Newsletter 10 - Term 4
Principal’s Message
Tēnā Koutou, and a warm hello to all our families,
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As the year rapidly draws to a close, there is a magical and exciting feel across Pigeon Mountain Primary School. You can sense the collective excitement, reflection, and achievement of both staff and students, making this a truly special time in our school calendar.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge our newly elected Board of Trustees. They have been working hard on your behalf already and are a fantastic group of dedicated parents who are generously giving up their own time for the benefit of all students and staff. Their commitment is invaluable to the success and direction of our school.
We recently had the immense pleasure of hearing speeches from our Year 5 students applying for one of our prestigious student leader positions. Listening to these young leaders, I was truly inspired by their passion to make Pigeon Mountain Primary School the very best it can be. There were so many capable students, speaking clearly and confidently, and already thinking critically about how to make our school even better. Our future is bright!
On that note of looking forward, our school Board is thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of our new Strategic Plan for 2026 – 2028. This plan is deeply focused on reinforcing our school identity:
Our School Motto: Education with a heart
Our Core Values: Excellence, Resilience, Respect, and Responsibility
Our key initiatives over the next three years will be focused around three critical areas: Student Learning, Wellbeing, and Community. I look forward to sharing the full details of this ambitious and exciting Strategic Plan with you soon
Thank you for your ongoing support as we celebrate the successes of this year and prepare to embark on an exciting new chapter.
Ngā mihi nui,
Phebe Rossiter
Principal
Pigeon Mountain Primary School
Student Achievement and Celebration
Salvation Army donation: A huge thank you to all the families that donated items to the Salvation Army. One of our values is Responsibility and it's nice to think that at this time of year we can donate to others in need.
HPPA athletics day: We had an amazing day on Friday 21 November with a team of 47 students who represented the school demonstrating our school values of excellence and resilience. Every student gave it their best and we were lucky to be able to present a number of certificates for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.
Junior Athletics Day: We were so lucky to have such amazing weather for our junior athletics day. We started the day with sprints, the students showed loads of enthusiasm, competitiveness, and had lots of fun. After morning tea they competed in a number of activities that encouraged them to try new challenges and celebrate everyone’s effort. It was lovely to have parents and family members come along and support the day.
Runa Sailing: Our Year 5 students have had the opportunity to walk to Bucklands Beach and learn to sail.
School News and Announcements
2026 Staffing Update: We are delighted to share that Pigeon Mountain Primary School will maintain a highly settled staff team for 2026, ensuring excellent continuity in teaching and learning.
We are also thrilled to welcome three new, experienced teachers to our staff next year:
Lauren Boy
Tasmyn van Breda
Sacha Bradley
We are excited that Lauren, Tasmyn, and Sacha are joining our dedicated team of great staff, bringing fresh perspectives and expertise to the school.
Pigeon Mountain Primary School Staff List for 2026
Below is the full teaching and support staff list for the upcoming year:
Meet the teacher for 2026: We are excited to announce our 2026 Transition Day designed to make the start of the new school year seamless and stress-free for your child!
On Monday, 1 December, your child will have the chance to meet their new teacher and spend time in their 2026 classroom.
This is a fantastic opportunity to support your child by:
Building Connections: Meeting their new teacher face-to-face.
Seeing Familiar Faces: Discovering who their classmates will be.
Boosting Confidence: Becoming comfortable with their new classroom environment before the holidays.
Bringing Home the Connection
To help you get acquainted with your child’s new teacher, your child will bring home a one-page Teacher Profile on Monday. We encourage you to display this profile—perhaps on your fridge—to help the whole family get to know a little bit about who will be guiding your child's learning next year!
This brief visit is designed to ease any first-day anxieties and ensure a confident start to 2026!
Whanau family meetings: Get Ready for 2026: Family Connection Day!
We are eagerly preparing for a smooth and positive start to 2026!
To ensure every student feels known and supported from day one, we are holding dedicated Family Connection Meetings on Monday, 2 February 2026.
This is a crucial chance to book a 10-minute slot where you can bring your child to meet their new teacher, settle into the classroom environment, and start building that essential home-school partnership.
What to Share: This time is dedicated to you sharing what matters most—your child’s strengths, passions/hobbies, and a little insight into your family and what makes your child unique.
Important Dates:
Family Connection Day: Monday, 2 February 2026 (10-minute bookings)
First Day of School (Students): Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Look out for a separate email with instructions on how to book your time slot before the end of the year!
Yearbook: Just a reminder to get your Yearbook. The last day to order is Tuesday 25 November. You can order on KINDO.
Oke Planting day: On Thursday 20 November we had the team from OKE come to school and along with volunteers and some of our amazing family members set up 9 raised garden beds, planted with tomatoes, veges, passionfruit vines and more. Our goal is to work towards growing, harvesting, cooking and sharing fresh produce. Learning about gardens, healthy eating and environmentally sustainable education. How lucky were we to have some of the Warriors to come in and help us out with planting and moving soil.
Kiwi Lunch day: Tuesday 2 December - This will be one of our last fundraisers for 2025. We are hoping to purchase some Basketball hoops for the outdoor courts beside the library.
For $10 you can purchase a Kiwi Lunch on 2 December. The lunch includes juice, cookie time cookie, sausage, bread and tomato sauce (optional). You will be able to purchase these on KINDO by 9.00am Monday 1 December.
WeChat: We now have a new Pigeon Mountain Primary school WeChat group. If you are interested in joining this group please email pheber@pmps.school.nz
Mark Your Calendars: End-of-Year Awards and Prizegivings!
Just a reminder about the prizegiving and graduation event! 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.
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
Venue for Year 0-3 Prizegiving: Pigeon Mountain Primary school hall
Monday, 8 December Year 4 (Titoki) 9.15 am – 11:15 am
Monday, 8 December Year 5 11.15 am – 12:15 am
Venue for Year 4-6 Prize giving: Bucklands Beach Intermediate Hall
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
Venue: Bucklands Beach Intermediate hall.
We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our wonderful students!
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 after school. 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.
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.
Student-Led Event: New date - Wednesday 10 December
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 Wednesday 10 December from 4 - 5:30pm. Tickets are available on Kindo.
End of Year School Reports
End of year school reports will be published in the parent app on Monday 8 December. Please ensure that you can access the app. If you are unable to, please contact the office and our staff will provide you with your login details.
PB4L
Over the past couple of weeks, our PB4L lessons have focused on tow important areas of personal wellbeing. Identifying the goos things about ourselves and choosing how we react. Practising these skills helps develop the values of Excellence and Resilience.
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.
Term 4 - Important Dates and Reminders
Term 4: Monday 6 October - Friday 12 December
Term 4 dates:
Thursday 27 November - Year 6 BBI Orientation
Friday 28 November - Year 6 Rainbows End trip and Movie trip
Monday 1 December - 2026 Meet the teacher
Tuesday 2 December - kiwi Lunch
Thursday 4 December - Year 0-3 Prizegiving
Monday 8 December - Year 4 and 5 prizegiving and Year 6 graduation
Monday 8 December - 2025 End of Year reports available in parent app
Tuesday 9 December - Junior Water Fun Day
Wednesday 10 December - Trivia evening
Friday 12 December - Last Day of school for the year, 12.30pm finish for students.
Monday 2 February 2026 - Family Connection Day
Tuesday 3 February 2026 - First day of Term 1
