Newsletter 14 August 2025

Kia ora TPS whānau                                  Like us

Principal’s Message: 

As we reach the middle of Term 3, it’s incredibly rewarding to see our students’ continued dedication to their learning goals. Their focus and commitment are truly evident throughout the school, and we’re so proud of the progress they’re making.

We understand that there’s a fair amount of sickness circulating at the moment, and we appreciate your ongoing efforts to keep children home when they are unwell. This really helps us to minimise the spread of illness within our school community. Thank you for your continued cooperation in promoting good hygiene practices and ensuring the well-being of all our students and staff.

Important: Afternoon learning on Thursday 28 August

On Thursday 28 August, several of our teachers will be attending a Paid Union Meeting from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

This means that the afternoon’s learning program will be different from our usual schedule. Students who remain at school will be supervised by a few staff members. Children may be grouped in mixed-level classes and combined in the hall, and the learning activities will be adjusted to a supervised format rather than their regular classroom program.

If you would prefer to pick up your child early, you can do so at 1:00 PM on this day.

Curiosity in Motion: Save the date! Tuesday 9 September

Get ready to be amazed! We are thrilled to announce “Curiosity in Motion”, a special afternoon event showcasing our child’s incredible learning in Science and Technology. Our students are busy preparing to share their amazing projects and discoveries with you. It is an afternoon you won’t want to miss!

More details about this exciting event will be coming your way soon.

3 Way (parent, teacher, student) Conferences:

Just a reminder these are next week, Wednesday and Thursday. If you have not yet booked a time with your child’s teacher yet, please do so as soon as possible. You can book via Hero School Bookings, or call the office team for assistance. We encourage you all to attend.

School Cross Country:

Our annual cross country event will be held on Friday 22 August. Each race will be within the whānau groups. Kiwi, Tūī and Kererū – details will be shared via Hero.

Kererū speech success!

We were very impressed by the outstanding quality of our students’ speeches and their confidence during the Kererū presentations. We’re so proud of their high standards in both writing and oral delivery!

It was a tough decision, but Emma and Austin were chosen to represent us at the cluster finals at Kristin School. A huge congratulations to both for their exceptional speeches.  A special shout-out to Austin, who won the entire cluster competition with his spoken word piece! He’ll now compete in the Auckland finals. TPS has a great track record in speech competitions, and we’re thrilled to have another student heading to the Auckland championships! 

“I would like to commend the teachers as to the incredibly high standard seen at the speeches this morning. I belong to Toastmasters, and there are only a few adults who can speak so beautifully, eloquently and without “ums” and “ahhs” during speeches as those children did this morning!” Parent of a year 6 student

A gentle reminder about jewellery at school:

We’ve had a few instances recently where jewellery has gone missing or been broken at school. More importantly, wearing jewellery isn’t practical or safe during the physical activities that are part of our school day.

To help keep our students and their belongings safe, we are asking that jewellery be kept at home. If students wear earrings, they should be simple studs only. We appreciate your support with this!

IMPORTANT SCHOOL COMMUNITY GROUP (SCG) NEWS:

The SCG is looking for new members to step into the roles of Chair, Secretary and Treasurer as the current team finishes up. The SCG organises some of the events we all love like Pizza Day, Sushi Fridays, Discos and the Quiz Night. Without new people, some of these may not happen in 2026. Questions welcome – email scg@tps.school.nz

School Policies:

Each term, the whole school community is invited to review and comment on specific policies and procedures. This feedback is captured using the review button on topics that are under review. The review topics for each term are listed on the Current Review and Review Instructions page.

General Feedback:

At any time, members of the school community can send general feedback on a topic to the school by clicking the green feedback button on the top right of the page.

Schooldocs:

Username: takapunaprimary

Password: deedsnotwords

Are you ready to make a difference? Train to be a teacher with us in 2026

The Teachers’ Institute’s Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching (Primary, School-based) offers you the chance to gain teacher registration in just one year, while learning hands-on at our school every day. This programme is perfect for anyone considering a career change, returning to work after a break, or even after an OE.

