Newsletter Term 1 Week 7

NEWSLETTER

TERM 1 WEEK 7 2025

Our Kids Online

Kia ora e te whānau, 

Well, a season change is upon us! Timing-wise, the rain arriving yesterday afternoon wasn’t ideal – it made our planning cover for the students during Aspirational Conversations a little tricky but we were determined to keep the school open to support whānau as we know how tricky an early finish can be.  It’s always good to remind ourselves – as a school we never set out to make things tricky for our whānau, but it happens from time to time. 

Bottom line – the rain was needed and we had a great response to our first round of Aspirational Conversations. More to come on Thursday afternoon! If you haven’t booked a time – the bookings are still open.  

ULTIMATE PARENTS GUIDE TO SAFETY ONLINE: NEXT THURSDAY 27TH MARCH AT TEMATAPIHI. 

Aspirational conversations have highlighted concerns from New Entrants to Seniors. Late-night gaming, tantrums associated with wanting to be online or connected to technology, inappropriate content, and engagement through social media platforms – the list is long!

We all have something to learn from what Rob Cope has to share with us about the Online World of our Tamariki and what we can do to put safety measures in place and support them. It is vital information and you don’t want to miss this opportunity. Please prioritise attending and if you can’t, consider sending a friend or member of your wider whānau so that you will be in a position to add these tools to your parenting kete.

Let the office know if you would like us to hold you a ticket. Remember it’s completely FREE and designed for adults only – it is a real, raw, and honest look at what we need to know and probably don’t. Even if we don’t need this knowledge right now – we most certainly will in the future. 

MANAWATŪ TOUGH KIDS:

Thank you for the offers of transport – we gratefully accept. If you could please be here by 9am, we will meet you on the senior deck. A notice with reminders went out on Skool Loop yesterday.

WINTER SPORTS: 

Expressions of Interest are due back by next Tuesday. We don’t have many offers of coaching/management support and this will determine the number of teams we can enter in the various codes. If you know you would be there to support your child each week, it is likely you have the skills to coach/manage at this level – so please consider putting your name forward. 

BIKES IN SCHOOL:

We are taking part in this awesome initiative! All of our Year 4-8’s will be involved for the next 4 Monday’s (Including the first Monday of Term 2). Bikes and helmets will be provided. Your child can bring their own bike and helmet (as long as it is in perfect working condition). This is an incredible programme and we are excited to be taking part.  

CAMP:

Last week our Year 7 & 8’s went to El Rancho in Waikanae. It was an outstanding success. I want to express my thanks to the staff who made camp happen. Camps take hours of planning and the paperwork required to ensure we have considered every possible scenario from a health & safety perspective is not for the faint-hearted! Ultimately, without competent and willing staff we could not provide these experiences for our students so thanks team! 

To the parent helpers – I also express our gratitude. Without your support we would also be limited with what opportunities we can offer our students – so huge thanks to you as well. 

Finally – I am grateful to our students. Camp often brings out a different side to them and they get to see their teachers through a different light as well. It is such an amazing opportunity to build on our relationships with them. We appreciate them and how they consistently displayed PRIDE values throughout the camp experience. 

We still have a lot going on so keep checking in with our messages on Skool Loops – there is also a great calendar on there which we update regularly. 

Ngā manaakitanga, Kim Gordon. 

BSSG Fundraiser

Subway Lunch Friday the 28th March.

Check your child’s bag for the Lunch Order Form

Scooters & Bikes at School

We are happy that our children use these methods to get to school. Once they reach the school grounds we expect them to push their wheels to the bike stands in order to avoid accidents and mishaps. If your child is unable to adhere to these guidelines we may have to ask them to discontinue bringing their bikes or scooters to school. Students must place their wheels in the stands as soon as they arrive. We discourage ‘other’ types of wheels as this can create unnecessary issues. Our bike track is for everyones enjoyment. Helmets must be worn at all times.

Uniform Code

All students wear the Bulls School polo shirt, polar fleece, a sport & Cultural top, and the logoed red bucket hat available from Academy Apparel in Palmerston North. Their ‘bottom’ is non-regulation other than a colour restriction to plain black (no writing, logos, stripes or other colours). Shoes need to be suitable for school wear.

Please name ALL clothing and shoes.

In Terms 1 and 4 of each year, red Bulls School bucket hats must be worn when outdoors.

If hair is long, we request it is tied back for safety, hygiene and practical purposes.

Hair styles and colours should be as natural as possible and avoid extreme ‘trends’

which may be seen as threatening.

Jewellery should be kept to a minimum and not pose any health or safety dangers.

SUBSCRIBE TO APP GROUPS 

Di has refreshed this and named each group with 2025 so you know it’s relevant and up to date. You will all need to join the groups specific to your tamariki.

This has important notices for either the whole school or specific groups eg: Bus Students, Sports, Cultural, Hubs, etc that you can join according to what your child’s involved in.

Many notices or reminders go out via the APP so it is an important tool for parents to be aware of what is due eg: permission slips and dates for events offsite, transport required etc. This is also an efficient way to provide absence notices.

In many cases, parental permission may be given via the app as well.