Te Awhi Rito

Kia ora koutou katoa – warm greetings to all our families.

We hope to see many families at the opening of our Te Manako Art Exhibition on Monday 25 May at 3pm as there will be art displayed from every learner. The opening is also when we will celebrate Sommerville's 60th Jubilee so we've invited past students, families and staff to join us. Our kapa haka group will be performing, our Te Hapori students are providing the catering and we will have some memorabilia on display. Please join us!

The building project at Base is moving quickly. Many of the concrete foundations have been poured and framing is going up. All is going to plan for the July 2027 completion.

Sommerville has been in the news a bit recently. We are very unhappy that, despite the fact that our new classrooms will provide five fewer classrooms than we currently have, the Ministry of Education has also refused to allow us to accept the offer of two empty classrooms in a local school (at no cost to the Ministry). This is really tough for the 70 families on our waiting list and makes no sense to us. Stay tuned for updates.

As parents and caregivers, we all want our young people to feel safe, connected, and confident as they navigate today’s online world. Please come along to a session at our Tripoli Base on Wednesday 24 June at 6:30pm. Ray Finch from Laura Fergusson Trust will provide practical information and insights into the unique risks that can affect disabled and neurodiverse young people online, along with positive strategies to support and safeguard them. We encourage all families to attend, whether your child is highly active online or just beginning to engage more independently in digital spaces. Ray’s presentation is designed to be informative, supportive, and empowering for whānau.

Ngā manaakitanga

Belinda

He nui ake tō mātou mana i te kura anahe.

We are more than just a school.

Term 2, 2026: Monday 20 April to Friday 3 July

Term 3, 2026: Monday 20 July to Friday 25 September

Term 4, 2026: Monday 12 October to Wednesday 16 December (12.30pm finish)

Term 1, 2027: Friday 29 January to Friday 9 April

Term 2, 2027: Tuesday 27 April to Friday 2 July

Term 3, 2027: Monday 19 July to Friday 24 September

Term 4, 2027: Monday 11 October to Tuesday 14 December (12.30pm finish)

Term 2

25 May - Sommerville's 60th Birthday Celebrations - see flyer below

25 - 28 May - Te Manako Art Exhibition at Tripoli base

1-5 June - Samoan Language Week

1 June - King's Birthday (school closed)

2 June - Staff Only Day (school closed)

3 June - Board Meeting

4 June - Parent Orientation Morning

10 June - Rotary HPX Volunteer Day @ Base

12 June - Philippines Independence Day

24 June - Kōtuitui Korero (Internet Safety Talk) - see flyer below

3 July - Matariki Celebrations / Last Day of Term 2 (normal finish time)

Term 3

20 July - Term 3 begins

29 July - Board Meeting

30 July - Beyond School Information Evening (MSD funding 16+)

3-7 August - Cook Island Language Week

6 August - Parent Orientation Morning

17-21 August - Tongan Language Week

21 August - NASSPA Cultural Festival

22 August - PASG at Tripoli

The Wilson Home Trust offers grants for physically disabled children and young adults (before their 22nd birthday). Their scheme aims to improve the lives of children and young people with physical disabilities, AND provides physically disabled children and young adults with enriching and enjoyable experiences. See the grant limits below and find out more here.

However, we do still welcome donations if anyone chooses to do so! Please contact the office if you are interested in making a donation to Sommerville and be part of making our school even more fabulous!

Kia ora koutou,

Approximately two years ago a small number of parent representatives formed a group to advocate on behalf of specialist schools. These parents/caregivers/whānau volunteer their time to represent the importance of parents, caregivers and whānau having the choice to send their child or young person to a specialist school. The name of this group is PASE (Parent Advocacy for Specialist Education).

Late last year PASE set up a Facebook page so they can share with whānau and a wider audience the great things that are happening in and for specialist schools.

PASE would really appreciate if parents/caregivers and whānau with children or young people in specialist schools join the PASE Facebook page.

To go to the PASE Parent Advocacy for Specialist Education Facebook page just click on this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/700138383012610/

The username and password are both "sommerville".

Sommerville Parents Group on Facebook

Autism Dads are so thrilled to announce there is now an Autism Mums Support Group!! Just click on the images to go to their Facebook group/s.

(Specialist Therapy Team)

Occupational Therapists

The Occupational Therapy team has been involved in a variety of activities that support our students’ self-regulation, motor skills and overall wellbeing.

