Middle School West Auckland

Nga mihi ki a tatou katoa i raro i nga ahuaranga o te wa, greetings to you all from little old Pohutukawa campus.

It's the end of week 3 and despite it being shorter in duration, it felt as though our V8 engine was coughing and spluttering to the finish line... thank goodness it's Friyay!!!

Attached are a few pics from our recent events and relaxing in the sun playing chess.

With the return of Matua James, we've seen an immediate improvement in uniform wearing, thank you for supporting the school's stance.

The importance of uniform includes the preparation from arriving home from a hard day learning, to ensuring it's cleaned, dried and ready for showing off the next day. Well done to you all.

We are going to Wero Whitewater park to celebrate our student's 2026-year achievements on Monday the 7th of December from 10am-3pm. We have sent multiple copies of the permission slips and reminders, PLEASE make this an urgent task to get the permission slips back asap as the hosts at Wero need these for planning at their end.

Congratulations to the students that performed well with the NCEA exams, we acknowledge you all. That's what hard work gets you.

Life is about earning tickets along the way, these could be in the form of courses, licences, diplomas and degrees.

As a little chuckle heading into the weekend,

can I ask, have you heard of the $2 chicken? It's called "buck, buck" 🤣🤣🤣

Tuesday 3rd November

Blake visit JR for Year 7-8's

Thursday 5th and Friday 6th November

CM Games (Counties Manukau Games) for all Year 7-8's

Please ensure that they have plenty of food and water for the day.

We will leave school at 8:15am each day and we will be back at school at 3:15pm depending on the traffic.

If you would like to come and support your child the event is held at Bruce Pullman Park in Papakura. They will need a hat and sunscreen and shorts for running in.

Please no denim shorts. I will be borrowing tag shorts off Auckland Rugby for those students participating in Tag. Each student will be given a CM games t-shirt to play in on the day, which they can keep.

Year 9 students this week working at Epping Reserve were very fortunate to come across puriri moth burrows. During October to December the puriri caterpillar, after living up to 7 years inside its tree trunk burrow, emerge as Aotearoa's largest moth with wingspans up to 15cm. Once emerged it has only 2 to 3 days to find a mate and lay eggs. It survives only on the food stored as a caterpillar as the moth has no mouth or digestive system.

Come and drop off your old Computers laptops or any batteries in the dedicated bucket at our school this weekend. See you on Saturday!

This term, we’ll send out three surveys inviting whānau to help shape our school’s future.

The first will seek your input into our strategic plan. The second will ask for your thoughts on a complete school rebrand, which we’re working towards for the start of 2027. This could include a new name, vision, uniform and emblem. Most of all, it’s an opportunity to begin the new year with a fresh identity as our own school.

The third survey is part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) work. We want to hear what you think we can do to better support student behaviour and wellbeing.

Every survey you return will put your name into the draw for a fantastic prize. Three surveys returned means three chances to win!

Have your say, have a win.

Kia ora e te whānau,

Enrolments are now open at Middle School West Auckland, and we are welcoming new students now as well as applications for 2027.

We encourage whānau to enrol early, as this helps us plan effectively for the year ahead. Early enrolments provide valuable information about expected student numbers, allowing us to prepare staffing, classes, resources, and learning programmes to best support our students. The sooner we know your child is joining our school, the better prepared we can be to ensure a smooth and successful start.

If you have a child entering Years 7 to 10 in 2027, or know a whānau seeking a caring, supportive, and engaging learning environment, we would love to hear from you.

To enrol:

• Email: admin@westauckland.school.nz
• Complete the online enrolment form at www.westauckland.school.nz
• Phone: 09 972 1744
• Visit us at either:
  • 287 Lincoln Road, Henderson
  • 24 Waipareira Avenue, Henderson

We look forward to welcoming new ākonga and whānau to the Middle School West Auckland community and partnering with you on your child's learning journey.

Please find attached the 2027 Confirmation of Place letter. We kindly ask that you complete and return the letter to the school office either by hand or via email by Friday, 25 September.

Email: admin@westauckland.school.nz

Phone: 09 972-1744

This information is important for our planning and preparation for the 2027 school year.

Thank you for your support and prompt attention to this matter.

If you have changed phone numbers or moved house recently, please let the school know so that we have updated records of every student. This is vital should there be a need to make contact with you in an Emergency.

STAR ATTENDANCE – EVERY DAY COUNTS

At our school, we are committed to supporting every ākonga to attend regularly and thrive in their learning. The STAR Attendance framework helps whānau understand how we work together to support attendance and wellbeing.

It shows what happens at each stage of absence:

🔹 1: Less than 5 days absence
Whānau keep the school updated, establish routines, and ensure daily attendance.

🔸 2: Up to 10 days absence
Our tumuaki will make contact and share attendance data so we can work together on any barriers.

🔶 3: Up to 15 days absence
A hui may be organised with whānau, the school, and support services to create a plan that meets the student's needs.

🔴 4: 15+ days absence

The school is required to escalate the issue, and legal processes may be considered if absences continue without valid reason.

✨ Key message: Regular attendance is crucial for your child’s learning, progress, and wellbeing. We are here to support you every step of the way—please reach out if you need help.

Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow

Waitematā Table Tennis Association is inviting Primary and Intermediate aged students to register for a ten week after school programme starting in the fourth term, from the 9th Oct to the 14th Dec.

Details are provided in the attached flyer, and we would be grateful if this could be distributed via your parent newsletter to all students.

With kind regards

Denise Kent

On behalf of the WTTA Committee

‘Breakfast Club’, ‘KidsCan’ and ‘Fruit in Schools’ support our school whanau by supplying cereals, milk, bread, morning tea snacks and fresh fruit.

Breakfast runs from 7.30am - 8.10am daily

Parking at our JR campus (Lincoln Road) is very limited. When visiting can you please only park in the spaces that are labelled SCHOOL.

DROP OFFS: If you are doing a drop off or pick up, this needs to be done at the back of our school along the right of way. This will then help us in preventing congestion in our front carpark area as this is a shared space.

Email: admin@westauckland.school.nz
Website: www.westauckland.school.nz
Location: 287-289 Lincoln Road, Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand
Phone: 09 9721744
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Middle-School-West-Auckland-664746236980176