Tēnā koutou katoa, e te whānau o Kio Kio School,

As we move further into the term, our school continues to be filled with rich learning experiences, strong community connections, and many opportunities for our tamariki to grow, lead, and thrive.

As winter bugs begin circulating throughout our school community, I am reminded of the important wellbeing messages that will be woven throughout our upcoming Life Education lessons, beginning tomorrow. The Life Education model highlights nine basic needs that underpin wellbeing: food, oxygen, love, washing, sleep, exercise, shelter, and safety. These essential needs support both our physical and emotional wellbeing and help our tamariki flourish. It is important for students to understand the value of a good night’s sleep, fuelling their bodies with nutritious food, staying active, and feeling safe, connected, and cared for. These simple but powerful foundations help set our children up for success both inside and outside the classroom.

This week, three of our learning spaces — Kōwhai, Pōhutukawa, and Kauri classes — received brand new carpet through the Ministry of Education funded Ngā Iti Kahurangi Project.

The installation team worked incredibly efficiently, completing one classroom each day from the removal of the old carpet through to the laying of the new carpet tiles. The transformation has made each space feel fresh, modern, and welcoming for our tamariki.

Our students have particularly enjoyed the comfort of the new carpet, with many commenting on how soft and “spongy” it feels compared to the previous flooring. We are extremely grateful to be part of this project and greatly appreciate the investment into improving our learning environments.

Reflecting on the past few weeks, our local curriculum has been alive with meaningful learning opportunities and memorable experiences for our students. From winter sports and Book Character Dress-Up Day to library learning and classroom activities, there has been a wonderful sense of energy and engagement across the school. One of the true highlights was our Grandparents Morning. It was incredibly special to welcome so many grandparents and special people into our kura. The school was filled with warmth, laughter, and aroha as each class proudly shared a performance during our assembly. Following this, students delighted in showing their grandparents around their classrooms and sharing their learning spaces. It was a morning that truly celebrated connection, belonging, and the special relationships that help shape our tamariki. There were certainly many full buckets and smiling faces throughout the day.

Looking ahead to the coming weeks, there is plenty happening across the school.

Abby and Harold from Life Education Trust will be visiting in their mobile classroom from tomorrow through until next Thursday. Each class will participate in two or three Health Curriculum lessons, with a variety of important topics being explored through the following themes:

Year 1 & 2 – Identity
Year 3 & 4 – Kindness & Empathy
Year 5 – Self-Talk
Year 6 – Leadership
Year 7 & 8 – Pubertal Change

We look forward to the positive and powerful messages that Harold and Abby will share with our students over the next week.

Next Tuesday, I will be taking our School Councillors and House Leaders to the National Young Leaders Day in Hamilton. This is a fantastic opportunity for our young leaders to hear from inspirational speakers and further develop their leadership skills. The conference is built around the belief that “young leaders are often made, not simply born” and aims to spark leadership potential through practical and inspiring experiences. It promises to be an exciting and valuable day of learning for our students.

Finally, a huge shout out to our Supports Committee and wider parent community who have generously given their time, resources, and energy towards one of our major school fundraisers of the year — ‘The Yacht Party’ at the Kio Kio Hall this Saturday evening. It is shaping up to be an incredible night filled with great music, delicious food, and wonderful company. Thank you to everyone involved in bringing this event together — your support makes a significant difference to our school and our students. We look forward to seeing many of you there for what promises to be a fantastic community evening.

There are also a number of extra-curricular activities coming up, including:

Tough Guy & Gal Challenge – Years 3–8
Otorohanga College Production– Years 7 & 8
Tackle 5’s Tournament – Years 5 & 6

Please keep an eye on your emails for the SchoolBridge forms related to these upcoming events.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our kura. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead.

Ngā mihi nui,
Pip Were

S

Next up is the wonderful 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗶 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱; known as Miss B ❤️ Madi is our youngest teacher and is in her second year of teaching. She is the classroom teacher in Puriri, working with our amazing Year 1 and 2 ākonga. Originally from Gisborne, Madi brings warmth, positivity, and a love of the outdoors to our Kio Kio whānau. Thank you, Madi, for the care, encouragement, and positivity you bring to Kio Kio School every day 🖤❤️

Today we are shining the spotlight on the wonderful 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, our amazing Office & Library Administrator here at Kio Kio School 📚 Amanda plays a huge role in keeping our school running smoothly each day — from supporting our office team to creating a welcoming and engaging library space for our ākonga. Thank you Amanda for all that you do for our Kio Kio School whānau. We appreciate your kindness, positivity, and the care you show our students every day ❤️🖤

This week we are celebrating the wonderful 𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆, our Kauri Class Teacher. Paige teaches our Year 7–8 students in Kauri Class and supports them to grow in confidence, independence, resilience, and leadership. She is also our Co-Director of the Production and our go-to School Bridge guru. Paige is passionate about building strong, positive relationships with her students and creating a classroom where everyone feels safe, supported, and confident to give things a go. Thank you, Paige, for all you do for our Kio Kio School whānau. ❤️🖤

This week we are excited to introduce the wonderful Larna Culpan — our amazing Year 4 Teacher at Kio Kio School ❤️ Larna brings creativity, passion, care, and strong relationships into everything she does. Alongside teaching our awesome Year 4 learners, she also leads many important areas across our kura including Cultural Leadership, Matariki celebrations, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, productions, arts, and first aid. Thank you, Larna, for all that you do for our Kio Kio School whānau ❤️🖤

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.