Newsletter 7 - Term 4
Principal’s Message
Kia ora koutou katoa,
Welcome back to a brand new term! I hope all our families had a restful and enjoyable break.
It has been another busy school holiday for us, as we’ve been working hard to make some key improvements to our amazing school environment. You will notice that we have successfully added internal walls to create more single-cell classrooms, improving focus and learning for our students. We’ve also installed new stairs by Rooms 15, 13, and 20, and completed a few changes in our school office area.
We have a vibrant and busy term of learning and celebrations ahead. Our Athletics Day is just around the corner, and it is an exciting event we will certainly be inviting parents to be a part of—look out for more information on that soon!
We have a long list of great events planned for Term 4, so please keep an eye on your calendar. This term will also see the release of our updated end-of-year reports, which we’ve been working hard to make even more user-friendly for you.
At the end of last term, we had to farewell the lovely Mrs. Linda Lowden, our Deputy Principal and a cherished staff member of 26 years. Her dedication to our school community will be deeply missed, and we wish her all the best.
On Monday, we were delighted to hold a Mihi Whakatau to officially welcome our new Deputy Principal, Ms. Susie Allen. It was a special occasion, and Ms. Allen was well supported by members of her whānau, as well as the Principal and Deputy Principal from Everglade School, as she started this exciting new journey with us. We are thrilled to have her join our leadership team!
Here’s to a productive and positive Term 4!
Ngā mihi nui,
Phebe Rossiter
Principal
Pigeon Mountain Primary School
021-281-8121
Student Achievement and Celebration
Congratulations to Our Chess Team!
I am delighted to share some exciting news from the National Interschool Chess Finals, held in Christchurch on September 20th and 21st!
Our school chess team—comprising Oliver, Jeremy, Vincent, Hayden, and Jeffrey —performed exceptionally well against teams from across the entire country.
Although we narrowly missed a podium finish due to tie-break rules, the team secured an impressive 5th place overall in this highly competitive national event.
A special congratulations goes to our Board 4 player, Hayden M, who went undefeated, winning all seven of his rounds, and was deservedly awarded the medal for Best Player in his category.
Silly Sock Day: On 11th September, Mrs Blest and The Wellbeing Leaders organised our very first ever Silly Sock Day to promote mental health and wellbeing in our school. Children were asked to wear a pair of silly socks or get creative and make socks into something else.
Lots of children wore interesting pairs of socks and some made some fantastic things. Each lunchtime we also offered sock crafting sessions which were also very popular. We got to cut, stick, chat, listen to music and even use glitter.
This day was also our very first takeaway pizza lunch day. We had a fantastic day of fun and full tummies. Written by our Student Wellbeing Leaders
Te wiki o te reo Maori - Māori Language Week:
Kia ora koutou! What a wonderful celebration we had during Tē Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) in the last week of Term 3!
It was fantastic to see our students engage so enthusiastically with the language and culture of Aotearoa. A big thank you to the members of our Kapa Haka group who visited classes on Monday and Tuesday afternoon, sharing a waiata (song) and actions. The joy and commitment shown by the students were clear to see! Our Kapa Haka also performed at assembly.
The week culminated in our popular Friday classroom shared lunches. This was a beautiful reflection of the Māori values of whanaungatanga (building and maintaining relationships) and manaakitanga (showing care and hospitality) as our school community came together to share kai. Thank you to all the parents for preparing such lovely plates of food for this celebration.
Students had a range of lunchtime activities throughout the week that they could participate in, including Maori craft, games and book reading.
School News and Announcements
Congratulations to Mrs Debbie Watson! We are sharing some bittersweet news regarding a valued member of our team.
Debbie Watson will be leaving us to take up a well-deserved new role as Assistant Principal at St Ignatius Primary School in St Heliers. Her last day will be Friday, October 24th.
While we are incredibly sad to see her go, we are also immensely proud of this fantastic achievement and opportunity for her. Debbie has been an invaluable part of our school community. She should be very proud of her work as Team Leader, where her excellent classroom practice has inspired so many of us. We will also miss her leadership in coaching gymnastics and guiding our kapa haka group. Her dedication and passion have made a lasting impact on our students and staff.
Before school routine:
As we settle into the new term, we want to share an important update regarding our before-school routines. This change is designed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our students, as well as to provide clarity for parents.
We’ve noticed an increasing number of students arriving at school very early. To ensure a safe and supervised environment, we are adjusting our arrival times.
Please note these new routines, which will be effective immediately:
No Early Arrivals Before 8:15 AM: Students must not arrive at the school grounds before 8:15 AM, as we do not have supervision available before this time. Please plan your drop-off accordingly.
8:15 AM – 8:30 AM: Supervised Waiting Area: Parents and students may enter the school site during this time. Students must wait under cover on the Tiger Turf area. This will be the only supervised space before 8:30 AM.
8:30 AM: Classrooms Open and Outdoor Play: From 8:30 AM, students will be welcome to enter their classrooms to prepare for the day, or they can enjoy play outside on the courts, the turf, or the field.
Playground Closed Before School: For safety reasons, the playground is strictly off-limits before school as it is not a supervised play space during this time.
8:50 AM: Learning Time Begins: When the bell rings at 8:50 AM, we ask that parents leave the classrooms promptly so that our learning time can begin without delay.
These small changes will help us maintain a safe, calm, and organised start to the school day for everyone. Thank you for your support in reinforcing these new procedures with your children.
School Parking Reminder: Let's Walk a Little!
With the warmer, drier weather finally here, it’s a perfect time to help us reduce congestion around the school!
