School Newsletter Term 3, Week 8

Kia ora koutou,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am delighted to share with you the Team Leader appointments for 2026:

Tipuranga: Deana Garstang

Puawaitanga: Tracye Katon

Te Wai Nui o Tāne: Louise Ellis

Pihipihinga: TBC

We are very fortunate to have such experienced and committed leaders stepping into these roles. Their leadership will continue to support collaboration and ensure our tamariki thrive across all areas of learning.

A special thank you also goes to our Acting Team Leaders for their mahi and dedication throughout the past year. The flexibility, knowledge, and support you have shown has been invaluable, and we are grateful for the way you have guided your teams with such care.

It is certainly a busy and exciting time in our kura. Parent–Teacher Conferences are coming up soon, and we look forward to welcoming whānau into classrooms to share and celebrate the wonderful learning that has been taking place. These conferences are a great opportunity to connect, strengthen partnerships, and set goals together for the remainder of the year.

I also want to congratulate all of our students who are taking part in the Performing Arts Power Hour sessions. These opportunities have been full of energy, creativity, and talent, and it is fantastic to see tamariki expressing themselves with confidence. Alongside this, our classroom learning continues to shine—teachers are working hard to design engaging learning experiences that connect to the real world and reflect the diverse cultures of our school community.

As always, thank you to our staff, whānau, and wider community for the aroha and support you give our kura. Together, we continue to create an environment where every child can succeed and shine.

Please ensure to book a table for our upcoming Quiz Night run by the PTA. It will be a great night.

.

Tony West

Principal

West End School - Te Kura O Urumutu

Please update your details with the school office if

Your physical address has changed
Your mobile phone number has changed
Your child is taking any medication
Any interim or parenting order updates
Your emergency contact changes

If you are moving to a different school for the 2026 school year (not including our Year 6 students), please let the school office know so we can plan accordingly. Thank you

We have our Student Led Conferences in Week 9 of this term. These will happen on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th September.

These conferences will be 20 minutes in duration.

Timings -

Wednesday 10th September: 12.40pm - 7.20pm. School will finish at 12pm on this day.

Thursday 11th September: 3.20pm - 7.40pm.

Please click on this link below to make a booking.

Or scan this QR code to make a booking.

During our Three Way Conferences, we will have an Art Gallery on show in our school hall for everyone to enjoy. All of our classes have chosen a country/culture to learn about and present a piece of Art that represents them.

We also have all of our ESOL students present a piece of art from their country with help from our families and Mrs Larsen.

This is a wonderful way to get a glimpse of some of the amazing things going on at West End, see what your child and their class has been doing and to learn about the many amazing cultures around the world.

We will be hosting this Art Gallery in our school hall during Conference times.

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Another successful disco was held in Week 7. It was great to see so many children gearing up for Spring and having a good dance. Thank you to our talented DJ and to the PTA and teachers who helped make this event a big success! The kids had a lot of fun.

With your generosity, West End School raised $216 for Daffodil Day. Thank you to all who dressed up and donated money!

Thank you to everyone who came along to our maths open morning last Friday. It was awesome to see all of the amazing maths happening across our kura. Our tamariki are enjoying exploring using the Numicon programme.

We are in need of parent volunteers to help with breakfast clubs. If you are available to do even one morning please contact sport@westend.school.nz

In ESOL we have been celebrating our culture by creating artwork, representing where our family comes from. We are proudly sharing our art in the Hall next Wednesday and Thursday. We have enjoyed some of our parents who have come in to share their culture with us.

When coming for your 3 way conference please pop into the Hall. >> Look for our ESOL students art on the stage area,

Room 8

In Ruma 8, we have been learning about where we live. We have learnt that the city we live in is Te Papaioea Palmerston North, and it is in the country of Aotearoa New Zealand. We used a globe to find where we are in the world and a map to find where we are in Aotearoa. We have been using lots of Mana Aotūroa for questioning and discussions. We completed pictures for our Pepeha and used lots of Mana Aotūroa and Whakamana to complete them with crayon and dye.

Week 5 certificates were awarded to children in our team for demonstrating the school values.

It is always a tough decision deciding on reciprocants, as we have so many wonderful children demonstrating the values as part of who they are everyday.

This week’s reciprocants were:

Room 6 - None this week (Whaea Gina was away)

Room 7 - Noah (Manaakitanga), Peyton (Whakamana)

Room 10 - Iyin (Whakamana), Casey (Mana Aoturoa) and Josie (Whakamana)

Room 11 - Ruby (Mana Aoturoa), Scarlett ( Whakamana), Alex (Kotahitanga)

Room 6

Room 6 has been learning all about animals as part of our reading and writing program. The tamariki chose an animal to research and write an information report about. They have worked really hard over the last 3 weeks, figuring out how to structure their reports, what language to use, and how much detail they needed. Alongside this research and writing, the tamariki have made some art to go with their reports. Check out these awesome pieces!

Room 4

Room 4 has been learning about the history, geography, art and culture of Mexico. Students have been busy this week painting tiles from their well thought-out sketches. These designs are inspired by the UNESCO-recognised ceramics of Mexico, specifically the vibrant Talavera Poblana tiles of Puebla, Mexico. We cannot wait to share the finished pieces with the whole school and whānau in Week 9.

Term 4 Summer Sport registration

Registrations for summer sport are being put on Kindo - please check to see which sports are currently available. The rest will be updated in the next couple of weeks. Netball, Hockey, Tennis and Football will be the sports you can register for.

BOOK YOUR TABLES NOW! Almost sold out!

.

WEEK 9

Power Hour - Tuesday 9th September
3 Way Conferences start at 1pm - Wednesday 10th September
NE Visits - Wednesday 10th September
3 Way Conferences start at 3.20pm - Thursday 11th September
PTA Quiz Night - Friday 12th September

WEEK 10 - Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

Power Hour - Tuesday 16th September
EPro8 Interschool Competition - Wednesday 17th September
NE Visits - Wednesday 17th September
VIBE Assembly Pihipihingā - Friday 19th September
Last Day of Term 3 - Friday 19th September

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS: Friday 19th September - Monday 6th October

TERM 4, WEEK 1

Swimming Starts - Monday 6th October
Power Hour -

Term 1: Monday 29 Jan - Friday 11 April

Term 2: Monday 28 April - Friday 27 June

Term 3: Monday 14 July - Friday 19 Sept

Term 4: Monday 6 Oct - Friday 12 Dec

Ballot Dates Drawn at 11.30am of the dates stated below

Term 1 for Term 2: Wednesday 26 February 2025

Term 2 for Term 3: Wednesday 14 May 2025

Term 3 for Term 4: Wednesday 30 July 2025

Term 4 for Term 1 2026: Wednesday 8 October 2025

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 29 October 2026

Please do not drop your child to school too early

Our school gates are opened at around 8.05-8.10am. If you have to drop your child off early, please do so as close to this time as possible for their own safety.

West End School starts at 8.50am in the morning. Children can wait next to the turf until 8.30 and then enter the school grounds when the bell goes. Please try to get your child to school on time as this sets them up for the day and helps establish a healthy routine - so they're not catching up with learning if they arrive late.

School finishes at 2.50. If you are picking your child up, please be at school at this time. We are having many parents turning up late which causes disruption for our office staff and teachers who have to delay appointments and meetings after school.

If your child is absent from school.

It is really important under the current circumstances you 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

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 3, Week 8