Tēnā koutou katoa, e te whānau o Kio Kio,

POWER Value Focus – Excellence

As we move further into Term 3, our school continues to be filled with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a genuine commitment to our POWER value of Excellence. Excellence is not about being perfect; it is about striving to do your very best in every situation. Throughout our classrooms and around the school, I have been incredibly proud to see our students embracing this value through their learning, their behaviour, the way they support one another, and the pride they take in representing our kura. Every day, our tamariki are showing that excellence is about perseverance, kindness, effort, and continually challenging themselves to grow.

Active Break Times – Learning Beyond the Classroom

Our school is alive with the wonderful sporting initiatives that Mrs Telfer has introduced during break times. Students are enthusiastically participating in wall ball, gaga ball, table tennis, basketball, digging in the sandpit, and the ever-popular game of Master Tag. It is fantastic to see so many students choosing to be active, developing their teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills while having fun. Alongside these energetic activities, many students are enjoying quieter options such as spending time in our library or making the most of the swings. There truly is something for everyone, creating positive opportunities for students to connect, be active, and enjoy their break times together.

Cross Country – Building Determination

Adding to the activity around the school, every student has been participating in daily cross-country training in preparation for next week's Cross Country event. It has been wonderful to watch students encourage one another, set personal goals and challenge themselves to keep going, even when the running becomes difficult. Cross country is not only about who crosses the finish line first—it is about determination, resilience and giving your personal best. We look forward to seeing our students showcase these qualities next week. Please see the notice later in this newsletter for further event details.

Growing Resilient Learners

Resilience is a quality that we continually strive to nurture in every one of our students. Learning how to bounce back when things don't go as planned, managing disappointment, and responding thoughtfully rather than reacting emotionally are essential life skills. We regularly remind our students that mistakes are an important part of learning and growth. Through positive self-talk, encouragement from others, and a willingness to keep trying, our tamariki are developing the confidence to face challenges with courage and determination.

Outstanding Teaching and Learning

Over the past few weeks, I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time in each of our classrooms observing the incredible teaching and learning taking place. It is always inspiring to see our teachers carefully scaffolding learning experiences that challenge, support and engage every learner. Students have been deeply involved in rich discussions, asking thoughtful questions, exploring new vocabulary, making meaningful connections, collaborating with their peers, and confidently sharing their ideas. The learning environments across our school are calm, purposeful and filled with rich educational opportunities where every learner is encouraged to think deeply and strive for success.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated and passionate team of teachers, supported by our amazing teacher assistants, who work tirelessly to ensure every child is known, valued and supported to achieve success. Their commitment extends far beyond academic learning as they foster confidence, wellbeing, belonging and a genuine love of learning. I feel incredibly privileged and humbled to lead such a talented team of educators who consistently strive to provide the very best educational opportunities for your children.

Supporting Every Learner

At Kio Kio School, we are committed to ensuring every child is supported to achieve success and reach their full potential. Another important part of this commitment is the specialised work undertaken by our Structured Literacy Intervention Teacher, our Learning Support Coordinator, and our dedicated team of teacher aides. Working collaboratively alongside classroom teachers, they provide targeted support that enables every learner to thrive.

Our Structured Literacy Intervention Teacher delivers explicit, evidence-based literacy instruction to students who require additional support, helping to build strong foundations in reading, spelling and writing while fostering confidence as learners. Our Learning Support Coordinator works closely with teachers, whānau and external agencies to identify students' strengths and needs, coordinate appropriate support, and ensure barriers to learning are minimised.

Our wonderful team of teacher aides make an invaluable contribution to learning across the school each and every day. Working alongside classroom teachers, they provide individual and small-group instruction, helping students to build confidence and experience success. They deliver a range of targeted programmes including ESOL, Speech-Language interventions, structured literacy support and mathematics programmes, while also supporting students in classrooms to access the curriculum and participate fully in school life.

Together, these skilled and dedicated staff provide an extensive network of learning support across our school. Their care, expertise and commitment ensure that every child receives the encouragement, guidance and opportunities they need to grow academically, socially and emotionally. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a passionate team working together to help every learner flourish.

Celebrating Te Ao Māori

This week, I was immensely proud of our Year 4–8 students who represented Kio Kio School at the Te Nehenehenui Pua Rito Cultural Hui held at the Les Munro Centre in Te Kūiti. Students joined schools from across our rohe to learn, celebrate and strengthen their understanding of te ao Māori through waiata, tikanga and shared cultural experiences. They learnt a beautiful new waiata, which they look forward to teaching the rest of the school during our weekly Hauora Hui, led by Larna Culpan.

A sincere thank you to Larna for organising this wonderful opportunity. Experiences like these help strengthen our students' sense of identity, belonging and appreciation of Aotearoa's rich cultural heritage.

