Newsletter 4 December 2025

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Principal’s Message

Tēnā koutou,

As the final week of the school year draws to a close, it is a time for both reflection and anticipation here at Takapuna Primary. What an incredible year we have shared, filled with remarkable achievements by our ākonga.

Farewell to our Year 6 Graduates:

Tuesday night’s Graduation Ceremony was a fitting celebration for our departing Year 6 students. They leave us ready to embrace the opportunities of Intermediate School. We know they are equipped with the skills and the foundation needed to succeed in their next chapter. We wish them all the very best as they go forth and flourish.

Important Announcement: Digital devices for 2026 – BYOD changes

We are pleased to announce an enhancement to our digital learning environment for the start of the 2026 school year.

Over the past few years, thanks to careful resource management and strategic investment, Takapuna Primary has accumulated a suitable amount of school-owned Chromebooks. This means we are now in a position to ensure that every child has equitable and consistent access to a digital device when needed, without reliance on a personal device.

Therefore, effective from the start of 2026, we will be ending our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. All necessary digital learning will be conducted using school-provided equipment.

This change is supported by significant infrastructure upgrades, including:

• A major overhaul of our school Wi-Fi network to ensure fast, reliable connectivity across all learning spaces.
• The implementation of enhanced safety guards and digital content filtering to ensure a secure and monitored online learning environment for all students.

We believe this move promotes equity, consistency, and a more streamlined approach to digital citizenship.

2026 Classroom spaces:

As we prepare for the new year, please be aware of some movement regarding our physical class locations for 2026:

• Year 5 & 6: All Year 5 and 6 students will be working in the Rangitoto collaborative spaces (upstairs and downstairs)
• Year 3 & 4: These classes will be moving to the classrooms down by the admin building (Rooms 1-4) + one class next to the Library
• Year 0-2: Our youngest learners will remain in the main block, similar to the 2025 layout

Staffing update:

We are fully staffed for 2026, which is a wonderful position to be in. We are excited to have Tracy Stephen (currently in our Year 5 & 6 class) work in our Year 0/1 classroom. This is an additional class, Board funded position, to support lower class numbers and increased roll growth.

Final report published on Hero:

Your child’s end-of-year report will be accessible via Hero on Thursday 11 December. Class placements will be shared via Hero on Friday 12 December.

Meet the 2026 class:

Students will meet their 2026 teacher and new classmates on Monday 15 December.

Beach Picnic:

A recent highlight was the whole school Beach Day. It was wonderful to see our Tamariki collaborating across year levels, embracing sun safety, and enjoying the beautiful Takapuna coastline. These whole school events are crucial not just for fun, but for teaching responsibility and community engagement outside the classroom walls. Thank you to all the staff and parent volunteers who ensured the day was safe, successful, and memorable for everyone. It is also a very important historical tradition. 

Key dates and start of 2026:

1:1 Meetings – Tuesday 3 February 2026

First day of school – Wednesday 4 February 2026

Takapuna Primary Board approved Teacher Only Days:

Thursday 2 April 2026 (NB: Friday is Easter Friday followed by 2 weeks of school holidays)

Term 1

Friday 15 May 2026 (Term 2)

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

Upcoming Events and Important Dates:

Week 10: Thursday 11 December – Pizza, Wheels – non-uniform day  

Week 11: Tuesday 16 December (last day of school) 3:00pm

Regards, Devika & the TPS Team

Kapa haka:

In November this year, the year 6 Kererū kapa haka students performed at the Onepoto Festival.

They were amazing. A poi item, new haka, and action songs featured in their performance bracket. They were traditionally dressed with kapa haka uniforms, and some wore real piupiu. 

Bailey and Isla were awesome leaders this year, and led our large group of tamariki to learn more about kapa haka. 

Pizza, wheels and non-uniform day: Thursday 11 December

To celebrate the end of term, we’re holding a special SCG fundraiser where children can enjoy pizza for lunch, with morning tea also included!

Please remember to still pack a fruit or vegetable snack and a bottle of water for the day.

Order now on Kindo

(*orders close 10:00am, Tuesday 9 December)

Thanks for supporting our school community!

School Lunch orders – *closing dates

Thursday 11 December: Last day for EZ lunch orders (*pizza,wheels,non-uniform day)

Friday 12 December: Last day for Sushi orders (*order BY 9:00am Thursday 11 December)

Monday 15 December: Last day for Pita Pit orders (*no EZ lunch)

Tuesday 16 December: NO school lunch orders available

Students leaving TPS:

If your child is in year 1,2,3,4 or 5 and leaving TPS, please email office@tps.school.nz to let us know. Please include the school they will be attending and/or the area you are moving to.

Basketball Singlets Resale:

If your child is NOT playing basketball 2026 and their singlet is in great condition, you can resell back to the office for $40.00. 

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

Updating Contact Details:

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

https://www.tps.school.nz/update-student-details/

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 

Qizzle will be supplying school stationery for 2026! 

You can order now

(*link below)

Ready, Steady, Back to School! 

Eager to get a jump start on the upcoming academic year?

Your class stationery list is just a click away at schoolpacks.co.nz.

In our continuous efforts to offer only the best for our students, we’ve teamed up with Schoolpacks by Qizzle. This collaboration is designed to give your child the best educational tools and to simplify your ordering process. Ordering is simple and stress free:

Simple Search: Begin by entering our school’s name on schoolpacks.co.nz.

Select the Year/Pack: Once you’ve located our school, you can select your child’s year or
specific pack to review the stationery list.

One-Click Add: With a single click, the entire list contents are added to your shopping cart.

Swift Checkout: The platform boasts a fast, single-page checkout process, making your
experience hassle-free.

