Kia Ora, Namaste, Mabuhay, नमस्ते, Mālō e lelei, Hallo, Howzit, හෙලෝ, Hello, G’day,

Welcome back to TERM FOUR! I hope you had some special family time with your children over the past few weeks. They look and sound refreshed and ready to learn!

As you know, term four is always CRAZY busy leading into the Christmas season. Our teachers have organised a term full of interactive learning activities that are both educational and motivating.

Ag Day:

The Kio Kio School traditional Ag Day is on Tuesday, October 22nd. I am looking forward to seeing all of the pets that your children have worked so hard to train, feed, and nurture. Students are also working diligently in class to design and create Ag Day artwork that will be on display during the event. Students that have indicated that they won’t be bringing a pet will have a regular day at school in the classroom. There is some important information in this newsletter set out by Mrs. Telfer. Parking will be available on the bottom field—the gate will be open for you.

Staffing Changes:

I regret to inform our parent community that Lily Johnstone, Di Shariff, and Paige Summerfield have resigned from their positions at Kio Kio School. Lily will begin her overseas adventure in Australia, driving tractors during the harvest season, and Paige is moving to Australia to be closer to her family. Next year, Dianne will continue to be involved at school in a different capacity as a release teacher. 

The Board of Trustees has appointed two full-time teachers—Nicky Frederick and Madisyn Beard—who will be teaching in Kowhai and Puriri. We will welcome the new teachers in 2025; more details will be shared soon.

Sunsmart Reminders:

As the sun begins to heat up, it is important that all students wear hats and sun-smart clothing. We provide all students with sunscreen to apply during break times. I also encourage students to keep drinking water throughout the day to stay hydrated and energised.

Friday Lunches: STARTS TOMORROW!

We’re excited to offer Friday lunches through *The Fat Kiwi*! Orders can be placed directly with them via email or phone, and payments should be made by Thursday each week. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available, and more details, including the menu, are attached to this newsletter.

Community Consultation:

Tomorrow, our community survey to gather input on the strategic direction of the school for 2025 will close at 5 PM. I encourage everyone to participate and share their thoughts. Please use the link provided to complete the survey.  

SAVE THE DATE - November 29th - KIO KIO SCHOOL GALA:

The Kio Kio School Fireworks and Gala Evening is fast approaching on November 29th. The Supporters Committee is working tirelessly behind the scenes to get everything organised. This is a great family evening out, so make sure you tell your friends to come along & support Kio Kio School. 

Kapahaka Teacher 2025:

Kio Kio School is seeking to employ a kapahaka teacher to teach one day per week during 2025. The role involves teaching local history, waiata, and haka to each of the classes at Kio Kio School. If you are interested or know someone who might be, please contact the school office to schedule a visit.

Cyber Safety Parent Evening:

On November 6th, you are invited to attend a Cyber Safety evening held at Otorohanga South School. The evening will cover key aspects of keeping your child safe online and addressing tough questions about what your child/ren may have access to without your knowledge. This promises to be an informative event, and I encourage at least one parent from each family to attend—I hope to see you there! More information can be found in this newsletter.

On Monday, November 4th, Kio Kio School will be closed as our staff participates in a dedicated Teacher Only Day. During this time, we will focus on exploring the refreshed curriculum documents for English and Mathematics with Statistics provided by the Government. We are pleased to welcome Nada Harpur, a lead advisor from the Ministry of Education, who will guide our staff in upskilling on these important updates.

Disco:

Our students Councillors are excited to host the Kio Kio School Disco on Friday 8th of November. Entry fee is $3 per student to cover the cost of our DJ. There will be snack food, drinks and other items on sale. Check out the poster for more details. 

Enjoy the weekend and I look forward to seeing you at Ag Day. 

Kind Regards

Pip Were

Principal - Kio Kio School.

 

 

- Being on time is also important. Being late means missed learning opportunities.

- Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to 3 days lost each year.

- Arriving 15 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 2 weeks a year.

- Arriving 30 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 19 days a year.

 

 

  

At the start of Term 4 we have welcomed the following students to Kio Kio School:

Freya Mora and Anika Miles to Kowhai Class
Callie Thomas to Rimu Class

We hope you all have a fabulous start to your schooling with us.

We wish to show our appreciation to Carey and Ailsa Sanson for donating the replacement 'Samual J Sanson Cup' for  Leading Champion for calves on Ag Day.  
Unfortunately the original cup has been misplaced.
THANK YOU
 

2024 TERM DATES
Term 1 -  Wed 7th Feb - Fri 12th Apr
Term 2 -  Mon 29th Apr - Fri 5th July
Term 3 -  Mon 22nd July - Fri 27th Sept
Term 4 -  Mon 14th Oct - Thurs 19th Dec

OCTOBER
14th Oct - Start of Term 4
22nd Oct - Ag Day
28th Oct - Labour Day - Public Holiday, NO SCHOOL
30th Oct - Group Day

NOVEMBER
1st Nov - Gumboot Friday
4th Nov - Teacher Only Day - Teachers attending Professional development  training
8th Nov - School Disco
13th Nov - School Athletics - Yr 4-8
14th Nov - School Athletics - Whole School
18th Nov - Librarians visit to Otorohanga Library
20th Nov - COPS Athletics
29th Nov - Fireworks Gala

DECEMBER
6th Dec - Christmas Parade
17th Dec - Prize Giving
19th  Dec - Last day of Term/school for year

2025 TERM DATES
Term 1 - Mon 3rd Feb - Fri 11th Apr
Term 2 - Mon 28th Apr - Fri 27th June
Term 3 - Mon 14th July - Fri 19th Sept
Term 4 - Mon 6th October - 17th Dec

FEBRUARY 2025
3rd Feb - Term 1 Starts
6th Feb - Waitangi Day (NO SCHOOL) Public Holiday
7th Feb -  School Closed

 Enrolment at Kio Kio School is governed by an enrolment scheme, details of which are available from the school office.

