Newsletter | Term 1, Week 3

I want to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Scotti Russell, and I am excited to be your principal for Term 1. It is an absolute privilege to join this incredible community of learners, educators, and whānau. In my short time here, I have already seen the dedication, enthusiasm, and mahi of both staff and students, and I look forward to being a part of the continued success of Awapuni School.

A little about me—New Zealand has been my home for the past eight years, and throughout my 23-year teaching journey, I have had the opportunity to work with students across a variety of age levels. Most recently, I spent three years as the Junior Syndicate Team Leader at Pahiatua School, where I developed a deep passion for fostering a supportive and engaging learning environment for tamariki.

As we embark on this new term together, my goal is to ensure that every student feels valued, challenged, and supported in their learning journey. I look forward to getting to know our students, staff, and families, and I encourage open communication and collaboration as we work towards a fantastic year ahead.

Please feel free to introduce yourself when you see me around the school—I am eager to connect with each of you!

Ngā mihi nui,
Scotti Russell
Acting Principal

A warm welcome to all our new students and their whānau who have joined us this year! We are thrilled to have had 15 new tamariki start with us in the first week, and we look forward to seeing them grow and thrive as part of our Awapuni School community. Starting a new school is a big change, and we want all our new learners to feel supported, valued, and connected.

This term, we have welcomed several new staff members to our team—Scotti, Claire, Karishma, Sunil, and Jan—who have already made a fantastic start. Karishma, Sunil, and Jan are already familiar faces, having been valued relief teachers with us in the past. Claire is supporting us for a short time before she returns to London, and we appreciate the expertise she brings during her time with us.

Last Friday, we also said a heartfelt farewell to Stephen and Janine, who have moved to Whakatāne. Stephen led Awapuni School as principal for an incredible span of 19 years, leaving a lasting legacy, and Janine was our treasured new entrant teacher for 12 years, giving so many of our youngest learners the best possible start to their schooling journey. We are deeply grateful for their dedication and wish them all the best in their next chapter.

We are currently in the process of recruiting to permanently fill these boots and expect a few more staffing changes as we settle into the year, with updates to come in Term 2.

Friday, 21st - Tuesday, 25th February

• Life Education Bus

Thursday, 13th March

• Whānau Hui, 2:00pm - 6:00pm

Friday, 28th March

• Swimming Sports, 12:30pm - 2:30pm (Lido Aquatic Centre)

We are so excited to be coming back to Awapuni School and seeing all our amazing friends again! Being around all your energy, kindness and positivity is always a highlight of our year - we can't wait! We feel very privileged to be sharing in the students learning around friendship, kindness & feelings with Pīwaiwaka and Kākā, adapting, problem solving & managing big emotions with Kea, and decision making both on and offline & caring for our hauora with Tui and Kererū.

Life Education is a charitable trust that aims to inspire learners and their whānau to make positive decisions about their wellbeing. If you would like to support our worthy cause, we will have the following items available from Friday to Tuesday:

• Harold flag pens - $1
• Harold lanyards - $3
• Harold soft toy keyrings - $7
• Harold drink bottles - $10
• Harold notebooks - $15
• Large Harold soft toys - $24
  
  

These can be purchased from me at anytime (cash only please) – take care everyone and have a stunning rest of the day! Life from Tim and Harold! 🦒

We strongly encourage parents stay in the loop with Awapuni School by downloading the Hero app. This is how we share important school messages with parents and keep you informed about new learning posts from your child/ren.

Please click here to download the Hero app and login – Follow the steps to sign up with the email address you provided the school. If you are having any issues, please contact the school office to ensure we have the correct email in the system.

One of the things we are continuing to focus on in 2025 is student attendance. As a parent or caregiver, you play a key role in building strong habits of regular school attendance.

All students are legally required to attend school every day and it is a shared responsibility to make sure students attend and engage in learning from when they first start school. You must let the school know if your child is going to be absent or intends to be absent for a portion of the school term for whatever reason, like a tangi or medical procedure. Family holidays or taking time off for extracurricular activities (not organised by school) are not acceptable reasons for being absent.

Knowing if your child is well enough to go to school can be tricky. Health guidance to support you to decide is available here. If you are still unsure, get in touch with us and let’s work together to support your learner. If you are finding it hard to get your child to school, please talk with us so we can work together. Our school is committed to supporting your child to attend school.

You can let us know if your child is going to be absent from school in the following ways, please include the reason for absence so we can record this correctly in our system:

1. Hero: Report an absence function
2. Phone: 06 358 1735 (absentee line)
3. Email: admin@awapuni-primary.school.nz

A friendly reminder to please check your child's statement on Hero. There are a number of outstanding accounts that need will need to be paid before the end of term please!!

You can view your child’s statement anytime using the finance tab and pay online directly from the app, or by direct bank transfer to the school's bank account number: ASB | 12-3142-0505673-00