MBS Paanui Newsletter Term 3 Week 10

MBS PAANUI – NEWS

‘Together we care, we learn, we succeed’

‘Aroha, Ako, Angitu’

Term Three – Week 10 – 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’

Tumuaki/Principal Message

Kia Ora Koutou, Ko Te Puke Otara te Maunga, Ko Tamaki Te Awa, Ko Matua Te Waka, Ko Fetafune Lautofa Toelei’u tōku pāpā, Ko Clementine Mane Achica tōku māmā, No Hamoa Ahau, Ko Mata’utia toku whānau, Ko Fetaia’ioaiga Bernice Mata’utia. Kamihi nui kia koutou, Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Kia Ora, Talofa lava, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Kia Orana, Namaste, Ni Sa Bula and warm pacific greetings!

Term 3 Highlights

We have come to the end of another term and it has definitely been a fantastic one, with events held such as our Te Hiaroa Marae Noho, Kea Speech Competition, School Fun Run, Tongan Language Week and NZ Chinese Language Week. As part of Health and Safety Assurance we were able to complete a Lock down emergency drill which was successful and our juniors did very well. We were able to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of Te Wiki o Te Reo Maaori, Maaori Language Week acknowledging the revitalization of the language and embracing the theme ‘Ake, Ake, Ake Forever language’. In early September I attended the New Zealand Principal Federation Conference held in Wellington with other School Principals across the motu as part of my Principal Professional Growth Plan. The theme was Tākina Te Hau, after these winds. It was great to network with other Principals and one of the highlights for me was the Keynote Marcus Winter ‘The Sandman’ A Maaori Artist who tells a story through creating captivating sandart. It affirmed that we as a school are providing opportunities for our students through Student Inquiry and our recent School Production where they can learn to be creative, collaborative and resilient. Other keynotes included ‘Tautai o le Moana’ who I have had the priviledge of being part of through the NZPPA. 

School Production ‘Ko Wai Au’ The Adventures of Kia Maaia’

Our Amazing School Production ‘Ko Wai au?’ The Adventures of Kia Maaia was definitely one of the highlights this term held at the Maangere Arts Centre over two nights where over 350 students performed, close to 250 whaanau who came to watch and up to 30 staff and parent helpers involved. We are very proud of all of our tamariki who participated including our main cast who were outstanding and blew us away with their talent in music, drama and the arts. It definitely was a proud moment for all parents and staff where the message ‘To be bold, be brave, be confident’ is what came through every performer who persevered, showed resilience and did their best on both nights! Kia kaha! We will be sending a link via HERO for both shows to our MBS Whaanau with guidelines on how to access and view the video filmed by Nathan Videography. We also had a photographer who captured some great pics of our students both on and off stage which we hope to share with you soon. 

Farewell Matua Jono

We farewell one of our staff members Matua Jono our Kaiako in Te Ara Puueru who played a huge role in directing the School Production as Music Director and also leading our School Kapahaka Group. We are very grateful for Matua Jono who had an impact on our tamariki in Te Hiaroa and school wide. On behalf of the Board and staff we wish him all the very best with his new journey. Ngaa mihi nui 

Community Hui/Fono/Meeting

We held School wide community hui and fono for parents/caregivers and whaanau as part of community consultation, gathering parent voice around what is important for them and needs to continue at MBS, as well as sharing the mid-year student achivement data. It was great to hear parent feedback about what we can improve on as a school in partnership with our whaanau. For our parents who were unable to attend a community survey will be sent out with the paatai/questions shared from the night. We appreciate your input and support towards the direction of the school as this is part of forming our School’s Strategic Plan. 

School Board Elections 

School Board Elections were held this year by all NZ schools as part of the Board Triennial Elections held every 3 years. It was great to have received 11 parent nominations showing the involvment of our community and their support for our tamariki’s learning. 

I would like to firstly thank and acknowledge all the candidates and those who were unsuccessful for offering your time which we value and appreciate very much. 

