Term 4 2025

Kia ora Puketapu Whānau,

Welcome to Term 4 here at our kura! We are looking forward to an action-packed term full of learning, celebrations, and special events.

This term brings many highlights, including:

• Lots of outdoor learning
• Book Fair
• SOMAD Festival

• Year 8 Camp

• Year 8 Graduation
• Final Assembly and Prize Giving

It’s a big term for our tamariki, especially our Year 8 students as they prepare for the next step in their journey. We are proud of their achievements and look forward to celebrating them with you.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support – together we can make Term 4 another wonderful one for our kids.

Ngā mihi,

Katherine Pascoe
Principal

Citizenship

The big idea:

How we belong, participate and make a positive difference in our world

This will look different for our Teina and Tuakana teams and includes many different age appropriate activities. Encourage your tamariki to share what projects their class is working on around this terms theme. Keep an eye on Hero and SeeSaw as we share our learning with you.

This term will also be packed with plenty of other activities and sports:

• Cycle Skills
• Term 4 Touch @ Hickford Park
• Puanga Festival
• Scholastic Book Fair
• Year 8 Camp
• SOMADD
• Year 8 Graduation
• Final Assembly
• ... and much more!

There is one Public Holiday this term - Labour Day on Monday 27 October - and two teacher only days - Friday 17 October and Friday 21 November. Please keep an eye on Hero for details.

Our term and our year finishes on Wednesday 17 December at 12pm.

Check the Hero App for dates specific to your child's class. Details of school trips, events and sport all come out via Hero.

You can also visit our Online Calendar to keep up to date with events and any changes.

Currently there is a proposed strike for Thursday 23 October.

If this date is confirmed, school will be only partially open, for supervision.

Once we have confirmation one way or the other, we will contact parents via Hero.

Thank you to everyone who put their name down to stand on our Board of Trustees.

We had 11 candidates for 5 positions on the Board.

Thank you to everyone who voted. Your voice has helped decide who will be leading our school's strategic direction for the next three years.

Sincere thanks to our outgoing Board:

• Paora Rauputu (Chair)
• Steph Julian
• Hayley Adams
• Meg Corin
• Doug Keith
• Cara Knuckey (Staff Rep)

We appreciate all your mahi over the past three years.

Congratulations to our incoming Board:

• Meg Corin
• Paora Rauputu
• Hayley Adams
• Wiremu Wano
• Samantha Collinson
• Moana Te Waaka (Staff Rep)

Did you know our school web site has a great tool for parents?

The A-Z for Parents has a list of information you might need for school.

Check it out at:

https://puketapu.school.nz/for-parents/a-z-for-parents/

If you think of anything that is not included already, please email the office with your question and we will add the answer to the A-Z.

School Day Schedule

8:30am — Students may arrive at school (either to their classroom or Breakfast Club). Teachers are in classrooms.
8:55am — Bell rings for the start of school.
9:00am — Learning Block 1
10:00am — Snack/Fruit Break (‘Read and Feed’)
10:50am — Meal 1: Ka Ora, Ka Ako kai
11:00am — Morning Play
11:30am — Learning Block 2
12:50pm — Meal 2: Lunch (kai from home)
1:00pm — Lunch Play
1:40pm — Learning Block 3
2:50pm — Whaiwhakaaro – Reflection time in class
3:00pm — End of the school day

Important Reminders:

• Children should not arrive at school before 8:30am.

• School finishes at 3:00pm.
  Please avoid collecting your child before 3:00pm unless it’s necessary for an appointment.
  If you arrive early for pickup, please wait in one of the seating areas around the quad or wharekai, rather than directly outside classrooms.

• If your child is late to school or needs to leave early, please come to the school office to sign them in or out.
  (Older students are not allowed to sign out younger siblings without a call or text from home.)

• The school office is open from 8:30am to 3:30pm.

Good Seed Trust after school care is based at Northpoint Church. They offer before and after school care with weekday sessions from 7:00-8:30am. You can contact Cherish on 027 537 3115

Here's the link for Good Seeds New Plymouth:
https://enrolmy.com/good-seed-trust/?emyatb=4w7ygdi834

Term 4 sees the very welcome return to warm weather - but that also means we need to protect ourselves from the sun's harmful rays.

Everyone needs a sunhat to be playing outside.

Sunscreen is available in every classroom. If your child is particularly sun-sensitive, you may wish to sunscreen them up at home in the morning too.

Sunglasses are optional - but please make sure they are NAMED or easily identifiable

Please make sure clothing is named - we have way too much lost property!

If your child is unwell, for the wellbeing of everyone at school, please keep them at home until they are better. Please send a Hero message, text, email or phonecall to let us know that's where they are.

Recent measles cases have been reported in Aotearoa. Cases were active in the community while infectious and there is a risk of measles circulating more widely.

• Measles is very contagious and can make people of any age very sick.
• Watch for measles symptoms – fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes and a blotchy rash.

