Kia ora koutou,

As Term 4 continues at pace, it's wonderful to reflect on the diverse range of activities our students have been involved in. From successful sporting events to valuable community outreach, the last few weeks have been full of learning and growth. We are also deeply appreciative of the ongoing support from our community, which is essential to providing these enriching experiences.

This week, our dedicated teaching teams met to review student achievement data from Term 4 and plan for our 2026 academic focus areas. These meetings are crucial for ensuring our curriculum remains high-quality, relevant, and responsive to the needs of all our learners. The insights gained help us set challenging and achievable goals for the new school year.

Our senior students have successfully completed their Cycle Safety programme this week. They learned vital road rules, practical cycling skills, and the importance of wearing a helmet. We encourage all families to reinforce these safety messages when cycling at home and in the community.

Please remember to check your child's class schedule for the upcoming Swimming lessons. Swimming is a critical life skill, and we are committed to providing all students with quality instruction. Please ensure your child brings their togs, towel, and goggles on their scheduled days.

What a special experience! A group of our Kind Heart students visited the residents at a local Rest Home last week. They shared stories, sang songs, and brightened the residents' day with their genuine warmth. This community outreach initiative is a key part of fostering empathy and connection in our students.

Our final Vibe Assembly for the year was held today in the school hall. This is a chance for us to celebrate student achievements, share performances, and acknowledge the positive vibe around our school.

For the fastest updates, urgent alerts, and permission forms, please ensure you have downloaded and regularly check our School App. It is the main communication channel for important, timely information.

We are pleased to announce that the 2026 Class Lists are now finalised. We understand the anticipation this brings! Class placements will be shared with families before the end of the year. This will allow students to participate in a 'Meet Your Teacher' session to briefly connect with their 2026 teacher and classmates, helping ensure a smooth transition into the new academic year.

We extend a massive thank you to our dedicated Board of Trustees for their excellent governance and strategic direction.

We would also like to acknowledge the hard work of our Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Your incredible fundraising efforts this year have provided essential resources and enhanced learning opportunities for all our students. Your commitment is truly valued.

We have a lot of events coming up to be aware of in the next 2 weeks. Please check the rest of this newsletter for additional information. App messages and Seesaw posts will also be going out with more information in the weeks to come regarding specific team and whole school events. Please check these. Our final newsletter will be sent out earlier in Week 10 with more details of our final week of 2025 and our 2026 start of the year!

WEEK 9

Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne - Monday 1st December
Calendar Art going home - Monday 1st December
Interschool Athletics - Tuesday 2nd December
Swimming: Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 2nd December
EPIC Music - Wednesday 3rd December
Swimming: Tipuranga - Thursday 4th December
Kind Hearts Visit to MetLife Care - Thursday 4th December
Cycle Safety for Te Wao Nui o Tāne finishes - Friday 5th December

WEEK 10

Swimming: Te Wao Nui o Tāne - Monday 8th December
Swimming: Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 9th December
Visiting Classes of 2026 - Tuesday 9th December
EPIC Music - Wednesday 10th December
Plant to Plate for Rooms 2 and 5 - Wednesday 10th December
Swimming: Tipuranga - Thursday 11th December
Te Wao Nui o Tāne Lunch and Poroporoaki - Thursday 11th December
Final Farewell Assembly and Values Prizegiving - Friday 12th December (starting at 11am)
School Reports sent home - Friday 12th December
School Closes for School Holidays at 12pm - Friday 12th December

Room 17

In Room 17 we love to do Maths! We have so much fun with our learning and always use our mana aotūroa.

This week we have been practising our subtraction and addition using number lines! This was so exciting to learn another way to add. We needed to move our number pegs up and down the number line. We move up the number line if we are adding and down if we are subtracting.
We got out our number rods to practise our number bonds to 10. There are so many ways you can make 10! And when we use the number rods we noticed it made a pattern to help us remember them.

When we are not working with our teacher we love making patterns with our cubes, ordering our Numicon shapes with number cards and filling baseboards. We are great learners in Room 17!

