MBS Paanui Newsletter Term 3 Week 5

MBS PAANUI – NEWS

‘Together we care, we learn, we succeed’

‘Aroha, Ako, Angitu’

Term Three – Week 5 – Issue 9

Student Inquiry Theme 2025

 ‘Ko wai ahau?’

‘Who am I?

Term 3 Curriculum Focus Area

The Arts – Dance, Music, Drama, Visual Art

Concept: The Artist in me!

Inquiry Statement 

‘Creating Artists to share a message

for the next generation to come’

Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka

Tonga Language Week

17th – 23rd August 2025

Theme: ‘Ko ‘etau lea, ko e fe’unu mahu’inga ia ki he mo’ui ‘a e Tonga’ – Our language is a vital strand of our Tongan Culture’

OUR WHY?

Why do we celebrate Tonga Language Week at Maangere Bridge School?

• There are 8.83% (31 out of 351) students who identify first ethnicity as Tongan
• There are 39.03% (137 out of 351 students)who identify as Pacific Islands
• We are proud to have a teacher at MBS who is of Tongan Heritage. 
• The People of Tonga identify with the richness of their language, culture, values and beliefs which align with our school values ‘Kaitiakitanga’ Guardians of our culture, heritage and identity. 
• The theme is to promote that the Tongan Language being a vital part of the Tongan culture and raising an awareness of the Tongan language.
• To involve and encourage our Tongan Families, Parents, children and staff to take part in our learning programmes. 
• To promote initiatives to maintain and grow recognition, learning and use of the Tongan language in the home, in education, work, government, media, sports, arts and the community. 
• There are historical connections between Aotearoa NZ and Tonga through the relationship of the Kiingitanga. The relationship dates back to the time of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga and Princess Te Puea Hērangi, a prominent figure in the Kiingitanga. Te Puea, a leader in the Kiingitanga, fostered connections with other Pacific nations, incuding Tonga, in th emid-20th Century. These relationships continue to be strengthened today. 

NEW DATE!

Tonga School Assembly 

Tuesday 26th August 11 am 

Term 3 2025

Calendar Dates

18th – 22nd August – Tonga Language Week – Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka

NEW DATE FOR TONGA SCHOOL ASSEMBLY – TUESDAY 26TH AUGUST 11 am – 12 pm 

20th August – MBS Community Maaori Hui 6 pm (For all Maaori whaanau/families)

21st – 22nd August – Te Hiaroa Marae Noho 

23rd August – End of Netball Season Celebration and Prize Giving 

27th August – NZEI Staff Paid Union Meeting – Students can be picked up at 1 pm. Students who remain behind will be supervised till 3 pm in the auditorium. 

27th August – Community Pasifika Fono 6 pm (For all Pacific Island families)

1 – 5 September – NZ Chinese Language Week 

3rd September – MBS Community Hui 6 pm (For all MBS Families)

3rd September – Rugby Tackle Zones

4th September – SCHOOL FUN RUN 

4th September – Board Meeting 6 pm 

5th September – Rugby Tackle Zones ‘Save Date’

8th September – Basketball (Date to be confirmed)

9th September – PTA Hui 6 pm 

10th September – ELECTION DATE (Triennial School Board Elections 2025)

11th September – New Entrant Visits 9 – 10.30 am 

NEW DATES FOR SCHOOL PRODUCTION

Wednesday 10th September – School Production ‘Ko Wai Au?’ (Show One) 

Thursday 11th September – School Production ‘Ko Wai Au?’ (Show Two)

15th September – Accept Postal Votes (Triennial School Board Elections 2025)

15th – 19th September – Te Wiki o Te Reo Maaori Language Week

MBS will not be putting in a team this year for ‘Ka-o-rahi

16th September – New Entrant Visits 9 – 10.30 am 

16th September – Count Votes (Triennial School Board Elections 2025)

17th September – Board takes office (Triennial School Board Elections 2025)

18th September – New Entrant Visits 9 – 10.30 am

19th September – Newsletter – Highlights and Term 4 Calendar Dates

19th September – Last day of Term 3 – SCHOOL FINISHES AT 1 PM 

(Triennial School Board Election Dates 2025)

(Please check the School Website for all Calendar dates)  

NZEI Paid Union Meeting

Wednesday 27th August 

MBS Staff Union Members will attend the meeting at 1.30 pm

Students can be picked up from school at 1 pm. Students who remain back at school will be supervised in the auditorium till 3 pm.  