• If anyone in your whānau has measles symptoms keep them home and contact a doctor or Healthline urgently on 0800 611 116.
• Vaccination is the best protection from measles. Check all whānau are immunised - tamariki AND adults

If you are unsure if you have been immunised, contact your GP or healthcare provider.

Tamariki have been working hard to create amazing works of art for whānau to purchase.

These make unique Christmas gifts for family and friends and are perfect for posting overseas.

Follow these instructions to place your order online:

1. Go to www.kidsartworks.com
2. Use the Entrance Code: KZ1584
3. Select Room name from the drop down list.
4. Start to type your child’s name and select it from the drop down list.

The order is open until Friday 17th October 7pm

Payment can be made over the website via credit card or account2account.

Each product is made from your own child’s art.

This year's theme is One World, Many Voices

Save the date - Friday 5 December

Celebrating diversity and the different ways that we all contribute. A journey through cultures, languages and stories that make up the school community.

Timings and other details will follow closer to the time. Please keep an eye on Hero.

Lunchtime clubs continue in Term 4 but will be moving to the Hall.

Second Break - 1.00-1.30pm

Monday: Environment Club

Wednesday: Games Club

Thursday: Digital Club

Friday: STEM & Lego Club

At Puketapu School, we believe in recognising and nurturing the unique strengths and talents of all our tamariki. Our Puketapu Pūmanawa Program, designed to support our gifted learners both academically and emotionally, continues this term.

The Pūmanawa Program is specially developed to support gifted children in understanding themselves as advanced learners. Our goal is to enhance their social and emotional wellbeing, while also helping them discover and grow their passions and interests.

Through the program, students will:

• Develop a deeper understanding of their learning style and capabilities.
• Learn thinking tools for critical and complex thinking.
• Strengthen their social skills and leadership attributes.
• Build habits and skills of a scholar, underpinned by academic humility and motivation.
• Be encouraged to take their learning to the next level, within a safe and supportive environment.

Identifying gifted learners involves a thoughtful and multi-tiered approach. We consider not only academic performance but also social, emotional, and behavioural characteristics, such as heightened sensitivities or over-excitabilities.

Parents and caregivers are invited to share their insights about their child’s learning behaviours, interests, and social-emotional development to create a well-rounded picture of both home and school life.

This collaborative approach ensures we recognise and support the right students in a way that truly meets their needs.

A Must-Attend Parents & Community Evening:

Parenting in an Online World 101 – Parents Evening

We all want our school and community to be a safe place for our tamariki. But in today’s fast-changing digital world, the risks our children face online are growing more frequently, and more seriously.

That’s why we’ve invited Rob Cope – filmmaker, author, and producer of the powerful documentary Our Kids Online – to present a humorous, eye-opening, and practical evening talk for our parent community.

📅 Thursday 20 November

📍 Northpoint Church

⏰ Doors open 5.45pm | Presentation starts 6.30pm

⚠️ Adults only – not suitable for children or teens

Rob will cover:

✅Cyberbullying and social media pressures

✅Gaming and its effect on the developing brain

✅Online predators

✅AI concerns

✅Practical solutions: filters, boundaries, safe devices, and how to have those tough conversations with your kids

🎫 $10 per person - Get your tickets at Parenting in an Online World 101 Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/.../parenting-in-an-online...

🎥 Watch the short promo clip here:

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhBFJ5RK2R8

This is a topic too big for us to ignore. We strongly encourage at least one parent/caregiver from each whānau to attend.

“When I protected my kids online, I also protected yours, so please, please protect your kids online so that you are also protecting mine.” – Rob Cope

Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career.

Our aim to have tamariki in school to learn every day they can be.

However... illness happens, so if your child is unwell they should be at home. Please just make sure you let us know where they are.

Please remember to report your child as absent if they are going to be away from school.

To report an absence:

• Use the Hero app, click 'report an absence'
• Text our school cell phone 027 755 0973
• Ring our landline and leave an absentee message
• Email us office@puketapu.school.nz

We’re thrilled to let you know that our wonderful Room 2 teacher, Whaea Moana, will be joined by another fantastic teacher, Whaea Jody, to support our growing class of eager learners.

To ensure every child gets the best possible start to their school journey, Room 2 has been split into two smaller groups.

Some students will continue in Room 2 with Whaea Moana, while others will move just across the walkway to Room 4 with Whaea Jody.

The two classes will work closely together, sharing learning experiences and building a strong, connected team.

This change will help us keep class sizes small, provide more individual attention, and create an even more supportive and nurturing environment for all our students.

We’re excited about this next step and confident it will be a very positive move for everyone involved!

