👋Kia ora e te whānau,

What a wild start to Term 3 it has been – from crisp morning frosts to wet, rainy weather! Despite the changing skies, the atmosphere inside our classrooms has been warm, focused, and full of learning.

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting classrooms to observe our amazing teachers in action during their mathematics lessons. It was inspiring to see the high levels of student engagement and the way learning was scaffolded to meet the needs of every learner. As you may know, this year we are using the Maths No Problem programme to guide our maths teaching. This knowledge- and language-rich programme ensures full curriculum coverage and gives our students access to all areas of mathematics in a structured and meaningful way.

🏃‍♀️ Cross Country – Save the Date!

Our school cross-country is happening next Wednesday, 6th August. Students have been training daily to build their stamina and develop their agility. Please note that we will be sticking closely to the published race times – thank you for your support in helping the event run smoothly.

📞 Attendance – Why It Matters

Thank you to those who continue to notify us when your child is away. A reminder that when reporting an absence, it’s important to also provide a reason. This helps us track attendance patterns and ensure that we are supporting students appropriately. We are pleased to share that attendance has improved significantly – from 46% in Term 2 2024 to 59% in Term 2 2025 – a fantastic result! Let’s keep working together to get students attending school.

🗓 Teacher Only Day – 11th August

Please mark your calendars: School will be closed on Monday, 11th August for a Teacher Only Day. This day allows our staff to engage in valuable professional development that directly benefits student learning.

🎉 Supporters Committee – You’ve Done It Again!

A huge shoutout to our Supporters Committee for their incredible generosity and ongoing contributions to our school. Thanks to their efforts, we now have:

Bright, bold HOUSE AND SCHOOL FLAGS to promote school spirit,

A brand new gazebo for outdoor events,
And a fully replaced greenhouse, which was expertly assembled by Peter Telfer and Peter Cornelissen – thank you both! We’re excited to see our Enviro team get planting soon!

🗳 Board of Trustees Elections – Now Open

Nominations for the Board of Trustees close at 12 pm on Wednesday, 6th August. This is a wonderful opportunity to play a meaningful role in shaping the future of our school. There are six vacancies, and we encourage interested whānau to pop into the office to collect a nomination form or chat with us about what it means to be a trustee.

Our current Board of Trustees continues to work diligently behind the scenes to ensure the successful delivery of key projects and initiatives, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to the school community before the newly elected board assumes its responsibilities.

🪩The Kio Kio School Disco was a fantastic success!

The hall was buzzing with excitement as students arrived in fun and creative outfits, ready to show off their best dance moves. DJ Pete kept the energy high all evening with a great mix of tunes that had everyone on the dance floor. From classic favourites to new hits, the music brought smiles, laughter, and lots of grooving. A big thank you to the Student Council and staff who helped set up, supervise, and keep things running smoothly—it truly was a night to remember, full of joy, connection, and celebration.

What a fantastic start to Term 3 – thank you all for your support, resilience, and ongoing commitment to our kura.

Ngā mihi nui,
Pip Were
Tumuaki | Principal

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 Kahikatea 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

Our Lost Property rack is OVERFLOWING and some of the items are crying out for help – quite literally!

Please check the Lost Property rack that is on the front deck at the moment and encourage your children to take a look too. Named items will be returned to students, but unnamed gear is piling up fast.

Help reunite our poor hats, jerseys, shoes, and lunchboxes with their rightful homes!