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Connect Communication
06 May 2026
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It was lovely to see so many of you coming and going to learning conversations last week. There is always a lot going on at school; it certainly feels more complex as we grow. Hikuwai have started two weeks of swimming lessons. Our Hoods Up for Autism day raised just over $600.
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Many thanks for your support. We have added the feature of making donations to Kindo so that you can donate, even when you are without cash!
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The children are looking forward to the disco on Friday. Many thanks to the THT and teachers for making this happen. Cash sales at the door.
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Juniors (Year 1-4) - 5:30 - 6:30pm
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Seniors (Years 5-8) - 6:45 - 8pm
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A warm welcome to Fey Ozawa, a new learning assistant who is joining the team. Congratulations to Anchal Arya, another learning assistant, who is attending her graduation ceremony to receive her degree at Lincoln on Friday.
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As the weather gets cooler, we are noticing a range of hoodies and sweatshirts being worn to school. Please note that if you do not have the correct uniform items, we ask that a navy alternative be worn. We are currently getting pricing and samples for a polar fleece to be added to our uniform. We will let you know as soon as it is available. Second-hand options can be purchased through the link on the uniform page of the website.
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Caring and Manaakitanga are our current values of focus. In Hui on Friday, we will discuss how kindness comes back to you. Being kind simply feels good, as well as sprinkling joy. We remind children of this with precept from the book, Wonder. “In a world where you can be anything, be kind”.
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From the Office
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Subway - Order & Win!
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Ordering Subway through Kindo is quick, easy, and one less thing to think about in the morning.
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- Log in to the Kindo app
- Pick from the menu on the available days
- Your child's lunch will be delivered to their class
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Every Subway order placed between 27 April - 22 May goes in the draw to win 1 of 5 x $50 Kindo credits each week.
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A new Enviro Initiative for our school: Love your water
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Recycle Your Old Mobile Phones
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Do you have an old mobile phone gathering dust in a drawer? Whether the screen is cracked, it’s ancient, or it won't even turn on, our school is now a collection point for RE:MOBILE!
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Recycling your device through RE:MOBILE isn’t just about clearing clutter; it’s about protecting our environment. For every phone recycled, a donation is made to Sustainable Coastlines, an award-winning New Zealand charity dedicated to keeping our waterways and beaches beautiful.
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Recycling with us is free and easy. Simply bring your device to the School Office and drop it into our collection bin. We’ll take care of the rest.
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4 Simple Steps Before You Drop Off:
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To ensure your privacy and help the recycling process, please follow these steps before donating:
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Wipe Your Data: If the phone still turns on, disconnect it from any cloud services (like iCloud or Google) and perform a factory reset.
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Keep Your SIM: Remove your SIM card and any external memory cards (MicroSD) to keep for yourself.
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Leave the Battery: The battery should remain inside the phone.
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Power Down: Ensure the phone is switched off.
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Let’s work together to keep e-waste out of landfills and support our coastlines.
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Poems from the Young Writers Workshop
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We are proud to showcase a collection of imaginative and moving poems from the recent Young Writers Workshop, highlighting the incredible creative talent of our student authors.
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protecting the legendary treasure.
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His teeth can cut a city in half.
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Its horns absorb his opponent's power.
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But what they don’t tell you;
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All he wants is a friend.
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for the ones who lost their lives
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No one will sleep tonight…
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flies a dragon in the night
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Scaly skin of crystal blue
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great green eyes shimmer like diamonds.
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Centuries old arrows stuck between the scales.
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Pitch black talons that cut like knives,
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Strong spike along the back.
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The dragons are coming tonight.
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Pink Shirt Day / Wellbeing Week
As part of our school wellbeing programme we will celebrate some of our wellbeing skills from 11th-15th May. Our school's wellbeing model is Te Whare Tapu Whā. More information on this can be found here. The Sparklers website has some great ideas you can do together as a family. Please refer to your child's newsletter regarding some of the activities they will be taking this week, as part of their classroom programme. We will finish the week wearing pink (or school uniform), as part of 'Pink Shirt Day'.