Pay no tuition fees for the year. For more information, visit teachersinstitute.org.nz

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

Term 3 Board Meeting: Monday 1 September: email takapunaboard@tps.school.nz  for further information

3 Way (parent, teacher, student) Conferences: Bookings available for Wed 20 and Thurs 21 August

Wheels, Pizza & non-uniform: Thursday 18 September

Last day of term 3: Friday 19 September

Regards, Devika & the TPS Team

3 Way Conferences: NEXT WEEK

Book NOW, using Hero “School Bookings”

Wednesday 20 August from 3:30pm to 7:00pm

OR

Thursday 21 August from 3:30pm to 5:30pm

ESOL:

Students attending ESOL lessons with Tash Giles will be able to visit their ESOL class and students can show their families the areas of focus and learning. This will be available from 3:30pm to 5:30pm on Thursday. This is not a conference and there is no need to book.

Te Ao Māori:

Students attending lessons with Kipa will be able to visit their Te Ao Māori classroom to show their families the areas of focus and learning. This will be available from 3:30pm to 6:00pm on Wednesday and 3:30pm to 5:30pm on Thursday. This is not a conference and there is no need to book.

Please note: SHORT TERM International Students do NOT need to book a conference. These are not included in our Short Term International Student Program.

School Board Elections 2025 – Takapuna Primary School

Voting Now Open

Voting in our School Board elections has started and you are now able to vote in the election.

We have had 13 nominated for 5 spaces for parent representatives on the Takapuna Primary School Board. We have appointed an Election Pilot as the Returning Officer for the election, and you will be receiving voting information directly from them.

Everyone who is eligible to vote in the election will receive voting instructions on how you can vote, as well as the candidate statements and photos that have been provided. 

If you have any questions about the election process, please contact the Returning Officer directly on 0800 VOTENZ (0800 868 369) or election@electionpilot.nz.

Don’t leave it to the last minute

Elections close at 4:00pm on

Wednesday 10th September.

Kapa Haka:

Are you a Facebook and Social Media Expert?

Takapuna Primary School Alumni Network needs your help!

TPS recently launched an alumni group on Facebook. We’re just in the beginning stages and we need someone who can assist with the growth of the group by attracting members. The objectives of the TPS Alumni Network are:

• Build a database of TPS alumni
• Develop connections with TPS’s current staff and students
• Enhance current students’ understanding of TPS’s history
• Offer fundraising opportunities for alumni to invest so TPS can continue its high-quality educational standards
• Promote TPS’s brand in the community
• Host alumni events
• Begin the path towards TPS’s 150th reunion in 2029
• Create an online archive of TPS class photos, memorabilia etc.

Please join the Facebook group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/666338743056767

If you would like to assist by helping us develop the Facebook group, please contact us at alumni@tps.school.nz

The time commitment is approx 1-2 hours per month.

Thank you.
TPS Board of Trustees

Year 6 Leavers:

If you have not already completed the transition document (on Hero), notifying us as to which Intermediate School your child will be moving to, please contact the school office at office@tps.school.nz  now.

YEAR 6 – ORDER YOUR LEAVERS HOODIE NOW!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

ORDERS CLOSE FRIDAY 22 AUGUST

LEAVER HOODIES ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR SHORT TERM INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS.

Updating Contact Details:

If you have moved to a new address, changed your email or contact phone numbers, it is important to update us by email

office@tps.school.nz

SCHOOL DONATIONS – an investment in our students

Our mission at Takapuna Primary School is to deliver a great quality learning environment that supports a quality education. To support this, we are seeking your help.

Your school donations make a very real difference to us as a state-funded public school. Our basic costs are met by the Ministry of Education, but it’s the money we receive from our school community that really allows us to provide opportunities, equipment and teaching beyond what is funded by the government. As an example, we would like to undertake further enhancements including sun shades, and also to enable wet weather use. This funding is therefore so important in providing a high-quality learning environment (both in and out of the classroom).

