Kohimarama School News - 19th February 2025

School News

A Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent Kohimarama Connect meeting. It was a fantastic opportunity to share how our philosophy of learning - grounded in the science of learning - continues to shape the high-quality education we provide at Kohimarama School. Our innovative teaching practices ensure that every student is engaged, challenged and prepared for the future.

A key question parents often ask is: Does this approach actually deliver results? Are we maintaining high standards in mathematics, science and literacy? READ MORE

Learning Spaces: Moving Beyond Outdated Labels

We know that some parents have strong views about hubs and single-cell classrooms. We also know that, for some, these views are shaped by past experiences or perceptions rather than what actually happens in our learning environments today. 

The reality is that effective teaching and learning are not about the shape of a room or whether it has walls - it’s about the pedagogy, the expertise of our teachers and the way learning is structured.

We’ve just seen the independent assessment results, which show that our students are thriving academically. If hubs were truly a barrier to learning, we wouldn’t be seeing these high levels of achievement.

We want to move past outdated labels and focus on what really matters - how teaching and learning happen at Kohimarama School. That’s why we are shifting to calling all our classrooms Learning Spaces. This reflects the reality that every space functions as a place for high-quality learning, where teachers collaborate and students benefit from shared expertise. The Hall is also a Learning Space, as I hope you have gained knowledge and insight into our Kohimarama School Way of Being.

I encourage you to engage with your child’s learning experience with an open mind. What’s important is not the physical structure, but the high-quality teaching and strong student outcomes we see across the school.

A School that Values Students and their Learning

Kohimarama School is more than just a high-achieving school - it is a place where every child is supported to reach their full potential academically, socially and emotionally. As a community, you can feel confident that your child is receiving an education that prepares them for the future.

Thank you for your continued support in making Kohimarama School an exceptional place for learning.

Link to Slides used for the Kohimarama Connect here

Link to the achievement Data sheet here

Principal’s Newsletter – Stepping Up for School Sport

Kohimarama School is incredibly fortunate to have a strong and supportive school community. Our students thrive when parents and whānau step up to support their passions, and one of those areas where we see this making a real difference is in sport.

We have an exciting new opportunity this year – for the first time, Kohimarama School will be entering a Futsal team into the AIMS Games! This initiative has come about because of a dedicated group of parents who are organising the team, enrolling them in competitive leagues, and ensuring they are well-prepared to compete at a high level.

Why does this matter?

• When parents get involved, our students benefit from expert guidance, encouragement, and a stronger team culture.
• Participation in sports fosters resilience, teamwork, and goal-setting – all valuable life skills.
• This Futsal team sets the foundation for future teams to represent our school at AIMS and beyond.

How can you help?

• Volunteer as a coach, manager, or supporter for school sporting codes.
• Assist with logistics such as fundraising, transport, and team coordination.
• Cheer on our teams at games and events – your presence makes a difference!

Our Futsal team is already shaping up to be a strong competitor, with a group of Year 8 boys confirmed and two Year 7 players joining to complete the squad. The team will be training before school and competing in a local league at B&T Stadium to prepare for AIMS. 

A special thank you to the parents leading this initiative – your commitment is invaluable. If you’d like to get involved in school sports in any capacity, we’d love to hear from you! Sports@kohimarama.school.nz

Together, we can create more opportunities for our students to compete, grow, and succeed.

The Kohimarama Way - Respect/Whakaute

William Pike

Student Fundraiser - Friday 28th February

We will be raising funds for Nurnobi Hossain, our World Vision child from Bangladesh, next Friday.  We ask all students to participate by bringing along $2 each.  Watch out for the poster in your child's Learning Space to find out how the students are coming dressed on that special day.

Kohimarama's Got Talent 2025

Entry forms are in your child/ren's Learning Spaces for them to fill in if this is an opportunity they want to take to perform their talent.  We have 4 categories:  Singing, Dance, Musical Instrument and Comedy.  Students are able to enter more than one category, either as individuals or in groups.  The heats will happen over next week and the week after and then we will have a performance of our finalists.  Remember this is for fun, so if your child is too nervous at this stage to perform in front of their peers, there will always be another year to work towards.

School Sports 2025

Hi everyone, 

As most of you will know, the school isn’t in the position to have a dedicated Sports Coordinator on staff this year.  I have agreed, in a volunteer capacity, to help facilitate the school’s sporting activities and be a central point of contact alongside the Principal, Paul Engles.

I have a daughter in year 5 and have been involved with the netball teams, but have no experience with the other sports and tournaments the students at Kohimarama have participated in.

For our children to be able to continue participating in the likes of netball, basketball and touch rugby we are going to need parents to help lead certain sports, sign up as coaches and managers, and help with transportation etc.

So, if you have the ability to assist in any capacity, please drop me an email at sports@kohimarama.school.nz.  I would love to hear from you!

Thanks very much in advance.

Antonia Jackson

PTA News

Thank you to Paul and the team for having us along last night. It was a great opportunity to get in front of so many of you.

As mentioned briefly, the PTA are a group of school parents who come together to create memorable events for our parent community which in affect builds moral in our community and at times raises money for the school through sponsorship, ticket sales, auctions and the like. It is a volunteer role so you can give as much or as
little as you can.

If you fancy assisting with an event, drum up sponsorship deals for the school or help out with our sushi/ pizza rosters, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to Valerie on kohimaramapta@gmail.com

FINAL CALL FOR CALL COORDINATORS

FOOD ROSTER –here

Sushi
Sushi returning this week and every Wednesday of the term. 

JOIN THE SUSHI TRAIN.... Calling all volunteers. 30 minutes of your time each Wednesday. For more details reach out to Rebecca on;  0223554228 or rjsmithp@gmail.com 

Ice Block 
COOL DOWN FRIDAYS - $2.00 Ice blocks available during big break from hall kitchen. 
Join the "cool" team on Ice blocks sales every Friday for 30 minutes. Contact Janelle +64 274 472 943

Pizza 
Pizza Friday .... returning this week and every Friday of term.  Call for volunteers. A little of your time each Friday Mid day.  Contact Sarah on 02041703811 for more info.

School Policy

To see the Behaviour Management Policy, follow the link below;

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