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Bullying in Aotearoa is a real problem. We have the third-highest rate of school bullying out of 38 OECD countries, and one in five workers has experienced bullying behaviour in the past 12 months. Those bullied are far more likely to experience mental health issues.
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Pink Shirt Day works to reduce bullying by celebrating diversity in all its forms and supporting schools, workplaces and communities to be safe, supportive, welcoming and inclusive for everyone.
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To celebrate this important kaupapa, we’ll also be fundraising to support Pink Shirt Day on Friday, 15th May - wear pink (or school uniform) - gold coin donation is appreciated to go to The Mental Health Foundation.
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Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health: New Triple P Resources
Triple P has launched a new series of practical guides to help parents build their children’s emotional resilience and mental wellbeing at home. With anxiety on the rise, these articles offer simple, everyday strategies to help your child thrive:
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Keep an eye on Triple P’s Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more tips.
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IMPORTANT DATES
- 07 May - THT Meeting, 7pm in Tahuna | Staffroom | Online (link below)
- 08 May - ASP Cross Country (times in Community Calendar link below)
- 08 May - Hui (Teretere 1/2), 9.15am in the Hall
- 08 May - THT Disco (details below)
- 12 May - LHS Open Day (details above)
- 13 May - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 15 May - Pink Shirt Day (details above)
- 15 May - ASP Cross Country (postponement day)
- 10 June - Yr 7-8 Learning Conversations, 3:15-8:00pm
- 11 June - Yr 7-8 Learning Conversations, 2:00-6:30pm
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School Board
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Next meeting Wednesday 13 May, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
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Next meeting - 07 May, 7pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
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Can’t make it to THT meetings in person? We get it.
That’s why our next meeting is available ONLINE.
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This is a great chance to get involved, share ideas, and help shape what THT does—without needing to leave home.
Whether you're juggling dinner, homework, or bedtime routines, you can still be part of it.
Join here: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/42819869899856?p=o3xZs1QTcOo9MgKdet
We’d love to see some new faces (and hear some new ideas!).
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Cross Country
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We will be hosting our annual cross-country event on the 8th of May. The Year 4-6 event will run from 11:45 am until lunch time, and the Year 7/8‘s will run after lunch at 1:30 pm. Please feel free to come down and watch, and if you can marshal on the day, please email me with your child’s name and class so I can make sure you are marshalling in the correct race. Below is a map of where our tamariki will be running on the day.
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Zones Basketball
Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to support our Year 5/6 teams at the basketball competition next Wednesday, 13th of May. If you are able to help manage a Year 7/8 team I would be very grateful. We have four teams in total in the competition. Have a look at our Basketball page on the sports website to see who the teams are and the draws.
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Upcoming Sports events
Sport Outside of Ararira
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If your child is competing in a sport outside of Ararira and you would like to share their successes, please send a photo of your child to me along with a blurb about the sport they are doing, so I can print it and add it to the wall display outside the office.
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The closing date for Issue 3 is 26 June 2026.
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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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Berry Street Education Model BSEM at Ararira - Nicky Harding and Claire Howison At Ararira Springs, we are committed to fostering a learning environment where every child feels safe, supported, and ready to thrive. To support this, our kura has adopted the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) - a trauma-informed, strengths-based framework designed to boost student wellbeing, engagement, and academic …
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Attendance Monitoring at Ararira The government has publicly stated that it wishes to lift attendance rates at New Schools so 80% of all children are attending 90% of the time by 2030. We have set this as a target for our kura|school in 2026. All schools are required to have an attendance management plan (AMP) in place that follows stepped …
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2025 End of Year Progress Graphs The end-of-year progress graphs for students (English Year 0-6 and Maths Year 0-8) will be live on Friday, 12 December. English progress in Years 7-8 will be released in a statement at the bottom of Year 7-8 children's reading and writing comments. The Overall Teacher Judgements (OTJs) regarding progress that your child will receive …
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