Room 6

This term, Room 6 has been exploring the wonderful world of poetry, with a special focus on the delightful rhythm of rhyming couplets!

Our budding poets have been working hard to craft their own verses, choosing words with similar sounds to create catchy, musical pieces. He mea nui tō rātau reo tuhi (Their written voice is important).

We've explored how poets use rhyme and rhythm to tell stories, share feelings, and even make us laugh. From celebrating "Spring Flowers" to pondering the deliciousness of "Sushi" and even writing a quirky poem about "Mice", the creativity in Room 6 has been phenomenal!

This week we have seen some amazing creations throughout the school from students in our sandpits. They have been transformed into bustling construction zones for our daily sandcastle competitions.

Instead of heading to the beach, students embraced the challenge right here at school, dedicating their playtime and lunchtimes to crafting amazing sandy sculptures.

This year our end of year celebrations are set to look a little bit different to those in the past. On Thursday the 11th of December we look to host the seniors for a long lunch beginning at 1:30pm in the school hall, this will be a follow on from a morning spent at the Lido.

At 5:30pm we invite whanau to join us in the hall for our regular senior prize giving where cups, medals and leavers certificates will be handed out. This year the schools major awards will be awarded during the whole school proceedings. These major awards will be centered around our school's values.

Each student will need to provide a dish for the long lunch. Room 2 will be providing Salads, Room 3 predone Roast veges, Room 4, breads and Room 5 dessert. If your child has any dietary requirements they will need to bring their own plate for the lunch that we can heat. All dishes will be able to be dropped in the hall the morning of the event (Tuesday 11th of December).

As Term 4 sports begin to wrap up, we would like to extend a big thank you to all coaches, managers, and supporters for your commitment throughout the year.

Returning West End PE Gear
Could all PE tops please begin to be returned to Room 4, clearly named. If coaches have team bags, these also need to be returned once the season is complete.

Indication of Term 1 Sports
Please fill out the form below to indicate whether your child will be signing up for any sports in Term 1. This will help us forecast registrations.

Interschool Athletics

Next Tuesday we will have a group of senior students representing West End at Interschool athletics held at the Massey University Track. For the timetable of events please see the TWNOT Tab on the school app.

Swimming continues into Week 10

Swimming is an essential skill within the New Zealand curriculum, along with our other curriculum areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science and physical education. Because of New Zealand's connection to the water, ensuring children are safe and competent around oceans, rivers, and pools is a top priority for us all.

At West End School, we are incredibly proud to provide this crucial water safety education for your child. This year, we are offering 20 free swimming lessons taught by trained, experienced instructors.

West End has not only removed a significant financial barrier for families but also ensures every student receives high-quality instruction. To put the value into perspective: these 20 professional lessons your child receives would cost approximately $500 if you were to book them privately.

As this is part of our curruculum, every child is expected to swim at West End School. We encourage all of our families to make the most of this fantastic opportunity to build confidence and learn a skill that truly could save their lives! Please provide togs and a towel for the day your child is swimming.

We also ask parents not to attend these swimming lessons. There have been some instances of the public coming in to watch children swim, so in the interests of keeping everyone safe, we ask that the only adults in these lessons are West End staff members and Hilton Brown swimming staff.

Event Date & Time

2nd Feb - 2nd March 2026

Venue

Skoglund Park and Freyberg Community Pool Palmerston North

Important Times

From 4.30 pm Check-in (New Registrations)*
5.20pm 7-9 years start
6.00pm 4-6 years start
6.30pm 10-12 years start
*Check-in closes 15 minutes prior to each race start time.

Courses

4-6 years: 300m run / 600m cycle / 1 length swim in teaching pool
7 years: 750m run / 1.5k cycle / 25m swim
8-9 years: 750m run / 1.5k cycle / 50m swim
10-12 years: 1.5k run / 3k cycle / 100m swim

RACE DATES

Monday 2nd FEB 2026
Monday 9th FEB 2026
Monday 16th FEB 2026
Monday 23rd FEB 2026
Monday 2nd MAR 2026

https://www.triclub.co.nz/events/2026-i-trid-the-tri-series

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.