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Connect Communication
09 September 2026
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It was fabulous to see so many of you at Friday's Quiz Night. This was a superb event, well run and so much fun. Our heartfelt thanks to Olivia, Katie and their teams of helpers who made the night possible. Our estimate is that this raised in excess of $12K for our school. Yee ha!
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Our THT Te Hapori Tautoko has gifted $50k towards the building of a new playground. This will be positioned next to our current playground and will double the area of active play space. The Board selected Park Supplies and Playgrounds. Their final iteration was based on the feedback from the children.
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Additionally, we will have a sensory play space located at the front of the new block. This will be positioned for our Waitaha students to access throughout the day but will be open to Ararira students as well.
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It is the time of year when we turn our heads towards the new year and start planning. To help us with that, please let us know as soon as you can if you will be leaving us at the end of the year. If you have new neighbours, point them in our direction. We want our numbers to be as accurate as possible when planning our classes.
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Soon, we will be advertising for new teachers. We will be looking for both fixed-term and permanent staff members to join the team. We will also have a full-time learning support coordinator in 2027.
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Thanks to many of you who have taken the opportunity to complete our consultation. We appreciate you taking the time to do this. We will summarise the results and feed them back to you early in Term 4. The surveys will close at the end of the week; there are links below.
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Claire and the Ararira Team
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ASP Board Consultation Surveys
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The Ararira Springs Board is due to start consultation for our next phase of strategic planning. This will establish goals for 2027 and 2028. You are invited to take part in the consultation survey.
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We thank you for your support and look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas. These surveys will close on Friday 11th September.
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With their generous support, we have been able to upgrade our EPro8 programme with 2 new kits, an upgraded electronics kit, and a new carry case for our existing kit.
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This will help us expand our STEM offering to our ākonga, with access to more learning opportunities.
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We've been busy making improvements, and they're rolling out now. The same Kindo, with a new experience that makes staying on top of school admin even easier.
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Lincoln Wetlands Plant Out Day
Kaunuku 1/2, and our Enviro Leaders worked hard last week to plant 250 eco-sourced seedlings, including kōhūhū, tī kouka, harakeke & mataī.
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We also investigated aquatic invertebrates and brewed kānuka tea.
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Special thanks to Brie from Te Ara Kākāriki - Greenway Canterbury, Johanna from Selwyn District Council, Matt from Enviroschools Waitaha Canterbury, and our wonderful parents (Amanda, Ben, Martin and Tara) for helping on the day.
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Important Dates
- 09 September - THT Meeting, 7pm in Tāhuna | Staffroom
- 11 September - Nepal Non-Uniform Day, gold coin/Kindo donation appreciated
- 11 September - Ararira's Got Talent, 12.45-1.15pm in the Hall
- 15 September - Whānau Hui, 6-7pm in Tāhuna | Staffroom
- 16 September - Year 0-3 Sexuality Health meeting, 8.30-9am in Tāhuna | Staffroom (parents only)
- 16 September - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in Tāhuna | Staffroom
- 18 September - Hui (Huarapa 4/5), 9.15am in the Hall
- 21-22 September - School Photos
- 25 September - Last day of Term 3
- 12 October - First day of Term 4
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School Board
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Next meeting Wednesday 16 September, 6.30pm in Tāhuna | Staffroom
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Te Hapori Tautoko (THT)
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Next meeting - 09 September
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7pm in Tāhuna | Staffroom
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What a night!
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the THT Quiz Night. It was a fantastic evening filled with country-themed outfits, plenty of laughs, fierce competition and some incredible prizes!
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We're thrilled to share that the night raised an amazing $13,000 for our school. Thank you to everyone who attended, donated, sponsored, volunteered, bought raffle tickets, played the games and bid on our auction items — your support made the night such a success.
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We are also incredibly proud to have donated $50,000 towards our new school playground! We can't wait to see it take shape and hope it will be completed by the end of the year for our tamariki to enjoy.
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Have a fundraising idea?
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You don't have to formally join THT to get involved. If you have a fundraising idea or would like to help make something happen for our school, we'd love to hear from you! Email us at THT@ararira.school.nz
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We would like to thank Lincoln Netball Club for their generous donation of netballs to our Kura. We appreciate your support and for thinking of us. Ngā mihi nui!
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Well done to our Year 5/6 A netball team that will be going to represent Ararira at the Canterbury Tournament on the 16th of September at Hagley Park. Thank you to Sherryn, Grace and Amelia, who will be coaching and managing the team on the day. For more information, please see our Netball slides on the ASP Sports Website.
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National Karate Success for Yinuo
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A huge congratulations to Yinuo, who recently represented our school at the 2026 National Schools & Universities Karate Championship and brought home a Bronze medal in her division!
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Yinuo’s journey in karate began when she was just six. What started as a fun hobby quickly turned into a dedicated passion. After years of hard work and competing in local Canterbury tournaments, Yinuo stepped up to the national stage for the first time this year. Her impressive performance in the kata discipline is a direct result of her incredible training ethic and commitment.
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We are very proud of Yinuo's achievement and thrilled to see our school represented so well on a national level!
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Sports Outside of Ararira Springs
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Don’t forget to send me your child’s out-of-school sporting achievements so we can congratulate them here!
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The closing date for Issue 6 is 25 September 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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Mid-Year Reports: Live in Week 11 Reports will contain the following information in Reading, Writing and Maths: A narrative about your child’s learning (what they can do) Next steps How you can help at home A progress descriptor describing your child’s current ability to work within their year level content. Sliders for each element of Reading and Writing, and each …
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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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