Ngaa mihi

IMPORTANT – NEW DATES!

SCHOOL PRODUCTION 

Wednesday 10th September

Thursday 11th September

Both shows start at 6 pm @

Maangere Arts Centre 

(More information about Ticket sales to come)

Tumuaki/Principal Message

Welcome, Nau mai, Haere mai, Afio mai!

New Whaanau and Students in Term 3 

We welcome all of our new whaanau and students who started at the beginning of Term 3. We hope your child has enjoyed the first 5 weeks of learning at Maangere Bridge School.

In Room 1 Slater TOGIAMANA, Maia ELLIS- NOVOA and Billy SMITH. Room 3 Saffron ASPINALL, Room 4 Saili SALEVAO, Room 7 Araiyah YOUNG and Praise MAKAMU. In Room 14 Jeremiah TAUTALASO’O and Blessing MAKAMU and in Maunga Pikitea Andrew PAPALI’I-CURTIN

We look forward to our new students and whaanau who will be starting in Week 6 Term 3. 

Malo e lelei and Happy Tonga Language Week ‘Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka

We look forward to celebrating Tonga Language Week with some amazing lunchtime activities by Ms Thompson, our students practising items for the Tonga Language Week Assembly held on Tuesday 26th August at 11 am for our parents to attend and the opportunity for our staff, students and Tongan Whaanau to share the importance of the Tongan Language being a vital part of their culture. Whaea Princess who is our Pasifika Leader, Whaea Luana and Matua Jim will be supporting our students with learning a range of Tongan dances. We invite our Tongan families to also share your knowledge of the Tongan culture if available. Malo Aupito.

School Production

Over the past 5 weeks our students have been involved in learning new songs, waiata and dance in preparation for our School Production and we are excited to present ‘Ko Wai Au?’ The Adventure of Kia Maia which will be held at the Maangere Arts Centre on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th September. The story is based on Kia Maia who is about to emark on an adventurous journey finding out ‘Ko Wai Au?’ ‘Who am I?’. We have a main cast of actors and all of our tamariki participating in a range of ways. We look forward to parents and whaanau coming along to see our students perform through dance, drama, music as part of The NZ Arts Curriculum. 

Samoan Bilingual Unit

On behalf of the Board I am very excited to announce the opening of our first Pacific Bilingual Unit at Maangere Bridge School. After a very long journey of planning, ongoing talanoa and reporting to the Board, Meetings with The Ministry of Education and networking with other Principals leading Pacific Bilingual Units we are very pleased to inform our families that we will be opening a Samoan Bilingual Unit starting with one vasega/classroom at the beginning of Term 1 2026. The Board have approved the Implementation Plan as part of our School Strategic Goals supported and guided by Elizabeth Keresoma from the Ministry of Education who has helped other schools to set up Pacific Bilingual Units.  We will be having a Pasifika Fono for all Pacific Island families on Wednesday 27th August at 6 pm and gathering an Expression of Interest from our families with a priority for our Samoan families if they would like their child to be enrolled in the Years 1 – 3 class. The school will be prioritising our new entrants (students starting school at the age of 5 years old). Over the next few months we will be sharing more information and updates. If you are interested can you please email Bernicem@mangerebridge.school.nz We would like to acknowledge all of our MBS families who have shared their aspirations to set up a Samoan Bilingual Unit and would like to thank you for your patience and ongoing support. Fa’afetai tele lava. 

Teacher Only Day 

The Board have approved for the school to be closed for instruction on Friday 24th October (Labour Weekend) where all staff will participate in Professional development with an ongoing focus implementing the Refreshed NZ Mathematics Curriculum and also understanding Neurodiversity where our students experience and think differently about the world around them. We would like to thank our school community, parents/caregivers and whaanau as we understand that you will need to organise and make other arrangements for your child on that day.  

MBS Way and School Values 

We ask parents and whaanau to please remind your children about our school values ‘Kotahitanga, Manaakitanga, Kaitiakitanga and Rangatiratanga’ when they come to school. We have noticed an increase of inappropriate behavior that is impacting on student’s learning, wellbeing and safety. As a school we take these matters very seriously following our school behaviour management processes to ensure we address concerns from parents and whaanau in a timely manner. We appreciate the partnership with our whaanau with the aim for all students to feel safe, have a sense of belonging and to succeed in their learning.

