Term 3 Week 4 Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

TERM 3 WEEK 4 2025

Tēnā koutou Katoa,

A Big Thank You to Our Whānau

We want to express our sincere thanks to all our whānau who took the time to join us for the recent Aspirational Conversations. Your involvement is invaluable to us and plays a key role in strengthening the connection between home and school.

By sharing the aspirations and goals of whānau, akonga, and kaiako, we’re able to align our efforts and create a stronger, more united approach to supporting our ākonga, your tamariki, on their learning journeys. These conversations help ensure that we’re all working together with a shared vision for their growth, success, and well-being.

We’re grateful for the trust you place in us and for walking alongside us as we continue to support the best possible outcomes for our students, your children.

Thank you, whānau, for being such an important part of our school community.

A Special Thank You for Your Input

We would also like to thank everyone who took part in our community consultation during the Aspirational Conversations. Your valuable feedback helps inform our strategic planning as we look ahead to making important decisions about resourcing, planning, and budgeting. Your insights play a crucial role in shaping the direction of our school and ensuring we’re meeting the needs of all our tamariki and members of our school community.

Here is a Brief Summary of Your Feedback:

What matters most to our whānau:

• Foundational academic skills (literacy, numeracy)

• Emotional and social learning (respect, resilience, empathy)

• Practical life skills and personal development

• Empowering tamariki to be confident, communicative, lifelong learners
• Our PRIDE Values

How whānau want to be involved:

• They attend events regularly and value communication

• They prefer a mix of digital and face-to-face updates

• They want visibility into learning, progress, and celebrations

How they view the school:

• Warm, inclusive, supportive, and effective

• Areas to grow: challenge for high achievers, sports/leadership opportunities, clearer

communication at times

We were truly heartened by the positive feedback from you, our community, about our school, its dedicated staff, and the strong sense of community we’ve all worked together to build. It’s evident that whānau, ākonga, and kaimahi alike all value the environment we’re creating. This shared effort is what makes our school such a special place for everyone involved.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari kē he toa takitini 

My success is not individual success but the success of a collective. 

This whakataukī, which resonated with so many of you, reflects the collaborative nature and collective effort that is valued and appreciated by our community of whānau, tamariki, and kaimahi, here at Bulls School. We are all part of this , and we all contribute to strengthening the foundations we’re building together for our tamariki/mokopuna.

Nga mihi nui kia koutou katoa,

Megan Syme

REMINDER

Nominations for the Board of Trustees close at 12 noon on Tuesday, 12th of August

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEzfuR_0NSg https://www.ourkidsonline.info/nzdigitalharmssurvey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dwC_P5nE-Q

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 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 Sports & 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 be 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.