānau mā me ngā hāpori o te kura. Tēnā Koutou Katoa! Kei te ako mātou ngā uara o te kura. Te Uara tuatahi - Kotahitanga! What a fantastic start to our term. Room 7 has been learning about Kotahitanga. In Te Ao Māori this signifies ‘He Iwi Kotahi Tātou’ - working together as one towards shared goals. In Pihipihinga we do this using Tuakana Teina to guide each other. We Mahi Tahi, Whakaaro Tahi, Waiata Tahi me AkoAko Tahi throughout the day. Room 7 is learning quickly what Kotahitanga looks like and feels like to them.

We are pleased to let you know that West End School Athletics Day will be held on Wednesday 11 March (Week 6).

We warmly invite families to come along and join us in celebrating and cheering on our students as they showcase the hard work they have put into learning and developing their athletic skills.

Athletics will begin at 9:15am on the day. The remainder of the schedule is to be confirmed (TBC).

Further information will be sent out in the coming weeks.

We look forward to sharing this special day with our school community.

Volunteers needed!

If you are able to help out for breakfast club, please contact Kelsey Gobie kgobie@westend.school.nz

Classroom posts will be coming out next week!

We will no longer be sending digital work home via Seesaw. We will be using a New Zealand based company called Skoolbooks. Information is below. We are spending the next couple of weeks setting this new programme up, but we will be sending more information out via the schoolapp and newsletters. Once we have our classrooms set up and are familiar with the new system, you will be getting links explaining how to access.

Saving your child's work from Seesaw

Please click on the link below to be able to download and save your child's work and the teacher's posts from their time at West End School.

If you do not have our school app on your phone or device, please email dminchin@westend.school.nz and he can send you the link to download our app.

If you already have the app, please click on the alerts, the tick on the top right, and select the teams/clubs/groups that your child is in this year so you can receive all of the information needed throughout the year.

Through our app you are able to view all newsletters, go onto Kindo, report an absence if your child is sick as well as access any important links and information.

Home Screen

Alerts

Please click on what groups your child is in

WEEK 4

Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne and Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 24th February
New Entrant Visits - Wednesday 25th February
Swimming: Tipuranga and Pihipihinga - Thursday 26th February
EPIC Music - Friday 27th February

WEEK 5

Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne and Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 3rd March
Swimming: Tipuranga and Pihipihinga - Thursday 5th March
EPIC Music - Friday 6th March
VIBE Assembly (Puāwaitanga) - Friday 6th March

WEEK 6

Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne and Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 10th March
School Athletics Day - Wednesday 11th March
Swimming: Tipuranga and Pihipihinga - Thursday 12th March
EPIC Music - Friday 13th March

WEEK 7

Road Patrol Refresher (9am): Monday 16th March
Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne and Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 17th March
Weetbix Tryathlon - Tuesday 17th March
TWNOT Camp and Parent Helpers Meeting (5.30pm) - Tuesday 17th March
Swimming: Tipuranga and Pihipihinga - Thursday 19th March
EPIC Music - Friday 20th March
VIBE Assembly (Tipuranga) - Friday 20th March
Community Conferences and Kai - Friday 20th March

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 3