Attendance

Our goal is to achieve 80% regular attendance at MBS which is for every child to attend 90% of the time at school. Although there has has been a shift according to our Final Everyday Matters Report at the end of Term 2 with 51% of our students showing regular attendance in comparison to 2024 with only 47% we can do better as a school.  By 2026 Term 1 all schools must have an Attendance Management Plan  followed by the NZ Government’s Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) system and the Ministry’s Every Day Matters Framework. (Please see below the Term 2 Summary Everyday matters report) If your child is away sick or for other reasons please contact the school office.  We have a team of staff who support students and work closely alongside whaanau to ensure students are attending school regularly. 

Overall it has been a very busy term so far and we were delighted to have ‘The Life Education Caravan Trust and Harold the Giraffe’ return to MBS teaching our tamariki in Years 1 – 3 about feelings and emotions, how we act towards others and in Years 4 – 6 learning about how we can work with others in a group or team. Some of the class refurbishment projects  have been completed in Piiwaiwaka and are looking bright and brand new. I had the pleasure of teaching in Room 1 and enjoyed working with the students in their new refurbished classroom. Thank you parents for your patience with all the changes in the school and using the correct pathway for health and safety reasons. Matua Bo our caretaker has been amazing setting up safe walkways for our staff, tamariki and whaanau. We look forward to the next 5 weeks celebrating Tonga Language Week, School Fun Run, Te Hiaroa Noho Marae and our Community Hui and Fono. Malo Aupito. Fa’afetai tele lava, Ngaa mihi nui

Fetaia’ioaiga Bernice Mata’utia

Term 3 Highlights 

Board Paanui

The Board is pleased to welcome our new staff representative Aileen Jack who has been
returned unopposed for the current and next terms of the School Board. We look forward to
her sharing staff perspectives with the Board.

Nominations for the School Board elections are in and we are thrilled that 11 people have
put their names forward. Some schools struggle to get enough nominations so it’s a real
testament to how connected our whānau feel to the school that so many people are keen to
get involved. Now the whole school community gets a chance to vote. Candace Nicholson
our returning officer will be sending out the Board papers soon and sending regular
reminders to vote before the closing date of 10 September. Candace also hopes to organise
an online hui so all the candidates can introduce themselves to the school community.

At our latest Board meeting we were pleased to receive a report from our Deputy Principals
Matua Haki and Mrs Tolfilau on the mid-year achievement data. We heard about the work
the teachers have been doing to implement structured literacy and the new maths curriculum and that Te Hiaroa has implemented a formative assessment model to support students to engage in their learning goals.

The Board approved setting up a working group to review the use of AI and digital devices in
our school and a group to formalise our relationship with the PTA fundraising group.
The Board is thrilled to have signed off an implementation plan for the establishment of a
Samoan Bilingual Unit within the school and we hope that we receive enough enrolments to
enable this to open in 2026. Please contact the Principal Mrs Mata’utia if you are keen to
know more.

The School Pool Subcommittee met and will be presenting an update to the Board at the
next meeting. At present work is being done to upgrade the pool cover ready to open the
pool for swimming during term 4. The main work has been delayed until 2026 due to the
major renovations happening elsewhere in the school this year. In term 4 we will be seeking
community input for designing our pool area and raising the $100,000 needed for the
structural work that is required to maintain our 70 year old pool.

Our next Board meeting is at 6pm on Thursday 4 September.

Nicola Owen

Presiding Member

Reminder: Triennial School Board Elections 2025

Election Date

Wednesday 10th September

Candace Nicholson our Returning Office will be organising an online hui for the candidates to share about themselves to the school community. If you have any questions please email the returning officer. 

School Fun Run

Thursday 4th September 

Thank you Parents and Whaanau for the donaations made so far towards our School Fun Run Fundraiser. We appreciate your support and look forwrd to our students participating in the Fun Run on Thursday 4th September. See Whaea Jenny if you have any questions. 

Te Hiaroa Whaanau 

Marae Noho Hootaka

Thursday 21st – Friday 22nd August 2025

Te Hiaora Whaanau 

Maunga Pikitea 

Greetings to you, the families of Maunga Pikitea.
These children are giving their all to learning, laughing, singing, and making their dreams come true. Although this section is full of many topics, these students continue to work hard in their classrooms and outside of the classroom. It is an honor to teach these children and to see them achieve all of their goals. To the students of Maunga Pikitea, I would like to thank you. I am honored and humbled to see you grow and succeed.
The bird that eats cotton, owns the forest.

The bird that eats knowledge, owns the world.”

