Kio Kio School Newsletter

Tēnā koutou katoa e te whānau o Kio Kio School,

WHAT A TERM!

As we come to the end of another busy and rewarding term, I would like to thank our students, staff, and whānau for everything that has made Term 2 such a success. It has been a term filled with rich learning opportunities, sporting success, cultural experiences, school events, and plenty of reasons to celebrate. I continue to be incredibly proud of the way our students embrace our school values each day, showing resilience, kindness, respect, and a willingness to challenge themselves. None of this would be possible without the ongoing support of our families, and we sincerely appreciate the partnership we share in helping our students thrive.

Parent Interviews

Thank you to all of our parents and caregivers who took the time to attend Parent Interviews this week. These conversations are an important part of strengthening the partnership between home and school, allowing us to celebrate each child's successes, discuss their progress, and work together to support their next learning steps. We appreciate the commitment you continue to show towards your child's education, and we know that when schools and families work together, our students achieve their very best.

Āria Orienteering Event

Congratulations to all of the students who represented Kio Kio School at the Āria Orienteering Event. With over 300 students competing from schools across the Waitomo district, it was fantastic to see our students demonstrating determination, teamwork, and resilience throughout the day.

A special congratulations goes to our younger competitors, many of whom were experiencing orienteering for the very first time. They represented our school with confidence and achieved some outstanding results.

Individual Results: Please see file attached.

Congratulations to every student who participated. You represented Kio Kio School with pride, enthusiasm, and excellent sportsmanship.

Jumping June

What an incredible month of skipping we enjoyed during Jumping June! It was fantastic to see our whole school getting involved each day, making the most of the beautiful winter sunshine while keeping active and having fun. During our Jumping June Celebration, the highlight was watching our older students step into leadership roles by encouraging, supporting, and teaching our younger students new skipping skills. The smiles, laughter, and enthusiasm on the courts each day were a wonderful reflection of our school values and the positive culture we continue to build together.

Jumping June was a great reminder that being active can be fun, inclusive, and something everyone can enjoy. A huge thank you to all of our students for embracing the challenge with such energy and enthusiasm. Another big thank you to Emma Telfer and Kirsten Beck for organising the skipping event.

Matariki Week

This week, our school proudly celebrated Matariki, the Māori New Year. Matariki marks the rising of the Matariki star cluster and is a special time to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to the future. It is also a time to come together with whānau and community, show gratitude, and strengthen connections with one another.

Throughout the week, each class participated in a variety of meaningful activities to celebrate Matariki. Students enjoyed making soup and bread together, taking part in buddy class craft activities, learning and performing waiata, and exploring the significance of the Matariki stars and the values they represent. It has been wonderful to see our students embracing these experiences and learning more about this important part of Aotearoa New Zealand's cultural heritage.

A huge thank you to Larna Culpan for the time, effort, and enthusiasm she put into organising such a fantastic week of learning and celebration for our students.

Attendance – Showing Up Makes a Difference

Regular attendance continues to be a key focus at Kio Kio School because every day at school matters. Being at school consistently gives our students the very best opportunity to learn, build strong friendships, develop positive habits, and reach their full potential.

We are delighted to share that our students continue to make excellent progress. This term, 77% of our students achieved attendance of 90% or higher, reflecting the commitment of our students and the fantastic support of our whānau. This is a significant improvement from 59% in Term 2, 2025, and is something our whole school community should be incredibly proud of.

Every day at school counts, and this improvement demonstrates what can be achieved when families and the school work together. We will continue striving towards the Ministry of Education's goal of every student achieving at least 90% attendance by 2030.

Celebration Assembly - End of Term 2

Our End of Term Celebration Assembly will return to its usual time of 2.00 pm on Friday, 3rd July.

We warmly invite all whānau to join us as we celebrate the many achievements of our students, acknowledge their hard work throughout the term, and reflect on the wonderful learning, sporting, cultural, and leadership opportunities that have taken place across our school.

We look forward to celebrating together as a school community.

Mihi Whakatau – Start of Term 3

At the beginning of Term 3, we will hold a Mihi Whakatau to officially welcome all of the new students and their whānau who have joined Kio Kio School. This will also include families who enrolled during Term 2 and have not yet had the opportunity to be formally welcomed into our school community.

We look forward to welcoming everyone and continuing to build the strong sense of belonging that makes Kio Kio School such a special place.

As another successful term comes to a close, I would like to sincerely thank our students for their enthusiasm and effort, our dedicated staff for the incredible work they do every day, and our families for your ongoing support and partnership.

I hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved, restful break filled with time to relax, recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends. Stay safe over the holidays, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting term.

Ngā mihi nui,

Pip Were
Principal

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.