Kia ora West End whānau,

It has been another fantastic week of learning at West End School. Across all year levels, students have been engaged in a wide range of activities that foster curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Classrooms have been buzzing with discussions, hands-on projects, and moments of discovery, reminding us all of the joy that comes with learning together.

As we move further into the term, the cooler weather has certainly made its presence known. With crisp mornings and fresh breezes throughout the day, it's a good reminder for our tamariki to bring their jumpers and jackets to school. The change in season hasn’t slowed us down, though—outdoor play, sports practices, and learning experiences continue with great enthusiasm.

It’s been wonderful to see our students demonstrating resilience and adaptability, embracing challenges with positive attitudes. Whether tackling new concepts in numeracy and literacy, exploring creative projects, or working on teamwork skills, they continue to impress us with their effort and determination.

A big thank you to our dedicated teachers and support staff for their ongoing commitment to providing engaging learning experiences. We also appreciate our supportive whānau for ensuring students are prepared each day, ready to make the most of their time at school.

As always, we encourage you to stay connected through the school app and newsletters for upcoming events and important updates. Let’s keep making the most of the term ahead!

Ngā mihi nui,

.

Tony West

Principal - Tumuaki

West End School - Te Kura O Urumutu

West End School welcomes Kaylee Glass, who is our new Room 4 teacher for the next couple of terms. Kaylee is passionate about working with children, and is eager to create an engaging learning environment for all students in Room 4.

We are thrilled to have Kaylee as part of our teaching team and are certain that her enthusiasm and dedication will shine through in the classroom, and make a positive impact to West End School.

Books that were ordered from Issue 2 have been received and were sent home on Thursday with children.

Thank you to everyone for your support of our Book Club. For every book sold we gain points which can be spent buying more new books for our

library. Kids who read succeed!!

If you have any board games at home that you no longer need and would like to donate to school we would love to take them off your hands. These will be used in classes during wet lunch times. If you can donate any board games from home, please send them in with your child to give to the classroom teacher.

The students had a great time out at the Weetbix Tryathlon on Tuesday. They all showed lots of Whakamana during this event, trying their absolute hardest and giving it their all. All of the students that went absolutely loved the experience, enjoying the different parts of the Tryathlon.

We had 18 students attend the Mount Biggs Tough Kid challenge today to represent West End School. We were very lucky with the weather as it was a lovely sunny day. All the students received a medal as they crossed the finish line and it was amazing to see Whakamana and Manaakitanga while completing this challenge.

In Room 16, we have been enjoying reading about Greedy Cat. We used whakamana and mana aotūroa to retell the Greedy Cat story in our writing.

We also created our own cats using crayons and watercolours. We had to listen very carefully to the instructions to draw and paint our cats.

This term, Room 6’s science focus is on Honey Bees. We have explored and applied our knowledge of Honey Bees across literacy, numeracy, and art. So far, our class’ favourite activity has been the Solo Hexagons, where the tamariki got to explore terms and definitions relating to bees, connecting them with other hexagons. They practised their reasoning and oral language skills by talking about why they were choosing to connect the hexagons, and were able to build on the ideas of others in the class.

Room 4 has been learning about different types of plants this term for Science. We have learnt that plants come in many shapes and forms, some are edible while others are poisonous, some have flowers and some don’t. We took a deep dive into flowering plants and learnt that they have organs! These different parts of the plant have their own functions which all work together to create a healthy, happy plant. We then created our own flowering plants with information about each organ for others to read and learn!

Applications are now open for a new leadership, responsibility and service to the school program, called Kapa Whakamana.

There are a range of different opportunities for your child to apply for that they have a passion or interest in.

Children who are interested are asked to

1. Fill out this form
2. Provide a high quality application as to why you should be considered. This can be done as a

• Poster, Letter, Slideshow/Powerpoint, Video or any other creative way you can think of!

Kapa Kotahitanga:

Working together to give service to our school and help our kura run efficiently

Kapa Manaakitanga:

Looking after each other and our school

Kapa Mana Aotūroa:

Showing Leadership skills, being curious - working to solve problems. Pursuing your interests and passions to build hauora within yourself and others.

