School Newsletter Term 1, Week 5

Kia ora e te whānau,

It has been a vibrant few weeks at school. From the splashing of water to the harmony of voices, our students have been busy growing, learning, and connecting with the wider community.

Our poolside has been a hub of energy and determination lately. Swimming is more than just a sport; it is a vital life skill that builds confidence and resilience. It has been wonderful to see students of all levels challenging themselves—whether it was a first-timer getting their face wet or a seasoned swimmer perfecting their stroke. A huge thank you to our instructors.

We were absolutely delighted to host the tamariki from ‘Lots of Hugs’ this week. Transitions can be big steps for little feet, so these visits are a beautiful way to bridge the gap between early childhood and primary school. Our student ambassadors did a fantastic role-modelling job, guiding our young visitors through the classrooms.

There is nothing quite like the sound of a few hundred voices joined in song to lift the spirits. Our recent singing assembly was a testament to the power of music. The hall was filled with harmony, laughter, and a fair bit of rhythmic clapping! These assemblies are a core part of our school culture, allowing us to celebrate our collective identity through song.

The Vibe Assembly led by Puawaitanga was an incredible showcase of talent, culture, and, most importantly, "vibe." The performance was a celebration of the students' school work. We are so proud of the way our students represent our school values during these events. Whether they are in the pool or on the stage, they continue to shine.

Ngā mihi nui.

.

Tony West

Principal

West End School - Te Kura O Urumutu

Please use the correct (2026) classroom numbers for your children when you report absences, make kindo payments and when you order lunches at the dairy & bakery. This will ensure they get delivered to the right classrooms.

Athletics Day is next week on Wednesday. Attached below are the timetables we will be following. The times listed are what we are aiming to stick to; however, timings may change slightly due to various circumstances throughout the day.

We warmly invite you to come along and join West End in showcasing the athletics skills students have been learning and improving over the past term.

Following athletics, whānau are welcome to join us from 1.00–1.45pm for a picnic lunch with your child.

The PTA will be selling sausage sizzles (sausage and bread), juices, and chippies. These can be pre-ordered via KINDO. A small number of items will also be available for cash sales on the day.

We look forward to seeing you there and celebrating our learners together.

Friday 20th March from 4.30pm - 6.30pm

The West End Whānau is invited to our Community Conferences and Kai event which is on Friday 20th March. This will be a chance to come into your child's class to see the amazing mahi they have been doing during the year so far and to have a talk to their teacher. This will start at 4.30pm and continue through to 5.30pm.

Once you have finished meeting with the teacher and looking at your child's work, you are invited to stay for a picnic on the field with the rest of our school whānau.

Our amazing PTA will have activities on the field as well as having a sausages sizzle. Our Community Conferences and Kai evening will finish at 6.30.

To remember:

Walk the Walls of your child's classroom goes between 4.30 to 5.30.
When you are finished, you are welcome to join us on the field for PTA run activities.
You are welcome to bring some food to eat at this time.
You can buy sausages, drinks and juicies from the PTA.
Our Community Conferences and Kai evening will finish at 6.30pm.

We are excited to announce the launch of our new Learning Support Programme at West End School, a strategic initiative designed to ensure every student with diverse learning needs can thrive.

At the heart of this programme are our new Learning Support Coordinators (LSC), Dan Minchin, Shinade Cousins and Nicky Bowles who will in partnership with classroom teachers and with the use of assessment data will identify student needs and coordinate targeted interventions, ensuring that our teaching strategies are evidence-based and effective. This position acts as a vital bridge between the school, external specialist agencies, and our families, ensuring that no student’s progress is left to chance.

By collaborating with our teachers, we are not just supporting individual students—we are building the entire school’s capacity to celebrate and support all learners. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this focused support will have on our school-wide achievement and well-being.

This week, beautiful tuakana/teina mahi was seen between some of our older and younger children during lunch time at the long jump pit. Older children were supporting the younger students with their skills and all involved were showing great manaakitanga and kotahaitanga. It is lovely to see our children showing our school values when they are outside of the classroom.

Room 14

As part of our Creative writing, the students in room 14 have been writing about our school. These students were so happy to return to school for the year and were eager to share their favourite things about Te Kura o Urumutu.

The whakamana the children showed in their writing can be seen in the way they have spelled new words and used sounding out to write more difficult words.