The school donation for 2025 is $250 per student, or $400 for families with two or more students. We can arrange weekly, fortnightly, or monthly instalments via internet banking if this helps spread the cost. Importantly, donations are tax deductible so approximately one third of every donation can be claimed back as a tax credit. That means for a $250 donation you receive $83 back in your wallet. Your actual donation cost is just $167.

To make your donation payments please go to the ‘Hero’ app and click on the ‘Finance’ tab. Alternatively, any payments can also be made directly into the school bank account 12 3026 0792484 00 – if doing so, please ensure you include your child’s name and ‘donation’ as reference on the payment.

We do understand these are uncertain times and managing financial priorities can be difficult for some families. 

Any queries regarding payments can be directed to our accounts team: accounts@tps.school.nz

If you would like to know more about how the School Board operates, and/or would be interested in understanding how else you can help, please contact: takapunaboard@tps.school.nz 

For Takapuna School Board information and meeting dates:

https://www.tps.school.nz/bot/

Thanks so much for helping to support our growing and vibrant community.

Kindest regards

Takapuna Primary School Board 

History of Takapuna Primary School

(since 1879)

This is a picture of the library in the 1970’s. It used to be located where the office is now.

There were no computers in the 1970’s, they were not invented yet. Books were lent out using a card which was kept in the back of the book. A return date was written on the card.

Clothing donations needed

If you have any spare school uniform, boys/girls underwear or navy blue/black socks, we would appreciate these to use as spare clothes for the Sick Bay.

TPS SPORTS

School Cross Country organisation-  Cross Country will be held on Friday 22 August, Week 6. Please mark this in your whanau diary and come along to support your child.

Each whanau group requires Course Marshalls (you will be given a spot on the course so the runners can run towards you and you direct them to their next running point). Please email sports@tps.school.nz with your name and whanau group OR tell your child’s classroom teacher.

Tui / Kiwi whanau – Start time will be approx 12:00pm at Killarney Street Park. More details will be posted on HERO App. Parent helpers will meet at the school at 11:30am by the flagpole.

Kereru whanau– Start time will be approx 2:00pm at Killarney Street Park. More details to come on HERO App.

Jumping June prizes have been ordered

ALL TPS fundraisers have now selected their prizes and the orders have been placed. The prizes will arrive at TPS school by Week 8 and they will be distributed to each class for students to take home. Thanks for supporting the Heart Foundation and your patience.

Win a share in 220k worth of sports prizes!

We are collecting these stickers from Yummy apples. When your sheet is full of Yummy           stickers return it to school and we will give you another sheet. If you buy bags of apples, there is a special sheet for you. You can get more sheets from the office. These stickers are being collected until the end of the term. By collecting these Yummy stickers we are able to get sports equipment for our Tāmariki to use during morning tea and lunchtimes. For more information see here. 

TPS Team Reflections

TPS Netball – Next week is the final week for Winter netball for our four TPS netball teams.

Year 3 & 4 – 18^th August is your last night and ONLY Year 3 can dress up. Year 4 no dress up as they playing competition games.

Year 5 & 6 – 20^th August is your last night of netball games.

Takapuna Tornadoes  had a fabulous game on 6th August and won 19-8 against St John’s.

Takapuna Super Shooters  have had a great term 3 with 3 wins and one loss. The team have worked really hard on their defence and pivoting skills resulting in a much faster pace and with more accuracy.

Takapuna Sunflowers  have been focussing on their passing, defense and moving into the space.

Takapuna Sunflowers

Takapuna Tornadoes

Takapuna Super Shooters

TPS Basketball – Semester Two began last night on Tuesday 12th August (Yr2-4 league) with Takapuna Stars and Takapuna Slam Dunks playing their first grading game. Tonight Takapuna Alley Oops and Takapuna Hawks play their first game and we wish you all the best and have lots of fun!!

Takapuna Stars –  First game of the season done and dusted and it was brilliant to see the team working well together and uplifting each other. Thank you to Coach Adrian from North Harbour Basketball for your training as the learnt skills are reflective.

