Ngaere School

School Newsletter

Living & Learning with RESPECT

05/02/2026

From the Principal’s Desk

Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome back to another busy and exciting time at Ngaere School. Our tamariki have settled in well, and it has been great to see classrooms full of energy, learning, and connection as the year gets underway. Staff have been impressed with how positively students have returned to routines and learning, and we’re looking forward to a term of growth, challenge, and celebration together.

Bring on the rest of 2026!

Ngā mihi nui

Shane Burgess

Principal/Tumuaki

principal@ngaere.school.nz

022 451 5809

Home–School Partnership Hui

We value strong partnerships with our whānau, and our upcoming Home–School Partnership Hui are an important opportunity to connect and support your child’s learning.

These hui will be held on Tuesday 3 March and Wednesday 4 March (Week 5), running from 1:00pm–5:30pm on both days.

The focus will be on:

how students have settled into the year
how they are tracking academically
goal setting and strengthening the home–school partnership

We are aiming for 100% attendance, so please book via the HERO app by selecting School Bookings. If you need help, contact Karen in the office or your child’s teacher.

School will remain open during these times, with relief teachers, support staff, and leadership supervising classes. Parents may collect their child from 1:00pm if they wish.

We encourage students to attend these meetings with their parents, giving them a voice in their learning journey.

Welcome to Our New Learners

We are pleased to welcome a number of new learners to Ngaere School, including children starting with us as five-year-olds, as well as students joining us at various year levels from across Taranaki.

A warm welcome to:
Lucy Holgate, Brianna Ross-Lyall, Brooklyn Belanger, Hawaiki Carr, Jack Annabell, Maia Burgess, Beau Anderson, Skylah Frank, Charlotte Lockett, Alexx Hartley, Zachary and Archie Bevins, and Friedrich and Zoey Van Zyl.

We are delighted to have you and your whānau join the Ngaere School community and look forward to getting to know you.

Pastoral Support

Student wellbeing is a strong focus for us in 2026. This year, we have employed Mrs Vicki Caldwell full time to support student wellbeing and pastoral care, including support with behavioural needs, social skills, and emotional regulation, as well as lunchtime programmes.

Logan McDonald will also continue working with us on Thursdays under the Te Ara Pae Trust umbrella. Logan is available to work one-on-one with students to support behavioural, social, and emotional needs. This support was very popular in 2025, with high uptake. Please note that informed parent consent is required for students to access this support.

If you would like your child to be considered for additional pastoral support, please contact Shane or Penny directly.

In addition, we will be regularly gathering student wellbeing information in 2026 using the PIVOT Wellbeing Tool, which helps us understand student resilience, sense of belonging, and feelings of safety. The more we understand what’s happening for our tamariki, the better we can provide positive learning experiences.

School Assemblies

This year we will be trialling school assemblies at 9:00am, three times per term.

The first assembly will be held on Friday 20 February, just after morning drop-off.

For whānau who are unable to attend in person, we will provide a private livestream link via Google Meet, which will be shared ahead of time

Uniform Update

The Board has made the decision to move to a local supplier for our school T-shirts/polo shirts. This change allows us to:

access a wider range of sizes and better fit
order based on need, rather than in bulk from overseas
support a more sustainable and responsive supply process

For 2026, we will have a hybrid uniform, meaning both the current shirt and the new shirt will be acceptable. Existing stock will be sold first and will be available at the same (lower) price as current stock.

You will notice from the photos above that the new shirt is a slightly different shade of navy, while still maintaining a sharp, consistent look.

From the beginning of 2027, students will need to wear the new shirt as part of the school uniform.

Timetable Update

This term we are trialling a small change to our daily timetable structure. The aim is to create shorter, sharper learning blocks, better support curriculum coverage, and help us ensure students are receiving a full hour each day of reading, writing, and mathematics.

The revised daily structure is:

Block 1: 8:55am – 10:30am
Interval: 10:30am – 11:00am
Block 2: 11:00am – 12:00pm
Lunch: 12:00pm – 12:45pm
Block 3: 12:45pm – 1:45pm
Short Break: 1:45pm – 2:00pm
Block 4: 2:00pm – 3:00pm

The effectiveness of this timetable will be reviewed towards the end of Term 1, in discussion with staff and students.

Kapa Haka

Kapa Haka will continue this year, with sessions moving to Friday afternoons at 2:00pm.

To begin with, Kapa Haka will involve all students in Rooms 4, 5, 6, and 7.

After a series of trial sessions, students will be invited to opt in to a performance group. This group will be for students who wish to commit to regular practice and represent the school at performances.

We will review how this structure is working as the term progresses.

Music Lessons

Music lessons will continue this year on Wednesdays and Thursdays with Karl Anderson. Karl offers instruction in drums, guitar, ukulele, and brass.

If you are interested, please contact Karl directly at anderkarmusic@hotmail.co.nz. All arrangements regarding lesson times and payment are made directly between Karl and families. There is also a sign up sheet with Karen in the school office.

The school provides the space and supports students to attend lessons during class time, as part of our ongoing commitment to the arts.

Request for Spare Board Games & Puzzles

We are seeking donations from whānau who may have board games, jigsaw puzzles, or packs of cards at home that are no longer being used.

The support room off the hall is being set up as a breakaway classroom designed to better support students with neurodiverse needs. This space forms part of Vicki’s role, as we explore different ways to support and engage learners who find the more formal classroom model challenging.

If you are able to donate, items can be dropped off at the school office. Thank you for helping us create flexible, supportive learning spaces for our tamariki.

HERO APP

For those parents who haven’t yet done so, don’t forget to download the school HERO app. This is a great way to keep up to date with your child/ren’s learning, receive and send messages, report absences and much more. If you are having trouble downloading or logging into the app, please call into the school office.

Tickets for this event are also available from the School Office: $10 per person, under 5’s free entry, $35 Family Pass.

TENNIS LESSONS are available again this term.

Juniors = $40 for 30 mins (min 4)

Seniors = $55 for the 45 mins (min 4)

They will be for 5 weeks and at this stage on a Thursday morning tea time and at lunchtime.

Please let Karen know in the office if your are interested in your child participating in these lessons.

Key Dates – Term 1, 2026

February Events

Friday 6th February – Waitangi Day (School Closed)
Friday 13th February – Scholastic Book Club Orders Due
Monday 16th February – Cycle Safety (Years 3–8)
Wednesday 11th February – Turnbull Cup Swimming
Wednesday 18th February – Year 7 & 8 Hearing & Vision Testing
Friday 13th February – Maize Maze Opens
Mon 24th–Fri 27th February – Life Education in school

March Events

Friday 6th March – MOE-Approved Curriculum Maths Teacher Only Day (School Closed) Monday 9th March – Taranaki Anniversary Day (School Closed)
Friday 13th March – Interschool Hockey
Monday 16th March – Cluster Swimming Sports (Years 5–8)
Tuesday 31st March – Rural Cluster Athletics (Years 1–4)