Week 6, Term 2, 2025
Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,
We hope you had an enjoyable long weekend.
Our Teacher Only Day on Friday was a valuable opportunity for professional learning. Teachers focused on developing oral language within the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum and explored new approaches to Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC). We ended the day by revisiting assessment practices to ensure we are making the best decisions for our tamariki.
Please Check Your Email Address – Mid-Year Reports Coming Soon Via Email!
This year, we are beginning the exciting journey of aligning our reporting with the latest requirements from the Ministry of Education, and we are looking forward to sharing your child’s progress with you.
To achieve this we are getting ready to send out mid-year reports to the first two email addresses we have recorded for your child.
To make sure you don’t miss out, please check the first two email addresses you have provided to the school. If the second email address on file doesn’t receive this email, please let us know the correct email address so we can update our records.
Thank you.
Ngā mihi nui,
Vicki Parkins, Principal – Tumuaki (vickip@botanydowns.school.nz)
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Coming Up @BDS
Wed 4 Jun – PTA Jester’s Pie day
Fri 6 Jun – Interschool Rugby
Mon 9 Jun – PTA AGM (Annual General Meeting), 7.00 p.m
Tues 10 Jun – Yr 4 Tip Top visit: Room19 & Room 17
Wed 11 Jun – Yr 4 Tip Top visit: Room18 & Room 20
Thurs 12 Jun – Soccer competitive day
Fri 13 Jun – No Uniform day / Soccer competitive day
Fri 13 Jun – World Vision 40 Hour Challenge begins
Tues 17 Jun – Soccer Non Competitive day
Thurs 19 Jun – Matariki Whānau morning, 9.00 a.m
Fri 20 Jun – Matariki (public holiday)
Wed 25 Jun – Girls Soccer Competitive day / PTA Jester’s Pie day
Fri 27 Jun – Last day Term 2
Mon 14 July – First day Term 3
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2025 ICAS Assessments
 This year we are offering Year 5 and 6 students the opportunity to participate in English, Science and Maths ICAS assessments. All assessments are supervised at school and completed online. You will be notified of your child’s results when they are ready and they will also receive a certificate. Top performers will be eligible for medals and special ceremonies to recognise their academic excellence from ICAS assessments.
Dates of assessments:
English: Monday 11th August 9-10.30am
Science: Thursday 21st August 9-10.30am
Maths: Monday 25th August 9-10.30am
Each assessment has a cost of $22.50. For payments this year, we will be using the Parent Payment System so you must make your payments directly to ICAS. See below for payment details. All payments must be made by Monday 14th July. We will not be accepting payments at school. To find out about ICAS, enter your child and make payments. Please see the instructions below.
- Read about ICAS subjects and prices here: (icasassessments.com/products-icas/)
- Read the terms and conditions here: (icasassessments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-ICAS-Assessments-Schools-TsCs_S2023.V6-1.pdf)
- Go to Parent Portal to purchase tests here: (shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps)
- Enter our school’s access code:
Parent Page Link: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/parent-payment/XNF939
Parent Code: XNF939
- Enter your child’s details, select the tests you would like to purchase, then proceed to payment.
Please note that the ICAS tests shown for selection are at the school’s discretion. After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email. Please keep this for your records.
Mark Insley, Deputy Principal, ICAS Coordinator (marki@botanydowns.school.nz)
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House Leaders @ Leadership Day
Last week, Mrs Jeffs accompanied our House Leaders to a leadership day at Uxbridge Arts & Culture Centre in Howick. They were inspired by guest speaker Darren Pereira and returned with innovative ideas to implement at our school. The event also featured team-building games led by student leaders from Howick College, providing an excellent opportunity for our leaders to connect with peers from other schools. It was a day filled with valuable learning experiences.
We were delighted to hear from one of the Howick College leaders:
I just wanted to let you know how absolutely wonderful your student leaders were at the Kāhui Ako leadership day today. I sat with them for the seminar and they were so incredibly well spoken, respectful, and engaged.