Perceptual motor groups help our students develop the connection between what they see, hear, and feel and how their bodies move and respond, which then improves their coordination, emotional regulation and concentration.

Interoception groups help our students develop awareness and understanding of the signals coming from within their bodies, such as hunger, thirst, temperature, pain, breathing, heart rate, and emotions. By improving this internal body awareness, our students are better able to recognise, interpret, and respond to their needs in an appropriate way.

This term, we have welcomed several new students into our Kākano Pathway. Lily and Daxton joined Benghazi 1, Saskia - Benghazi 12, Kaine joined Benghazi 2, Aria - Benghazi 3, Oliver - Benghazi 4, and Oscar joined the Riverina class. We are delighted to have these students and their whānau become part of our school community.

Benghazi 12

Benghazi 12 students have been having lots of fun exploring the new playground equipment. They always find something interesting to move, turn, twist, and explore.

Benghazi 2

Benghazi 2 class were very proud winners of this year’s World Oral Health Day competition. The students proudly collected their award from representatives of the New Zealand Dental Association Board during a special assembly. Well done, team!

Tāmaki Primary 2

Tāmaki Primary 2 group has been working very hard on their art project for theTe Manako Art Exhibition.

Te Kohanga

The Te Kohanga team surprised our Principal with fantastic cards for the Principal Appreciation Day.

At the end of last term, all of the Tupuranga classes got together to celebrate the end of their Kiwiana topic! Owairoa, Howick Intermediate, Pakūranga Intermediate, Stonefields and Glenbrae met at Pakūranga Intermediate School to play games, do some Easter art and then share some kiwiana food! It was such a fun gathering!

Outreach

The students at Bucklands Beach Primary have been working very hard! JoJo has been learning to group objects according to specific categories (e.g. food vs animals), and Stevie has been learning to sort pictures according to their initial sounds.

And in Howick Primary School, Issey has been building CVC words and word strings using her phonics knowledge.

(Benghazi 5/6/8/9/10/11, Tripoli 5, Glendowie School, Panmure District, Sylvia Park)

Benghazi 9

This year, Benghazi 9 has been busy exploring new skills and hands-on activities. We started by learning all about money. We then put our skills into action with a visit to Mini Woolies, where we took turns role-playing shopping and exchanged the money needed to buy our items. Alongside our financial learning, we have also been visiting Jiten at woodwork to practice our crafting skills and build a birdhouse.

Benghazi 10

This term, Benghazi 10 students have engaged in hands-on sensory and literacy activities, including alphabet writing, painting, and exploring textures like shaving foam and playdough. These tasks have helped them build confidence, creativity, and essential fine motor skills. Additionally, they have practiced following instructions and developed math concepts through shape recognition and sorting.

Anchorage Park 1

A recent community outing saw seven of our students embark on a successful walk to the local park, fostering valuable social and emotional growth. The experience was designed to promote engagement in a new environment while emphasizing peer-to-peer interaction and collaborative support. Students showed increased awareness of their peers' needs.

The community walk was a powerful experience that reinforced the importance of peer relationships as a foundation for successful social and emotional development, translating individual coping strategies into effective group engagement.

Anchorage Park 2

This term Anchorage Park 2, have taken on learning about shapes, making shape monsters as well as learning about shape properties. BSLA and phonetic sounds have been a great start for our writing. We have been having fun through engagement sessions outside, as Tōku Ao goals. The children at APS have started to learn about the importance of recycling as we started off our topic for this term. For EOTC, we have engaged in movement fun in the Magic Movement Room, our focus is to release energy and get familiar with going on outings. APS has been expanding their knowledge about Māori language through the cultural capabilities sessions run by Arahi and learning NZSL with Wendy. What a great start to term 2!

Tripoli 1

The Tripoli 1 students enjoyed productive woodwork and art sessions, gaining new skills and preparing for the Te Manako Art Exhibition. The activities boosted their gross motor skills through sawing and hammering, while fine motor skills were enhanced by sanding, twisting screws and handling small nails. The students successfully finalised their creative pieces for the upcoming exhibition.

Kahurangi Clubs 2026

Kia ora e te whānau. Term 2 is well underway and so are Kahurangi Clubs! As part of our Senior Transition Curriculum, Kahurangi students are enjoying their Wednesday mornings in one of three clubs - Art Attack, the Kai Crew and the Eco-Wahs. Here, learners can participate in different leisure activities and experiences, which will support them to advocate for themselves about what they might like (or not like) to do in the future.

Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been doing.