I would also like to acknowledge and thank two of our Board members who are not returning this term, Piki Diamond and Simon Hughes. Piki worked closely with the Board on the Strategic Plan for 2024 – 2025 that included how we as a Board give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Simon was a Presiding Member on the Board and also part of the Principal Recruitment process where I was appointed the Principal position in November 2021. Simon has also been part of projects that included the new playground build which opened in 2022. 

On Tuesday 16th September we received confirmation of the election results.

Our new board will take office effectively and I would like to congratulate those who have been elected and re-elected and who will form the Maangere Bridge School Board for September 2025 – September 2028. 

Congratulations to our newly elected members  Justis Kamu, Sarah Mariu, Mark Sapsford and re-elected Nicola Owen and Susana Guttenbeil. Please find the final election results below this notice which are required to be shared. 

Classroom Refurbishment

The Class Refurbishment for the Piiwaiwaka classes Rooms 1,2,3,4,5,6, 7 and Te Pane o Mataoho Room 19 have now been completed as per the 5 Year Property Plan. Although there has been some disruption to teachers moving to other temporary spaces including the library space, our teachers and students have been absolutely patient including Ms Bills whose Tuatara office was also used as a classroom. It is great to see our students enjoying the lovely new carpert, new autex on the walls and brand new bench spaces. The classes were blessed by both Matua Haki and Matua Tepe’a. We look forward to getting some new furniture for the classes. 

School Fun Run 

We are pleased to announce that our ‘School Fun Run’ Fundraiser raised a total of $13,200. Congratulations to Room 5 who raised the highest amount of $3,330 out of all the classrooms. We also congratulate Andrew Papali’i-Curtin a student from Maunga Pikitea in Te Hiaroa who was awarded a certificate of achievement for fundraising the highest amount of $1,231.00 on his own. The majority of funds will be going towards our junior playground markings with some new colourful markings for our students as part of play and development. There will also be funds used to support other learning activities in the school. We would like to say thank you to everyone who contributed and supported our School Fun Run. We appreciate your generosity towards our tamariki. 

Other Updates and Reminders

We have some exciting things coming up in Term 4 that include our Pohutukawa Festival organised by our amazing PTA. Our Teacher Only Day is held on Friday 24th October for staff to participate in professional development. The school will be closed for instruction according to the MOE guidelines and parents/caregivers and whaanau will need to make arrangements for their child on this day. There will be teacher strikes that are likely to happen in Term 4 as part of negotiations. We understand that the strikes may cause a disruption to student’s learning however we hope you can support our staff at this time. 

Term 3 Attendance

Our school continues to focus on ‘Attendance’ this year. The New Zealand Government’s attendance target for schools is for 80% of students to attend more than 90% of the school term by 2030. Our school target and aspirational goal for 2025 is 90% attendance for students to attend school between 80-100% with a particular focus on engaging with our Maaori and Pacific families. Unfortunately, the results from our provisional ‘Everyday Matters’ Report for Term 3 shows 44% regular attendance the same as Term 3 in 2024. Irregular absence is 28% and higher in comparison to last year which was 26%. Chronic Absence is where students are away 70% of the time. This is showing as 14% which has decreased in comparison to 17% in 2024. The main reason for absence has been illness and medical at 61% with accepted but unjustified at 14%. All school boards are required to develop and implement an Attendance Management Plan to be published online by the start of Term 1 2026. Our school currently has a draft Attendance Management Plan and this includes the process for responding to student absence and meeting the MOE requirements. We have a Pastoral team who support parents and whaanau and this includes Belle who is our Kotahitanga Whaanau Leader who will follow up with families to ensure their child is attending school using our strategies and initiatives if needed.  

Term 4 Student Inquiry

Next term we will have a new Student Inquiry focus on ‘Our Health’ using the Health and PE Curriculum Achievement objectives.

We say farewell to families/whaanau who are leaving MBS this term and wish you well as you move to new schools, thank you for your ongoing support for our staff and community. We look forward to welcoming our new students, parents and whaanau at our Poowhiri at the start of Term 4. We hope you have an enjoyable holiday break and will see you back on Monday 6th October.

