Kohimarama School News - 22nd October 2025
School News
A Message from the Principal
Kia ora,
I hope this newsletter finds you well. It's great to see that our students are well and truly settled back into their learning routines for Term 4, and the school is buzzing with activity.
Upcoming Athletics Day: Years 4-8
Our annual Athletics Day for Years 4-8 is fast approaching! Due to the ongoing council works at Glover Park, we'll be holding the event at the Crossfield Road Reserve, the new location for the Eastern Suburbs Athletic Club (ESAC).
We are incredibly grateful to the ESAC for their assistance in allowing us to use their grounds and equipment at the new location. A special thanks goes to Lauren Long, a member of the club and parent at Kohimarama School, for enabling this partnership. Our students are currently undertaking training for the event, and more specific organisation details will follow soon.
Strike Day and Teachers Only Day
Thank you to all the families who assisted us in managing the Strike Day tomorrow, Thursday 23rd October. We will be supervising the small number of students whose families advised us they required this assistance.
Teachers Only Day on Tuesday 28th October. This day is a Ministry of Education requirement dedicated to professional development on the Mathematics and Statistics Curriculum.
This day has become even more critical than anticipated. Over the weekend, a new curriculum document was released that fundamentally changes the framework of the curriculum. This new format, to be taught from 2026, has somewhat blindsided the school sector with its hurried release. Given this significant and sudden change, our teachers will be using the day to begin the necessary work of reviewing and preparing for the 'new' new curriculum.
On a celebratory note regarding Maths, our students continue to achieve extremely highly! The data from our Term 3 testing, when compared to the initial Progress and Achievement data in term 1, shows the immense value added by our teaching programme. An outstanding 97% of students in Years 4-8 are achieving at or above the current curriculum expectations.
Learning Spaces 9 and 10 Upgrade
We have fantastic news regarding the much-needed upgrade to Learning Spaces 9 and 10! The Ministry of Education has finally provided the additional funds required to commence this project.
The remodel is scheduled to begin in Week 6 of this term and is expected to be completed by the start of the 2026 academic year. This upgrade will provide our students with modern, flexible learning environments, and we are incredibly excited for the project to begin.
A Friendly Reminder About School Drop-off and Pick-up Times
As the new term is now underway, we wanted to send a friendly reminder about our official school operating hours, which are 8.30am to 3.15pm each school day.
For the safety and well-being of all our students, and in line with our before and after school supervision guidelines and policy, we ask that you do not drop off students unsupervised before 8.30am. Our staff are often in meetings or preparing for the day's learning, and we are unable to provide supervision outside of our operating hours. Please also ensure that no students are left unsupervised after 3.15pm each school day, unless on site for an approved activity, such as sports teams who practice with their coaches.
We understand that busy family schedules can make sticking to these times a challenge, which is why we offer our on-site before and after school care program, Bizzy Bodz.
Bizzy Bodz provides a fun, supervised, and safe environment for your children outside of school hours. They take both regular and casual bookings (even on the day!) for earlier drop-offs or later pickups, so are a great option. If you need care outside of the 8.30am to 3.15pm window, please contact the Bizzy Bodz team for enrollment and session times.
As always, thank you for your ongoing support of our school. Please ensure you keep an eye out for further updates regarding Athletics Day.
The Kohimarama Way - Honest/Matatika
When you are honest, you don't try to fool yourself or others. You say what you mean and mean what you say. You only make promises you can keep. Be trustworthy in all your dealings, refusing to lie or cheat. Admit your mistakes and fix them. Be honest with yourself and you will be honest with others. You don't need to make things up to look good - you're already good - honest!
Kids Artwork Fundraiser
EPRO8 year 7/8 competition
Yesterday our year 7 and year 8 EPRO8 teams competed at the interschool heats. Both teams chose to build the Foosball machine which later proved tricky with calculations.
It was the closest competition in history with The Year 7 Bananas scoring only 10 points away from 3rd place and The Bananas only 40 points away.
Well done to both our teams.
Sports News
PTA News
GALA GALA GALA…..
Wow.. What a fantastic evening. Filled with laughter, smiles, bids and more!
We raised a mind blowing $17,800 on our 8 exclusive live auction items alone. A wonderful boost to the funds for the renovations of the TOP COURT.
Thank you to our amazing 2025 GALA committee who pulled the entire event together;
Lisa, Kate, Emily, Pip, Nanette, Stephanie, Janelle and myself.
Your commitment, dedication and passion in bringing the event to life was felt by all on the evening. A massive Thank you.
To our sponsors of the evening;
Woodsmith Builders Ltd; Your local builder in the bays. Contact Mike, a parent at our school, Keen to look after your building needs in the area. www.woodsmithbuilding.co.nz
The Tooth Company; Your local dental services in the bays. Thank you James Stone for your support. Covering all dental requirements however, Catlin Grant, Specialist Paediatric Dentist, will ensure that your child is cared for and comfortable while in their chair.
It ISNT OVER YET HOWEVER! ….
Our silent auction is still in full swing. Some pre Christmas shopping, some stock piling of Birthday Gifts… Take a look and have a crack in securing the winning bids.
The auction closes this coming Friday at 9pm.
https://app.galabid.com/bythesea/info/84b73325-2012-413a-b430-86c1a9baa1cbGala
Gala 2025
Bizzy Bodz