I really hope that they took as much from the seminar as I did. It was so rewarding getting to know them and seeing their leadership skills flourish over the course of the day. They thought it was so cool that I was a Sheppard house leader back in 2018 and asked if I could come back one day to visit them!
Hope to see you soon,
Stella, Howick College Leader
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Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoa Language Week
Talofa lava! To celebrate Samoan Language Week, on Friday 6 June students can wear their Samoan cultural attire.
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PTA Notices…
Whittaker’s Chocolate Fundraiser:
Thank you to everyone who has returned their money or unsold chocolates. We will be announcing the top sellers prize winners and lucky draw Time Zone voucher recipients at assembly on Friday.
There are still some outstanding payments, please make payment ($90 per box) as soon as possible so we can finalise this fundraiser.
Botany Downs Primary School PTA
12-3089-0111164-00
Please use your child’s name and room number as the reference.
Thank you for your support!
Botany Downs School PTA
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School Assembly
We invite you to attend our school assembly on Friday at 9.10 am. We will be presenting our Botany Best Certificates and Values Bookmarks. This week will feature a performance from our orchestra.
Our Values
Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown our focus value Resilience / Manawanui: Hazel McNeill, Taia Vaolele, Hope Avau, Aiden Piladuwa Madduma Bogahawattage, Leonidas Hamilton, Disenya Athukoralalage, Parris-Praise Singh, Dina Shahamiri, Riaan Karthick, Gabriella Venter, Hoor Laghari, Braxton Sills, Mengxi Lu, Violet Liu, Ali Alsharefi, Troy Viljoen, Aryan Karthick, Sui Gu, Michael Joseph, Rehoboth John, Lavinia Chen, Acen Wu, Makarios Tufue & Datis Bassam.
 
Our Capabilities
Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown their Botany Best by displaying our Capabilities: Ahaan Harridass, Thea Moir, Otto Ward, Charlotte Koka, Amber Ren, Tasha Lee, Timi Yu, Zoe Mungapattu, Petr Bertyaev, Enoch Liu, Lanthe Fourie, Azalea Ngo, Paige Monsanto, Zahara Williams, Dongju Lee, Henil Tailor, Julius Ming-Peterson, Nikit Nandan, Jacy Ablos, Logan Baker, Arzoyi Arora, Anyi Wong, Max Han & Sarah Tbakhi.
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Fun & Learning @ BDS
Year 2: In Room 3, we have been working hard with our Writing. We have been learning to write a story in the right order, adding details and making sure our story makes sense.
Here is a small selection of stories – ‘If I Was a King or Queen For The Day’.
If I was a Queen, for a day, I will go on a picnic with my friends. I will play Bubble Machine guns. After that, I will lie down on the ground and look for interesting cloud shapes. I will then go swimming…Splash!
Angela
If I was a King I would buy my friends lots of lollies. I would have a big party and share my cakes. My castle would have ninety nine rooms. There would be no more wars in the world.
Fraser
I would share my dessert with my friends. I will be kind too. I would share my shiny gold. I would let people come to my castle and I would share my toys.
Abby
I would let everyone have free food and take everyone to the swimming pool. I would be kind to my friends too. I would also share my castle with my friends.
Hope
 Come and visit us to read more of our stories!
We have also enjoyed learning about symmetry and making symmetrical patterns with the new Numicon shapes.
We have been talking about being kind and how we can show kindness to others. Last term, Angela used to have beautiful long hair. Angela was happy to have her hair cut short and be donated to help children who have lost their hair through an illness. Angela’s hair had to be cut a special way, packaged and then sent to Wellington where it will be turned into a wig.
Year 4: Room 17 has had an exciting time diving into our Science Inquiry topic: Change. To kick off our learning, we investigated the scientific concept of changing states of matter.
