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Connect Communication
23 July 2025
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Nau mai, haere mai, welcome to Term 3 at Ararira Springs Primary. We started this term with over 500 students, a huge milestone for our kura | school. We also welcomed Whaea Tash and Teretere 5 students. Pūrei 1 & 2 now house Teretere 4 & 5 students, and Matua Patrick officially opened Pūrei 3 & 4 to give our Year 5 & 6 students more space. Thanks again to Cook Brothers for delivering these classrooms to us on time and to a great standard.
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The 'kiss and go' is designed to support a steady flow of pick up and drop offs. We currently have parents parking in this area from 2:30pm onwards. Please do not park in the kiss and go. You must stay with your car and move on within 2 minutes to ensure the traffic continues to flow. Currently, parents parking in the kiss and go are causing traffic to back up and block the rest of the carpark and Russ Drive. Please demonstrate the value of caring by all following the safety expectations.
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This blog post from our school board in 2023 reiterates the school expectations for the carpark.
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Welcome back Whaea Claire
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We are looking forward to welcoming Whaea Claire back from the second half of her well-earned sabbatical next week. It will be great to have the full senior leadership team together again and to reflect on the learning she has undertaken to support our school needs.
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I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week. It has been so lovely to see the sun shining, despite the freezing mornings. ~ Emma
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Please remember if you are interested in joining the School Board, we have information sessions with Tom Scollard at 2.30pm and 6pm tomorrow (Thursday, 24 July). See below for further details.
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Our 2026 term dates have now been set. School will begin on Monday, 2 February 2026. Click here for the full list of 2026 term dates.
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We’re excited to share that your family may be eligible for subsidised home internet through EDOS – at just $6 per week for fast, reliable fibre, no strings attached.
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EDOS and GCSN also have other affordable options for those who aren’t eligible for a $6 subsidised internet service.
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This is an exciting opportunity for families who need a more affordable internet option. No lock-in contracts or hidden conditions, and it’s super simple to setup.
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You can check if your address is eligible for $6 per week internet HERE.
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Let’s get your kids connected at home!
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Dominos Lincoln have kindly donated a pizza lunch to a lucky class each week for the rest of the year. In Term 3, classes will be chosen based on school values shown in hui and during CRT specialist teaching days. Once chosen, the pizza lunch will be given to the class the following week.
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Thank you to Dominos Lincoln for such a great offer. We'd appreciate if school whānau can support Dominos in return.
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We’re very glad to let you know that we’ve recently joined the KickStart Breakfast programme!
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KickStart Breakfast is a free programme where we will receive Sanitarium Weet-Bix and Anchor milk for our students to have access to at school.
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Everyone is welcome to join our KickStart Breakfast programme for some kai, a chat and to connect with peers.
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The programme is a community partnership involving Fonterra, Sanitarium, and the Ministry of Social Development, which has been running in Aotearoa since 2009 and currently includes nearly 1,500 participating schools.
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IMPORTANT DATES
- 24 July - School Board Information Sessions, 2.30pm and 6pm (see below)
- 28 July - Book Week
- 30 July - THT Meeting, 7pm in the Staffroom
- 01 August - Book Character Dress Up Day
- 01 August - Hui (Kaunuku), 9.15am in the Hall
- 06 August - Nominations for School Board Elections close, 12 noon
- 06 August - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in the Staffroom
- 08 August - Non-Uniform Day (see below)
- 11 August - Teacher Only Day (school closed)
- 22 August - ASP Quiz Night
- 19 September - Last Day of Term 3
- 02 February - First day of Term 1, 2026
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School Board
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Next meeting 06 August, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
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Curious about what it means to be a school board member and how you can make a difference?
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A board’s strength comes from its community – your voice and experience matter.
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Thursday 24th July - 2.30pm or 6pm - Tom Scollard from Tom Scollard Consultancy (in the staffroom)
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Come and meet Tom Scollard! Tom is passionate about effective governance in any setting and is committed to ensure those who serve on any board are given the best possible professional development opportunities to obtain success. Tom has mentored many trustees, facilitated many sessions with individual boards as well as facilitated training with board cluster groups. He is committed to see organisations effectively governed to meet their purposed outcomes.