Applications for out-of-zone places are now being invited for those students who will become eligible for enrolment during the period January 31st to April 11th, 2025.

The deadline for receipt of applications for out-of-zone places is the 1st of November 2024.

If a ballot for out-of-zone places is required, it will be held on 8th of November 2024. Parents will be informed of the outcome of the ballot within three school days of the ballot being held.

If you live in the home zone and have not yet signalled your intention to enrol your child next year, please contact the school immediately to assist us to plan appropriately.

 

Order through the Fat Kiwi Cafe by each Thursday before 7pm by:
emailing orders@fatkiwicafe.co.nz  or by phone 07 2146300
with each child's first and last name, and class name & when the payment was made online.
The bank details are:  Account   02-0316-0562720-000

SCHOOL PHOTOS
These photos can be purchased online, families have been emailed their Photo Access Key information direct from Photolife Studios.   ***FREE DELIVERY EXPIRES Midnight Sunday 27 OCTOBER ***   If you  have not received an email, please check your spam folder or phone the school office for the details.

PEANUT ALLERGY
We have a student in Totara class with a severe peanut allergy who cannot come into contact with peanuts or products with peanuts in them.  We are asking that parents do not send peanuts or any peanut related products to school, so that we can keep this student safe. Thank you for your understanding.

LOST PROPERTY
Please check out the lost property on the racks for your child/rens lost items. As the term progresses we seem to have a great deal of clothing and footwear. It would be helpful if you named your child/rens drink bottles, footwear and clothing so they can be returned to them. Whatever is left at the end of term will be washed and given to a charity shop in town.

2025 Class Camp Dates
Confirmed 2025 Class Camp dates are as follow for your information:
KAURI - 24th - 27th February - Auckland
KAHIKATEA - 17th - 20th February - Kinohaku
TOTARA AND RIMU -  17th to 20th March - Ohope

STUDENTS ENTERING & LEAVING SCHOOL
Please make sure that your child/ren are dropped off and collected from the bus shelter each day.
We are enforcing safety rules at school pick-up and drop-off. Children are NOT to open our school gates. Parents are required to drop off inside the gate and come into the school grounds to collect their children. This is a safety measure. Our carpark is very busy at the end of the day and we need to do everything we can to keep everyone safe.

SCHOOL GATES
A Reminder to shut all school gates behind you please, in particular the large gates on the top and bottom fields. When collecting your children after school, please close the large gate behind you on the top field.

BUS BOOK REMINDER
Please ensure that the school office is informed early if your child won't be on the school bus in the afternoon. We also need to be contacted if your child/ren are getting off at another stop. You can do this by phoning the school office on 07 8731816 or emailing admin@kiokio.school.nz

STUDENT ABSENCES
If your child is going to be absent from school, please advise the office by phone (078731816), email (admin@kiokio.school.nz) or the absent tab on the Parent APP with the reason so the absence can be marked correctly for the Ministry of Education. If the school is not notified, the child is deemed TRUANT and marked accordingly. If your child is late to school, they must come to the office and sign in on the electronic register.

BREAKFAST CLUB VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We are on the lookout for a PARENT VOLUNTEEER to run the THURSDAY morning. If you are able to help on this day, please contact the school office. Our Breakfast Club runs on Monday - Thursday each week beginning at 8.30am. All students are welcome to receive a bowl of milk and some weetbix before settling into the days work.
THANK YOU to our amazing volunteers on Monday and Wednesday - Katie Krukerink and Greer Morrow in Term 3, and to all the senior students who help out.

SCHOOL DOCS:

Kio Kio School Board of Trustees uses “School Docs” policies and procedures. If you would like to view any of these documents please log on to
1.  www.schooldocs.co.nz
2. Click Search for your school - Start typing the school's name and then select from the dropdown list
3. Username:  Kiokio
    Password: 3974

 NEXT BOT MEETING to be held on the 6th November at 6.30 pm

 

Calling All Young Gardeners! 🌱🌻

Our annual School Garden Judging event is nearly here! This is a wonderful opportunity for our children to showcase their green thumbs and creativity. Whether it's a vegetable patch, a colourful flower garden, or a mixed masterpiece, we want to see it all!

What is Garden Judging?

For those new to our school, Garden Judging is a special event where students who have nurtured a garden at home get to present their hard work to a judge.  Judging day will be Monday the 9th of December.  We will travel together in the school van, visiting each garden. It's a chance for students to explain their gardening journey and be celebrated for their efforts.

How to Get Involved:

If you haven't entered yet, there's still time! We encourage all students to get planting during the upcoming school holidays so their gardens are in full bloom by December. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or trying it out for the first time, give it a go!

To enter, please let the office or Mrs Coleman know.

Let's get growing! 🌿

 

.