We became real scientists by mixing baking soda and vinegar to create a chemical reaction that produced carbon dioxide gas. Before the experiment, we put on our thinking caps and made predictions about what might happen if we placed a balloon over the top of the reaction bottle. We were amazed to see the balloon expand and inflate as the gas was released!
Another highlight was making ice cream in a bag. It was cold, messy—and so much fun!
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Enrol Now if Your Child Turns 5 Before April 2026
 We are currently planning classes and staffing for 2026, and having accurate numbers of new entrants — even those starting mid-year — greatly helps us with this process. Thank you for your support.
Enrolment packs are available from the school office, or you can request one via email: office@botanydowns.school.nz
Rachel Ryan, Acting DP/SENCo – Year 0-3 (rachelr@botanydowns.school.nz)
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Launching this Sunday is NZ author James Russell’s new online Book Club for tamariki!
James is the award-winning author of the highly popular ‘Dragon Defenders’ and ‘Children of the Rush’ series of junior fiction novels. He visited BDS a couple of years ago as one of our Book Week special guest authors, and inspired our tamariki with his presentation and his books.
The Book Club is an online hui/webinar where James will chat to children about all things books. He will be recommending new reads, talking about the importance of reading and the craft of writing, interviewing guest authors, holding Q&As, and giving away prizes and freebies!
In terms of ages, all are welcome, but it is pitched fochildren aged between about eight and thirteen years old.
Parents: to sign your children up, simply click here and register them to attend. You will get a few reminder emails before each session. Even if your child make it on the day, they will be able to watch afterwards if they have been registered first.
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Scholastic Book Club Te Karapu Pukapuka
Reminder: orders for the latest Scholastic Book Club close this Thursday at 3.00 p.m. Packed with a range of fabulous reads for all ages and interests, it is a great place to find books that will excite your tamariki, and grow their reading and literacy skills!
Online ordering and payment via the Scholastic LOOP website is preferred: https://mybookclub.scholastic.co.nz/Parent/Login.aspx
Orders close Thursday 5 June, 3.00 p.m
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Free Dental Care for Children at AUT University’s Niho Ora ki Manukau Clinic
Great news for our school community! A new oral health clinic at AUT South Campus in Manukau, is now open and offering free dental care for children.
Services include check-ups, x-rays, teeth cleaning, and treatment for children up to age 18 – all in a modern, welcoming clinic. Care is provided by oral health professionals and supervised students from AUT’s Oral Health programme.
Parents and caregivers can also access affordable dental services, including full check-ups and periodontal care.
We’ve partnered with the Auckland Regional Dental Service to make sure more families can access the care they need, right here in South Auckland.
✅ Free for children and pregnant mothers
✅ Low-cost care for parents and caregivers
✅ Easy enrolment – forms available at school or from the clinic
📍 AUT South Campus – ME Building, 640 Great South Road, Manukau
🌐 adc.aut.ac.nz
📧 oralhealthsouth@aut.ac.nz
📞 (09) 921 9668
Let’s keep those smiles healthy!
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Jazz School – School Holiday Big Band Workshop
This will be an exciting three day school holiday workshop where year 6, 7 and 8 students will learn to play in a Jazz Big Band and then perform a concert for family and friends on the final afternoon. The Big Band is for Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone and Clarinet players plus Electric Guitar, Piano, Bass and Drums. The music we play will range from jazz standards to modern pop classics with an emphasis on having fun while producing music at a high standard. This workshop will be run by Drew Hutchinson. Students must be playing at grade 2 level or higher, or have had two years of lessons.
The workshop is on June 30, July 1 and July 2 from 9.00 a.m – 3.00 p.m
at Parnell District School 48 St Stephens Ave, Parnell.
 To register for the workshop please visit jazzschool.co.nz or email jnrjazzschool@gmail.com for more information.
Feedback from previous workshops: “I cannot tell how much we enjoyed your workshop on so many levels; watching our child’s confidence grow, making new friends, the location and of course the music was fantastic”.
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