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Tom will be here on 24th July for 2 sessions.
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Over the past 30 years, Tom has served on many boards in the non-profit and education sectors. He believes that trustees can make a positive, lasting, and sustainable difference to the organisations they serve.
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Come along and have a chat to Tom to see if standing for our school board is for you! Let’s commit to making a difference—a difference that truly matters and will endure.
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Nominations open today for our School Board Election - look out for nomination forms in your email.
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Te Hapori Tautoko (THT)
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Next meeting 30 July, 7-8pm in Tahuna | Staffroom (all welcome)
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Thank you to everyone who came along to the Disco last Friday. It was so great to see so many excited children, all dressed up and having fun!
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We had 360 children attend - which is phenomenal. Thanks to DJ Chris for his amazing music mix, and keeping the kids entertained.
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For those parents who were wanting a bit of a boogie themselves, grab a ticket for Quiz Night on Kindo!
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Chris will be back as our Quizmaster and he will be running a mini dance party afterwards. It is such a fun night, and an important fundraiser for our school community.
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So grab a few friends, book a table and get ready for an unforgettable night!
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Football and Hockey Competition
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Thank you to the parents and staff who volunteered to be coaches and managers for the Football and Hockey Competition last term. This event will be taking place on Friday this week. Please check the sports website for draws and times of when your children will be playing. Please also note the later start time of 10:30 am.
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Netball and Rugby Competition
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Our Zones Netball Rugby Competition will take place on August 14th at Lincoln Domain. We will be looking for coaches who can umpire or ref to help out on the day. If you can help, please contact Whaea Meeghan. (meeghan.herbert@ararira.school.nz)
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Rugby coaches MUST be Small Blacks trained.
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Our first Ararira Springs Athletics Day!!
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Our first Ararira Springs Athletics Day will be held on the 5th of September. This will be the first time that all children from Years 4-8 will have the opportunity to participate in events at our school. We are looking forward to having whānau coming to support their tamariki on the day. We will also be looking for volunteers to help run the day. If you are interested in helping out please contact Whaea Meeghan as soon as possible.
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Keep an eye out for new sports or events on our What’s coming up page on the sports website. Different sporting codes often send us information about their activities throughout the year.
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The closing date for Issue 5 is 12 September 2025.
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All orders will be delivered to school in batches and distributed to the classrooms as they arrive. Any orders marked as gifts, we will put to one side and contact you when they are ready to be collected.
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Katrina Robinson has been teaching guitar and ukulele now for a number of years at schools and also from her home. She loves to sing too and is a professional musician playing in wineries and cafés as well as weddings and private functions. Katrina likes to make her lessons fun and really enjoys teaching. You can read more information on Katrina at www.thesingingdiva.co.nz
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Spaces are available for 2025!
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Singing Stars Musical Theatre and Drama Classes
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Attendance at Ararira
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The Importance of Attendance We all recognise that education is the pathway to the future. The key to educational success relies on being present at school. Consistent routines and practice are a big component of learning. Neurological pathways in our brains require repetitive exposure to strengthen and cement learning and develop mastery. We also create these neural pathways for resilience, …
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New Parent Portal Released The Ministry of Education has released a parent portal to help whānau partner with schools to support their child's education. From Minister Stanford: "Education is a partnership of what happens in the classroom and what happens at home. Parents, caregivers, and whānau play an important role in supporting their child’s learning and development. The new webspace …
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2025 Reporting Update - What it means for your child As 2025 marks the transition to the refreshed English and Maths curricula, both Ararira Springs and the Ministry of Education (MOE) are closely monitoring student progress to ensure a smooth and effective change. Thanks to our ongoing professional development and early use of structured literacy and maths practices, we are …
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At Ararira we hold mihi whakatau to welcome new staff and students at the beginning of each term. Our mihi whakatau are run according to the guidelines of Te Taumutu Rūnanga. These are outlined in this document, and adapted according to our needs, in collaboration with the Taumutu education team. What is a Mihi Whakatau? - link to slideshow of …
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