Ngā mihi mahana ki ngā whānau o Kio Kio School ~ Warm greetings to the families of Kio Kio School ~

As we come to the end of Term 1, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on what has been a busy, positive, and successful start to the year at Kio Kio School.

It has been wonderful to see our students settle into the school year so well, showing enthusiasm for learning, pride in their school, and a growing commitment to our POWER values. This term, our school-wide value focus has been Perseverance, and throughout the term we have seen many examples of students showing resilience, determination, and the ability to keep trying even when things are challenging. These are such important life skills, and I have been incredibly proud of the way our students have embraced this value.

Next term, our POWER value focus will shift to Ownership. We will be encouraging students to take responsibility for their learning, behaviour, belongings, and actions, while continuing to grow as confident, capable learners and leaders.

Rimu Class Camp

This week, Rimu Class headed off on their school camp to Raglan and have had a wonderful experience creating lifelong memories. A huge thank you to Mrs Larna Culpan for the incredible planning and organisation that went into crafting a camp filled with meaningful and memorable experiences for her class.

Some of the highlights included:

Bridal Veil Falls walk
Coastguard visit
Scavenger hunt
Pump track and swimming
Extreme Zero Enviro Waste education
Enviro beach investigation
Rock pool study
Harbour Board cruise
Hamilton Zoo

What a wonderful range of learning opportunities and experiences for our Rimu students. A very special thank you also goes to our parent helpers for generously giving up their time to support our learners and help make camp such a success.

A Fantastic School Triathlon

One of the highlights of the term was our recent School Triathlon. It was a fantastic day filled with energy, determination, encouragement, and achievement. It was wonderful to see students stepping outside their comfort zones, challenging themselves, and supporting one another throughout the event.

The day was a fantastic reflection of our POWER values in action. Students showed Perseverance as they pushed through each stage of the course, Ownership in preparing themselves and giving their best effort, wonderful encouragement and sportsmanship toward their peers. Events like this are such an important part of school life and help build confidence, resilience, and a sense of accomplishment.

A huge thank you to our staff, whānau, and supporters who helped make the day such a success.

Professional Learning and Leadership

In Week 8, I had the opportunity to attend the Waikato Principals’ Leadership Conference in Rotorua, led primarily by Neil O’Reilly and centred around the theme “Leading Principals, Leading Successfully.”

It was a valuable opportunity to connect with other school leaders, reflect on effective leadership practices, and continue strengthening the work we are doing here at Kio Kio School. Opportunities like this are incredibly important in ensuring we continue to grow, improve, and provide the very best learning environment for our students.

Principal’s Award – Flynn Neustroski

At our Celebration Assembly today, I had the privilege of presenting the first Principal’s Award for 2026 — and only the second Principal’s Award presented since I became Principal at Kio Kio School.

This award was presented to Flynn Neustroski in recognition of his outstanding leadership, service, and commitment to our school values. Flynn has consistently gone above and beyond in all aspects of school life. He is always willing to help, gives generously of his time, and has made a significant contribution to our school through his positive attitude, leadership, and support of others.

We are incredibly proud of Flynn and this very well-deserved recognition.

Thank You to Our Supporters Committee

I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to the Kio Kio School Supporters Committee for their generous funding support towards the purchase of new TVs for our classrooms. These will be installed over the school holidays with the help of some of our wonderful parent volunteers.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive school community, and we are very grateful for the time, effort, and fundraising that goes into making these opportunities possible for our students.

Attendance Spotlight

This year, we have continued to place a strong focus on school attendance, as being at school every day gives students the very best opportunity to learn, connect, and succeed.

We are very pleased to share that we have seen a positive improvement in attendance across the school. This term, 77% of our students achieved 90% attendance or higher. This is a very encouraging step forward as we continue working toward the Ministry of Education’s national target of all students achieving at least 90% attendance by 2030.

Thank you to our whānau for your ongoing support in helping your children attend school regularly and arrive ready to learn each day.

Variable Speed Limit

I am very pleased to share that NZTA will be installing a Variable Speed Limit (VSL) between 7–17 April 2026. Our VSL will begin operating from 20 April and will be enforceable immediately.

What does this mean? Electronic speed limit signs will be installed approximately 300 metres on either side of our school entrance, and the speed limit will reduce to 60km/h during peak drop-off and pick-up times throughout the school year.

This is fantastic news for our school, as we have been advocating for a speed reduction for many years. Please see the information later in this newsletter for more details.

Looking Ahead to Term 2

We are already looking forward to an exciting start to Term 2 beginning on the 20th of April. We will begin the term by warmly welcoming our new students and whānau to Kio Kio School with a mihi whakatau, and we look forward to officially welcoming them into our school community.

Early in the term, two of our classes will also be heading away to Vertical Horizons Camp in New Plymouth. This will be a fantastic opportunity for students to challenge themselves, build confidence, strengthen relationships, and create lasting memories through a range of exciting outdoor learning experiences. We know this camp will be a highlight for many of our students, and we are very much looking forward to it.

Wishing You a Safe and Happy Break

As we head into the Easter break and the school holidays, I would like to thank our students, staff, whānau, and wider community for your support throughout Term 1. It has been a fantastic start to the year, and I am proud of all that has already been achieved.

I wish all of our families a very happy Easter, and I hope our students enjoy a well-deserved two-week break to rest, recharge, and refresh — ready for another exciting term of learning ahead.

Ngā mihi nui,
Pip Were
Principal
Kio Kio School

SUN SMART- HATS

All students are to wear a hat when playing outstide. NO HAT- NO PLAY! Those students without a hat are asked to sit under the large tree on our Cobham Lawn. Please name your child/ren's hats.

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 Kauri class with a severe peanut allergy 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 racks and bins are piling up once again. Check out the lost property on the front deck and encourage your child/ren to have a look too. Named items will be returned to students, so please name your child's clothing and gear.