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Connect Communication
26 November 2025
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The end of year is fast approaching and our heads start to turn to summer holidays and time in the sun. I have booked a week in Samoa over the break. I am looking forward to reading and relaxing in the warm (if somewhat wet) sea air!
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Our class placement information is nearly ready to share. However we have recently had news that may mean a wee reshuffle. The lovely Whaea Kim in Year 7/8 is leaving us at the end of the year to take a part time position at Heaton Intermediate. She has introduced Future Problem Solving and supported many extension programmes. We wish her all the best and have loved having her at Ararira this year.
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Our current teaching structure is as follows; however, this is not guaranteed and may change when we appoint our final teacher. You can read more about our fabulous teachers here.
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Teretere & Pūtahi (library)
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The education landscape is changing very quickly right now, with the Minister of Education making many announcements. The recent changes to what we believed were the final versions of the English and Maths curricula have implications for reporting. Essentially, 2025 becomes a data island. If you imagine the assessment and data gathered to support previous curricula exist and are stored in the continent of pre 2024. What we are currently working with will exist alone on the island of 2025. All future assessments and curricula (we are yet to find out the final details) will be a future continent. Unfortunately, these are disparate and cannot be connected as they are all very different.
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Our teachers are doing an incredible job of navigating these changes and keeping abreast of things so you can be assured your children are in great hands. As we have already shared, we have been working with structured literacy for a few years. As soon as the information becomes final, we will share with you what it means. Watch this space.
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It was exciting to see so many of you at the Children's University Graduation last week. This is a highlight celebrating learning that happens outside of school. A big thank you to Whaea Leonie, who supported this programme and ensured the children met the requirements to graduate.
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On Thursday, we are celebrating three of our staff at a special NZEI function. Dan Horwell and Emma Murphy have completed their two years as provisional teachers to become fully registered. They are amazing kaiako and are an asset to the profession. Emma Woolford has completed her Masters of Education. This completes many years of hard work studying while working full-time. Congratulations, Ararira is lucky to have you!
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There is a lot to look forward to as we head towards the final few weeks of school, and I am sure I will see many of you at the production on Tuesday. Our children have been working hard, and for many, it is their time to shine. If not, it might be at one of our final assemblies. On Wednesday 10th December at 2pm we have a Celebration Hui for children in Year 4-8 who will be receiving certificates for jobs and service. Our final hui on Wednesday 17th December at 12pm is to farewell our students leaving Ararira.
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Until then, keep smiling!
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From the Office
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If you are heading away on holiday, a reminder to please put this request in writing to the principal (principal@ararira.school.nz) as soon as you have your plans confirmed.
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Hayfever Medication - Important Reminder
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We are currently seeing a high number of children coming to the office during the day with hayfever symptoms. To help keep them comfortable in class and to reduce the strain on the school office, please ensure that your child has taken their usual antihistamine before coming to school if they suffer from hayfever. This is especially important on dry, windy days when pollen levels are higher.
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Heritage Productions visited our school recently to take our annual school photos.
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An order card has been produced for each child present on the day of the photo session. The order card contains the following information:
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- Photo proof
- Unique passcode. This enables you to view and order your child’s images online.
- QR code and website details for ordering
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To place a photo order please either scan the QR code or visit their website listed on the order card. Their website contains all the information on pack sizes and pricing. Payments are online via credit or debit card.
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Orders for FREE delivery to school close on 30 November 2025 at midnight. Orders placed after this date will be posted and shipping applies.
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You will receive an order confirmation by email.
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Join the Selwyn Libraries!
Selwyn Libraries have offered parents the opportunity to join the library for their children online, with cards being delivered to our school for us to hand out. The libraries have a great Summer Reading Challenge coming up, and we'd love to see as many Ararira Springs students participating as possible. You can join Selwyn Libraries here.
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Late last year a group of students proposed a change to the Qizzle gluesticks as they were not very environmentally friendly. They also proposed what these changes could be.
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Today Brittany from Qizzle arrived with a box of new Eco gluesticks. These gluesticks are made from recycled plastic and can go in the recycling bin (minus the glue). These gluesticks were developed in Czechoslovakia as a result of this groups social action.
This is an amazing example of our school values - caring for the environment, curious to find the solution and capably taking it to the stationery company who can make the change. Maku e whakatika.
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A huge thankyou to Brittany and Qizzle for listening to our students.
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Ararira School Production - ‘The Magic Atlas’
Our school production is on Tuesday 2nd of December at Lincoln Events Centre. This is a day of celebrating music, dance and drama as our students travel the world to discover a variety of cultures.
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- The Year 0-3 production is from 1pm - 2:30pm
- The Year 4-8 production is from 6:30pm-8pm
Tickets may be purchased through Kindo and are available until 01 December 2025.
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Please ensure that you are booking tickets for the correct show.
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IMPORTANT DATES
- 27 November - THT Meeting, 7pm at The Laboratory
- 28 November - Curiosity Clubs, 11.45am-12.45pm
- 02 December - The Magic Atlas School Production (see above for times)
- 03 December - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 05 December - 2026 classes shared via Hero
- 09 December - Class Swap Day
- 10 December - Celebration Certificates Hui (Year 4-8), 2.15-3pm in the Hall
- 11 December - Year 8 Dinner
- 12 December - Whanau Group Lunch, 1.15-1.45pm
- 17 December - Graduation Hui, 12pm in the Hall
- 17 December - Last day of Term 4, school finishes at 1pm
- 02 February - Drop in day (details to come)
- 03 February - First day of Term 1, 2026
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School Board
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Next meeting 03 December, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
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Te Hapori Tautoko (THT)
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Next meeting 27 November, 7pm The Laboratory, West Belt, Lincoln
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Canterbury Zones Athletics
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Today we attended the last sporting event for this year for our school, Canterbury Athletics. We had 11 children who qualified for the event, and today we competed against the top athletes in the primary schools from Canterbury. Each athlete did their best and represented our school with pride. Well done to each and every one of you.
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Thank you to our parents and teachers who helped to transport us to and from the event. Thank you to our parents who managed to slip away from busy schedules and come and support us. For those who couldn’t, we hope we managed to capture one or two pictures of your tamariki mā in action!
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A special congratulations to Anna who came second in the Year 6 Girls 80m finals! Well done, Anna we are proud of you!
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Yes it is that time of year again where we enter a school group for the Weetbix tryathlon! If you haven’t taken part before here is the link the website: Weetbix Tryathlon 2026. Here you can enter your child as part of our school group and have the opportunity to have your child’s race pack sent to school or choose to collect it on the day.
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Due to the very busy schedule that we have in Term 4 this year, and the large number of students that we want to have an opportunity to take part in the swim sports, we have decided to postpone the event to Term 1 of 2026. We understand that our Year 8’s will not be able to attend this as they will have moved onto the new schools, but I have spoken to them and they understand. Thank you to the parents who offered to volunteer on the day. We will be asking for volunteers again in Term 1, so please keep reading these notices to see the new dates.
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Don’t forget to keep an eye on our What’s Coming Up page on the ASP Sports Website. Here you can find all the information on all the sports events for the year.
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The closing date for Issue 8 is 05 December 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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The Ministry of Education has refreshed the curriculum and updated how schools report on student progress. As previously mentioned by the MOE, the benchmark for achievement has increased with the new curriculum. You may see a change in your child’s progress or achievement compared to previous years because of this. At Ararira Springs Primary, our staff have been undergoing professional …
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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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