Tēnā koutou katoa, e te whānau o Kio Kio,

Striving for Excellence

As we move through Term 3, it has been wonderful to see our school community embracing our POWER value of Excellence. Excellence is not about being perfect; it is about striving to do our best, challenging ourselves, showing commitment, practising, improving and being proud of what we achieve. There have been so many examples of this across Kio Kio School over the past few weeks.

Kio Kio Cross Country and Colour Run

A huge congratulations to all of our students who took part in our recent Cross Country and Colour Run. It was fantastic to see students challenging themselves, supporting one another and showing perseverance right through to the finish line.

A special thank you to Mrs Telfer for the organisation and preparation that went into making the event such a success. The Colour Run was certainly a highlight and created plenty of smiles, laughter and colour!

We have also had students representing Kio Kio School at the COPs Inter-Schools Cross Country. We are incredibly proud of the way our students represented our school, demonstrating determination, sportsmanship and excellence. Well done to everyone involved.

Speech Finals

On Monday, we held our Speech Finals, and it was wonderful to see our students demonstrate such confidence, preparation and excellence in their presentations. A huge congratulations to all of our finalists, who should be incredibly proud of the way they presented their speeches.

In the Year 5 & 6 Intermediate section, the Moyle Family Cup was awarded to Kaea Ngapo, with Emma Lawrence named runner-up. In the Senior section, the Drysdale Family Cup was awarded to Cora Mora, with Ariah Mackie named runner-up.

Congratulations to all of our finalists for the time, effort and courage they put into preparing and delivering their speeches. Public speaking takes confidence and perseverance, and it was fantastic to see our students striving for Excellence and supporting one another throughout the event. A special thank you to everyone who helped prepare our students for the finals.

Sports Camp

Our Sports Camp students are getting ready to head off to Totara Springs next week. This is always a wonderful opportunity for students to challenge themselves, develop new skills, build friendships and work together on the sports field with Korakonui School.

We wish our students and staff a fantastic camp. We know they will represent Kio Kio School with pride and demonstrate our POWER values throughout their time away.

School Disco – Tonight!

A reminder that our School Disco is on tonight, with our theme being Sports Stars!

We are looking forward to seeing everyone dressed as their favourite sporting heroes and enjoying a fantastic evening together. DJ Pete will be rocking the evening, so we know there will be plenty of dancing, fun and laughter!

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this event possible. We hope our students have a wonderful evening.

Car Park Safety

Thank you to our families for your patience and cooperation around the car park at pick-up time. We appreciate that it can become very busy, particularly at the end of the school day.

Please continue to take care and be mindful of students and other families moving through the area. Keeping everyone safe is our priority.

Friday Polo Shirts

It has been lovely to see so many students wearing their Kio Kio School polo shirts on Fridays. I would like to encourage all students to wear their school polo each Friday, particularly on days when we have Celebration Assembly or other school events.

Wearing our school polo with pride is another simple way we can demonstrate Excellence and belonging and show that we are proud to be part of Kio Kio School.

Mobile Phones at School and School Events

A reminder to all students and families that students are not permitted to have mobile phones at school or at school events. This includes camps, sports days, trips, discos and other school activities. If a student needs to contact home, they can do so through the school office.

This is a requirement under Ministry of Education rules, and it is a rule that we will continue to enforce consistently. We appreciate your support in ensuring students leave their phones at home when attending school and school events.

After-School Arrangements

We understand that from time to time families may be delayed and unable to collect their child by the usual pick-up time. If you are running late, we would really appreciate a quick phone call to the office so that we know your child is waiting to be collected.

Students who are not travelling home on the school bus should be collected by 3.15 pm. This allows our teachers to move into their afternoon responsibilities, including planning and preparation, meetings and professional learning.

For safety and supervision purposes, after school, students are to wait at the front of the Senior Block classrooms, on the top field or in the bus shelter. This ensures that students remain in designated areas where they can be appropriately supervised until they are collected.

Thank you for helping us to ensure that our end-of-day routines are safe, predictable and manageable for everyone.

Looking Ahead to 2027

As the year continues to roll on, the Senior Leadership Team are beginning to look ahead to 2027 and our class organisation.

If you already know that your child will not be attending Kio Kio School next year, as you may be moving away due to job changes or other reasons, could you please let the office know as soon as possible? This information is extremely helpful as we begin our planning for classes, staffing and resources for 2027.

The Jungle Book – Production Update

Our Jungle Book production is well and truly in full swing!

Drama practices are happening across the school, and our classes are busy learning and rehearsing their dances. Costumes are beginning to take shape, make-up is being sourced, and our backdrops are being carefully crafted.

There are so many elements that come together to make a school production successful, and we are incredibly grateful to our staff, students and families for the time, energy and enthusiasm being put into it.

Our students are showing Excellence through their commitment to rehearsals, learning their lines, practising their dances, supporting one another and stepping outside their comfort zones. There is still plenty of work to do, but it is exciting to see the production beginning to come to life!

Community Consultation – Have Your Say

A reminder to all of our families and whānau that our Kio Kio School Community Consultation is currently underway.

We really value the opportunity to hear from our community as we begin developing our Strategic Plan for 2027–2028. Your feedback will help us understand what is important to our students, families and wider community and will help shape the direction of our school over the coming years.

If you haven't already completed the consultation, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts. We would love to hear from as many families and whānau as possible.

Please click this link to participate:

Community Consultation

The consultation closes on Friday 28 August.

Thank you to everyone who has already taken the time to contribute. Your voice matters, and your feedback will help us continue to make Kio Kio School an excellent place for our students to learn, grow and thrive.

Celebrating Excellence

As I look across our school at the moment, I am reminded that Excellence looks different for every student. For some, it is crossing the finish line at cross country. For others, it is learning a new dance step, getting up on stage, showing kindness to a friend, persevering with something difficult or simply having another go when things don't go to plan.

These everyday moments are what make me proud of our students. They are learning that excellence is not about being the best; it is about being your best, giving things a go and continually striving to improve.

Thank you to our students, staff, parents, whānau and wider community for the continued support you give our school. There is a lot happening at Kio Kio, and it is wonderful to see our students embracing every opportunity with enthusiasm, pride and a commitment to Excellence.

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.