Kia ora Koutou Kihikihi School Whānau,

As we move into the back end of the term, I want to extend a massive thank you to everyone for your ongoing support. It is a privilege to see our students turning up each day with positive attitudes, ready to dive into their learning.

This week, I want to focus on two incredibly important topics as we head into the colder months: streamlining our school communication and keeping our tamariki warm and healthy.

As you know, Kihikihi School uses the Hero platform as our primary hub for all school communication, student progress, and official notices. With mid-term reports going live in Week 11, it is more vital than ever that 100% of our whānau are signed up and actively using the app.

Having every family on Hero is crucial for several reasons:

If you haven't signed up yet, please take a quick moment to scan the QR code below to download the app and register.

If you run into any tech issues or need a hand getting set up, please pop into the school office, I am more than happy to help get you sorted.

The winter woollies are officially out! We have definitely noticed a shift into much colder, wetter weather recently.

To ensure our students can focus on their learning without getting the winter chills, please make sure your children come to school prepared for the elements each day. Specifically, please ensure they bring a warm polofleece or school jacket every morning.

Even on damp days, getting some fresh air during breaks is important for their well-being, so having the right gear keeps them warm both inside the classroom and out on the playground.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep our school community informed, connected, and cozy this winter.

Ngā mihi nui,

Mark O'Brien 
Acting Principal
Kihikihi School

On Monday 15 June, a group of enthusiastic students from Years 3–8 travelled to Ngāruawahia to take part in the Tough Guy and Gal Challenge.

The day was packed with excitement as students tackled the challenging obstacle course, climbing, crawling, splashing, and sliding their way through a variety of obstacles. There were plenty of giggles, huge smiles, and definitely LOTS of mud along the way!

Our students showed great determination, teamwork, and resilience as they navigated the course and encouraged one another to keep going. By the end of the day, everyone was muddy from head to toe, but the smiles on their faces showed just how much fun they had.

A big thank you goes to all the parents and caregivers who supported this event by providing assistance on the day. We couldn't have done it without your help.

What a fantastic day of adventure, challenge, and muddy fun!

At Pānui me te Tuhi Ltd, Tiana Connolly provides specialist literacy support using a Structured Literacy approach and Hanganga Reo Matatini. Through explicit, systematic teaching, students develop the skills and knowledge needed to become successful readers and writers.

The writing samples shared here were completed independently by students during free-writing activities. A key focus of their learning has been applying a wide range of spelling patterns, rules, and concepts within authentic writing tasks. This can be particularly challenging as the cognitive load increases when students are required to think about ideas, sentence structure, spelling, and handwriting all at once.

One of the most rewarding outcomes has been noticing a clear shift in students' mana, confidence, and willingness to engage with literacy. Many students are now choosing to read and write independently, demonstrating growing self-belief and pride in their learning journey.

Tiana also provides a range of free resources to support whānau, teachers, and educators who are interested in Structured Literacy and Hanganga Reo Matatini. These resources are available through the Pānui me te Tuhi Ltd website: www.panuimetetuhi.com.

Keycodes have now been emailed out to all parents and caregivers from Photo Life, who recently took our class and student portrait photos. Please check your junk, spam, or promotions folders in case the message was filtered.

 

Please note that free delivery only applies to orders placed before midnight on Sunday, 28 June 2026.

 

If you have any queries regarding your photos, please send them directly to Photo Life at enquiries@photolife.co.nz.

Orders close Friday 19 June. Every purchase helps our school earn rewards to support classroom and library resources. Thank you for your support.