Kia ora,
As we reach the end of our 2023 school year, it is with huge pride and gratitude that we reflect on the journey we have shared as a community. This year has been a testament to the dedication, resilience, and collaboration of our students, staff, whānau, and board members.
We celebrate the achievements and growth of each student at Wilson School. From academic milestones to personal accomplishments, our students have embraced everything offered and developed a sense of fun through learning. We are very proud of what has been achieved and look forward to witnessing continued growth and success in 2024.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to our incredible staff members who have worked tirelessly to create a nurturing and stimulating environment for our students. Your dedication, passion, and innovation have not gone unnoticed. Each of you plays a vital role in shaping the future for our students and supporting to deliver our school vision – Equipping Young People for Life.
We also extend gratitude to our board members, who provide guidance, wisdom, and strategic vision, which are instrumental in steering Wilson School toward success and promoting positive outcomes for our students. Our board’s commitment to the betterment of our school is greatly appreciated.
As we bid farewell to 2023, we also say goodbye to our three graduates. This year we say goodbye to Drew, Joseph and Corey. Three young men who are going to be greatly missed from our school community. We wish them all well with their future adventures and please know you are always welcome to come back and visit.
Thank you to everyone who attended our end-of-year celebration assemblies! These were wonderful to see and showcased the amazing capabilities of our students. Congratulations to everyone for your work, particularly to our prize winners.
We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and summer break and look forward to the start of 2024, a new year filled with fresh opportunities, challenges and successes.
We are very proud of our school and its vibrancy, thank you for being an integral part of the Wilson School whānau.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas,
Neil Kefford
Principal, Wilson School
Thank You
THANK YOU to Pitch Black Construction who visited with gifts for our students this week and also gave up their time to volunteer for us. The team from Pitch Black were amazing and helped us to build equipment and resources. Wonderful!
Pohutukawa whānau
What an incredible term it has been in Room 3! We have been on an adventure - empowering our amazing tamariki every step of the way. In addition to nurturing their independence through life skills, our students actively participated in various class activities. Our class had a blast during our school trips! We bounced for joy at JUMP - students really enjoyed the indoor trampolines. We also had a trip to McDonald's for lunch where our students selected their meals at the counter and paid for them. This trip offered an amazing experience for our tamariki to engage in the community and safely navigate public environments whilst having fun.
Term 4 was a productive and fun time at Manuka 15. We were happy to have Playball back this term with coach Phil and we also had Music lessons with George. We really enjoyed the visits from our School Community Police Officer. We spent many lessons practicing our Assembly item and creating designs for the Art Exhibition. It was all worth the effort when we got to share it at our End of Year Assembly. Lastly, we really enjoyed the first ever, Wilson School Junior Disco - so much fun was had by all!
One of the highlights for Manuka 16 this term was our Reindeer Dance. We were delighted to see all the students participate and perform at our End of Year Assembly. Congratulations to Petrus for earning his award– The Wilson School Achievement Cup!
Everyone at AJ15 has been working very hard this term on our different projects, most notably our stop motion project ‘A day in the life of AJ15’ and the art exhibition at our end-of-year assembly. Everyone really excelled themselves in the work they produced and should be proud of what they have achieved. We have also been busy practicing for our sports day with mainstream and Glenfield College and have been lucky enough to have Coach Phil every Monday and special Olympics on a Wednesday, as well as our usual PE session with mainstream.
Term 4 was an absolute blast, filled to the brim with laughter and excitement at AJ16! We particularly enjoyed the school Disco, where the beats and fun kept us grooving. The End of year Assembly became the stage for our creativity, featuring the showstopper – the 'Pizza Dance: A Slice of Dance Delight' that had everyone smiling. A field trip to MOTAT added a dash of adventure to our term, complete with a delightful tram ride that transported us through history and technology. The Special Olympics brought out the athlete in all of us as we enthusiastically delved into various athletics activities. And who could forget Wilson Sports Day? It was more than just a day of sports; it was a reunion of old pals, and an introduction to new ones, all wrapped up in the spirit of friendly competition. Term 4 wasn't just about lessons; it was a carnival of experiences that left us with cherished moments and a treasure trove of smiles.
Nikau whānau
It has been a very busy term at Bayswater! We had a wonderful celebration with food, games, art, and lots of fun at the Festival of Lights. We learned the importance and significance of light. We had an amazing Disco, with lots of dancing! The Art Exhibition let us explore our creativity, our tamariki created something special to represent them. Another great and fun thing that we did this term was preparing for the End of Year Assembly. We had a great time preparing our students for the video and putting it together. Shout out to all our tamariki and whānau of Bayswater 1 for all the wonderful progress you have made this year! Have a happy and relaxing holiday!
