Welcome back to a new term at Golden Sands School! We hope you all had a restful break and are ready for an exciting season of learning ahead.

Term 1 Attendance Summary

As we begin this new term, we want to share a brief update on our attendance from Term 1, 2026. Consistent attendance is vital for our students' learning and wellbeing, helping them build positive daily habits and stay connected with their peers.

Our Achievement: In Term 1, 73% of our students achieved "Regular Attendance," meaning they were at school more than 90% of the time. This is an improvement compared to the 71% recorded in Term 1 of last year.
Government Goals: In April 2024, the Government set a regular attendance target of 80% of students to be present for more than 90% of the term by 2030. While we are making great progress, we continue to work together as a community to reach this goal.
Punctuality: We are also proud to report that 90% of our students are arriving to class on time regularly.

Learning Snapshots

Next Wednesday and Thursday, we will be holding our Learning Snapshots. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to spend dedicated 1-1 time with your child's teacher. These snapshots are designed specifically for an adult conversation to discuss how your child has settled into the school year and their progress within the new curriculum. Please note that student-led and 3-way conferences will take place later in the year. We value these conversations as we work together to support your child’s learning journey. To book your Learning Snapshot Conversation meeting time, go to Hero and tap on School Bookings icon. You will be able to make your booking here.

Upcoming Teacher Only Day

Please note that we have a Teacher Only Day scheduled for Friday, 22 May. School will be closed for students on this day as our staff will be dedicated to professional development, specifically focusing on the new curriculum and assessment frameworks. These sessions are crucial for ensuring we continue to provide the best possible education and support for all our ākonga.

Lockdown Exercise

As part of keeping our school safe we need to be able to respond safely and quickly to a range of emergency situations. We work alongside an independent company, Harrison Tew® Ltd, who specialise in emergency management planning for schools and whose procedures have been successfully implemented in hundreds of schools throughout New Zealand.

As part of maintaining our emergency procedures in our school, specialised training is being conducted with our senior leadership and staff by Harrison Tew® Ltd on THURSDAY 30 APRIL.

The students will also receive information on how to respond in an emergency directed at their respective age groups from either their teacher or Harrison Tew® Ltd. We will then be conducting a lockdown exercise under the guidance and support of Harrison Tew® Ltd.

During the exercise you will receive a notification from the school, so it is important that your emergency contact details are up to date and correct. The notification will emphasise that this is an exercise/practice and will explain that all updated information will then be posted on the school website.

In a genuine incident, should you become aware of a lockdown or evacuation at the school, can I please ask that you do not attend the school or phone, as we will not be able to respond. Your presence or contact may make it more difficult for us or the emergency services to manage a situation. We thank you for your support.

Thank you for your ongoing support of Golden Sands School!

This term, all classes at Golden Sands School are participating in Swimming Lessons at Fulton Swim School. Permission is required for your child to attend this. You can give permission by going to Hero, tapping on Events and then tap on Response Required at the top (if you have given permission already, the Response Required button won't work).
Alternatively in the Events page, you can find your child's Learning Community Swimming week, tapping on the event and giving permission there.
If you need help to access Hero please contact hero@goldensands.school.nz

School Photos
School Photos are happening in Week 3. Please see details below. More info can be found on Hero.

Dates

Monday 4 - Thursday 7 May 2026
You will be notified of your child's individual photo day
All group photos will be taken on Wednesday 6th May

To book sibling photos

Go to clairefraser.nz/schools
Click Sibling Photo Booking
Enter the passcode 2026SIBS
Click on your school
If you need to change or cancel your booking, please contact Claire Fraser (claire@clairefraser.nz) directly.

Stay In The Loop

We have many ways that you can stay in the loop with everything that happens at Golden Sands School.
Ways to stay in touch:

Hero app - all school communication is through Hero, newsletters, class updates, learning stories etc.
Newsletter - emailed fortnightly
Website - school calendar updated regularly, Parent Portal page, general info
Facebook closed group (request to join) - reminders, sports events, general info
Instagram page - reminders, general info
Sports Info - sports calendar & website page or email sport@goldensands.school.nz

Facebook (Click here to join our GSS Facebook group)

If you have not joined our Facebook group, please search for it and request to join. This is a closed group so you will be asked who the children you are connected to are. We share lots of real-time information here with photos and updates included.

School App (Click here to download our School App)

You can also download our school app. When there is anything new to know about you will get notifications if you have enabled them.

Spotta Crack

https://www.windscreenz.com/school

Do you have a cracked windscreen or know someone who does?

If so, refer to Windscreenz and get some CASH for our school.