School Speech Competition

Our annual school speech competition is also well underway, with our Year 5–8 students finalising and practising their speeches in preparation for presenting them to their classes. Teachers will select several students to progress through to the school finals, which will be held on Monday, 17 August.

I have already had the pleasure of reading and listening to several speeches, and I have been incredibly impressed by the confidence, creativity and thoughtful messages our students are sharing. The quality of the speeches has been outstanding, and I know our judges will have a very difficult task selecting the finalists.

Important Information for Families

Working Together for Excellent Attendance

Mā te mahi ngātahi ka puāwai ai ā tātou tamariki – Through working together, our children will thrive and blossom.

Regular attendance is one of the strongest contributors to your child's academic achievement, wellbeing, confidence, friendships and sense of belonging at school. Every day of learning counts.

This term, our Student Management System (SMS) will automatically email each family an attendance report every fortnight. These reports will provide you with an accurate record of your child's attendance and allow us to work together to ensure any concerns are addressed early. If you notice any discrepancies, please contact our school office so we can update our records promptly.

Please note that these emails may occasionally be directed to your junk or spam folder, so if you haven't received one yet, I encourage you to check there first.

Afternoon Pick-Up Reminder

Our afternoon car park can become quite congested at pick-up time. To help keep everyone safe and improve traffic flow, we ask all families to be patient and courteous while collecting students.

Our first bus departs promptly at 3.05 pm, with the second bus leaving at 3.15 pm. If you have older students who are comfortable waiting for a few minutes after school, I encourage families to consider collecting them after the first bus has departed. This small adjustment can make a significant difference to congestion and helps create a safer environment for all students, whānau and staff.

Thank you for your continued patience and consideration of others.

Community Consultation – Your Voice Matters

Early next week, we will be sharing our Community Consultation questionnaire with our Kio Kio whānau and wider school community. This is an important opportunity for families, past and present members of our community, and anyone who has a connection to Kio Kio School to share their thoughts, aspirations and ideas for the future direction of our kura.

The questionnaire will be available electronically, and I will also send home a paper copy with every student to ensure all families have the opportunity to contribute. Paper copies will also be available from the school office for any community members who would prefer to complete a hard copy. We ask that all completed surveys are returned by Friday, 28 August.

Your voice is incredibly important as we look ahead to the coming years. The Board of Trustees will use the themes and trends identified through this consultation to help shape our next Strategic Plan and guide the priorities for Kio Kio School moving forward.

We encourage every whānau and community member to take the time to share their perspectives. Your feedback will help us understand what is valued most about our kura, what aspirations we have for our learners, and how we can continue to strengthen and grow together.

As always, thank you for the continued support you provide our school. The partnership between home and school plays such an important role in helping our children flourish. Together, we are creating a nurturing environment where every child is encouraged to strive for excellence, embrace challenges, and grow into confident, capable and caring young people.

I wish everyone a wonderful week ahead and look forward to seeing many of you at our Cross Country event next week.

Ngā mihi nui,

Pip Were
Principal
Kio Kio School

START OF THE SCHOOL DAY

The official teaching day begins at 9.00am and ends at 2.55pm . Our bus students arrive at school close to 8.30am. We prefer that students are dropped off from 8.30am onwards as staff are preparing for the day and may not be able to supervise students.
Under special circumstances we will accept students arriving at school earlier than this through consultation with your child's teacher.

STUDENT ABSENCES

If your child is going to be absent from school, please advise the office by phone (078731816), email (admin@kiokio.school.nz) or the absent tab on the @School Parent APP with the reason so the absence can be marked correctly for the Ministry of Education. If the school is not notified, the child is deemed TRUANT and marked accordingly. If your child is late to school, they must come to the office and sign in on the electronic register.

STUDENTS ENTERING & LEAVING SCHOOL

Please make sure that your child/ren are dropped off and collected from the bus shelter each day.
We are enforcing safety rules at school pick-up and drop-off. Children are NOT to open our school gates. Parents are required to drop off inside the gate and come into the school grounds to collect their children. This is a safety measure. Our carpark is very busy at the end of the day and we need to do everything we can to keep everyone safe.

BUS BOOK REMINDER

Please ensure that the school office is informed early if your child won't be on the school bus in the afternoon. We also need to be contacted if your child/ren are getting off at another stop. You can do this by phoning the school office on 07 8731816 or emailing admin@kiokio.school.nz

PEANUT ALLERGY

We have a student in Kowhai and Kauri classes with severe peanut allergies who cannot come into contact with peanuts or products with peanuts in them. We ask that parents do not send peanuts or any peanut related products to school, so that we can keep this student safe. Thank you for your understanding.

LOST PROPERTY

Lost property rack and bins have mounted up over Term 2. Check it out on the front deck and encourage your child/ren to have a look to reclaim their clothing items.
Named items will be returned to students, so please name your child's clothing and gear.