Allandale School Newsletter

In our kura we currently have 322 tamariki. Within these 322, we have more than a dozen different nationalities, we have tamariki māori who whakapapa to more than 30 different iwi and a spread in age from 5 to 11. We love this about our school. When you consider all of that though, you realise how unrealistic it is to expect them to all get on with one another, all the time. Imagine doing this with the same number of adults, or even 10 adults - there would definitely be times where disagreements and conflict would happen.

At kura we have four values. They are Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, Kaitiakitanga and Mātauranga. In our homes we also have a set of beliefs and values that may be similar to kura, or could be completely different. And then in our communities, our students often have another set of beliefs and values. So in some ways, we are asking our tamariki to be three different people! That is a lot to ask of a grown up, let alone a child. At our kura we are aware of this, and we are working as hard as we can to make our school a safe space where our students can just be themselves. Does that mean things always go to plan? No. Just like any of our homes, at times kids are going to get frustrated with their siblings. At school there are literally hundreds of other kids all in the same place at the same time. So things will happen, and at times kids are going to make mistakes - and they will, that’s part of growing up and also part of learning. But here they will make mistakes with safe, consistent, predictable, non-judgemental and compassionate adults there to support them through this process. We support our tamariki to make the right choices, and take ownership when they haven’t. When things don’t go right, and you need to talk to us, we are always here to listen, and will always follow-up.

Next Monday is our first intake under the new cohort entry system. We have seven new tamariki joining us together and the beauty of cohort entry is that these new, possibly anxious five-year-olds are not starting school alone like they previously did. Starting together creates instant connection and helps our new tamariki quickly develop important friendships. Friendships that we hope will last for many years. I do acknowledge that the timing of the cohort entry will never be perfect for everyone but we are bound by the entry dates provided by the Ministry of Education. Next term, new entrant tamariki can start on Tuesday 21 April and Tuesday 2 June.

A reminder that school photos are on Wednesday 18 March, I know that for many whānau this is something we all look forward to so make sure you get your orders in early. If your child has lost your order form, come in and see our awesome office team and they will sort you out.

Rere atu kia whakairohia tō ake ao

Fly off and carve your own future

Matua Josh

We sincerely apologise for the delay in the arrival of our school tops. We were expecting them to arrive within the next week. However, due to the holiday period overseas there have been significant delays and the tee shirts are currently still in transit. We understand this is frustrating and we are truly sorry for the inconvenience this has caused for our whānau.

At this stage, we do still have hoodies available in stock, however we are currently out of size 8 and have very limited numbers remaining in size 10. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we wait for the shipment to arrive, and we will keep you updated as soon as the tops arrive.

We are proud to be a Duffy School, which means our tamariki receive free books throughout the year. Our first Duffy Assembly for 2026 will be held at 12:00pm on Friday 27 March, where tamariki will receive their first books. We warmly welcome all whānau to attend and encourage everyone to come along dressed up for the celebration!

Unfortunately, we have not been able to run our Breakfast Club school-wide due to having no volunteers available to oversee it. To help bring this awesome kaupapa back for our tamariki, we are looking for whānau volunteers who can support the running of Breakfast Club from 8:15am–8:45am, Monday to Friday. Breakfast Club provides WeetBix, toast, and sometimes even a warm milo to help start the day well. Even if you’re only available one or two mornings a week, we would really appreciate your support. If you are keen to help, please let the office staff know. Please note that all whānau volunteers will need to be police vetted.

To help us keep our school records accurate and ensure we can contact you when needed, we’re asking all whānau to update the contact details we already have on file.

Please fill out this form only if your details have changed. This helps us ensure our records are accurate for newsletters, emergency contact, and school communications.

We will be having our first teacher only day for the year on Monday 20 April. School will be closed on this day.

Please note that sports fees are now overdue. Payment details are as follows:

Rippa Rugby:

$15 for Years 1 to 6

Netball:

$15 for Years 1 and 4

$60 for Years 5 and 6

Football:

Born in 2021/2020: $50

Born in 2019/2018/2017: $60

Born in 2016/2015: $70

Please pay at the office using cash, EFTPOS, or by bank deposit into:

Allandale School Office – 12 3253 0017736 00

Please make sure all uniform items, bags, and if possible bikes, scooters, and helmets are clearly named. We understand that items can sometimes go missing, but naming them helps us return lost property to the right owner. Lost property can be found in the blue bins located in the junior area by the sandpit.

To help keep our tamariki safe all whānau coming onto the school site must sign in at the office — this includes any late students.

• The side gate into the junior area will be locked each day from 8:45am–2:30pm.

• If you are signing out tamariki before 2:30pm, no matter the reason, it is very important that you sign them out at the office using our tablet. The process is very straightforward, and our office staff are always happy to assist you.
• If you are dropping off lunch or coming in for a quick check-in, please come to the office first and grab a lanyard. Before entering classrooms, please note that our teachers may redirect you back to the office if you do not have a lanyard or have not signed in. Our tamariki’s safety is our priority.

A quick reminder for whānau: please send tamariki to school with a water bottle every day. Hats of any style or colour are fine, as long as they’re suitable for school. And remember to name all uniform items so they don’t go missing. Our lost property can be found in the blue bins by the sandpit in the Junior area.

Is your child aged 9-12 years? Are they interested in learning an instrument?

We have spaces for students in the following classes:

• Fife
• Flute
• Recorder
• Clarinet
• Violin

Brass instruments (including trumpet, cornet, trombone, horn and baritone)

Classes are run after school in Whakatane and start the first week of March

Lessons cost $80 for the whole year

Instruments for hire ($60)

Please see our website for more information on lesson times and days https://www.ebopchildrensmusic.co.nz

EPro8 Club runs every Monday from 3.15–4.30pm at Whakatane High School for students in Years 5–8. EPro8 is a fantastic way for tamariki to get involved in engineering, problem solving, and innovation in a fun, hands-on way. The club is completely free. For more information, visit

https://www.epro8challenge.co.nz/index.html or contact erin.nolan@whs.co.nz

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