Te Ara Puueru

Te Pane o Mataoho

Sustainability Paanui/News

Each Friday we have Outdoor Maths (OM), depending on the weather.  At Outdoor Maths we planned how many plants we need to plant in each garden bed outside the Piwaiwaka area. The students designed and estimated how much compost to mix with the topsoil. They loved digging and counting the shovelful into the wheelbarrows. The squealing and screaming sounds of excitement when they discovered hidden “treasures” aka worms inside the soil was phenomenal. 

PTA Paanui/Notices

Thanks to whaanau support, our school PTA has successfully held several events since the beginning of the year and raised in the region of $20K so far! The goal of the PTA is not just fundraising, but also connecting the school to our community. As you have seen, we are actively fundraising for a project that benefits not only our tamariki but the wider community. Our current fundraising project is the restoration of the school pool, which has an estimated cost of $100k.

I want to acknowledge the current core PTA group. These parent volunteers spend hours of their time organising and making sure our school events are fun.

We are always looking for new whaanau to join our PTA, either as part of the core group of organisers or as a regular helper for our events. If you would like to find out any further information, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at jasmineh@mangerebridge.school.nz

Library Paanui/News

Important Reminder Notice

School Finishes at 1 pm

Last day of Term 3

Friday 19th September 

Piiwaiwaka Whaanau

Years 1 – 3

Ruma Tahi – Rm 1

This term has been full of exciting events and special moments for Room 1. We enjoyed hosting our assembly, visiting the Life Education van and meeting Harold the Giraffe. Watching the amazing girls from Room 1 perform a beautiful dance for Cook Islands Language Week was one of the highlights for this term so far. In week 6 we are also saying goodbye to some of our friends who are moving up to older classes. We wish them all the best in their new adventures. At the same time, we are excited to welcome new friends to Room 1 and look forward to learning and having fun together.

Ruma Rua – Rm 2

Bula everyone! We’re excited to be back in our beautifully renovated room from Week 2 of this term. During this time, our students had the opportunity to engage in Life Education, where they explored and learned about different emotions. The nga tamariki also enjoyed a creative play session with Duplos generously donated by the Kindness Collective given by Whaea Rose, allowing them to express their imagination and creativity. We are truly grateful for this thoughtful contribution.

Ruma Toru – Rm 3

Ruma Wha – Rm 4

Ruma Rima – Rm 5

This week we invited our soft toys to join us in the library. We had fun hiding them for our friends to look for them. This was a fun activity where we had to look for our friend's
soft toys, hiding around the library. After a long day filled with fun, they had a sleepover with
their friends.

Ruma Ono – Rm 6

Kia Orana, Room 6 have been learning with Whaea Kathy and have enjoyed participating in the Cook Island festivities held this term as well as learning more about the culture and langauge during ‘Kia Orana Day’.  Room 6 also spent time with Harold the Giraffe visiting the Life Education Caravan and talking about how to manage emotions. We look forward to Whaea Aileen coming back to school next week and supporting her tamariki who are excited about the School Production ‘Ko Wai ahau!’. Meitaki Ma’ata. 

Ruma Whitu – Rm 7

Fakalofa atu from Room 7! We’re making the most of our cosy temporary space while our classroom gets an exciting makeover. In between Reading, Maths, and Writing fun, we celebrated Cook Islands Language Week with a wonderful “Kia Orana Day”.  We also enjoyed a visit from Harold the Giraffe, learning all about managing our emotions. We’re now counting down to our Production and we hope to see you there!

Ruma Waru – Rm 8

Sports Paanui/News

Reminder Notice!

Year 6 Camp Permission and Medical Forms to be completed by Friday 29th August 

Year 6 Camp is held on Monday 13th – Wednesday 15th October.

Thank you to all of our parent helpers who will be attending the Year 6 camp. An email will be sent out with more detailed information about your role and responsibility. Ngaa mihi

We would like to ask all Year 6 parents to complete the permission and medical google form online by Friday 29th August (Week 7 Term 3). Closer to the time of camp we ask that you send through any updated or additional information to the classroom teacher. 

If you have more than one child in Year 6 we ask that you complete another form. We require one form per child. If you have any questions please contact Bernicem@mangerebridge.school.nz

Kea Whaanau

Years 4 – 6

Ruma Tekau maa Tahi – Rm 11

Kia Ora from Room 11 

This term our focus is ‘The Artist in Me’. and everyone is working towards the school production that will be in Week 9 of this term. Room 11 is teamed up with Room 14 for their production and we are working on our item practice, which forms part of the school production. This term students are enjoying Community swimming every Wednesday.