They have shown Mana Aotūroa in their creative illustrations.

This writing was such a fun experience for our tamariki so we decided to display it in our school foyer.

Please feel free to view this the next time you are in our school office!

Rūma Tekau ma Tahi

In Room 11 we have been learning about Monarch Butterflies, our focus has been on their appearance, looking at the colours, the patterns and symmetry.

We created our very own flapping butterflies. We looked at how we could best represent the amazing butterfly. We painted our butterfly black and once they dried we worked on cutting out our orange pieces and sticking them on with bluetac so that we could position it in the right place. One Miss Bone checked that it was okay, we glued them down and used the end of a paintbrush to do our white dots. We got to add our own special twist by choosing which colour our antenna would be.

Rūma Whā

In Ruma Whā we are very proud to showcase our Pepeha and Korowai artwork. While creating our korowai, we showed Whakamana because it took patience and perseverance to carefully colour and cut all of the feathers.

We also used Mana Aotūroa to show creativity in the design of each feather. Inside each korowai we placed our pepeha, which tells the story of who we are and where we come from.

We are very proud of our artwork, which is now displayed on our classroom walls for everyone to enjoy.

Te Wao Nui o Tāne school camp at Vertical Horizons Camp in Taranaki from the 28th April - 1st May.

Camp Details

The camp will run for 4 days and 3 nights during Week 2 of Term 2, 2026. Students will travel to and from the camp by bus.

Camp Costs

The cost for the camp is $290 per child. Payment can be made via Kindo. We understand that this is a significant expense, and to help ease the financial burden, we are offering a payment plan option. Additionally, we will be organizing various fundraising efforts throughout the year to help lower the overall cost for families. Please ensure that a deposit has been made to your child's camp fees as confirmation that you are wanting your child to attend camp this year. If you have any questions or concerns around this, please contact the school office.

Camp Meeting on Tuesday 17th March at 5.30pm

We will be providing more detailed information about the camp activities, what to pack, and health and safety procedures closer to the time. In the meantime, please mark these dates in your calendar!

If you have any questions, please contact Te Wao Nui o Tāne team leader Louise Ellis lellis@westend.school.nz

Rūma Iwa

Tēnā koutou e te whānau, ko Ruma Iwa mātou. Kua mahi toi a mātou “Ko Wai Au.” Ngā tamariki were working on showing themselves through a piece of portrait art, capturing their own uniqueness and what is important to them through their mana aotūroa. They displayed whakamana in their efforts to complete their mahi toi on time and to a high standard. Tau kē tamariki mā. Tino pai a koutou mahi!

Volunteers needed!

If you are able to help out for breakfast club, please contact Hannah Burden at sport@westend.school.nz

Please let your classroom teacher know if you have not received a classroom post from Skoolbooks.

WEEK 6

Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne and Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 10th March
School Athletics Day - Wednesday 11th March
Swimming: Tipuranga and Pihipihinga - Thursday 12th March
EPIC Music - Friday 13th March

WEEK 7

Road Patrol Refresher (9am): Monday 16th March
Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne and Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 17th March
Weetbix Tryathlon - Tuesday 17th March
TWNOT Camp and Parent Helpers Meeting (5.30pm) - Tuesday 17th March
Swimming: Tipuranga and Pihipihinga - Thursday 19th March
EPIC Music - Friday 20th March
VIBE Assembly (Tipuranga) - Friday 20th March
Community Conferences and Kai - Friday 20th March

WEEK 8

Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne and Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 24th March
Swimming: Tipuranga and Pihipihinga - Thursday 26th March
EPIC Music - Friday 27th March
Mt Biggs Tough Kids - Friday 27th March
School Disco - Friday 27th March

WEEK 9

Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne and Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 31st March
Swimming: Tipuranga and Pihipihinga - Thursday 2nd April
Good Friday - Start of School Holidays - Friday 3rd April

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 7 October 2026

Beauty and the Beast Auditions

Be our guest… at auditions! MYTH are excited to announce auditions for Beauty and the Beast Jr. on 21 & 22 March. Who will be our next brave Belle, fearsome Beast, or fabulous enchanted castle character? This is your chance to step into the spotlight and be part of a tale as old as time! For the audition information - please email beautybeastmyth@gmail.com

Please 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 and our website.

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 1, Week 5