Ngaa mihi nui, Fa’afetai tele lava, Fakaaue lahi

Fetaia’ioaiga Bernice Mata’uita 

End of Term 3 Highlights

Congratulations to Room 5 who raised a total of $3,330.00.

Congratulations to Andrew Papali’i-Curtin in Maunga Pikitea who raised a total of $1231.00 which was the highest amount. 

Thank you everyone for your support!

School Production

‘Ko Wai Au?’ 

The Adventures of Kia Maaia

Final School Board Election Results

Please find the final election results which are required to be shared. These were shared on HERO. 

TE WIKI O TE REO MAAORI

Maaori Language Week  

14 – 20 September 2025

Theme: Ake, Ake, Ake Forever Language

This year celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first Te Wiki o Te Reo Maaori which grew through a movement to revitalize the Maaori language. It has been celebrated in Aotearoa since 1975. Maaori became an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand in 1987.

We celebrated Te Wiki o Te Reo Maaori with our students taking part in a range of fun games and activities during lunch time. All students were encouraged to learn how to count and say the days of the week, months of the year in Maaori. Our students enjoyed ‘Find the Mystery Teacher’ and ‘Word of the Day’ at break times including BINGO with Ms Thompson in the auditorium.  It is great to see our tamariki and staff having a go at speaking Te Reo through greetings, basic commands and everyday conversation. We are pleased to also have staff including myself and whaanau who are currently taking part in Te Reo Maaori classes held in the evenings once a week at MBS. Ngaa mihi nui

Term 4 2025

Calendar Dates

6th October – Poowhiri 9 am 

6th October – Parent Workshop – More information to come soon

10th October – Welcome Back Newsletter and 2026 Calendar Dates

13th – 15th October – Year 6 Camp 

16th October – Piiwaiwaka Trip to the Auckland Zoo

17th October – Whole School Assembly Room 5

20th – 24th October – Niue Language Week 

20th October – Opening of Niue Language Week ‘Raising the Flag’ 9 am 

21st October – Cross-country Zones

23rd October – Niue Language Whole School Assembly Closing 2 pm 

23rd October – Save Day ‘Cross Country Zones’

24th October – TEACHER ONLY DAY! – School will be closed for instruction

27th October – Labour Day – Public Holiday – School Closed

30th October – NE Visits 9 – 10.30 am 

31st October – School Athletics Day 

4th November  – NE Visits 9 – 10.30 am 

5th November – Save Day School Athletics Day

6th November – NE Visits 9 – 10.30 am 

6th November – BOT Meeting 6 pm 

7th November – Welcome Newsletter

7th November – Whole School Assembly Room 12 

8th November – MBS Pohutukawa Festival – PTA 9 am – 2 pm 

10th November – Poowhiri 9 am

11th November – PTA Meeting 

17th – 21st November – Athletics Zones TBC

26th November – Student Leaders Trip ‘Rainbows End’

1st December – Kea Whaanau – Top Town ‘End of Year Celebration’

2nd December –  Whole School Prize Giving 

3rd December – NE Visits 9 – 10.30 am 

3rd December – PTA Dinner

4th December – Year 6 Graduation 9.15 – 11 am 

4th December – Year 6 Graduation Dinner 5 – 7 pm (TBC)

5th December – NE Visits 9 – 10.30 am 

5th December – Te Puea Marae Re-dedication of Marae 60th Year  – 7 am Flag Raising and Poowhiri at 11 am 

8th December – End of Year Reports sent home and Meet 2026 Classroom Teacher

8th December – Kea Whaanau Top Town – End of Year Celebration Save Date

9th December – Volunteers/Parent Helpers Thank you Morning Tea 

11th December – Last day of School Finish at 1 pm and Final Newsletter

12th December – SCHOOL HOLIDAYS START!

The School calendar will be updated according to the dates above. There are other dates that will be finalised and included in the next Newsletter from our Senior Leadership Team. 

YEAR 6 CAMP

Monday 13th – Wednesday 15th October!

