Term 4 Newsletter 4

From the Acting Principal

Kia ora koutou,

This week was filled with energising strategic discussions across different spaces. On Wednesday, our PMPS team leaders joined the Eastern Learning Network’s breakfast meeting, sparking valuable conversations on our 2025 priorities. On Thursday, I was in Christchurch for the final stage of a leadership course, where inspiring talks by principals from around the country left a lasting impact. On Friday, our Senior Leadership Team collaborated with Springboard Trust in Onehunga, beginning our journey to shape our Strategic Plan for 2025. This week brought to mind the whakataukī:

Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua
“I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.”

Our past shapes who we are today and guides where we’re going.

Structure Updates for 2025
Thank you to everyone who shared feedback—51 responses in total! Your insights are shaping how we support our ākonga’s well-being and learning outcomes during these transitions.
Here’s what we found:
Friendships Matter: Many parents want their child to stay with some current friends, so we’ll consider this wherever possible.
New Teams and Teachers: Reactions were mixed, from very comfortable to very uncomfortable, showing a range of feelings about change.
Key Concerns:
Friendship continuity: Keeping connections in mind for smoother transitions.
Mixed-Year Classes: These will still meet each child’s curriculum needs while encouraging diverse experiences.
Adjustment Support: We’ll focus on helping ākonga build new friendships and maintain belonging.
Balanced Classes: Classes will be thoughtfully composed with social and academic needs in mind.
Clear Communication: We’ll keep you updated at every step.
Change Support: We’re committed to supporting both friendships and individual growth.
To help your child feel at ease in a new team, parents suggested regular updates, meet-and-greets, transition programs, and peer support. Look out for our transition days on Monday, 25th November and Monday, 2nd December!

Reports from Week 4

Rūnā Sailing Experience
The Sailing experience continued for the remainder of our Year 5 classes. The weather was stunning each day and our ākonga came back from Bucklands Beach beaming!

Spelling Bee
Another student initiative that has been happening within school is the Spelling Bee! Each week students from different year levels have been attending an audition to see if they can make it through to the finals!

Kindness Project

Thanks to Youth Project NZ and the wonderful staff at Highland Park Library for supporting our students to make and display our Junior School kindness bees. Our ākonga have written their kindness ideas on the bees, and we hope they inspire you to be kind to others! They will be around for 2 weeks.
Our Senior students have also created Kindness Jars that will be distributed to local carers in the coming week.

Dates for your Diary

Tuesday 12 November – New families meeting

Wednesday 13 November – HPPA Athletics

Thursday 14 November – Rooms 17 & 18 Auckland Art Gallery Visit

IMPORTANT DATES

Senior Prizegivings

Thursday 5 December

Junior Prizegivings

Friday 6 December

Friday 13 December – Last day of term

2025 Wednesday 29 January – First Day of Term One

@school parent app

Please ensure that you have downloaded the @school parent app to notify school of any absence for your child. Note that your child’s end of year school report will be downloaded into this app. The @school parent app is our preferred method of reporting absences, accessing student reports, receiving newsletters and school notices. When setting up your app please make sure that you enter yes to notifications – this will mean that you will get an alert each time a notice/newsletter is available. Please contact the office if you are unable to access the @school app.

End of the School Day

Uniform for Term 4

It is time to start thinking about sun safety again as we head into Spring and therefore we ask that our students wear their PMPS navy school hat every day in Term 4. We also encourage the use of sunscreen.The key differences in uniform for Term 4 include, no long pants and wearing hats instead of beanies. The start of a new term is always a good time to update your knowledge about the uniform expectations – you can check out our uniform webpage for more information.

Absence from School

Please report your child’s absence from school via @school app or our website. Please include the length of time your child will be away and the reason for their absence. If you do not have the app please contact the office to receive a link.

Collecting Students from School during the Day

If you need to collect your child for an appointment during the school day please contact the office 09 534 9765 or email general@pmps.school.nz to arrange. If possible please arrange to collect your child before or after the morning tea and lunch breaks, as it is difficult to find children during these times. Morning tea is 10.50am until 11.15am, lunch from 12.45pm until 1.45pm.