We encourage all families who drive to consider a "Park and Stroll" routine. If you can park a short distance away and have your children walk the last few hundred metres, it makes a huge difference to the flow of traffic and student safety right outside the gates.
We've noticed a few common parking issues that create hazards:
Parking on yellow lines (which are there for a reason!).
Blocking or parking over resident driveways.
Dangerous U-turns being performed in busy areas.
Please take an extra moment to choose a safe, legal parking spot. Your cooperation keeps our car park area safe and moving for everyone!
Out-of-Zone Enrolments – Closing soon on 8 October
For all 2026 students in Year 1-5 – Application closing date on Wednesday 8 October 2025 with the ballot date – Wednesday 15 October 2025.
If you are interested in a place for 2026, please email enrolment@pmps.school.nz to receive the link to be included in the ballot process.
We look forward to welcoming new families to Pigeon Mountain Primary School.
Measles: We want to bring an important public health matter to your attention. Recent measles cases linked to overseas travel have been reported in Te Tai Tokerau and Queenstown. These cases were active in the community while infectious, which means there is a risk of measles circulating more widely in Aotearoa.
Measles is highly contagious and can cause serious illness at any age.
Please watch closely for measles symptoms:
Fever
Cough
Runny nose
Sore eyes
A blotchy rash
If anyone in your family develops these symptoms, it is crucial that you:
Keep them home immediately.
Contact a doctor or Healthline urgently on 0800 611 116 for advice. Do not go directly to a clinic or emergency department without calling first, as this can spread the infection.
Vaccination is the best protection. Please ensure everyone in your whānau is immunised. The key protection is the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine.
A Critical Note for School Attendance: Any student who has been closely exposed to a confirmed case of measles and has not received two MMR vaccinations will be required to stay home from school for at least eight days.
Thank you for helping us keep our school community safe and healthy.
Strike Day: You may have heard that NZEI Te Riu Roa union members recently voted to take strike action on Thursday, October 23rd.
Throughout our collective agreement negotiations, we have raised critical issues that would make a significant difference to our students’ learning and wellbeing. We feel the Government is not genuinely listening to or understanding what our schools and students truly need.
Our key priorities are:
More Support for Learners: We are asking for more resources to support all students, including the provision of a dedicated teacher aide for every classroom.
Valuing School Staff: We need the Government to value all school staff fairly to help attract and retain great people in our classrooms, rather than losing them to overseas opportunities.
Taking a day of strike action means a day without pay for those involved. It is a sacrifice we are making to ensure the Government hears our concerns and provides the resources needed to support all students effectively.
What this means for our school:
The Board is required to formally notify the school community if the school is open for instruction or closed on the strike day. We will confirm the closure details and any necessary follow-up information as soon as possible.
We appreciate your understanding and support as we fight for better resources for your children.
Last day of school: Please make a note that the last day of school for the year is Friday, December 12th.
To celebrate the end of a fantastic year, we will be holding our special End-of-Year Celebration Assembly from 11:30 AM to 12:20 PM. We warmly welcome all parents to attend this assembly! Students will be collected from their classrooms.
Following the celebration, students will be finishing school early at 12:30 PM. Please ensure you have made arrangements for their pick-up at this time.
Property Update
Building for Better Learning: New Classroom Layouts
We're excited to share that over the recent September school holidays, our school environment has undergone a fantastic transformation!
We've been busy installing internal walls to create individual, self-contained classrooms in place of the previous open-plan learning areas in rooms 10, 11, 12, 7, 8 and 9.
At Pigeon Mountain Primary, we firmly believe in the value of single-cell classrooms. These enclosed spaces allow us to foster quiet, focused learning environments where distractions are minimised. This setup is key to helping students deeply connect with their teachers and work collaboratively within their specific class group, ensuring every child receives the dedicated attention they need to thrive.
Our staff and students are loving our newly renovated single cell classrooms.
The Importance of Attendance
Our Term 3 Attendance Report highlighted the importance of consistently getting our students to school and ready to learn. Our overall Regular Attendance rate for Term 3 was 74%.
We noticed a few key trends:
Lowest Attendance Day: Fridays consistently had the lowest attendance throughout the term.
Highest and Lowest Year Levels: Our Year 6 students achieved the highest regular attendance, while Year 3 had the lowest.
To help your child make the most of their learning time this term, we strongly encourage daily attendance. If your child is sick, please keep them home until they are well; otherwise, they should be at school every day.
Being at school is essential for your child’s academic and social development. Let's work together to boost our attendance rate this term!
Summary of Pigeon Mountain Primary School Attendance data
Term 4 - Important Dates and Reminders
Term 4: Monday 6 October - Friday 12 December
Term 4 dates:
Thursday 9 October - Pohutukawa Zoo trip
Friday 10 October - Year 5 and 6 Positive Puberty and Tui House Dress down day
Wednesday 15 October- Year 1 Mahuiri Zoo trip
Thursday 16 October - Board meeting
Friday 17 October - Student Led event - Pyjamas and Games
Tuesday 21 October - HPPA Touch rugby
Thursday 23 October - strike day - School closed
Monday 27 October - Labour Day - school closed
Tuesday 28 October - RUNA sailing room 16 & 17
Thursday 30 October - Māori Whānau Hui
Friday 31st October - Senior Athletics day
Monday 10 November - RUNA Sailing room 20 and 21
Friday 28 November - Year 6 Rainbows End trip and Movie trip
Tuesday 2 December - Junior water fun day
Thursday 4 December - End of Year awards Year 1, 2 and 3.
Friday 5 December - End of Year awards Year 4, 5 and 6.
Monday 8 December - Reports to go home
Friday 12 December - Last Day of school for the year, 12.30pm finish for students.
