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Newsletter #8 | Term 2 Week 5
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From our Principal - Marie Todd
We hope Term 2 is tracking well for families and that the school routine is now down to a fine art. It has been wonderful to see our learners settled, engaged, and making the most of the many opportunities both inside and outside the classroom, from local planting supporting Trees for Survival to learning bike skills, St. John's and museum trips.
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Last week we acknowledged Support Staff Week, recognising the incredible contribution of our learning assistants, office staff, and librarian, who play such an important role in the smooth running of our school and the well-being of our students. Our agile and caring learning assistants work alongside students every day, quietly supporting learning, confidence, inclusion, and independence in classrooms and playgrounds. A special mention also to our wonderful office team, Roz and Jenny, who somehow manage everything from first aid and forgotten lunches to reassuring worried children, assessing the occasional “pin drop” of blood, and sending students back out with the all clear and a smile. Their calm presence, care, and humour are deeply appreciated by staff and students, and no doubt whānau.
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Teachers are continuing to work diligently with the refreshed English and Mathematics Curriculum, strengthening teaching practice while carefully monitoring and assessing student progress. This includes gathering a range of evidence over time to make an informed teacher judgement about where each child is currently working within their learning phase. In addition, the Ministry of Education has introduced updated reporting requirements featuring new progress descriptors. These are intended to provide parents with more transparent and accessible insights into their child's development in relation to curriculum standards (see diagram below).
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The descriptors help explain whether a child is Emerging, Developing, Consolidating, Proficient, or Exceeding against the curriculum. A statement has been issued from the Ministry of Education to support schools with reporting to parents acknowledging that as schools have only been using the new curriculum from the start of 2026, which includes new teaching and assessment methods and content, you could see a change in your child’s progress or achievement compared to previous years. This may be the result of changes to the curriculum expectations for your child’s year level. Utilising the Hero platform, for student Mid Year Reports we aim to provide reporting that is both meaningful and easy for families to understand, while also supporting the next learning steps for students.
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Last week I attended the SIEBA - Supporting International Education in New Zealand Schools conference in Christchurch. This was a great opportunity to meet with educators from all over New Zealand and share quality practice supporting our international learners and whānau. We continue to value the many positive opportunities that international students bring to our school community. Welcoming students from different countries and cultures helps enrich the learning environment for everyone, fostering curiosity, empathy, inclusion, and global awareness amongst our students. It provides authentic opportunities for children to learn about different languages, traditions, perspectives, and ways of life, helping to broaden their understanding of the world around them. Our international students also gain greatly from being part of our warm and welcoming school community, where friendships, confidence, and language skills flourish through everyday learning and play. For teachers, it strengthens culturally responsive practice and encourages rich classroom conversations and experiences that benefit all learners. We are proud of the kindness and inclusiveness our students consistently show in helping new children feel connected and valued within our school.
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A “Kiss and Go” is a quick drop-off system where parents safely pull over in a designated area, say goodbye to their child from the car, and then continue driving on without needing to park or leave their car. The aim is to keep traffic flowing smoothly, reduce congestion, and support children in developing independence and confidence as they walk into school themselves. We encourage families to consider using a “Kiss and Go” style drop-off where possible. Encouraging independence is an important part of children’s growth and development. From Year 2 upwards, many children are capable of walking into school independently, carrying their own belongings, and organising themselves for the start of the day. These small everyday routines help build confidence, resilience, responsibility, and self-management skills, while also supporting a calm and positive start to the school day. We appreciate families considering this approach as we work together to support both student independence and safer traffic flow within our community.
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Upcoming Events
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NB - Updates and changes can occur as necessary
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2026 Term Dates
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Term 1: Monday 2 February - Thursday 2 April
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Term 2: Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July
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Term 3: Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September
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Term 4: Monday 12 October – Friday 11 December
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Public Holidays (that fall during term time)
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ANZAC Day (Mondayised) - Monday 27 April
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King’s Birthday – Monday 1 June
Labour Day – Monday 26 October
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This is it whānau! It’s that time of year when youth across Aotearoa come together for The World Vision 40 Hour Challenge - happening from June 19th-21st 2026.
We’re challenging you to go offline for 40 hours and raise funds so children in Solomon Islands can get the nutritious food they need. Whether it’s no phone, gaming, social media, or even power. You get to choose what you’ll do and how you’ll do it.
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https://fundraise.worldvision.org.nz/fundraisers/sharyno/40-hour-challenge
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Wenderholm Enviro Orienteering Event
On Friday 15 May 3 teams of 4 students went to a first time event to represent CPS in an event of 92 teams from all over Auckland. Our Year 7 girls team came 13th overall after running for two hours, solving sustainability challenges using GPS trackers to find markers and collect points!!
One of the challenges was identifying sea birds on the beach and planting saplings. It was exhausting, but fun.
Hillary OL, Lexi S, Arabella G and Ellie F.
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Trees for Survival Planting
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On Friday, CPS Enviro class reps from Years 3-8 worked tirelessly alongside a team of adults and volunteers to plant out 800 seedlings. These will now grow in our beautiful Churchill Park to encourage birds, bees and help to avoid erosion on our doorstep. Thanks to our lovely parents also for your support.
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School Payments
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The School Donation remains at $525. Most parents will be entitled to claim a tax rebate - if you are a top tax rate payer a 33% reduction is available.
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Please make school payments through your mykindo account. There are several methods to add funds to your account. Add regular topups if you'd like, then allocate to payments when you're ready, or just pay as you go. mykindo is also where you can order school lunches. Set up your kindo account.
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NB: The school no longer has an EFTPOS terminal. All payments are to be made via kindo or DC, please. DC with your child's name to: 12-3027-0387931-000
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PTA Welcomes New Members – And a New Chair
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We are looking for someone to take over the role of PTA Chair — an invaluable position where you help guide our fundraising efforts and support the amazing opportunities we provide for our school.
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Every dollar raised by the PTA goes directly back into the school. Thanks to the hard work of past committees, we’ve been able to fund the turf, drinking fountains, handball tables, wet‑day boxes, and many other smaller items that make a big difference to our children’s day‑to‑day school life.
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The PTA is a small, friendly group of parents who meet eight times a year, organising six events for the school community. It’s a great way to get involved, meet other families, and help shape the fun and community spirit of our school.
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If you’re interested in joining — or stepping into the Chair role — we’d love to hear from you. Everyone is welcome, and full support will be provided.
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We will be holding our AGM on the 8th June at 2pm, and would love to have new Chair voted in at that meeting.
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School Lunches
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Order school lunches through kindo to be delivered to Churchill Park School on Monday to Thursday. Check out your kindo account for suppliers and menus.
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Order online using the LOOP app by
Friday 12 June
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Independent Notices and Information:
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Although accepted for publication in this section, Churchill Park School does not necessarily endorse, nor accept responsibility for any of the information contained herein:
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What we need is new or excellent used quality items of the following:
Warm bedding including duvet inners and covers - of all sizes
Blankets - of all sizes
Sheets - of all sizes
Infant sleeping sacks
Warm clothing for the whole family
Socks
PJ’s and dressing gowns
Jackets
Beanies
Gloves
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New pillows and hot water bottles (these items must be new please)
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We also always love receiving quality used bassinets, port a cot, carseats (still current) and prams.
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