Teachers will be deciding who will be involved in each team based on these applications.

All applications (form and CV) are due on Tuesday April 1st. Students can also be nominated by their teacher into these Kapa Whakamana. Please send your applications to Mr Minchin either in person, or via email dminchin@westend.school.nz.

Our Kapa Whakamana program will commence in Term 2. If your child is Year 4-6 and would like to apply for one of these positions, they were given an application form. There is a link below if you wish to print one off.

Children will need to bring togs, towel, goggles and if your child has long hair it will need to be tied up for swimming.

WEEK 9 -

• Swimming for Te Wao Nui o Tāne - Monday 24th March
• Swimming for Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 25th March
• New Entrant Visits - Wednesday 26th March - 1.50pm
• Plant to Plate TWNOT - Wednesday 26th March
• EPIC Music - Wednesday 26th March
• Swimming for Tipuranga - Thursday 27th March

WEEK 10 -

• Swimming for Te Wao Nui o Tāne - Monday 31st March
• Swimming for Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 1st April
• Interschool Swimming - Tuesday 1st April
• EPIC Music - Wednesday 2nd April
• Swimming for Tipuranga - Thursday 3rd April
• RIPPA Rugby Tournament - Friday 4th April

WEEK 11 -

• Swimming for Te Wao Nui o Tāne - Monday 7th April
• Swimming for Puāwaitanga - Tuesday 8th April
• EPIC Music - Wednesday 9th April
• Swimming for Tipuranga - Thursday 10th April
• Last Day of Term 1 - Friday 11th April

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS UNTIL MONDAY 28th APRIL

We know how important sport is to Kiwi kids. It teaches fair play, teamwork, builds confidence and keeps them active, but getting the little ones match ready can be expensive. That’s why this year we’ve made Big Little bigger than ever, so even more schools can play a little freer with a game changing sports grant.

In partnership with Eden Park, the Big Little Sponsorship encourages communities to nominate local primary schools for the prize, giving a boost to grassroots sport in the process. Running since 2018, the Big Little Sponsorship has seen $98,000 in sports grants awarded to primary schools across Aotearoa.

Your school could be our next big winner, so nominate them below to help them play a little freer! The school benefits from having as many nominations as possible.

Click on the link below.

The more surveys that are completed, the more money West End School receives - so lets all get on and finish these surveys!

Term 1: Monday 29 Jan - Friday 11 April

Term 2: Monday 28 April - Friday 27 June

Term 3: Monday 14 July - Friday 19 Sept

Term 4: Monday 6 Oct - Friday 12 Dec

Term 1 for Term 2: Wednesday 26 February 2025

Term 2 for Term 3: Wednesday 14 May 2025

Term 3 for Term 4: Wednesday 30 July 2025

Term 4 for Term 1 2026: Wednesday 8 October 2025

The EPIC Holiday Program is an OSCAR-approved, music-focused program led by our experienced EPIC Music Academy team. Based in Palmerston North, we’ve been providing fun, creative, and engaging holiday experiences for over four years. Alongside music, we offer a variety of exciting activities at our venue and often head out on awesome trips. For more info, check out our website at www.epicma.nz/hp

It is really important under the current circumstances you notify the school if your child is absent.

PLEASE DO NOT TXT OR EMAIL THE CLASSROOM TEACHER.

ALL ABSENCES SHOULD BE ADVISED VIA THE OFFICE.

Please remember to advise the office by 8.30am if your child is not attending school.

You can telephone 358-2465 and leave a message or txt 021 118 0156.

ABSENCES CAN ALSO BE SENT EASILY THROUGH OUR SCHOOL APP

In both cases please give a reason for absence.

Thank you.

It is very important that families register with Kindo, as this is now the only way to register your child for school sports, and ordering PTA lunches.
Below are the links to register.
If you require help please call the Kindo helpdesk on

0508 454 636

New users need this link

Existing users need this link