Tēnā koutou katoa,

Thank you to those who supported us with transport, marshalling, and cheering our students on at yesterday's Cross Country.  This was the first time trialling Porritt Stadium as a venue.  We found the venue gave us lots of options for all aspects of the event.  As part of our review, we are happy to hear any ideas to make this even better next year.  Please email Amber Weight if you have any feedback to support our review.  email: amber@tekowhai.school.nz 
Our 5 - 7 year olds look forward to experiencing their Cross Country next Tuesday, 12th August.

Yesterday afternoon, we held a blessing for our new classroom.  Hore Ritemana from Ngaati Maahanga led us through the 'reawakening' process (see photos below).  This additional learning space is now ready for staff and students to use.  Currently, this is being called LC7, but we are working through the renaming of our learning spaces for 2026.

Last Wednesday, we were lucky enough to host both the Wāhine Warriors and also Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate.  It was definitely an exciting day for our students.  The manaaki our students showed our visitors was impressive and their engagement and questions of our guests was next level!   Ka pai.

With our School Board elections getting closer, it has been awesome to see the nominations coming in.  With the nominations closing at midday today, you will find further information within this newsletter as to the nominees and the voting process.

Our Board survey is also out at the moment, this closes at the end of next week, so you have 9 days to share any feedback with us.  So far we have had 21 responses, we would love to get closer to 100 if possible.  We are really interested in hearing what you believe we do well and any ideas you have that could become a focus.  You can find the link to the survey HERE if you can spare 5-10 minutes.

We are beginning our planning for 2026 (I know... doesn't that sound a bit close?!).  If there are any changes for your famiily in terms of enrolment (leaving students, or new enrolments) at Te Kōwhai School then please email Kerry Crossland.  kerryc@tekowhai.school.nz with the details.  Enrolments can go through our Website page.

As part of keeping our school safe, we need to be able to respond safely and quickly to a range of emergency situations.  We work alongside Harrison Tew, who specialise in emergency planning for schools.   They will be working with staff over the next week and then students in Week 6 (Wednesday 20th August) as we run through our drills.  

We have our mid-term Whānau Hui next Friday 15th August, we would love to see you there if you are free.

Ngā mihi,
Juliet Dickinson
Principal

Thank you to the people who have put themselves forward as candidates to serve the Te Kōwhai School Community in the governance role, as one of the 5 Parent Representatives on the School Board. They are (alphabetically, by first name) PLEASE NOTE - this list only includes nominations received as confirmed by Election Pilot, there may be more to add:

You have the opportunity to cast your vote when you are provided your access, on 13 August - please check you spam/junk folder regularly in case it goes there. If you do not have an email address registered with the school, you will receive postal voting papers.

The official election timetable that applies to Te Kōwhai School, based on the election date of Wednesday 10 September is:

Also refer to the home page of the school website

Click the link to request Student Leave within School Term

Order School Branded Clothing - next order closure date to be advised

Click the link to complete an enrollment form.

This term in LC1, we began our Inquiry ‘People Power’. To spark interest and engage students in learning about community helpers, we used the Get Firewise programme. We explored what fire is and discussed times we have been involved in fire-related activities. Next, we discussed what we would do if there were a fire in our room. Using picture prompts and keywords, our learners wrote about their own experiences and learning. 

We will be opening Te Kakano in a couple of weeks (Week 6) and we are delighted that Nikaela Pemberton will be returning full-time to teach in there.  We have a new teacher joining our team to pick up the part-time work that Nikaela was doing in LC1.  Jess Field will be in LC1 from Wednesday - Friday, and will be relieving Monday - Tuesday as needed.  Below you will find Jess's bio:

Kia ora! My name is Jess Field, and I’m so excited to be joining your school community. I grew up on a farm in the Waikato, where life was full of animals, gumboots, and adventures with my 3 younger sisters. That upbringing taught me the value of hard work, kindness, and connection- values I carry into my teaching every day. 

I’ve been teaching for over nine years, including the last two in the United Arab Emirates at an Australian international school. Living and working abroad gave me a deep appreciation for different cultures and strengthened my belief in creating inclusive, engaging classroom environments where every child feels seen and supported.

I have a passion for literacy and love sparking a love of reading in my students. When I’m not teaching, you’ll usually find me with my nose in a book (or my Kindle), exploring new places (I love to travel), or enjoying a good cup of coffee and a walk outside (usually on the farm with my family's two dogs). I’m also always up for a bit of creativity in the classroom and love finding ways to make learning meaningful, fun, and student-led.

I’m really looking forward to getting to know the students, families, and staff here, and feel very lucky to be part of such a welcoming school.

We're off to a roaring start for this year's Quiz Night, with all tables sponsored and every ticket sold! A huge thank you to everyone for the support - we're looking forward to a fantastic evening.

If you'd still like to be involved in quiz night, you're welcome to come along and help out on the night. Its a great way to meet others and be part of the school community.

We're also still looking for sponsors to support our popular auctions, raffles and mystery envelopes. If you or you're business would like to donate prizes or contribute funds, we'd love to hear from you!

Get in touch with us at pta@tekowhai.school.nz

 HARVEST FESTIVAL – Help Needed!
Looking ahead to 2026, we need to begin preparations for our much-loved Harvest Festival over the next two terms. However, we currently do not have a co-ordinator within FoTKS to lead the planning.

The Harvest Festival has a long and proud tradition at Te Kowhai School, and we’d be sad to see it go. If you’re interested in helping keep this special event alive—either by taking a lead or lending support—please reach out to Christina or any of the friendly team via pta@tekowhai.school.nz. You’re also welcome to pop along to our next meeting on Tuesday 12th August, 7pm, in the school staff room.

