Kōkopu Newsletter

Kia ora Kōkopu whānau,

It's hard to believe we are only three weeks away from the end of term! Our school roll continues to grow, and I would like to extend a warm welcome to Tiana, Māui, and Lanyah, who joined our Kōkopu whānau last week. We are so pleased to have you all here and look forward to seeing you thrive.

We have had an amazing last two weeks at school.

One of the highlights was the culmination of our Pacific Island country study with a cooking day. Students showed the spirit of tuakana teina, working collaboratively in their house groups to prepare a range of interesting and tasty dishes. This kind of hands-on, collaborative learning helps bring our curriculum to life and reinforces our values of Respect for Others and Respect for Our Environment.

Our annual gymnastics competition was another successful event. Despite the challenging weather and dodging a few showers, our students demonstrated great individual effort and, importantly, good support for one another. A big thank you to our PTA for not only providing food on the day but also for their generous contribution towards the purchase of our new horizontal bar – it's proving to be a popular addition!

Last week, I had the privilege of spending time with Sir Graham Henry (ex-All Blacks coach) at our Whangārei Principals Association meeting. Among many insightful topics, one that resonated deeply was his emphasis on recognising the collective intellectual property within a team. This truly hit home as I reflected on our own Kōkopu School team. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated staff, encompassing our office team, teacher aides, caretaker, and, of course, our teachers. The years of experience, unique skills, and diverse strengths that each individual brings to our school create a rich and supportive learning environment. This collective knowledge and skill base helps ensure our students receive an excellent education, providing them with a variety of opportunities to discover their gifts and talents and find their learning groove. It's a testament to our shared commitment to fostering a positive and nurturing environment where every student can flourish.

Lastly, students are currently in the midst of doing their mid-year assessments. Assessments come in a range of forms, from formal sit-down tests to one-on-one interviews with the teacher. We endeavour to make these as stress-free as possible, giving students a chance to show us what they know and the learning progress they have made. These assessments help inform teachers for the mid-year reports that will be sent home on the second Monday of next term.

Ngā mihi,

Yaron Overeem

PRINCIPAL

Following are the results from the Gymnastics Competition held on Friday last week.

Well done to all the children who were in the event, your skills have certainly come ahead.

Year 1 Girls - 1st Mary Tuhiwai, 2nd Mayah Clarke, 3rd Freddi Johnson

Year 1 Boys - 1st Theo McKenzie, 2nd Van Heasley, 3rd Oakley Hape

Year 2 Girls - 1st Chelsea Sheehy, 2nd Noah Adams, 3rd Lana Wira

Year 2 Boys - 1st Soren Weavers, 2nd Kyah Allen, 3rd Xavier Barge

Year 3 Girls - 1st Skylah Allen, 2nd Theia Waterhouse, 3rd Kaylee Pattenden

Year 3 Boys - 1st Ronan Harrow-Harper, 2nd Ryan Noakes, 3rd Louie Pugh

Year 4 Girls - 1st Nova Weavers, 2nd Delilah Flintoft, 3rd Avery Powell

Year 4 Boys - 1st= Sloane Allen, 1st= Indi Weavers, 3rd Caeden McMurchy

Year 5 Girls - 1st Saydee Barge, 2nd Kahlia Barge, 3rd Valerie Wira

Year 5 Boys - 1st Mason Schraag, 2nd Cooper McBeth, 3rd Roy Sheehy

Year 6 Girls - 1st Ana Waterhouse, 2nd Tahan Bellingham, 3rd Amelia-Rose Hape

Year 6 Boys - 1st Drake Yearbury, 2nd Ryken Paul, 3rd Alex Jesen

Year 7 Girls - 1st Journey Hughes, 2nd Leah Powell, 3rd Annabeth Riley

Year 7 Boys - 1st Lachlan McMurchy, 2nd Hunter Schraag, 3rd Mason Fleming

Year 8 Girls - 1st Eva Gray, 2nd Amelia Tasker, 3rd Jayne Sheehy

Year 8 Boys - 1st Tristen Woolston-Boys, 2nd Jordan Donker, 3rd Nathan James

Congratulations to you all, well done!

We had a very busy day preparing food for our Pacific Island meal on Tuesday 27th May. The children enjoyed learning some culinary skills and got to enjoy the delicious food for lunch.

