Newsletter Issue 5

Principal Update

Kia ora, Nameste, Talofa, Konnichiwa, Guten Tag, Gidday, Vannakkam, ni Hao, Kia orana, Hola, Salam, Sa wat deekha, Dia Dhuit, Goeie Dag, Bonjour, Καλημέρα, Mālō e lelei, Greetings everyone

As we approach the final stretch of the term, we want to extend a huge thank you to all the parents and whānau who attended our recent three-way conferences. Having a strong, open relationship with you truly makes our school a better place, and these conversations are vital for supporting our tamariki in their learning journeys. We incredibly appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedules to connect with us and celebrate your child's progress.

Looking ahead, we are very excited to celebrate Matariki together as a school community on Thursday the 2nd of July between 5.30pm and 7pm. Matariki is a deeply meaningful time in Aotearoa for reflection, honoring the past, and looking forward to the future with hope. All of our students have been working incredibly hard learning about the stars and are excited to share their learning with you. We can’t wait to welcome you all to our special Matariki evening next week—it promises to be a wonderful celebration.

A quick housekeeping note to help our school days run smoothly, please remind your children that they cannot arrange their own playdates while at school. To avoid confusion and ensure everyone's safety, all after-school arrangements need to be discussed and confirmed directly between parents beforehand. Thank you so much for your continued support, partnership, and cooperation.

On a personal note, as we wrap up this fantastic term, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone for making me feel so incredibly welcome here. It has been an absolute joy getting to know the school community, and I am already looking forward to seeing all of you back for another wonderful term ahead. I wish you all a safe, restful, and happy holiday break with your families!

Ngā mihi nui

Rachel

A reminder that our fortnightly newsletters can also be found on our Bellevue Website - scroll down to view 'previous Bellevue Newsletters' - and for more timely updates, you could follow our closed group Bellevue Facebook Page, if you are not already.

To assist our families with locating our Attendance Procedures, please note that the below link now takes you to a 'quick link' on our website to the Attendance Procedures in PDF form.

Reporting an absence

Please do always contact the office (office@bellevue-newlands.school.nz), or call and leave a message for absences. Do not reply to this newsletter as your message may not be seen.

Welcome

Haere mai ki te kura o Bellevue. Welcome to the following students and their whānau. It is great to have you in our Bellevue Learning Community.

Rīmu Totara – Zev

Kahikatea - Zane

Thank You

Thank you to all of the whānau who helped support Mānuka and Nīkau’s trip to Ākau Tangi Sports Centre. The day ran so smoothly and we could not have done it without you all!

Thank you to all of the whānau who came to Island Bay Marine Reserve with Rimu Tōtara. We had a blast looking around the rockpools and creating beach art with you.

A message from our Kindy

We need to issue a safety reminder regarding the local kindergarten driveway. Please remember that this is a private driveway strictly for the use of kindergarten families only. We have had concerning reports of unsafe and fast driving, including drivers attempting to overtake other cars on this narrow, one-way lane. Additionally, school cars are parking on the footpath, forcing children on scooters or walking into harm's way, and kindergarten teachers are being blocked in when trying to leave for meetings. Please respect our early childhood neighbors and prioritize the safety of all our little ones by keeping this driveway clear and driving with extreme care.

What to do if your tamariki see something upsetting online

Sometimes tamariki will see inappropriate, offensive or illegal content online even if they haven’t sought it out. It can pop-up during a game, someone could share a link, a search can show explicit images or a misspelt word could return unexpected content. It can be hard to know what to do in this situation so Netsafe has developed some advice for parents and young people.

Have you been affected by online harm? Contact the Netsafe helpline for free confidential advice: 0508 638 723.

Sports

Congratulations to Isabel (in Year 5), who has now qualified for Regional Athletics. This means she will be running on behalf of the entire Wellington region. Ka rawe, Isabel - you should be so incredibly proud of yourself!

Link to Health and PE Survey: https://forms.gle/5zVJApwt8MX6cYGVA

PB4L Dojo Point Update

We use Dojo Points at Bellevue School to acknowledge students demonstrating our school values. We have earned 4861 Dojo Points.

Lost Property

If you think your child has lost something please come to the office and have a look at the large amount of lost property. Any items remaining at the end of term will be donated.

Advance notice - School Photos Term 3, Week 7

Exciting News for School Photos! This year, we’ve partnered with an amazing photographer named Sue for our upcoming school photos. To make sure no one misses out, the photo sessions will run over several days. If your child happens to be away, don't worry—Sue's specialized digital skills mean they can easily be photographed the next day and still be included.

Photos will be held in Week 7 of Term 3. More information will be available closer to the time.

You can check out her website here:

https://www.sueallmanpeople.co.nz/section688166.html

ICAS Assessments 2026

Bellevue School offers interested families of students in Years 4-6 the chance to participate in the ICAS Assessments in:

English (Reading)
Writing
Mathematics
Science

All of these assessments are online. The cost of each of the assessments is $22.95, EXCEPT Writing which is $28.75.

This competition takes place each year in schools throughout Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, the Pacific region and South Africa. ICAS Assessments are designed to recognise and reward academic excellence. Students are asked to demonstrate a deeper, integrated, and thorough level of learning. For more information please follow THIS LINK.

The assessments are challenging and provide an opportunity, particularly for students of high academic ability, to gain a measure of their own achievement in an external assessment situation. We would not advise that your child sit these if they are a less confident learner or would become anxious in an exam situation.

If you are uncertain about whether or not your child should participate please talk to their whānau teacher.

The dates for the ICAS Assessments at Bellevue in 2026 are:

Writing - Thursday 6 August
English - Thursday 13 August
Science - Thursday 20 August
Maths - Thursday 27 August

A notice has already been emailed to all Rimu, Tōtara and Kahikatea families about registering for these assessments. A reminder that entries and payment must be in no later than 3pm on Tuesday 21 July (first week back in Term 3). No late registrations can be accepted.

Enrolment planning for 2026-2027

Do you have a child turning five soon or next year or know someone else who does? Parents of students who live within the home zone and intend to enrol their child at any time in 2026-2027 are asked to please notify the school as soon as possible to assist the school to plan appropriately. It helps us to know as early as possible how many students will be enrolling as a five-year-old. Interested families may collect an enrolment pack from the office or from our website.

Out of zone enrolment applications are now being accepted for the fourth enrolment period of 2026 (Saturday 26 September to Wednesday 16 December 2026). Up to five (5) places are likely to be available for out of zone students.

The deadline for out of zone enrolments is Friday 26 June 2026.

Please have a look at the school website for more details: https://www.bellevue-newlands.school.nz/school-enrolment.

Bellevue School - School Docs Policies & Procedures

Username bellevue-newlands, password 'grow'

Sports Notices - Website

Bellevue Writer's Corner

NOW UPDATED!!
This is our platform to publish great writing from students across the school.
Please pop onto our website here to view a collection of great writing from our students.