Reminder Notice!

Thank you Year 6 Parents for completing your child’s Permission and Medical form. 

An email from the last Year 6 Parent Meeting will be sent with the following

* Essential Gear List to Bring

*Letter with school account details 

*Year 6 Camp Slide Show 

If you have any paatai/questions please email me.

2026

Calendar Dates

2026 Term 1 Dates

Monday 2nd February – First day of School 

Friday 6th February – Waitangi Day – School Closed 

Thursday 12th February – Whaanau/Parent Picnic 3 – 5 pm 

Thursday 19th February – Parent Information Evening 5.30 pm 

Thursday 2nd April – Teacher Only Day – School Closed for instruction

Friday 3rd April – GOOD FRIDAY – PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Term 1 School Holidays – Start Monday 6th April 2025

Friendly Reminder

TEACHER ONLY DAY!

Friday 24th October 2025

School will be closed for Instruction

The Board have approved for the school to be closed for instruction on Friday 24th October (Labour Weekend) where all staff will participate in Staff Professional development 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.  

SAVE THE DATE!

POHUTUKAWA FESTIVAL!

Saturday 8th November

PTA 

Our PTA are preparing to host the Pōhutukawa Festival this year. There will be a range of exciting activities that include bouncy castles, pony rides, delicious food stalls, face paintings, stage performances, a silent auction and so much more. The PTA will be raising funds towards renovating our school swimming pool which opened in 1955. We are pleased that our students have a swimming pool to learn the basic swimming skills which will benefit them long term as well as enjoying the lunchtime swims during the summer. We would like to thank Jasmine the PTA Chair who has been connecting with organisations to donate towards this special event. We appreciate everyones contributions and time. Ngaa mihi

Te Hiaroa Whaanau

Noho Marae

Te Hiaroa Whaanau

Maunga Pikitea Whaanau

Tēnei te mihi maioha ki a koutou, e te whānau o Maunga Pikitea. Nā tō koutou aroha me tō tautoko i te roanga o te wāhanga, kua kaha ai ā tātou tamariki ki te kawe i ngā kaupapa katoa. Kāore e taea te kī atu i te nui o taku mihi ki a koutou mō te hiki mai i a mātou i ia rā, i ia rā.

Ahakoa te tino pukumahi o ngā marama kua pahure, kua ū, kua māia tonu ngā tamariki ki te wero, ā, kua tino kitea hoki te whakatinanatanga o ngā uara o tō tātou kura mō ia kaupapa o tēnei wāhanga. He mea whakamīharo te kite i te tokomaha i eke ki ngā tūranga pai i te oma ngahau, ā, i reira rawa te manawanui me te hihiko. I mīharo hoki tō tātou noho marae – I whakapakari i te reo, i ngā tikanga me te kotahitanga o tō tātou whānau. Kāore e kore ko te whakaari kura tētahi o ngā tino kaupapa o te wāhanga, i rahi ake, i pakari ake, ā, i kawe mai i te whakahīhī nui ki te kura me ngā whānau katoa.

E kore e mimiti te mihi ki a koutou, e te whānau, mō tō koutou tautoko mutunga kore. Me mihi hoki ki ngā tauira, ngā tamariki. Nōku te tino whiwhi, te tino hōnore hoki ki te tū hei kaiako mō ēnei rangatira pakupaku.

“Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu.”

Whaea Winona

Te Ara Puueru Whaanau

Te Pane o Mataoho Whaanau

Library Paanui/Notice

It’s been another busy and exciting term in and outside the library with Room 5 keeping Whaea Rose company as renovations continue. Classes have been enjoying our ‘mobile library’ complete with some amazing new titles from the National Library and new additions purchased with our Scholastic Rewards. Early next term we are looking forward to bringing the magic of Scholastic Book Club to MBS. Keep an eye out for the catalogue and info to come. 

Presentation and Certificates

‘Soccer Zones Tournament’

Piiwaiwaka Whaanau

Years 1 – 3

Ruma Tahi – Rm 1

Room 1 has had a wonderful end to Term 3! We’ve welcomed some new children who have settled in beautifully. One of our highlights this term was the school production the tamariki thoroughly enjoyed taking part and sharing their talents.

