Week 1, Term 3 2026

Dental van on site all term

• 28th July, Tuesday - Friends of the School (FOTS) meeting, 5:30pm in staffroom
• 31st July - Ballot for out of zone enrolments for Term 4 2026
• 31st July, Friday - Pizza Friday
• 4th August, Tuesday - School Board meeting, 6:00pm
• 13th August, Thursday - School disco, Hawaiian Luau theme
• 20th August, Thursday - Funky Fun Day, Years 3 and 4
• 24th August, Monday - Teacher Only Day, school closed
• 31st August, Monday - Photolife in school
• 1st September, Tuesday - School Board meeting, 6:00pm
• 11th September, Friday- Pizza Friday
• 14th September, Monday - School reports emailed home
• 16th September, Wednesday - Learning Conferences, more information to follow
• 17th September, Thursday - Learning Conferences, more information to follow
• 18th September, Friday - Ra Whakangahau, TPS Kapa Haka performance group
• 25th September, Friday - Term 3 finishes

Tēnā koutou katoa

Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa - Warm greetings to you all.

Welcome back to Term 3. I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy a break with family and friends. The year is certainly flying by, and we are looking forward to another busy and productive term.

We are pleased to welcome two new staff members to TPS this term. Anushka Gunasekara and Alana Campbell have joined us as teacher aides in the Junior Team. Room 18, our final New Entrant class for the year, opened this week. Whaea Jess is the teacher and is, of course, a familiar face to us all.

A huge thank you to everyone who was able to support our Matariki Celebration at the end of last term. It was a special community event and a fantastic way to come together to celebrate Matariki. We are very proud of our students who preformed, it is always a special time sharing with parents and whanau. A particular highlight was the support from student leaders from Tauranga Girls' College and Tauranga Boys' College, as well as former Tauranga Primary School students attending Ōtūmoetai College. It was wonderful to see young leaders giving back to their community. They demonstrated true manaakitanga through their generosity, and willingness to serve others, making everyone feel welcomed and cared for. We are incredibly proud to see our former students continuing to embody these values and giving back to their primary school.

Over the holidays, a number of property projects were completed around the school. Rooms 11, 12, 13 and 15 received a fresh coat of paint, our staff toilets were refurbished, and a range of defects from the hall project were remedied.

This term, our teaching teams have exciting programmes of learning planned, with a strong focus on continuing to build students' confidence, knowledge and skills across the curriculum. We are also looking forward to a range of sporting and cultural opportunities and learning experiences that make school both engaging and enjoyable. Each team will have shared their Term 3 newsletters with you this week which outlines in detail what is happening.

Later in the term, students will take part in the Kia Kaha programme. Kia Kaha is an anti bullying education programme developed by New Zealand Police that helps children build the skills and confidence to create and maintain respectful relationships. The programme focuses on recognising bullying behaviour, responding safely and positively, and supporting others. We are pleased to once again partner with New Zealand Police, with Constable Den visiting classrooms to teach some of the sessions.

On the 24th of August we have our final Teacher Only Day, the school will be closed for instruction. On this day TPS staff will be continuing to learn about our newly refreshed NZ Curriculum and will also have a continued focus on enhancing our writing instruction.

A warm welcome to Adam Shahin, Ningchen Li, Arden Elliott-Payne, Arie McCarthy, Esmeralda Turton, Hyeseong and Yuseong Jeon, James Cottle, Kiyansh Dutt, Liam De Vries, Madeleine Sharp, Nikau Newell, Nixon Dunn, Nylah-Rose Hoeta Harwood, Oscar Woodward, Rababinder Bal, Zixi Liu, Yusuf Zulfikar. It is great to have you and your families join our TPS team.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our school and community.

Hei kōnei rā

Fiona Hawes

Principal

principal@tauranga.school.nz

The Middle Team are learning about life in the past, present and future. Thank you to Hands on Tauranga for sharing resources to support this learning

The most important information for schools is that people and tamariki should not touch dead or unwell birds.

The risk to public health remains low, and there are currently no suspected or confirmed human cases in New Zealand. Human infection is rare and is generally associated with close contact with infected birds or other affected animals.

