MENPS News

Kia ora koutou

A warm welcome to Term 4, particularly for the new children and families joining us, who we had an opportunity to acknowledge at our traditional whakatau on Monday morning.

I hope the break offered a chance to reset and reconnect for many of you, and it was great to see the children settle back into class with such enthusiasm, ready for the learning ahead.

Please see the attached for our Key Dates for Term 4, and also keep an eye on our live events calendar (via the HERO app) for any updates.

As always, there are many highlights ahead in what is sure to be a busy and productive schedule.

A reminder also that next Friday is a Teacher Only Day (2024 Teacher Only Days were government-allocated, not decided by the school), with the following Monday a public holiday.

As part of the Board's planning for our goals moving forward, there is an opportunity to get involved in our parent focus group, scheduled for Tuesday, November 5th. We value all voices, so please fill in the form below if you are available to participate, which will help us to determine priorities and actions for the future of our school and students.

A reminder that school hats are a requirement this term, in line with our Sunsafe Policy, so please ensure these are part of the uniform as we have 'no hat/no play' approach at break times.

A reminder that it really is essential to ensure hats are clearly named as they are so easily misplaced in the summer months!

Finally, a note from our Student Council about a worthwhile initiative they are organising on Friday, 1st November!

"The Kiwi Christmas Book Drive is a charity that donates NEW childrens’ books, for ages preschool to 12 years. This is to give books to children who don’t receive a gift on Christmas Day.

On Friday,1st of November (also the day of the Halloween Disco), the Student Council is asking our students to donate one or more NEW children’s books for this charity. Students who donate a book can enjoy a “non-uniform” day that day! Students who do not donate must wear their school uniform.

The Student Council will collect the books under the canopy area on the top court, from 8:15 to 9:00 am. We really hope we can donate lots of new books so more kids will receive a Christmas gift."

Ka kite anõ i a koutou

Alan Jackson

Principal

Friday 18th October:

• PTA Second Hand Uniform Shop - 8:15am - 9:15am

Wednesday 23rd October:

• School Board Meeting (Staffroom) - 6.00pm

Friday 25th October:

• Teacher Only Day - School Closed

Monday 28th October:

• Labour Day (Holiday) - School Closed

🎃 Junior disco 5.00-6.00pm 🦸

🧛🏻‍♂️ Senior disco 6.30-7.30pm 🧙🏻‍♂️

Prizes given out for Best Dressed, Best Dancing and Best Colouring Contest during the Disco.

1) Tickets On Sale on Kindo on Friday, 18th October - $5 per child.

Please order a ticket for EACH of your children under their own name and room number. Please select the type of pizza your child would like from Cheese or Gluten free Cheese. Each ticket includes pizza, snacks and water. Email menpspta@gmail.com if you require any help with ordering tickets.

2) Drop and leave event

Unless you are a parent helper, this is a drop and leave event. Why not bring a chair, and something to eat and join other parents for a picnic or chat!

3) Ice blocks, Drinks and Treats for sale

A selection of ice blocks, drinks and treats will be available for purchase so send your child in with some money if you wish.

4) Colouring Contest

Next week each student will receive a ghost picture to colour in. Encourage your child to be creative and decorate it! Please remind them to bring their completed entry to the Hall and tape it to the brown paper by Thursday 31st October. Prizes will be awarded at the disco—one winner from each year group!

5) Year 0/1 Quiet Space

Our annual Halloween disco is one of our most popular and much anticipated event for the kids! However, we’ve observed in the past that it can be slightly overwhelming for some new entrances who have never attended before, especially as it is a child only event. So, at this year’s Halloween disco we would like to offer caregivers of year 0/1 the option of purchasing an adult ticket to stay in our newly designated “quiet space”. This will essentially be an area with access to the hall that parents can hang out in and if your child needs some time out from the disco, they can come in to find you for some reassurance. Note that you will not be able to see your child in the hall from the quiet space and with this option, caregivers will not be allowed to enter the hall (with exception of parent helpers) but your child can freely come in and out of the quiet space directly from the hall!

Capacity is limited so please only purchase a ticket if needed and only 1 caregiver can purchase per family. We have only opened this up for year 0/1 parents - however if you have a child in an older year level that may require some support, please email menpspta@gmail.com.

Volunteer Roles Needed:

SIGN UP HERE

1. Decorators 👻
Time: At least 1 hour between 1 and 3 pm
Can you lend a hand to decorate the hall? You’ll have the chance to go through our boxes of decorations and set up the space. Your creativity will help create a spooky yet fun atmosphere for the kids!

2. Between Disco Clean Up 🎃
Time: Between 6:00 to 6:30 pm
Can you stay a bit after the Junior Disco and help clean up? This involves sweeping the floor, removing rubbish and recycling pizza boxes to get the hall ready for the Seniors.

3. After Disco Pack Up / Clean Up 🧛
Time: Between 7:30 to 8 pm
Can you stick around after the Senior Disco to help pack up and clean? If you’re picking up your Year 4-6 child(ren), consider bringing them and their friends along to help out! Tasks will include taking down decorations and general cleanup.

Interested in Helping?
Please fill in your details at the following link: Parent Help Roster Halloween Disco 2024.

We will also call for volunteers to help inside the hall at the disco - as these roles always fill up fast we will provide early access to those volunteers who sign up to one of the above roles first. Just make sure to sign up to one of the above roles by the end of Sunday, October 20th!

Your support is essential for this event’s success, and we appreciate any time you can contribute. This event can't happen without the collective effort of our wonderful parents. Thank you for being a vital part of the MENPS community!

• 8.15 - 9.15am
• In the PTA Room: follow signs from Valley Rd gates OR
• Order online by emailing Jane at menpspta@gmail.com.
• Pay via Cash or Bank transfer.
• If you have any uniforms that your child no longer fits/needs then please consider donating to the Uniform Shop. Donations can be dropped off at the office. Thank you!

Email menpspta@gmail.com I Follow us on Facebook

Refer to the PTA website for information on the various fundraising and community activities

Co-Chairs Pam Clifford & Svantje Reiber

Secretary Chelsea Chen

Treasurer Linda Waddington-Miller & Paula Tran

PTA Advisor Chantal Brunner

School Representative Hilary Edwards

Full team of amazing parents/caregivers listed here