We’re looking forward to welcoming more new friends in Term 4 and can’t wait for all the exciting summer activities to begin!

Ruma Rua – Rm 2

Term 3 has been a fantastic journey for Room 2! We kicked off the end of the term with an exciting mix of activities, including the fun run in the morning and the color run in the afternoon during Week 8. The tamariki had a blast, filled with laughter, energy, and plenty of color! In Week 9, we wrapped up the term with an incredible production that showcased the talent, creativity, and hard work of our students. It was a heartwarming experience for both tamariki and whanau, filled with pride and joy as the children performed and shared their achievements. We wish everyone a restful and enjoyable holiday, and we look forward to seeing you all back in Term 4!

Ruma Toru – Rm 3

Ruma Wha – Rm 4

Rūmā Whā welcomed new students to our class and proceeded to prepare for the school production The Journey of Kia Maia. In week 8 we all participated in the MBS Fun Run. It was a sunny day and we all dressed in our Piiwaiwaka colours. The end of Term 4 was highlighted by our performance in The Journey of Kia Maaia.

Ruma Rima – Rm 5

Ruma Ono – Rm 6

Ruma Whitu – Rm 7

Fakalofa atu!

This term Room 7 has been very busy, and we are so proud of what we achieved together! Congratulations to all our students who took part in the many events throughout the term—you all did an amazing job.

We are excited to be back in our classroom and want to thank everyone for their patience during the relocation. As we look ahead to Term 4, we can’t wait to explore more exciting learning opportunities together.

We wish you all a safe and happy break, and we look forward to seeing everyone back refreshed and ready for Term 4!

Ruma Waru – Rm 8

Arohamai – I was caught up in the business of packing down the class for renos and forgot to send this yesterday. 

Sustainability Paanui

From food scraps to worm compost bins, we are excited to see the worms
have multiplied in numbers and are growing rapidly each week. We extend our sincere gratitude to Raquel from the Māngere Family Community Centre for her valuable support with our seedlings. We look forward to planting them in our new gardens.

Kea Whaanau

Years 4 – 6

Ruma Tekau maa Tahi – Rm 11

Kia Ora MBS Whanau

The second half of Term 3 had been a wonderful and busy part of the term for Room 11. During this time we celebrated Tongan Language Week. We also had our KEA whanau speech contest in Week 7 and Sebby and Elya represented Room 11 at the contest. They showed a lot of enthusiasm during the competition and tried their best. 

In Week 8 we had Chinese Language Week. The school also took part in rugby tackle zones and some of our Room 11 students made it to the team as well. Then it was for our annual Colour Fun Run competition. After weeks of practice, the students put themselves to the test. They enjoyed their day and had a lot of fun as well. 

Finally, in Week 9 it was our school production days. After practicing tirelessly throughout the term, the students showed their best during the two production nights at the Maangere Arts Centre. The students did a marvelous job through their efforts with Room 14 thanks to Ms Thompson for preparing us well. 

Week 10 has been a time to wind down from the hectic term. We celebrated 50 years of Te Wiki o Te Reo Maaori and had our final session of Community Swimming for the term. It has really been an amazing term for our tamariki and we are looking forward to the final term of the year. Thank you whanau for your continued support and we look forward to seeing the same next term.  From everyone in Room 11 and Matua Selvin, have a wonderful holiday. 

Ruma Tekau maa Rua – Rm 12

Room 12 has been engaged in a wide range of rich learning experiences over the past few weeks. In class, students have explored the arts by writing poems and learning different drawing and sketching techniques. They have also shown great enthusiasm in preparing for our inquiry production, performing with confidence and pride.

We recently completed our final community swimming sessions at the Māngere Pools. These sessions provided valuable opportunities to develop life-saving water skills, and the highlight was experiencing the big pool while wearing life jackets.