In conjunction with other primary schools in our area, teachers are participating in a second teacher only day to help us upskill in the delivery of the new maths curriculum. This day is an allocation from the Ministry of Education. We appreciate that this will be inconvenient for families and thank you for your understanding.

The following day is Matariki and this is a national holiday, so no school on Friday too.

On Wednesday the 18th we are going to have a Matariki Planting day. 9:15am onwards. This year we are going to replant some of the plants that didn’t survive the big dry over summer.

Bring your spade and a pair of gumboots, as it is very wet on that side of the field.

Please email the office if you are able to help.

Reminder

If you haven't returned your survey, please go online to www.kokopu.school.nz/camp25

Close off date: Friday 13th June

Please DO NOT park at the FRONT GATE. It is NOT a drop off zone.

USE OUR NEW DESIGNATED CARPARK.

Parents, please ensure the gates into the school are shut at all times.

We still need them shut after school, as there are still children at After School Care until 5.30pm.

Term 2 2025

• Mon 28 Apr - Year 7 and 8 Tech (every Monday all term)
• Tue 29 Apr - Playgroup (every Tuesday all term)
• Wed 30 Apr - Kapa Haka (every Wednesday all term)
• Wed 18 June - Matariki Planting Day
• Thu 19 June - Teacher Only Day
• Fri 20 June - Matariki (long weekend)
• Mon 23 June - Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting
• Thu 26 June - House Day Competition Winter Sports

Term 3 2025

• Wed 13 August - Taniwha Challenge Te Horo School Pipiwai

Term 4 2025

• Ag Day - Saturday 11th October
• Prizegiving - Thursday 11th December

2025 Term Dates

• Term 1: Wed 5 Feb – Fri 11 Apr 2025.
• Term 2: Mon 28 Apr – Fri 27 Jun 2025.
• Term 3: Mon 14 Jul – Fri 19 Sep 2025.
• Term 4: Mon 6 Oct – Tue 16 Dec 2025.

We have had cases of head lice reported to us at school. Please be aware of this and check your child regularly. There is some very helpful information on the Health New Zealand Te Whata Ora website. click the link below.

https://info.health.nz/keeping-healthy/healthy-homes-environments/pests-and-insects/head-lice-nits

We would love to welcome new members to our PTA. We have met already this term, but any help with events on the food stalls would be appreciated. i.e. Swimming Sports, Triathlon etc. If you are interested in joining us or helping out please contact Amy Pugh phone 0211729388.

Qustodio Parent App for Families

• Filter and block apps and content parents don’t want their children to access
• Customise what children can access during homework hours
• Balance screen time by setting time limits on devices as well as for specific apps
• Protect screen-free moments such as mealtimes and bedtimes
• See who children are talking to and what content they are seeing in real- time

How to get started

1. Visit the Online Safety Hub. 👉 www.kokopu.onlinesafetyhub.nz

2. Create your account

3. Install Qustodio on your child’s devices.

Please name your child's/children's clothing so our lost property is not overflowing with unclaimed clothes, shoes etc.

Every day the senior children will be selling ice blocks for $1.00 each after the children have eaten their lunch.

On Friday afternoon we have a sharing assembly at 2.30pm for the whole school. Parents are welcome to come along and see what the children have to share.

Vicki is in the office on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Bexs is in the office on Wednesday and Friday until 12.50pm.

Don't forget we are collecting Yummy Stickers. So please collect the Yummy cut-out labels from bags (each cut-out label is worth 10 stickers) and individual Yummy apple stickers. Yummy apples are available from New World, PAK’nSAVE and participating Four Square stores. The more you collect, the more sports gear you get so get going and start collecting your Yummy cut-out labels and stickers now!

Guitar lessons are on Wednesday's. If you are interested in getting lessons for your child, phone Lynn Moase on 0212979437.

You can order your child's lunch on Tuesday's from Pizza Fusion and on Thursdays from West End Sushi and on Fridays from Titoki Store. Go to www.lunchonline.co.nz

If parents/caregivers want to visit the website https://kokopu.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm to look over our school policies and procedures, please see the following instructions: Enter the username (kokopu) and password (0179). Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.

Email: office@kokopu.school.nz
Website: www.kokopu.school.nz
Location: 921 Kokopu Road, Kokopu, New Zealand
Phone: 094346765
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokopuschool