Newsletter 9 - Term 4
Principal’s Message
Tēnā Koutou, and a warm hello to all our families,
We are officially in the home stretch of the academic year, and the energy around the school is a wonderfully busy blend of celebration and planning! This time of year brings the excitement of prize-givings, graduation, and our fun end-of-year events, while simultaneously keeping one eye firmly fixed on the future and our preparations for 2026.
Speaking of future planning, I want to extend a sincere thank you to the parents who completed the class placement requests for 2026. The level of care, consideration, and sensibility you showed in providing your input was deeply appreciated. I truly value our partnership in this process; it is by working together that we ensure we are setting up the very best environment for every child to thrive in the coming year.
As we move quickly through November and into December, please take the time to look through the rest of this newsletter. It is absolutley packed with essential dates and important information to ensure a wonderfully smooth end of year for all our families. Knowing these dates and details ahead of time will help everyone transition seamlessly into the holiday break.
Finally, I must mention our recent Fruju Friday. It was a really lovely event! It was such a great sight to see so many happy children enjoying a sweet, cold treat, and it was a helpful way for us to raise some extra funds. Remember, you can always purchase iceblocks and other fantastic items via our KINDO shop.
Thank you once again for your incredible support this year. I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming celebrations.
Ngā mihi nui,
Phebe Rossiter
Principal
Pigeon Mountain Primary School
Student Achievement and Celebration
Mandarin and Cantonese Speech finals:
A massive congratulations to Alisha (Year 5) and Lydia (Year 6), who did P.M.P.S proud while representing the school at the Chinese and Mandarin Speech finals on September 18th!
These talented students worked incredibly hard to perfect their speeches, delivering impressive presentations at our school assembly before the finals.
We are so thrilled to announce their outstanding results:
Alisha (Year 4) placed first in the Cantonese speech competition!
Lydia (Year 6) placed a fantastic second in the Mandarin speech final!
What a wonderful achievement! We are incredibly proud of both Alisha and Lydia for their dedication and success.
Touch Rugby - On Tuesday 21 October our touch team went to Pakuranga Rugby club in Lloyd Elsmore. The students had regular training and learning the rules before the competition and represented the school proudly.
Marathon: A massive shout-out and congratulations to the large team of PMPS students who have been dedicating themselves to marathon training this year!
These incredible athletes have been consistently clocking up the kilometres each week, running laps around our school and BBI, demonstrating phenomenal commitment and perseverance. Each week, their laps were counted and their distance calculated. All their hard work culminated in a final run as part of the Auckland Marathon this past Sunday.
We are so immensely proud of every student who represented our school with Pride, embodying our school values of Excellence and Resilience. Their dedication is truly inspiring!
A special thank you goes to the staff who generously gave their time and support: Miss Sandy Wang, Mrs. Fi Blest and Mr. Dylan Marshall for leading the weekly training sessions, and Miss Nicky King for supporting this fantastic event.
Our Weekly Focus: Monday Morning Values Assembly: Every Monday morning, our students gather for a special assembly designed to teach, reinforce, and celebrate our PMPS school values: Excellence, Resilience, Respect, and Responsibility!
This assembly is a core part of building our school culture and a highlight of the week for our students. Here's a look at what happens:
Learning Through Creativity: Students lead the way with a class presentation, sharing how we can demonstrate our values through art, skits, songs, and innovative ideas.
Celebrating Success: We acknowledge students who demonstrate our school values outside of school, often sharing achievements like medals, trophies, or significant personal successes.
House Competition: A fun element is recognizing students who earn a 'Value Heart' for showing great values. They get to pick a prize, and we track the overall house points to see which house is leading!
Weekly Recognition: Teachers present a special certificate to a student from each class who has best demonstrated our school values.
The Monday Assembly sets a positive, value-driven tone for the entire week!
School News and Announcements
Mark Your Calendars: End-of-Year Awards and Prizegivings!
Get ready to celebrate a fantastic year! We are excited to invite you to our End-of-Year Awards and Prizegiving events. Each event will feature a short item presented by the class, and we will be presenting six awards per class: two for demonstrating school values, two academic awards, and two effort awards. We will also present two ESOL awards per year group.
Date Year Group Time
Thursday, 4 December Year 5 9:15 am – 10:30 am
Thursday, 4 December Year 0/1 (Mahuri) 11:15 am – 12:15 pm
Thursday, 4 December Year 2/3 (Pohutukawa) 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Friday, 5 December Year 4 (Titoki) 11:15 am – 12:45 pm
Year 6 Prizegiving & Graduation
This year, the Year 6 Prizegiving and Graduation will be combined into one special event where we will present class awards, celebrate each graduate, and present the Year 6 trophies and awards.
Monday, 8 December | Year 6 | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our wonderful students!
End of Year reports and Absences:
This year your child’s report will be available to you in the @school app. Please check you can log in and remember your passwords so that when you receive an email to say the reports are ready you will be able to log in and view them. This is also the same place you can report your child’s absence, either in the day or in advance if you know.
Enviro news update:
Kia ora whānau, 🌱
We’re very fortunate to have Ōke, a charity organisation, supporting us by sponsoring new garden beds, equipment, plants, and seeds for our PMPS gardens!
We’d love your help on Wednesday, 20 November, from 9:30 a.m. onwards to work alongside the Ōke team installing garden beds, preparing the area, and planting vegetables.
Your time and support will help our gardens flourish — we’d really appreciate any helping hands! 🙌
If you’re available to volunteer, please let your child’s teacher know via Class Dojo.
Ngā mihi nui,
The PMPS Enviro Team 🌿
Scholastic Book Club – Final Issue of the Year!
The Scholastic Book Club catalog was sent home yesterday. This is the last issue for the year and is packed with fantastic holiday reads!
How to Order: Use the online Loop platform (details on the back page of the catalog or head to scholastic.co.nz/LOOP ). There is also a LOOP app available from your app store.
Why Order? Every purchase earns points for our school library, helping us keep it stocked with fresh, up-to-date books all year round.
Deadline for Orders for Class Delivery: Wednesday, 12 November – to ensure delivery to school before the end of term.
Orders can be made after this date but will be delivered directly to your home address.
Happy reading and thanks for your support of this fundraising initiative.
Senior Athletics Day: Friday 7 November. You will receive more detailed information later today. Key points include:
You are welcome to come and spend time supporting and watching your child/ children. Parents are able to move around the events with their children.
Please ensure your child has a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle.
Please ensure that you abide by our HPPA Fair Play charter for parents while onsite.
Fruju Friday: Our newest fundraiser was a huge success. Every Friday from now to the end of the year you will be able to enjoy an iceblock from the tiger turf afterschool. You will need to prepay an iceblock on KINDO. Pak N’ Save Highland Park have kindly sponsored this fundraiser which means that all the money from this fundraiser is going directly towards new basketball hoops on the courts by room 23 and 24.
Second hand uniform shop: Please note we have opened a second hand uniform shop. This is purchased on KINDO and delivered to your child's class. If you have any good quality uniform that you would like to donate please can you send it to the office and we will use funds raised from the uniform shop to improve the outdoor learning areas at school.
Strike Day: Thank you for supporting our teachers last week with the Stike day. Just to clarify our school will be open this Wednesday 5 November - this is a planned strike for Secondary School teachers only.
School hats: Reminder Students must be wearing a hat at school! We recommend that your child puts on sunscreen before school and has a water bottle (water only) available. We have large shades over the playground and our tiger turf is covered for sun safety. If students do not bring a hat they will need to play in covered areas or the library.
Road Patrol: Our Year 5 students will soon have the opportunity to join our Road Patrol team for 2026. This is an important role that helps keep others safe on the road. This is a great chance to show responsibility and leadership. Students will be able to register their interest over the next few days and a letter will be sent home for parents to respond to and give permission.
END OF YEAR - MISSING LIBRARY BOOKS
A recent stocktake has revealed that a number of books are missing from our library collection, particularly graphic novels and fiction titles. Could parents please check at home for any books that may have been accidentally taken home and return them to the library as soon as possible? Your help in locating these items would be greatly appreciated.
Measles: Measles is highly contagious and serious – about one in three people may need hospital care. It spreads when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.
Measles is circulating and is very contagious. There is now measles in Northland, Auckland, Manawatu, Nelson and Wellington, and we expect further cases across New Zealand.
Watch out for symptoms – fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes, and a blotchy rash:
Anyone with measles symptoms must stay at home and should seek urgent advice by ringing their doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116.
Anyone who is closely exposed to a measles case must stay at home. Heath New Zealand will provide individuals with advice on a case-by-case basis (including when they can leave quarantine at home).
Health New Zealand is actively working with the schools that currently have measles cases.
People are considered immune to measles after having two doses of a measles vaccine from 12 months or older, or if you have had measles before. For more information on measles immunity visit:
We encourage families and whānau to check their own and their child/childrens’ immunisation status through My Health Record:
Anyone born between 1969 and 2004 may have only received one vaccine dose and might not be fully protected. It’s safe to get extra doses. A free vaccine can be booked online or via the Vaccination Helpline on 0800 28 29 26.
Student-Led Event: Save the Date!
Our Student Council is busy preparing for their last event of the year. They will be hosting a trivia evening in support of the new basketball hoops that the school is fundraising for. Put a family team together and save the date of Tuesday 18 November from 4 - 5:30pm. Tickets will be available on Kindo soon.
Teacher appreciation Day - Friday 7 November
At Pigeon Mountain Primary we are celebrating Teacher Appreciation Day on Friday 7 November. An opportunity to show gratitude for the amazing teachers at our school. If you would like to, you could send a card or an email to say thank you to your child's teacher.
Maori and Pasifika Whanau Hui - 12 November 2025
We will host our final Whanua Hui for the year on Wednesday 12 November 3.30pm - 4.30pm at the school. We will have a range of activities for families to engage with weaving, poi, titi torea, Rakau sticks and more. We will have some kai following a performance from our kapa kaka group. We will be sending out an invite to this Hui to our Maori and Pasifika families and families of students in our kapa haka.
School hats: Students must be wearing a hat at school next week after labour weekend if they are playing outdoors. We recommend that your child puts on sunscreen before school and has a water bottle (water only) available. We have large shades over the playground and our tiger turf is covered for sun safety. If students do not bring a hat they will need to play in covered areas or the library.
PB4L
In Week 4, our focus was on resolving disagreements respectfully. We explored positive strategies to solve these such as managing emotions, listening to others, taking turns, finding compromise, and asking for help when needed. By practicing these skills, our students can build stronger friendships across the class and school.
This focus was followed in Week 5 by the importance of respecting our environment. We explored what it means to be stewards of our school grounds. Students learned key habits to keep our school clean, including promoting Litter-Free Lunches. A huge thank you to all our families for supporting the Litter-Free Lunch goal over these last few weeks; your effort makes a significant difference here at school.
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!
Before school routine:
We wanted to send a huge thank you to all our parents for your fantastic support with the new before-school routine this week.
We know any change takes a little adjusting, but the shift in arrival times and where to meet has already made a noticeable difference in ensuring a safe, calm, and supervised start to the day for all our students. The children are settling in beautifully, and the new routine is truly working to ensure their safety and well-being.
Thank you again for your patience and cooperation as we prioritise a clear and safe environment for everyone!
A reminder of our new routines:
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 in 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.
Property
We have been busy taking on small jobs around the school to keep our environment clean and tidy. You may have noticed we removed tree stumps along the fence line at Loloma entrance, removed an old rusty satellite dish from the hall roof, cleaned up a patch of overgrown trees and shrubs on the grass bank and over the weekend we will be replacing a section of concrete near our memorial gardens that often has surface water.
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.
Attendance Information
As we enter the final term, we want to emphasise the importance of consistent attendance right through to the last day of the year.
This is a 10-week term, and we have planned for every single day to be utilized for important learning, reflection, and preparation for the year ahead. Every day counts toward your child's success and progress.
Please note that the final day of school is Friday, December 12th.
If you plan for your child to finish earlier than this date, please contact our office by phone 09 534 9765 or email general@pmps.school.nz
Thank you for partnering with us to ensure your child gains the maximum benefit from every minute of their learning journey this term.
Term 4 - Important Dates and Reminders
Term 4: Monday 6 October - Friday 12 December
Term 4 dates:
Friday 7 November - Senior Athletics Day
Monday 10 November - RUNA Sailing room 20 and 21
Wednesday 12 November - Maori and Pasifika Whanau Hui
Monday 24 November - Junior Athletics Day
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 5: 9.15am - 10.30am, Year 0/ 1 Mahuri: 11.15 - 12.15pm and Year 2/3 Pohutakawa: 1.30 - 2.30pm
Friday 5 December - End of Year awards Year 4 (Titoki): 11.15am - 12.45pm
Monday 8 December - Year 6 Prizegiving: 6.00pm - 8.00pm
Monday 8 December - Reports to go home
Friday 12 December - Last Day of school for the year, 12.30pm finish for students.