To celebrate the end of term, students created their own fruit kebabs. This hands-on activity encouraged healthy choices and teamwork, and the tamariki thoroughly enjoyed preparing and sharing their snacks.

We sincerely thank our whānau for your continued support throughout the term. We wish you all a safe and happy holiday, and we look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for another exciting term of learn.

Ruma Tekau maa Toru – Rm 13

Mā te kimi ka kite, Mā te kite ka mōhio, Mā te mōhio ka mārama.

By seeking, one discovers. By discovering, one knows. 

By knowing, one becomes enlightened. 

This term Room 13 went to the pools and practiced swimming skills and water safety. For the last swimming day we practiced how to jump off boats for survival. We also had a great time at our school fun run. We ran around the course three times and finished the day with a colour run; which was super fun! To end the term we had our school production and our class did an amazing job. We are now looking forward to term 4 and our upcoming Year 6 camp. Happy holidays, and we wish Matua Peter a speedy recovery. 

By Sean and Petra on behalf of Room 13.

Ruma Tekau maa Wha – Rm 14

Term 3 has been both busy and rewarding for Room 14—packed with fun, challenges, and amazing opportunities for growth.

 We celebrated Tongan Language Week and our highlight was seeing our very own Sione confidently take the stage as a co-MC at the closing assembly. What a fantastic job he did speaking Lea Faka-Tonga! 

In week 7, our classroom was filled with courage and creativity as every Room 14 student bravely stood to deliver their own speech. We then had Quinton represent our Year 4s, and Levaula and Jeremiah represent our Year 5s at the Kea Team speech finals. Quinton placed 3rd (Y4), and Levaula won 1st place(Y5)— outstanding achievements! The theme of our Room 14 finalists’ speech was, Ko Wai Ahau? The Importance of Knowing Your Culture. All three demonstrated great perseverance, commitment, and bravery.

Congratulations to Ariella, Kobe, Mason, Ayva-Lee, and Levaula who have qualified for the cross country Zones in Term 4—we’ll be cheering for you! We finished our race day with lots of colour and laughter. 

In week 9, Room 14 teamed up with Room 11 to present an exciting contemporary dance item in the school production. Students spoke enthusiastically during our debrief about the thrill of performing under the lights and in front of their whānau. With 21 out of 25 students participating, it was a huge success—no doubt the stage will see many of them again in the future!

One of this term’s unexpected highlights has been having Koropuku join us in Room 14. Koropuku is awarded at our school assemblies to the class with the best attendance and punctuality. We’ve had the pleasure of hosting him a little longer than usual—and the students have absolutely loved having him around!

We wrapped up the term with our final swimming lessons through the Field of Dreams programme. It’s been wonderful to see students developing their confidence and skills in the water.

Thank you for your continued support in helping your child arrive at school each day, ready to learn. EVERY day counts!

Ruma Tekau maa Rima – Rm 15

Room 15 took part in the school production singing ‘Journey’ where Kia Maaia explores the land and the sea. The students did well to not only learn a new song but having the confidence to peform on stage outside of our school. The class have been part of the Kea Speech competition, School Fun Run and supporting fundraisers such as the Lunchtime disco and iceblock sales which will support the Year 6 Camp held in Term 4 where some of Room 15 students will be attending. Our students look forward to the school holidays and we would like to thank you for your support this term. Ngaa mihi

Ruma Tekau maa Ono – Rm 16

Room 16 has had a fun and exciting Term 3! We proudly performed the dance we had been practising throughout the term for “Ko Wai Au – The Adventures of Kia Māia,” and a few of our talented students were even selected as part of the main cast. In Maths, we focused on multiplication and convert time, including 24-hour time. . For Writing, we explored persuasive writing and worked hard on preparing our speeches. Congratulations to Charlotte, Ethan, and Peyton for representing us in the Kea Speech Competition – we’re all so proud of you! We also wrapped up our final swimming lesson at the Māngere Community Pool. A big thank-you to all the whānau who helped remind tamariki to bring their togs and towels. Room 16 is excited and ready to embrace everything Term 4 has in store!

Community Notices