Newsletter 13 - Term 3
Principal’s Message
Dear Parents and Whānau,
One of the highlights of my week is always our class sharing time during Monday morning assembly. This week, Room 15 took the stage and hosted a hilarious, game-show-style presentation to demonstrate how we use our school values.
One of their multiple-choice questions asked what a student should do if they don’t understand instructions or aren't sure what to do next:
A) Ask a friend B) Engage in off-task behavior C) Think about video games and pizza
While Room 15 had us all laughing, it delivered a fantastic message. Even as adults, it is a great reminder for all of us that when we are stuck, the best move is always to ask for help!
We also heard from our Wellbeing Leaders, who introduced our upcoming Random Acts of Kindness Day. They issued a challenge to the entire school: What can you do to show kindness to someone tomorrow? It could be as simple as using your manners, offering a compliment, or checking in on a friend. Again, this is a wonderful challenge for us all, children and adults alike. How can you show kindness to someone today?
Inside the classrooms, our teachers and students are working hard to ensure a strong finish to the term. Keep an eye out for information coming home this week regarding dates and booking instructions for our upcoming Student-Led Conferences. While you are here for your conference, you will also have the opportunity to view our school Art Exhibition and celebrate the wonderful creativity of our students.
Warm regards,
Ngā mihi nui,
Phebe Rossiter
Principal
Pigeon Mountain Primary School
Student Achievement and Celebration
Gymnastics: Congratulations to our Gym team who represented the school with pride last week at our HPPA competition. Our students all preformed excellent routines and did their very best. Well done to our Year 4 girls team and individual placings: Ava Meng: 3rd Place, Emma Hu: 5th Place, Queenie Chen: 6th Place and Antonia Qu: 8th Place. We wish these students all the very best for the Champion of Champions competition on 10 September.
School News and Announcements
PB4L: This week students are taking a closer look at the value of Manaakitanga with a special focus on caring for our land, shared spaces and school environment. Our lesson focuses on what respect looks like, sounds and feels like across different areas of our school - from keeping our classrooms tidy and looking after library books, to using playground equipment safely and taking care of our outdoor areas. Students learn that their individual actions contribute to a clean and welcoming environment for the entire Pigeon Mountain community.
Marvelous Men: Instead of Fathers Day celebration this year we will have a Marvelous Men Morning for all the Dads, Grandads, Uncles on 20 November 8.00am - 8.45am. Please save the date, more details to follow.
Looking Ahead to 2027: Year 3–6 Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
Starting in 2027, we will be asking families of students in Years 3–6 to provide a Chromebook for their child to bring to school each day (charged at home).
Partnering with PB Tech
To make this process as straightforward as possible, we are working with PB Tech to provide a customised school package deal. This bundle will include suitable, school-ready Chromebook options at competitive pricing.
We are sharing this information early so that families who wish to take advantage of upcoming sales, or who might like to purchase a Chromebook as a Christmas gift, have plenty of time to plan ahead. Further details and purchasing links for the PB Tech package will be provided soon.
Why BYOD?
Having personal devices allows us to enrich our class programmes and seamlessly run digital learning tools. Having a dedicated device enables your child to:
Complete twice-yearly online assessment using the SMART tool.
Access our targeted mathematics online support programmes, Mathletics and Ludi.
Benefit from emerging AI-assisted tools like Curipod, which provide real-time, interactive feedback on writing tasks.
Please rest assured that a small pool of school-owned Chromebooks will still be available in each classroom for students who do not have their own device.
Balancing Digital Skills with Screen Safety
While we want our students to become confident, proficient online users, traditional learning remains our primary focus. The majority of everyday learning will continue to take place in physical books, through group work, and via shared modelling books.
We are also strongly guided by the Paediatric Society of New Zealand and their recommendations on healthy screen time. When using digital devices at school, we ensure:
Age-appropriate limits: For students under 12, total screen time is capped at no more than a third of the school day, kept to sessions of 20 minutes or fewer with regular eye breaks.
Teacher oversight: Devices are only used under direct teacher approval for purposeful, intentional learning tasks.
Balanced physical health: We carefully balance digital activities with outdoor tasks, exercise, and play, while ensuring appropriate lighting, seating posture, and managed headphone use.
We look forward to partnering with our school community to support our students in developing safe, smart, and balanced digital learning habits.
Book week: Early in Term 4 (19 - 23 October) we will have Book Week to celebrate and promote a love of reading and books. We will have a parade where students can dress up as their favourite book characters, an open morning for you to be part of a Literacy lesson and some other exciting activities. More information to come.
Enrolment - Important: If you have a child in Year 6 please ensure that you have enrolled either in-zone or out-of-zone for intermediate school. In zone enrolments help the school to know how many out of zone places may be available.
If you have a younger child turning 5 in 2027 please can you complete an enrolment form for them so that we can start planning staff and classrooms.
We have some out-of-zone places (see below) available at Pigeon Mountain Primary School for 2027. Please complete the Out-Of-Zone applications form on our website before Wednesday 14 October.
Year 0: 50 places
Year 1: 18 places
Year 2: 15 places
Year 3: 9 places
Year 4: 13 places
Year 5: 8 places
Year 6: No places available.
Boston Bun Fundraiser:
Our Boston Bun fundraiser was a success earlier in the term and we will hold another on Friday 18 September. Please purchase via KINDO. All monies raised will go towards new playground equipment.
A huge thank you to Bakers Delight in Howick who have kindly supported us with this fundraising.
Daffodil Day: Thank you to everyone who donated to the Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day on Friday 28th August. We have been able to make a donation of $698.00 for cancer research and support.
Afterschool: We are thrilled to see our playground being enjoyed after hours under our new policy! Just a friendly reminder that students are welcome to use the play equipment after the bell only if a parent or caregiver is actively supervising them on site. If you are unable to be on school grounds to watch your child, please ensure they leave the property promptly by 3:15 PM. Teachers are not on duty after this time, and the school office is closed. If you require dedicated after-school supervision, we highly recommend our on-site care partner, BizzyBodz. You can reach out to them directly at eastakl@bizzybodz.co.nz to arrange care.
Property
This Thursday and Friday, security fencing will be installed around the site for our new admin building.
Student safety is our top priority during this exciting project. The fenced area will keep all builders, construction vehicles, building materials, and site facilities completely separate from our students. Please rest assured that the path alongside the driveway will remain open and safe for everyday use.
If you ever see or hear anything that concerns you regarding the site, please contact the office or Phebe Rossiter right away.
To mark the start of construction, we will hold a dawn ground-breaking ceremony or Whakawātea on Monday, 7 September for staff, Board, friends of the school, Ministry of Education and our kapa haka students and their families. This special event will bless the site, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the construction team, as well as the future staff and students who will use the new building.
Important Dates and Reminders
Term Dates
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
Curriculum Day (Teacher Only Day) Friday 6 November
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