Key messages :

• The risk to human health is low. It remains rare for humans to be infected with H5N1 bird flu.
• H5N1 bird flu is very unlikely to transmit from human to human. However, viruses can change over time, so it’s important that we remain vigilant.
• H5N1 bird flu symptoms range in severity from conjunctivitis or very mild coryzal or flu-like symptoms to severe illness. Recent information from the US suggests that H5N1 2.3.4.4b most commonly presents with a mild self-limited upper respiratory illness with most patients presenting with conjunctivitis, about half presenting with fever and just over a third with mild respiratory symptoms. Asymptomatic infections are relatively uncommon.
• H5N1 bird flu is not a food safety concern. Avian influenza viruses are sensitive to heat treatment so chicken, other poultry (like turkey or duck), and eggs remain safe to eat when handled and cooked correctly.
• People should not touch dead or unwell birds. Three or more sick or dead wild birds in a group should be reported immediately to the MPI’s exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66 from anywhere in New Zealand. Go to www.mpi.govt.nz/bird-flu to find out more.
• Vaccination against avian influenza is not available in New Zealand.
• For more information: Avian influenza

The mobile dental unit will be onsite at TPS from Monday 20th July to Friday 25th September

Our dental team will be seeing the most overdue tamariki/children during this visit. As the clinic will be prioritising all their appointments, it may not be possible for the dental staff to see all students during this visit.

Our dental team will notify the whanau and families prior to their tamariki/child’s dental appointment.

When you receive this notification, please contact the team to update any contact details, confirm medical details or renew permissions for examination and dental x-rays.

Current service demands and delays weigh heavily on our teams and your kindness and support is appreciated.

If you have any queries or urgent dental concerns, contact 07 578 3070 or 0800 TALK TEETH for further help and advice.

The Friends of the School are a group of parents who wish to contribute their time to support our school. We meet twice a term on a Tuesday (5:30pm - 6:30pm in the staffroom) to coordinate and plan events. Our next meeting is on the 28th July.

You may not be able to attend meetings, but are keen to help out. For example: supervising the House Leaders sell ice blocks on a Friday after school (commitment is 2:40 - 3:20pm) or maybe you could pick up the ice block order from Pak n Save? Perhaps you can help decorate the hall for the school disco? Help set up or pack down after the Disco?

Help organise pizzas (time commitment is 12:20 - 1:00pm).

Many hands make light work and we would love some more parents to join and contribute.

Why Join the FOTS?

• Flexible involvement - help only when you're available.
• Meet greet people and be part of our school community.
• Make a real impact on the school facilities our kids will use everyday. Past projects have been refurbishing each of the four school playgrounds, creating the second sandpit on the junior site and providing gift vouchers for the end of year assemblies.

What are we fundraising for?

• To contribute to create a covered outdoor (all weather) space - useful for wet days, outdoor assemblies in summer, pōhiri and an additional shady spot for students to play in.

Register your interest at the school office or email Catherine and the FOTS team at fots@tauranga.school.nz

If you are able to help with any events you can sign up below and select what you are available for.

Term 4 ballot Friday 31st July

Term 1 2027 ballot Friday 23rd October

Enrolment packs can be collected from the office, or use our online enrolment form at www.tauranga.school.nz

Any queries or to check your child's name is on our pre-enrolment list please contact our

Enrolment Officer: Barbara Turley at office@tauranga.school.nz

Make an offer:
* 2 x roller doors -1920mm wide each plus trim/fixings
* 10 years old - have been installed (see picture) but seldom used
email: business@tauranga.school.nz

Principal

Fiona Hawes

principal@tauranga.school.nz

Deputy Principal

Cathy Ediker

dp@tauranga.school.nz

Assistant Principal

Robyn Caley

rcaley@tauranga.school.nz

Junior Team Leader

Jana Smith

jsmith@tauranga.school.nz

Middle Team Leader

Brianna Perfect

bperfect@tauranga.school.nz

Senior Team Leader

Jo Howard

jhoward@tauranga.school.nz

International Student enquiries

Cathy Ediker

dp@tauranga.school.nz

Business Manager

Susan O'Neill

business@tauranga.school.nz

Enrolment Officer

Barbara Turley

office@tauranga.school.nz