MENPS News

From The Principal

Kia ora koutou

Community Survey Thanks

On behalf of The Board of Trustees, I'd like to thank all those who took the time to complete the recent Community Survey. We received around a hundred responses, all of which will help the Board to consider themes and goals for school planning moving forward.

There will be more to come on this from the Board in due course, including a plan to run some focus group sessions later this term, so stay tuned for further information if this is something that may interest you.

One lucky survey respondent will be chosen at random to receive a $150 Farro Gift Voucher for participation, with thanks from the Board!

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

We celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori this week, which is always a great reminder to celebrate te reo Māori and have a go at using a few more words and phrases in our everyday lives.

At MENPS, we hear tamariki use te reo Māori naturally and increasing confidence through greetings, waiata, conversations and classroom learning, in addition to our dedicated specialist classes. Every little bit helps to keep the language thriving and growing and offers an opportunity to develop invaluable cultural confidence.

We encourage whānau to join in and model this too by simply 'giving it a go' and showing a willingness to learn — whether it’s practising a simple greeting, learning a new kupu or sharing a waiata together. He iti te kupu, he nui te aroha — a little language goes a long way!

Teacher Only Day

You'll be aware that tomorrow is a Teacher Only Day, so just a brief explanation of why this is taking place.

We typically avoid scheduling Teacher Only Days during term time as a general rule to minimise disruption. The exception to this is 'Curriculum Days', which are essentially mandated by the Minister of Education for new curriculum work (as has been the case in recent years). For tomorrow's Curriculum Day, the whole teaching team will be working on further curriculum adaptations in maths to ensure coverage of new requirements that were announced late last year.

The results of this work won't dramatically (or even noticeably) change what your child learns (maths is maths, after all...) but, behind the scenes, it will ensure alignment with the new curriculum and also mandated Reporting Progress Indicators introduced earlier this year. Teachers will also be working with hands-on maths materials to complement existing maths resources.

We appreciate these kind of days can add real pressure to working families, but these changes are, in fact, required work for all schools. SKiDs is available if needed.

To those of you taking the opportunity for an extended long weekend, I hope you have a great 'mini-break'! We look forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday next week.

Ka kite anō i a koutou

Alan Jackson, Principal

Events & Reminders

IMPORTANT - TEACHER ONLY DAY - 23 OCTOBER, 2026

Please be advised that Friday, 23rd October (before Labour Weekend) has been designated as a Teacher Only Day this year. This day is a government-mandated Curriculum day to continue work integrating new curriculum changes.

School will be closed for instruction for this day, so you will need to make alternative arrangements (SKiDs available).

Thursday 22nd October:

Eden/Albert Choir Festival - 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Friday 23rd October: Teacher Only Day - SCHOOL CLOSED

Monday 26th October: Labour Day Holiday - SCHOOL CLOSED

Thursday 29th October:

MENPS PTA Halloween Disco Jnr - 5:00pm - 6:00pm

MENPS PTA Halloween Disco Snr - 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Tickets available via Kindo or cash door sales.

Friday 30th October:

PTA Second Hand Uniform Shop - 8:15am - 9:15am

Notices

Skids Available for Teacher Only Day

Please contact Skids to book your child in.

SAVE THE DATE: MENPS HALLOWEEN DISCO 🎃👻

Our spooktacular Halloween disco is fast approaching. Tickets will be made available on kindo.

Junior disco y 0-3 from 5-6pm

Senior disco 6.30pm-7.30pm

Pizza is included in the ticket 🎟️ and nibbles, candy floss and drinks will be made available at the cash bar.

Water is freely available with jugs and cups.

Tickets are now available on kindo for sale.

Got questions or want to volunteer?

Email: menpspta@gmail.com

Or join the volunteer/ planning group on WhatsApp https://chat.whatsapp.com/FXmnTeaBrsPFp8BRFOasPz?mode=gi_t

invitation to the Term4 PTA meeting

Please note that the MENPS PTA Term4 meeting has been postponed to next Tuesday 27 October(7-8.30pm )in the menps staff room. Nibbles and refreshments provided, we look forward to seeing you all there!

💙💜colouring competition 💙💜

Whether your child is attending the disco or not, they can participate in our colouring competition. The competition flyer with all details will go out to your child early in the coming week. Let’s get creative! 🖍️❤️💙💜💛💚🖍️

Uniform Shop Appeal – We Need Your Help!

Our second-hand uniform shop is urgent need of all sizes to be donated.

If your child has outgrown any clean, good-quality uniforms in these sizes and others, we’d be incredibly grateful for your donation. Your generosity helps keep school uniforms affordable and supports families in our school community.

Donations can be dropped off:

* At the school office during school hours

* At the hall during late afternoon/evening pick-ups

* At the PTA room during Uniform Shop opening hours

Thank you for helping us keep our Uniform Shop stocked and supporting our MENPS whānau!

Email menpspta@gmail.com I Follow us on Facebook

Refer to the PTA website for information on the various fundraising and community activities