We enjoyed hosting our whole school assembly with our teina class, Room 4. The students had put in a lot of hard work to make it a success. Thank you to all our parents who attended the assembly. Finally, thank you to all Room 11 whanau for the support given towards student learning and the school.

Ruma Tekau maa Rua – Rm 12

Room 12 has been making a splash in our swimming lessons, having fun in the water while learning new skills. Our weekly Wednesday bus rides are always something we look forward to. In class, we’ve been busy working online, completing our writing and reading follow-up activities, and using helpful resources to support our learning. We have enjoyed reading our novels and reflecting on our school values. We’ve also been joining Room 13 for production practice, where we’re practising together for our exciting end-of-term showcase. We are proud of the effort and enthusiasm our class is showing in their learning.

Ruma Tekau maa Toru – Rm 13

Kia maakinakina ki uta, Warm Greetings to all our Room 13 Whanau. 

In our learning journey, we have been focusing in Pangarau with how to measure units like seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years and now, Maths Problem Solving with Financial Literacy. Tuhitihi with Persuasive Writing leading into speeches. Our first round of speeches were on Tuesday 12th Hereturikookaa, 2025. The students were prepared and nervous. I am proud of our Tauira. Kia Kaha. 

For Panui, we are focusing on reading for enjoyment and enhancing vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills. Takikupu is daily and tested every week. The students like their weekly spelling test to see their improvements and movement in their learning ability. Our production preparation has been amazing, with 4 of our children in Room 13 having accomplished 4 main cast positions. Leading the way to success. 

We have been at our Community Swimming Program weekly on Wednesday’s and that has been a splash. And Life Education with Whaea Carleen and Harold has shared some light on our emotions and how we can better deal with them. 

I am appreciative of the students who have been a part of the MBS Sports Teams so far this term and our Room 13 students who took part and performed in The MBS Cook Island Group in Term 3 Week 4. 

Nga Mihi to all Akomanga 13 whaanau for your endless support towards your child’s learning in our class. Looking forward to finishing the rest of the year and leading the way to success. Aroha, Ako, Angitu – Together we care, we learn, we succeed

Akomanga 13 & Matua Peter

Ruma Tekau maa Wha – Rm 14

Room 14 has enjoyed a very busy yet fun start to term three. In week 2 we hosted the school assembly alongside our buddy class, Room 1. We tapped into our school inquiry topic ‘The Artist in Me’ as we performed This is Me from The Greatest Showman. We enjoyed dressing up and getting into character of the mid 19th century. Our dance focus continued as we constructed and practised our dance item with Room 11, which will be presented as part of our school production later in the term. 

In week 2, Room 14 also started our Field of Dreams community swim lessons and these have quickly become a highlight of our week. Visiting Harold in the Life Education caravan to learn about feelings and personalities has also been very valuable. 

In class, we have been learning to write persuasively, read confidently with a variety of texts,  and have continued to work through our Maths No Problem programme. 

We have welcomed three new students into our class, although it seems as if they have always been a part of us. We look forward to the second half of the term and the fun learning that awaits! 

Ruma Tekau maa Rima – Rm 15

Time flies when you’re having fun! This term, Room 15 has been working hard as a whaanau, preparing for our exciting school production at the end of Term 3. We have been learning about emotional health and well-being with Harold from Life Education, exploring how to care for ourselves and support others. Our class also participated in community swimming at Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa, developing water safety skills and learning a variety of swimming styles. In writing, we have sharpened our persuasive techniques and chosen our own topics for speeches, ready to share our ideas with confidence. It’s been a busy, rewarding few weeks filled with learning, creativity, and teamwork and Room 15 is ready to finish the term on a high!

Ruma Tekau maa Ono – Rm 16

Room 16 have been learning new concepts and preparing for the MBS production at the end of the term. We have begun swimming sessions, where we are learning about water safety and improving our swimming techniques. We also visited Harold the Giraffe and learnt how our mind and body work. In writing, we are focusing on persuasive writing techniques, while in maths we are exploring multiplication, division, time, and money. We also celebrated Cook Islands Week, where we enjoyed a special performance from a few talented students in our class, who gracefully shared their dance moves. Room 16 is looking forward to seeing you at the MBS production at the end of the term!

Community Paanui/Notices

Skids After School Care

at MBS

We have Skids After school care at MBS everyday after school. If you are interested please see the office for more information. Ngaa mihi