Kererū Hapori Newsletter

Kia ora whānau,

Welcome back to a brand new school year! We hope you all had a relaxing break and enjoyed some time outdoors. It’s been wonderful to see the tamariki settling back into school life so quickly—there’s a great buzz in the classrooms as they catch up with friends and get to know the teachers.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for the Meet the Teacher evening. It was lovely to see so many faces and share a bit about what we have planned for the year. If you couldn’t make it or have questions now, please email your child’s teacher. We’re all here to help and want to make sure this year is a real success for your child. Class teachers will send out their slide presentations next week.

Welcome to the Kererū Team!

We are delighted to welcome all our new students to our school whānau for 2026! We hope you are already feeling at home in our school environment. We look forward to getting to know you and seeing you grow and thrive throughout the year. We hope you have a fantastic year ahead, filled with learning, friendships, and new learning!

Google Forms

You should have received two Google permission forms in the last week. One is for permission to go on school trips, and the other is a permission form for photographs. Please complete these promptly, as our first team trip of the year is approaching.

Kererū Team Newsletter

A start-of-the-school-year newsletter was sent out in the first week of school. Please keep this in a safe place for your reference during the year.

Spelling

A quick reminder that spelling words will be sent home weekly in your child’s spelling notebook to support your child’s literacy development, so please take some time to practice these together, focusing on the spelling rule for the week. If the notebook does not make it home, spelling words can be accessed through SeeSaw. At times, students may spend two weeks on a new spelling rule to ensure that the concept is understood.

Kaikorai Valley College Sports Day

The 2026 KVC Sports Expo will be held on Tuesday, 3rd March. The reserve day is Wednesday, 4th March. 

The expo will run on the following timetable: students will participate in eight different activities in 30-minute blocks from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. 

Lunch is from 12:00 to 12:30 pm. There is no cost for activities at KVC, but there is a small $6.00 contribution to help cover event and bus costs. 

Your child will need... A school sports t-shirt, shoes for running, morning tea, lunch, a school sunhat, bottled water, and a warm top.

We will return to school at 2:30 pm.

If you would like to help out for the day, please contact your child’s teacher.

Extra School Activities

A wide variety of extracurricular activities will begin in the next few weeks, offering students opportunities to explore new interests and develop their skills. Students are encouraged to sign up for activities such as drama club, Ukulele, Orchestra, Kapa Haka, and recorder. These programmes provide a great way to build confidence, creativity, and teamwork while having fun. Additionally, our Physical Activity Leaders have begun running games in the playground, and all children are welcome to join in on the days they would like to play. These activities help students stay active, make new friends, and enjoy their time at school.

We look forward to seeing many of our Kererū students involved!

PBL-Our Stories, Our Art

Driving Question: How can we, as artists, create meaningful artworks to share with our school and community that reflect our stories and what makes us unique?

Project Summary: In this project, learners explore how art can tell stories about who we are, where we belong, and what makes us unique as individuals and as a school community. Students investigate identity, culture, and tūrangawaewae through the creation of meaningful art. Students will explore a range of local and New Zealand artists, including Māori and contemporary artists, to see how art is used to express stories, identity, culture, and connection to place. Students can experiment with different tools, materials, and art forms to create their final pieces. During this project, students will create a collaborative, school-wide artwork that reflects each individual's identity. At the end of this term, work will be on display at the Kaikorai Art Exhibition.

Keeping Ourselves Safe Programme

23rd February-9th March

The Keeping Ourselves Safe Parent Information Evening will be held in the Kererū Learning Street on Thursday, February 19, from 6:30 pm-7:30 pm

At the meeting, Constable Ross Greer will explain the KOS programme's content and how it teaches children to recognise and respond to unsafe situations, both online and face-to-face. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and learn how to support your children at home. Constable Greer will teach four of the lessons.

What will our children learn during Keeping Ourselves Safe?

​They will learn:

-to work out when their safety is at risk

-how to keep safe when they meet and mix with other people

-who and how to ask for help if they, or someone they know, is being abused

-to go on asking for help until someone does something to stop the abuse

-that it is important to make and follow personal, family and school safety rules.

They will know:

-that abuse is never okay

-that abuse is never their fault.​

Kā mihi nui,

Hannah Simms

Bridget McDowall

Kane McKay

Rosarah Johnston