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Newsletter | Term 1, Week 5

Friday, 07 March 2025

Newsletter | Term 1, Week 5 Friday, 07 March 2025

Principal's Panui

Kia ora e te whānau,

As we settle into the new school year, I want to extend a big thank you for your flexibility and support. We have had several staffing changes, and I appreciate your patience as we transition.


We are excited to welcome Ms. McGrath in Term 2, who will be taking over from Pā Sunil as the Year 3/4 teacher in Kea. In Week 6, Whaea Mel and Whaea Ashley will begin team teaching in Pīwaiwaka for our Year 1/2 students. Additionally, Whaea Jan will continue to support our kura as a reliever, ensuring our teachers have time for their Classroom Release Time (CRT).


We are also pleased to introduce the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) at Awapuni School. Whaea Mel, who is trained in BSLA, will be supporting our tamariki in developing strong early literacy foundation skills. BSLA is a structured literacy programme designed here in Aotearoa, and I have seen great success with it in my own junior classes over the past three years. We plan to extend this programme across our mainstream classrooms to enhance literacy and oral language learning.


In addition, we have adopted Numicon for our junior classes in both mainstream and bilingual classrooms. Numicon is a structured, mastery-based Maths programme that supports all strands of the curriculum. It provides hands-on learning experiences and follows the science of learning mathematics to build a strong foundation for our tamariki.


Finally, we want to celebrate Whaea Sarai, who recently performed at Te Matatini with her kapa haka group. We were so proud to see her on television, showcasing her incredible talent in waiata and haka. Ka mau te wehi, Whaea Sarai!


Thank you again for your ongoing support. If you have any questions or would like more information about our new programmes, please feel free to reach out. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead!


Ngā mihi nui,
Ms Russell
Acting Principal, Awapuni School

Upcoming Events

Thursday, 20th March

  • Whānau Hui, 4:30pm - 5:30pm


Friday, 28th March

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


Friday, 11th April

  • Term 1 Ends, 3:00pm

Whānau Hui

Date: Thursday, 20th March - 4:30pm

We invite parents/caregivers to join us for a whānau hui next Thursday from 4:30pm - 5:30pm. Our aim for this Term’s hui is to build whānaungatanga (connections/relationships) and strengthen the teacher/parent network.


We will be putting on a sausage sizzle for whānau and parents will have the opportunity to meet with kaiako to gain a deeper understanding of what your child's class will be focusing on for the year, and explore how we can work together reciprocally over the year.

Life Education Visit

Thank you Tim and Harold at Life Ed Manawatu!

We absolutely loved having Tim and Harold back at Awapuni School once again last week! Talk about high excitement levels – it was awe-inspiring! The response of our students was overwhelming, with so many interesting and individual ideas up for discussion both in and out of the mobile classroom.

Hero Parent App

We strongly recommend parents download the Hero app to stay in the loop with Awapuni School. 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.

Attendance

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

Student Payments

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

Community Notices

Epic Music Holiday Programme

If your child is keen to learn to learn an instrument this year, we have a few spots available this year!! Please see Hayley in the office for a form or visit www.epicma.co.nz

Awapuni School, Palmerston North
awapuni-primary.school.nz