22 October 2025 Week 3
Principal's Message
Kia ora koutou
We would like to thank you for keeping your child at home when they are unwell. We have noticed over the last few days there have been between 15-30 children away across the school due to sickness.
We are currently developing our class lists and making sure information for a successful transition is well documented for the 2026 teacher. We have planned our organisation for classes for 2026 and we will be maintaining the same team structure as this year.
We will continue to focus on strengthening the teaching of English and Maths and implement the latest changes in the finalised curriculum for these subjects. We're pleased with our staff's commitment to professional development, which is directly leading to greater consistency in our school-wide approaches and progress for our children.
We will provide further information on the 2026 teaching team in a few weeks, along with our plans for a smooth transition for all children. As usual, we have planned sessions scheduled for the last few weeks of this term for children to meet their 2026 class teacher and spend time in their new classroom.
On Friday you will receive the team newsletters on HERO. These will provide you with the key learning focus for this term and any events and dates that you need to be aware of. Please take the time to read so you are well informed.
On Monday we posted on HERO the Strike was confirmed and the formal notice was received by the board. The school will be closed on Thursday 23rd October.
Next week Kōtare are heading off to camp at Forest Lakes on Tuesday for two nights. We are hoping for some sun and calm weather so they can all make the most of the outdoors. A huge thank you to Grant, Jane and Neil for all the organisation involved to ensure this runs smoothly. I would like to thank the parents who are helping at camp ; Andrew, William, Jono, Nick, Sophie, Louise, Zoe, Tereza, Matthew D, Rhiannon, Odette, Kerstin, Matthew B, Nigel, Lisa, Rachel, Daniel, Duncan and Koren.
Finally, if you have any questions or concerns about your child, please follow our process to ensure the right people can address things efficiently: start with your Classroom Teacher as the first point of contact, then the Team Leader/Deputy Principal if unresolved, and finally the Principal if further support is needed.
Ngā mihi
Andrea
New - Athletics Day
We were fortunate to hold the athletics at Ben Burn park on Monday. The last few days have been extremely windy here up on the hill. Everyone participated in all events and others focused on competing to meet the standard required to go to Western Zone Athletics on Friday 31st October at Newtown Park. We look forward to sending a strong team of 56 children to represent our school. Thank you Neil for all the organisation and to Tony for assisting with the set up and supporting all children on the day. We appreciate all the parents who were able to help us on Monday too.
Students that have qualified for WZ will get a Hero post message with details this afternoon.
New - Health Programme
This term, our Health programme will focus on friendships and citizenship, incorporating aspects of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE). This learning is essential for students (ākonga) to understand themselves and develop the skills for healthy, positive relationships.
The programme enables students to:
- Explore their identities and wellbeing.
- Develop interpersonal and communication skills.
- Engage in critical inquiry about relationships, gender, and sexuality.
We respect the right of parents to make decisions about their child's participation. All teams will be providing you with a brief of the lessons and the days they will be taught in the team newsletter. If you would prefer your child not be part of specific aspects of these RSE lessons, please notify your child’s teacher promptly. An alternative learning focus will be planned for them during this time.
New - Health and Safety
Please - a reminder when you bring dogs to visit the school for drop off and pickups, they should always be on a lead and any droppings cleaned up. Our caretaker has noticed an increase in dog droppings in the school grounds, this may be from after school hours activities, thank you.
Nits - please check you children's hair and treat as required.
Repeat - Red Bin Donations
The Red Bin is coming back! Donations of good quality clothing are welcome. With the warmer weather on the way, our partner school has requested donations of size 5-16 SHORTS, T-SHIRTS and HATS. The red bin will be parked at the Tiger Turf entrance to school from Thursday 16 October - Thursday 23 October. Clothes need to be clean and in good condition. If you have any questions or have a large donation, give Deborah a text or call on 021 709 467. Thank you!
Repeat - 2026 Enrolment
To help us with our planning for next year we do need to know the number of students who will be attending. If your child is in Year 1 – 7 and is leaving at the end of the year, please let us know as soon as possible. If you have children due to start at Northland School in 2026 please check with Ann in the office to ensure that we have these details recorded. If you know of children from other families who are likely to start next year, please encourage their parents to contact us. The more information the school has about potential in-zone and out-of-zone enrolments the better equipped we are to provide the best possible class organisation for the coming year.
Below is a link to the online enrolment form:
Term Dates
The bell rings at 8:50 am. Any student arriving after this time will need to sign in at the office and will be marked late. We encourage students to arrive by 8:30 am to meet with friends and get ready for the day. Lessons will begin at 9am.
- Term 4 - 6th October - 17th December
- Strike Action - Thursday 23rd October - School Closed
- Labour Day - Monday 27th October - Public Holiday
2026 School Terms
- Term 1 - 2nd Feb - 6th April
- Term 2 - 20th Apr - 3rd July
- Term 3 - 20th July - 25th Sept
- Term 4 - 12th Oct - 16th Dec
Before School Care available from 7:30 am -8:30 am in the Library. Please email the office for further details, office@northland.school.nz