In Room 1, we had a wonderful term full of learning and fun. We experimented with different forms of art, such as visual arts, music, and dance. We practiced sport and learnt how to stay active and healthy. We worked on improving our skills in literacy and numeracy. Through these activities, we learned to express ourselves creatively and confidently, and most importantly, we recognized our potential as learners. We celebrated our achievements and diversity at the end of year Award Ceremony and showcased our wonderful creative work at the art exhibition. We worked hard and smart, and now it is time for the holidays!
Karaka whānau
We have had a fabulous Term four at Wilson Tech (Glenfield College). We have enjoyed so many activities and outings such as cooking, music therapy, festivals and art exhibitions. We have been keeping up our focus on fitness and have enjoyed being able to get outside in the drier weather. We have had many celebrations including birthdays, the festival of lights and our awards assembly that highlighted our successes from our volunteer work experience and hard work towards improving in all areas of our lives.
We have had such a blast in Room 2 this term. We have enjoyed our music therapy sessions with Chris. We have had the opportunity to improve our coordination skills and physical movements with our weekly visits to North Harbour Gymnastics and FAM (Functional Adaptive Movement Program). We have visited our favourite café in Takapuna, 'Flourish'. We have done some jobs around school with our gardening duties alongside tidying, delivering mail and cleaning products around the school. We are looking forward to our last fun trips left in term four with a visit to Flourish Café for our Christmas meal and also a trip to LiveWire in Birkenhead to have some fun jumping around. Thank you all for such a great year and we look forward to seeing what next year has in store for Room 2.
What a term it has been in GC Juniors! It has been filled with exciting events and unforgettable moments. One of the biggest achievements was connecting with our school community. We visited the Principal and the Assistant Principal of Glenfield College to personally invite them and their staff for a special morning tea that we were hosting. It was our first time speaking in front the mainstream teachers. Oh nerve-wracking, but the event was a huge success! We also joined the Wilson School Christmas Market where we sold our very own brownies and waffles. This activity gave us an opportunity to contribute for a common goal. Satchien shared his creativity in making a poster while the rest of us helped in making the brownies. Truly, unity makes the recipe work. The Sports Day was also remarkable! The events challenged us to showcase what we can do, and because we took on the challenges put before us, some students received special medals at the end of the day.
Toe Toe whānau
Room 4 have been getting creative preparing for the Art Exhibition. We looked initially at colour before moving our focus onto creating some Pop Art. We enjoyed making choices around an animal and colours. We also finished our waka paddles which we all believe look stunning.
Term 4 has been a kaleidoscope of experiences for Room 5, brimming with creativity and adventure. Sensory painting sessions let us express ourselves in vibrant hues, discovering new techniques that made each artwork unique. A journey to Kelly Tarlton's immersed us in the wonders of marine life, while Good Planet offered a sweet escape for strawberry picking, leaving us with baskets full of memories. Exploring history at the Auckland War Museum deepened our appreciation for the past, and the therapeutic presence of Buddy, our dog therapy companion, warmed our hearts. The Pumphouse Theatre delighted us with a festive Santa Claus show, spreading joy and laughter this festive season. As the school year drew to a close, we wrapped up with a morning tea - celebrating the year's triumphs, creating lasting memories with students and staff alike.
Room 6 has had a fun and active time during term 4. Our theme this term was “Art As A Process” and we slowly created several art pieces. We used differing techniques, such as spray bottles and paint on a canvas to watch how the colours change. These pieces eventually developed over time into a collage. At awards assembly we showcased the music we created individually and then combined into the “Ballad of Room 6, 2023.” During Tactile Art, we created Chia Buddies by making faces and covering them with chia seeds, plus we used papercrete to make turtles. A trip to Kelly Tarltons was great fun as we reflected on our previous Te Reo stories such as Kupe and Te Wheke. Finally, the air was filled with joy at the Christmas Market where we all gathered and sang Christmas Carols.
Term 4 was full of exciting highlights for Windy Ridge. We had our End of Year Assembly where our classes performed Whakarongo mai and E Rere Taku Poi dance. One of the amazing moments was our awesome Sports Day. We had a blast playing bowling, table pin, basketball, soccer, and even completed an obstacle course. It was a day filled with teamwork and encouragement. In addition, we also had a great trip to Mission Bay. We enjoyed relaxing by the sea, playing in the sand, and feeling the breeze on our faces. The best part was the picnic we had where we enjoyed fish and chips. Term 4 ended on a positive note as our classes received free tickets from Gift a Seat to attend the Santa Show.
Spectrum Care School Holiday Programme
This is running for two weeks in January for Wilson School students. If you would like further details for the programme or to register, please contact:
Darryl Benge – 0272948892 - darryl.benge@spectrumcare.org.nz
