Newsletter 9 - Term 2
Principal’s Message
Dear Parents and Whānau,
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone who attended our recent Reporting to Parents sessions and our Mathematics Open Morning. We were delighted to welcome approximately 100 parents to each of these events, making them a resounding success.
One of our strategic goals is to foster a strong community by creating meaningful opportunities for parents to engage with the school.
When children see their parents actively engaged with the school, it fundamentally boosts their own confidence, attendance, and classroom behaviour. More importantly, events like our open mornings bridge the gap between school and home, allowing parents to have learning conversations at home. If you were unable to attend these events in person, please don't worry. We shared the presentation slides in an email yesterday so you can catch up on all the information at your own pace.
Thank you for your continued support, your time, and your commitment to working alongside us to ensure the success of our students.
Ngā mihi nui,
Phebe Rossiter
Principal
Pigeon Mountain Primary School
021-281-8121
Student Achievement and Celebration
School disco: We had the best time at our school disco. From amazing costumes and glowing lights to some seriously impressive dance moves, everyone had a blast.
A massive shoutout and thank you to Miss King and our awesome student leaders for putting together such a great event.
Year 3 and 4 swimming: What an incredible 10 weeks! Our Year 3 and 4 students have just wrapped up their swimming programme, and the progress they've made is phenomenal. Swimming is a vital part of our school curriculum, and it has been an joy to watch our students grow.
We saw some amazing milestones, from water-timid students proudly submerging their heads and moving with confidence, to our advanced swimmers being pushed to new limits by the fantastic Swim Gym instructors.
A massive thank you to the John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation. It is only through their generous support that we can offer this wonderful opportunity to our tamariki.
Looking ahead, our Year 5 and 6 students will dive into their weekly swimming sessions in Term 4. More details will follow closer to the time.
School News and Announcements
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L): This week in our PB4L lesson students have been learning about the value of Responsibility. We have been using the acronym to help them understand the choices they make when things go wrong: BED vs BAT. Going to BED. This is when we use Blame, make Excuses or stay in Denial about our actions. Stepping up to BAT: This is when we are Brave, Admit our mistakes and tell the Truth.
We are encouraging our students to be brave and choose BAT over BED.
School dates for 2027:
Tuesday, 2 February – Meet the Teacher: Come check out the classroom, meet your child's teacher, and share your child's unique strengths and passions with us.
Wednesday, 3 February – First Day of Term: School officially begins for all students.
Tuesday 14 December - Last day of school. Please note the 12.30pm finish.
Cross-country: Year 4-6 Our Senior Cross Country is next Tuesday 30th June, starting at 12:45pm. Newsletters and information has been sent out. We welcome our families to come and watch this great event.
Cycle Skills with Auckland Transport
Cycle Skills with Auckland Transport was an exciting and enjoyable experience. We learned many important bike-riding skills and gained confidence on our bikes. At the beginning, several students were unable to ride a bike, but by the end of the programme, almost everyone could ride successfully. It was amazing to see how much progress everyone made.
One of our favourite activities was a game called Box. In this game, if you stopped riding or bumped into another rider, you were out. To make it even more challenging, the riding area became smaller every minute. It was tricky, but it was also lots of fun!
We would love the opportunity to take part in Cycle Skills again. It was a fantastic experience that was exciting and fun. By Jessie Lin and Zac Barry, Year five Students
Maths Open Morning: A Celebration of Learning
On Friday, 19 June 2026, we welcomed approximately 100 parents and caregivers to explore the modern mathematics landscape within our school. The morning was designed to engage whānau with classroom learning, showcase our collaborative approach, and foster a positive attitude toward mathematics.
The session commenced with a presentation by our Principal Phebe Rossiter, who provided a comprehensive overview of the PMPS mathematics programme. The presentation addressed key questions regarding the daily structure of maths lessons, the specific curriculum being taught, and how parents can support learning at home.
Crucially, the Principal shared recent achievement data, noting that 83% of PMPS students are currently meeting curriculum expectations. This success was attributed to a combination of skilled staff, clear instructional expectations, and a commitment to professional learning development.
Classrooms buzzed with excitement as parents were welcomed into the learning areas to see students demonstrating their daily learning routines. Each session began with "Number Talks"—brief discussions where students share mental strategies for solving problems. Parents observed how these open-ended prompts encourage deep mathematical reasoning and collaboration. Afterward, families participated in "Rich Tasks," complex yet accessible problems designed to engage and challenge learners of all levels.
As we look ahead, the school remains committed to building "Thinking Classrooms" that foster curiosity and a growth mindset. We thank all the families who attended for their time and support in making our Maths Open Morning such a vibrant success.
Term 3 events: We have some really exciting events happening in Term 3. You may like to add these to your diary.
-Student Led Conferences and Art Expo: Wednesday 16 September 3.30 - 5.30pm or Thursday 17 September 3.30 - 5.30pm
-Whanau Hui: 5 August
-Students will also be preparing and presenting a speech (Year 3-6) or poem. Keep an eye on on class dojo for date and times
Book week Term 4 2026: Just a quick early notice that Book Week is coming up early next term! The highlight of the celebration will be our much-loved Book Character Parade, where students can come dressed as their favorite book character. Stay tuned for dates and further details!
Uniform: We would like to remind students and their families of our uniform standards. It is really important to wear our uniform correctly because it shows pride in our school. New uniforms can be purchased from JohnRussell school wear if you need any new items.
-Uniform must be named,
- Jackets are not allowed in classrooms
-Navy socks or navy tights - no black or white socks
- Navy shorts, pants or culottes worn with jade long or shirt sleeve polo
-Navy polar fleece can be worn if it is cold
-school shoes must be entirely black school shoes
-Navy or jade hair ribbons or hair ties only
-earrings must be small studs.
A new change is that on days when students Year 3-6 have fitness they can wear their PE gear to and from school. If students choose to wear their PE gear they must wear sports shoes to school.
Year 3 Fitness day: Tuesday and Thursday
Year 4-6 fitness day: Wednesday and Friday
Jammies in June:
Proposed change to cohort entry: At Pigeon Mountain Primary School, we are always looking for ways to ensure our youngest learners have the smoothest, most supportive start to their schooling journey. With this in mind, the Pigeon Mountain Primary School Board is currently considering adopting a Cohort Entry Policy, to take effect at the start of 2027. You will be sent information, draft policy and a feedback form to complete in the next few weeks.
Important Dates and Reminders
Term Dates
Term 2: Monday 20th April - Friday 3rd July
Term 3: Monday 20th July - Friday 25th September
Term 4: Monday 12th October - Tuesday 15 December
Curriculum Day (Teacher Only Day) Friday 23rd October
Labour Day – Monday 26th October
Important event dates at Pigeon Mountain Primary School:
Please check our school website which has a link to our Pigeon Mountain Community Calendar
Community Notices
Art with Janet
PMPS Wednesday after school art class
Art class: drawing. painting. oil pastels drawing
Day: Wednesday
Time: 3.15pm-4.15pm
Fee: $17 per hour
Classroom: Room 23
Please phone: 027-6555574 Janet
Email: janeto@xtra.co.nz