Teachers

• Room 1. Prishlena Kumar (Year 1)
• Room 2. Moana Te Waaka (Year 0-1)
• Room 3: Meg Corin (Year 0-1)
• Room 4: Jody Hall (Year 0-1)
• Room 18: Kennedy Cleland (Year 2)
• Room 19. Leanne Fa'aea (Year 2)
• Room 5. Mel Keith (Year 3)
• Room 6. Louisa Sharrock (Year 3)
• Room 7. Korbin Eggers (Year 4&5)
• Room 8: Cara Knuckey (Year 4&5)
• Room 9. Kelly Harvey (Year 4&5)
• Room 10. Michelle Swan (Year 4&5)
• Room 11. Flo Harris (Year 6&7)
• Room 12. Jemma Garcia (Year 6&7)
• Room 15. Andrea Tait (Year 6&7)
• Room 16. Cassie Thomson (Year 6&7)
• Room 13. Avon Lewis & Marina Cassidy (Year 8)
• Room 14. Molly Nicholson (Year 8)
• Design Technology: Birte Ahlhaus

Senior Leadership Team:

• Alisha Kerr (Associate Principal)
• Micaela Westrupp (Deputy Principal)
• Avon Lewis (Deputy Principal)
• Katherine Pascoe (Principal)

There may be times when you have a query or concern about your child.

Open communication is a priority - we encourage family to please, come talk with us.

As a first step, we ask that you begin by speaking with your child's teacher.

The correct pathway is important to follow as by starting with the teacher you are speaking to the person who has the most information and knowledge about your child and others in your child's environments. If your child's teacher is not able to assist you, they will know who to direct you to.

We will do our best to work together for manageable solutions.

Check the Parents A-Z on our website for details

Classroom teachers are busy and working hard to give all children quality learning time.

Should you need to discuss an issue, please make a time to meet, either before 8.30am or after 3pm, so the teacher can give you the attention you need and deserve.

Don't forget that all school updates, trip permissions, school reports and sports notices come out via Hero.

The easiest way to make sure you never miss anything is download the free Hero app to your phone's home page and keep an eye out for the notification icons meaning you have something to read which relates to your child.

The Hero app is linked to the email address you have registered with your child at school.

If you have any problems at any time with it, please see Kerie or Paula in the office.

All important communication comes out via Hero but we have other channels of communication:

• To showcase our school to the wider community we also have a website and a public Facebook page.
• Our private Facebook group is so families can share their photos of events.

Reminder you have access to the Schooldocs website with the Procedures and Policies for Puketapu School.

https://puketapu.schooldocs.co.nz

Username: puketapu

Password: whakamanatia

For example, check out the Cellphones and Other Personal Digital Devices policy

Our wonderful Puketapu Home and School is a group of parents and family members who help fundraise for the school, organise fun events and help look out for people in our community who need a little extra support.

We would like to say a HUGE thank you to Home & School for their fundraising efforts in Term 3:

Cross Country: $6,332.80

Bingo: $1,546.00

That's an excellent effort - well done everyone!

Term 4 fundraisers:

• Calendar Art (see the post above)
• SOMADD (food and raffles)

Home and School meet twice a term, at school and all are welcome to come bring their ideas and offer help when they can.

This term the meetings are:

• Thursday 16 October, 6:30pm
• Thursday 27 November, 6.30pm

We would love to see you there!

Kia Māia - Be Courageous

Kia Manawanui - Have a Heart

Kia Kaha - Do Your Best

Kia Ora - Be Well

At our assemblies we will recognise students who have been the stand outs, living our School Values in class and around our school. We also tally up Student of the Day cards to find the winning Whānau Group and hand out prizes!

Please talk to your child about the Values, what they mean and how they can show them at home too.

Our Kick Start Breakfast Club serves free breakfast in the Design Technology room every morning, from 8.30am-8.55am.

All welcome!

LUCKY BOOK CLUB

There are two Lucky Book Club issues per term. Keep an eye out on Hero for when they are out and a brochure can be collected from the school office. Issue #7 is out now! Order online through the Loop or bring your order to the office.

DUFFY BOOKS

We are lucky to be part of the Duffy Books in Schools Programme. Our tamariki receive two free books each per term. We also have 'Caught Being Good' Duffy Awards that are handed out and tamariki get to come over to the school office to choose their book.

We would like to say a huge thank you to TOI Foundation for their generous grant of $3,750.00

As this term progresses, our leadership team are already planning for next year, including staffing, teaching teams, rooms, who is teaching in classes, which students in which classes... it is a HUGE task and will change and evolve for many weeks.

Class placement is done with careful consideration. As professional educators, the team makes the decision for what is best for each child and we put a huge amount of time and energy into making the best placement possible.

We understand that some parents may have requests for classes for next year. We respectfully ask that you not contact teachers about class preferences for next year.

When we are ready Mrs Pascoe will let you know the steps to make requests.

Thank you for your patience.

Email: office@puketapu.school.nz
Website: www.puketapu.school.nz
Location: Dillon Drive, Bell Block, New Plymouth, New Zealand
Phone: 06 755 0973