Collect Yummy stickers from your fruit and stick them on your points sheet to help us earn free sports equipment! 

Every sticker counts, and the more we collect, the closer we get to scoring awesome new gear for our school. 

Yummy fruit is sold at Pak’n’Save, New World, Woolworths and even our local 4 Square! 

New forms can be collected from the school office. 

Thank you for your support

Thank you very mulch to Apex Arborists for the generous load of mulch that you may have noticed has been used to top up our gardens around the school.
If you need any tree services, get a quote from these guys!

It’s very simple. Customers can nominate a participating school to receive 50 cents for every 100L of bulk fuel they have delivered. So, as we keep your wheels turning you are giving back to your local community too.  See website here.

Once a participating school reaches their $1,000 target / goal they can redeem product from the variety of technology, sports or literature packages on offer. It’s that simple. The more people involved and nominating a school the sooner they will be rewarded.

We notify the schools every three months of their progress towards reaching their goals.

Fern have also just launched their Bali or Banff Promotion and it’s a win win for both our school and you, their customers! Every time a participating customer purchases 100L of bulk fuel through Fern, not only does our school receive 50 cents, but now you, the customer, is also entered into the draw to win a $10,000 holiday voucher!

Come on down this Saturday 9th August from 8:15am and support our future All Blacks and Black Ferns. Sausage sizzle and drinks available to purchases (Eftpos will be available)

Waikato Hockey are putting on an Under 10 Taster Session for new players to come along and have a go at this exciting sport. It is on Thursday 4th September, 4pm to 5pm at Gallaghers Hockey Centre for the fee of $20.
 
Click the link to register for the U10 Hockey Taster Session or email Ella, who runs the program, ella@waikatohockey.org.nz.
You are welcome to email Christina at hockey@tekowhai.school.nz for more information

 

Waikato District Council is calling on all members from across its communities to step up, speak out, and enrol to vote ahead of the 2025 local government elections.

 

Waikato Chief Executive Craig Hobbs says that enrolling to vote is the first step towards making sure the voices of your community are heard and represented in Council.

 

“If you’re not enrolled, then you can’t vote and if you don’t vote, you won’t be able to have a say in who represents the wants and needs of your community for generations to come.

 

“It’s your future we’re talking about, and enrolling gives you a chance to shape a future that reflects the things that matter most to you, so we need all generations to come together to be part of that koorero.”

 

Anyone living in the Waikato district who are 18 years or older can vote, so if you’ve never voted before or are not sure that you’re eligible, now is the time to check.

 

Enrolling is easy and only takes a few minutes. Simply head to vote.nz to check your details or to enrol online, update your information if you’ve moved or changed your name, and submit your enrolment before 1 August.

 

To learn more or get help enrolling, visit vote.nz or call 0800 36 76 57.

 

Don’t sit this one out. Your tick starts here - Click to enrol to vote

Hamilton Book Month runs throughout August and has four panels, five writing workshops, a film premiere about Dame Fiona Kidman, two author talks, a lit pub quiz and book battle, a blokes' book club and a poetry in the galleries event in their August line-up. Most events are free or low cost though some require registration via the website Hamilton Book Month | Authors | Hamilton, New Zealand

 

Last year their workshops filled fast so if you are keen to upskill this August with best-selling authors, register quickly! There's feature writing with Venetia Sherson, fiction with Ockhams winner and IIML director Damien Wilkins, bookbinding with Natalie Coats, historical fiction with Monty Soutar, creating complex characters with crime writer Charity Norman and storytelling for the screen with Michael Bennett. They're $30 each and you register via the website.

 

Free Friday night panels with no need to register:

newswomen Public Faces, Private Stories | 2025 (Alison Mau, Susie Ferguson, Diana Wichtel and Venetia Sherson), 

fiction panel  Guilt, Freedom & Delirium | 2025 (Catherine Chidgey, Carl Shuker and Damien Wilkins)

historical fiction Bringing the Past to Life Panel | 2025 (Monty Soutar, Deborah Challinor, Tina Shaw) and

crime fiction Crime Stories as Home Truths panel | 2025(Charity Norman, Michael Bennett and Claire Baylis) 

 

You might also be interested in hearing Peter Sergel talk about his book The Time Traveller's Guide to Hamilton Gardens on Thursday 21 August The Time Traveller's Guide Talk | 2025 and celebrating National Poetry Day at the museum with the Poetry in the Galleries event Poetry in the Galleries | 2025

 

Look out for Hamilton Book Month brochures in cafes, bookshops and libraries. 

Our school Ag Day will be held on Saturday, 18th October 2025. 

Now is the time to start looking for a calf. Calves must be born between 1 June 2025 - 16 September to be eligible for Ag Day. Lambs and goats need to be born between 1 July 2025 16 September 2025. 

Follow 'Hamilton North Agricultural Group' on Facebook for more information about raising your animal. You can also Click the link for further Information about raising animals and what is required for Ag Day, housed on our school website.

Click the link to order your child/rens Te Kōwhai School school branded clothing. The next order needs to be in by Sunday, 3rd August.  Feel free to communicate with the team by emailing:    pta@tekowhai.school.nz

If you’re interested in buying or selling quality second-hand school clothing, you can join our dedicated Facebook group:

 
You can now purchase clothing labels directly from STUCK ON YOU for our awesome school branded clothing. It’s an easy way to support our school while keeping track of your kids’ gear. Check it out!

Terms 4 and 1 require all Students to wear hats, to protect from the sun during break times.

The 2025 Term Dates are as follows:

At the May 21st 2025 School Board meeting the following dates were approved:

Please note - this is subject to change and does not take into consideration Staff Only Days.