Takapuna Slam Dunks – Had a 100% team effort and a win to match.

TPS Students in Action

In Week 5 we have had so many sporting opportunities for our TPS learners ; cross country training, TPS run club, rippa rugby festival, TFC football programme, bike track, Msports rippa rugby after school programme, Coach Adrian for basketball.

TFC Schools Programme
Our local Takapuna Football Club is running football skills at our school. Sign your child up to a fun, energetic, and skills-focused 6-week journey on Tuesday mornings 7:45am-8:30am at TPS football field. The morning sessions started on 12th August and go until 9th September. Please sign up here  

Touch Rugby Registrations are open for Term 4.

THE COMPETITION

There are two Local Touch Junior Modules – Monday afternoon and Thursday afternoon.

Divisions are:

Mondays: Year 1&2: Mixed, Boys, Girls*

Mondays: Year 3&4: Mixed, Boys, Girls

Mondays: Year 5&6: Mixed, Boys, Girls

Thursdays: Year 1&2: Mixed, Boys, Girls*

Thursdays: Year 3&4: Mixed, Boys, Girls

Thursdays: Year 5&6: Mixed, Boys, Girls

*If not enough Year 1&2 Girls teams for a grade, they will be placed in Mixed grade.

▪ Mixed teams must include a minimum of 3 girls on the field at all times (and a minimum of 4 girls registered).

▪ All teams play right through until the last week, whether their grade has semi’s and finals, or just a straight round robin.

▪ The Year 1 & 2 Competition play on a half touch field.

Venue:

▪ Mondays: We have applied for Sunnynook Park for the Monday competition.

▪ Thursdays: We have applied for Sunnynook Park for the Thursday competition

If your child is interested in playing for TPS in this Touch Module please register here

Takapuna Tennis Club LOVE TENNIS

open day Sunday 7 September

10:00am to 2:00pm

5 Bracken Avenue

Try out tennis for FREE. Rackets supplied, free sausage sizzle, mini coaching sessions, games and giveaways for kids and adults.

Discounts for new members.

If you’re keen to get your kids into tennis this summer, this is the perfect opportunity to see what your local club has to offer.

https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/310222

MATHS CORNER

Maths Week: 

This week we celebrated Maths Week. Throughout the week, student leaders assisted with a range of breaktime activities. There was a daily maths challenge competition and even a daily dose of maths humour!

At the end of the week, visiting teachers will join some of our teachers to participate in a maths professional learning day. All part of our goal to ensure our tamariki are receiving engaging and educational maths learning opportunities.

IMPORTANT DATES

Wednesday 20 August      3 Way Conferences 3:30pm – 7:00pm (book on HERO)

Thursday 21 August          3 Way Conferences 3:30pm – 5:30pm (book on HERO)

Friday 22 August               Cross Country

Monday 1 September       Term 3 Board Meeting

Thursday 18 September   Pizza, wheels & non uniform day

Friday 19 September         End of Term 3

Monday 6 October            Beginning of Term 4

Wednesday 8 October      2026 out of zone applications close (yr 1 & 2 ONLY)

Tuesday 2 December         Graduation (Year 6) details to come…

Click here for School Calendar

2025 Term Dates

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Takapuna Primary School is a Mitey school. Mitey is a Sir John Kirwan Foundation initiative and is an evidence-based approach to teaching mental health education in schools. You can see Mitey in action here.

Mitey is provided free to all schools and relies on the generosity of our communities to support its great work. The East Coast Bays Football Club is holding a charity weekend on 22-23 August 2025 to raise awareness and funds for Mitey.

Sir John Kirwan is speaking at the clubrooms on Friday night which you are all welcome to attend. On Saturday there is a charity game day and an online auction.  Check out the details at https://ecbafc.nz/mitey-and-sir-john-kirwan-foundation-charity-weekend.

It would be wonderful for our community to come out in support of Mitey!”

Year 6 Leavers

PLEASE NOTE: Takapuna Normal Intermediate School in zone applications need to be completed by Wednesday 27 August 2025.