Why Choose Schoolpacks?
Effortless Shopping: Navigate Qizzle’s user-friendly platform and secure your child’s full
stationery list within moments.

Tailored Deliveries: Schedule your delivery to match your availability, even if you’re taking a
break at the bach or beach.

Support our school: Each order you place bolsters our school with rewards, enhancing the
resources available for our students.

Flexible After Pay: Opt for easy instalments, adapting to your financial convenience.
Kickstart your preparations today and set the stage for an outstanding academic year!

click here

FOUND

Please collect from the office

History of Takapuna Primary School

(since 1879)

Annual Beach Picnic

Past students from TPS have been doing this annually for over 140 years! 

These photos were taken in 1923. 

Class photo from 1955. 

TPS SPORTS

Term 4 Sports Calendar

TPS Run Club Registrations are open, register HERE

Takapuna Turbos touch rugby team – practices on Tuesday mornings 8:00am on school field

Takapuna Turbos and Takapuna Flyers – games will continue until Monday 15th December Week11

Taka Splashes – practices Wednesday lunchtime 1:10-1:45pm

A huge thank you to you all for your contribution towards the Yummy Apple Sticker promotion! As a school we were able to gain $737.00 in sports equipment for our tāmariki. We have been able to order: a new pickleball set with nets, a gutter board, netballs, basketballs and bean bags. We are so appreciative to have this new equipment.

Feel free to keep low key collecting for next year’s promotion.  Print off sheets here. A special mention to Lauren Sladen for the extra time and effort you also put into this promotion. Thanks again whānau! 

Thank you TPS Community

A huge thank you to you all for supporting our tamariki as coaches, managers, volunteer drivers, umpires and TPS spectators. With your support our tamariki competed in various sporting events throughout 2025 and it was great seeing so many tamariki participating in after school competitions and in-house sports promotions.

TPS sports calendar for 2026 is full of many opportunities for our tamariki so make sure you look out for the registrations, get involved and have fun.

Term 1 Sports Calendar 2026

Semester 1 Basketball: if you are keen, start thinking about your team. Year 5-6  Year 3-4  Year 1-2 are the grades. I will post the TPS Registrations in Term 1 Week 1, 2026

Splash Polo: if you are keen to play Splash Polo (Yr 3-6) or Newbies Splash Polo (Yr 1-3) for TPS keep an eye out for the Registration form in Term 1 Week 1, 2026

Start thinking about registering as a member of the TPS Shore to Shore team – 2025 was awesome and we raised $800.00 which went towards our Athletics Program.

Shore to Shore 5km Fun Run & Walk is back for 2026. Lock in Sunday 29th March

TPS TRYathalon is coming in Term 1 2026 – more information to follow….

TPS Teams participating in Term 4

Takapuna Super Shooters – Despite a rocky start, the TPS Super Shooters closed the season with two back-to-back wins, proving their resilience and teamwork when it counted most.

Takapuna Slam Dunks – They played in their first basketball final, and lost by only a very small margin to the TRS Fire team. Awesome effort team and big thank you to Tom for his coaching efforts.

Takapuna Tigers – Great job to the Tigers for finishing 4th in their grade. It’s been a great year of basketball! Amazing effort, perseverance and resilience!

Takapuna Flyers – Toughest game of the season and we drew 3-3. Great defense and huge improvement with lots of passing across the team on attack.

Takapuna Tornadoes –  Tremendous spring netball season for Takapuna Tornadoes winning 4 out of 5 games! 

Takapuna Stars – Congratulations team, you finished the season on a high, taking 1st place in the final with a 40-25 victory over Bayfield Pelicans. The team’s improvement and progression throughout the season has been outstanding. A real team effort, great to see inclusion and support from all of you. Big thanks to Coach Adrian and Adam for all your support. Some absolute Stars.

Takapuna Tornadoes Touch Rugby

We are having a great season of Touch!! The kids are improving every week and loving their sports.

Takapuna Alley Oops won their final game of the season! Thanks to Lauren for her fantastic coaching!

Takapuna Stars

Super Shooters

TakapunaTornadoes

                                                          Takapuna Slam Dunks

                                                               Takapuna Tigers

What are we playing at TPS

Padder Tennis is back!

Basketball is always on

                                  Handball is a favourite

                                                              TPS Run Club 2026

                                                         TPS Lunchtime Cricket

Takapuna Splashes

                                         Football fun

                                                         Learning to ride a bike

Community Sports notices

Takapuna Athletics Club

Club Night Programme
Year 0-6 athletes
Every Wednesday 5:15pm to 6:00pm
Turn up to Onewa Domain and give athletics a GO!

                                         School Holiday Program with TFC

Open Day at North Harbour Stadium 

In partnership with our tenants – North Harbour Rugby, NZ Football, Auckland FC & Moana Pasifika. It’s a family-friendly, free entry event on Sunday 7^th December, 10:00am until 2:00pm.

MATHS CORNER

IMPORTANT DATES

Thursday 11 December    Pizza, wheels & non uniform 

Monday 15 December      Meet the teacher 2026

Tuesday 16 December      Last day of school (3:00pm)

———————————

2026

Tuesday 3 February          Te Hui Whakapiri (1.1 meeting with teacher)

Wednesday 4 February     First day of Term 1 2026

Thursday 5 February         Mihi Whakatau (new families/staff) Hall 9:00am

Friday 6 February              Waitangi Day (NO school)

Click here for School Calendar

2025 Term Dates

COMMUNITY NOTICES

2026

*please note: “1:1 Te Hui Whakapiri” (15 minute meeting with teacher is on 3 February 2026)