Newsletter | Term 3, Week 8
Friday, 10th September 2026

Principal's Panui
Kia ora e te whānau,
It is hard to believe that we are already only three weeks away from the end of Term 3 and the upcoming school holidays!
Mau Rākau Wānanga (Taiaha ki te Ao)
If you are interested in sending your child to a mau rākau wānanga over the holidays (27th September – 2nd October) at Te Tikanga Marae, please email Carissa@tetanikotoawhakarite.maori.nz to register your child’s name.
Duffy Role Model Visit
We were thrilled to welcome Tim Tipene as our Duffy Role Model. It was a fantastic visit, and our tamariki were inspired by his stories and passion for reading.
Pre-Enrolments for 2027
If you have a child turning 5 years old in the next 6 months and are intending to enrol at Awapuni School. Please complete our online pre-enrolment application so that we can plan class placements for 2027.
HERO Whānau Voice Survey – We Need Your Feedback!
A friendly reminder to please complete the Whānau Voice Survey on HERO. We have had a small number of responses so far, but we are eager to hear from more of our community. This feedback is critical for the leadership and governance of our school as we make strategic decisions for the next three years. Plus, every completed survey puts you in the draw to win a $100 Woolworths voucher—I would love to hand this over to a lucky whānau member soon!
Thank you for your ongoing support as we move through the rest of the term together.
--
Elaine Dyason
Principal
Upcoming Events
Friday, 25th September
- Last Day of Term 3
Monday, 12th October
- Term 4 start (Cohort 7)
Monday, 19th October
- Board Meeting – 4:30pm
Monday, 26th October
- Labour Day - School closed 🚫
Friday, 6th November
- School Photos
Tuesday, 17th November
- Ko Whiri Tika Mai – Regent Theatre
School Van
Criteria and Guidelines
Our school van is funded and supported by our Attendance Management Plan to specifically assist whānau who, due to hardship or transport challenges, cannot get their children to school without support.
Please note that our van is not a courtesy transport service. Seat availability is limited, and we are finding that the van is urgently needed for some of our more vulnerable whānau. If you are able to get your children to school regularly, we ask that you continue to do so to keep those seats available for those in need.
Additionally, a reminder to whānau utilising the van that all tamariki must adhere to our code of conduct. The driver’s primary responsibility is the safety of everyone on board. Unsafe, unkind, or disrespectful behavior will result in removal from the service and refusal of pick-up or drop-off.
Ko Whiri Tika Mai
Regional Kapa Haka Competition
Awapuni School will be performing at the Regent Theatre for Ko Whiri Tika Mai on 17th November. We will be on stage at 10:30am in Session 1. Tickets are on sale now, we encourage whānau to get in quick before they sell out!
Password for online ticket purchase: kupuhuna2026
Public Health Notice
Scabies Information
Te Whatu Ora are seeing increased cases of scabies in our community. Attached is information on how to manage and treat your whānau.
Camp Fundraising
Please return money raised and unsold socks
A friendly reminder to our year 6 whānau to return any fundraising money to the office, along with any unsold socks if you are struggling to sell them. We also have a few more boxes of Large sizes only for anyone that would like to get stuck into another box.
Cash can be returned in the envelopes provided, or funds transferred into the school bank account:
Awapuni School ( P North ) Board | 12-3142-0505673-000
From the School Board
SchoolDocs Policy Reviews
Each term, the school community is invited to review and comment on specific policies and procedures. This feedback is captured using the review button on topic for the board to consider.
This term our School Community Engagement policies are under review. Login to SchoolDocs with the username (awapuni-primary) and password (rochester) to read these topics and provide your feedback.
Office Reminders
Student Payments (sports, music lessons, stationery)
Parents and caregivers can view their child’s billing statement at any time via the Finance page in Hero. We kindly ask you to check for any outstanding payments, particularly as the winter sports season comes to an end.
If you have any questions about student billing or would like to set up a payment plan, please don’t hesitate to contact the office.
Payments can be made directly from the app, or by direct credit to the school’s bank account:
ASB | 12-3142-0505673-00
Stay Connected with the Hero app!
We strongly encourage all parents and caregivers to download the Hero app to stay up to date with what’s happening at Awapuni School. This is our main platform for sharing important messages, notices, and updates about your child/ren’s learning.
Please click here to download the Hero app and login. Follow the steps to sign up with the email address you provided the school at enrolment. If you have any trouble logging in, please get in touch with the school office so we can check that we have the correct email on file.
Communication and Notices
Please keep an eye on the Awapuni Primary School Facebook page and the Hero app for regular updates and notices. If you’re having trouble accessing the Hero app, please let us know — it’s a fantastic tool for notifying us when your child is away, and for staying up to date with what’s happening at kura.
Absences
Parents/caregivers need let the school know if your child is going to be absent for each day they are away during the school term. You can let us know in the following ways, please include the reason for absence so we can record this correctly in our system:
- Hero: Report an absence function
- Phone: 06 358 1735 (absentee line)
- Email: admin@awapuni-primary.school.nz
Community Notices
Scholastic Book Club
Orders close Friday 18 September 2026
Riverdale Kindergarten - Spaces Available
There are currently enrolment spaces available at Riverdale Kindergarten. We are a high-quality early childhood service committed to providing nurturing, responsive, and engaging learning environments where children can thrive.
We pride ourselves on providing a warm, welcoming, and high-quality learning environment where children feel safe, valued, and inspired to learn. Our passionate teaching team creates rich learning experiences that support children’s confidence, creativity, friendships, and school readiness
The Cave Palmy
School holidays are coming up. Families will look for fun and engaging activities for their children or for the whole family during the school holidays. We are once again offering a generously discounted Virtual Reality and Sim Racing activities. $35 per person per hour (our usual charge is $50pp).
We are providing codes that students, their family members and their friends can use. Use the code AWAPUNI for a 30% discount, and $5 of the booking will go to the school as a fundraiser.
Visit https://www.thecave.nz/palmy to make a booking!
Location: 18 Rochester Street, Palmerston North
Email: admin@awapuni-primary.school.nz
Phone: (06) 358 1735
