Newsletter 6 - Term 3
Principal’s Message
Kia ora koutou katoa,
As we come to the close of another busy term, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible amount of positive energy and focused learning that has filled our school throughout Term 3. The dedication of our students has been wonderful to see, and I'm incredibly proud of their progress.
This term is particularly bittersweet as we prepare to say farewell to a beloved and long-serving member of our leadership team, our Deputy Principal, Mrs. Linda Lowden. After 26 years of dedicated service to Pigeon Mountain Primary, Linda is retiring, and we wish her all the very best for this exciting new chapter.
For over a quarter of a century, Linda has been an integral part of our school community. Her impact has been immense, particularly through her work in literacy, ICT, and the "Off to a Good Start" program, as well as her leadership of our junior school. Linda is not only a highly effective educator and leader, but she is also exceptionally creative. Many of the beautiful displays and cards you've seen around the school are a testament to her artistic talent. We will also miss her musical contributions to our school, as she often played her guitar for kapa haka and our junior students.
Beyond her professional achievements, Linda is known for her great sense of humor, her unwavering loyalty, and her immense kindness. She will be greatly missed by her colleagues, students, and the entire school community.
Please join me in extending our deepest gratitude to Mrs. Lowden for her tireless dedication and in wishing her a long, happy, and well-deserved retirement.
Ngā mihi,
Phebe Rossiter
Principal
Pigeon Mountain Primary School
Student Achievement and Celebration
Gymnastics Champion of Champions Event
Our PMPS Gymnastics Team enjoyed taking part in the Champion of Champions event at Tri Star Gymnastics last week. It was a day of tough competition as over 300 students competed, many of whom practice and attend competitions regularly. We are so proud of our Year 3 and 4 teams who made it through the regional competition into the Auckland final, as did our two boys teams and one Year 6 girls team. Well done on a great day and your dedicated practices leading up to the event.
Celebrating Our Whānau at the Māori and Pasifika Hui
Last week, our school community came together for a wonderful Māori and Pasifika whānau hui. The atmosphere was filled with warmth and connection as staff, students, and families gathered to talk, laugh, and play games together. These events are so important for strengthening the bonds within our school community. A highlight of the afternoon was the beautiful performance by our kapa haka group. We're already looking forward to our next hui next term!
Curriculum day 1 September: Last Monday was a huge success for our school staff, and we want to express our thanks to all our parents for keeping your children at home for the day. Our team spent the day with expert math facilitator Sue Pine, focusing on how to make math more engaging and understandable for every student.
The session centered on the science of learning, which is all about using research-backed methods to optimize how students acquire, process, and retain new information. The goal is to move beyond simply teaching "what" to teaching "how" the brain learns.
Our teachers gained valuable insights and strategies on:
Sequencing the Curriculum: We learned how to organise lessons more coherently, creating a step-by-step path that ensures students first grasp the core concepts before moving on to the procedures. This builds a more solid and lasting foundation in math.
Building Positive Relationships with Math: We explored techniques to reduce math anxiety and enhance student well-being. By fostering a positive and encouraging classroom environment, we can help students feel confident and capable when tackling new challenges.
Minimizing Cognitive Load: The session provided us with practical ways to reduce cognitive load—the mental effort required to process new information. By breaking down complex topics and removing unnecessary distractions, we can make learning more efficient and effective for all students.
Accelerating and Including Every Student: We developed strategies to support a wide range of learners. The goal is to ensure that learning experiences are aligned with each student's readiness, allowing us to accelerate practices for those who are ready for a challenge and design for inclusion to support all needs.
This professional development day was an invaluable opportunity to strengthen our teaching practices, particularly within the measurement strand of our curriculum. We look forward to seeing the positive impact of this Professional Learning in our classrooms.
Memorial Garden: A heartfelt thank you to Sanjeev and his team from Bob Jones Landscaping and Property Solutions for their incredible work on our new memorial gardens. With the recent completion of the school's new fence, we decided to move the gardens to a more suitable location on school grounds.
The team at Bobs Fencing did an outstanding job preparing and paving the area near the Wells Road entrance. Their excellent workmanship and generous offer to lower the price—knowing how special the gardens are to our school—are so appreciated.
It's been so wonderful to see our students enjoying the space, admiring the flowers, and reading the heartfelt words written on the planter boxes. We're so pleased with how lovely the gardens look.
School News and Announcements
Out of Zone applications:
For all 2026 students in Year 1-5 – Application closing date on Wednesday 8 October 2025 with the ballot date – Wednesday 15 October 2025.
Basketball Hoops: We're excited to announce that our new basketball hoops have been installed on the tiger turf! Thank you to our incredible parent community for your support in our recent fundraising efforts. These hoops are already getting lots of use and are a fantastic addition to our school grounds.
Our next fundraising goal is to install one more set of hoops on the court area. We have two exciting events planned to help us reach start on this goal:
Silly Socks Pizza Lunch: Orders on KINDO
Fruju Friday: We're hoping to kick off Fruju Fridays at the start of Term 4, just in time for the warmer weather. Keep an eye out for more information on how you can get involved.
Thank you again for your continued support. Every contribution helps us make our school an even better place for our students.
We value your Feedback!
Strategic Planning 2025- 2028
A massive thank you to our parents who took the time to complete the strategic planning survey. The information you provided is invaluable. We are now combining your feedback with the insights from our student and staff surveys, as well as the important feedback from our Māori and Pasifika whānau hui and health consultation.
This comprehensive information will be used to draft our three-year strategic plan. We'll present this draft to the new Board next week for their review and input. You can expect to see it shared with the wider school community in our first newsletter of next term.
PB4L
In Week 9, our school's PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) focus is on demonstrating our school value of Responsibility on the playground. Students are learning and discussing our expectations for using the equipment correctly. We are practising how to make positive choices and show respectful actions towards others.
Term 3 - Important Dates and Reminders
Term 3: Monday 14 July – Friday 19 September
10 September - Parent BOT Elections Close 4pm
11 September - Chinese Parent meeting (Postponed)
11 September - Silly Socks day and Pizza lunch day
15 - 19 September - Māori Language week
17 and 19 September - Student Led Conferences
