Week 7, Term 2, 2025
Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,
We are delighted to officially welcome Rachel Ryan to her new role as Deputy Principal and SENCo for Years 0–3. Rachel’s appointment has already been shared via email, including a message to her class. We are excited to have her on our senior leadership team and look forward to the expertise and energy she brings to the role.
At the end of this term, we will be saying farewell to Sophie Hill as she embarks on an exciting overseas adventure that includes travel and teaching in England.
Sophie began her teaching journey with us in Year 2 and later brought her passion and energy to our Year 6 team. She has been involved in many aspects of school life — from coaching sports teams to working alongside students on the colourful mural by the school pool.
Sophie has always shown great dedication to her tamariki and brought warmth, creativity, and enthusiasm to her classroom. We thank her for all she has contributed to BDS and wish her all the very best as she takes on this next chapter.
We are pleased to share that Mrs Melanie Else will be the teacher in Room 16 for the remainder of the year. Melanie already knows our school well and has worked with many of the Room 16 tamariki in her role as our Classroom Release Teacher.
We are fortunate to have such a seamless transition in place, and we know that Room 16 will continue to thrive under her care and experience.
You may have noticed new signs outside classrooms showing tree names like Rimu Whānau for Year 1. This is part of a new initiative we are introducing; each year group now has a tree name to represent their team.
The idea links to our school logo, which features a tree symbolising growth, strength, and learning. By giving each year group its own tree, we are creating a clear identity for each team and helping students feel a strong sense of belonging.
These tree names will appear on room signs and in school communications. For example, Year 1 is now called Rimu Whānau. This makes it easier to refer to groups of classes and supports teamwork across the year levels.
New 5-year-old school visits = Koru Kids
Year 1 = Rimu
Year 2 = Kōwhai
Year 3 = Pōhutukawa
Year 4 = Tītoki
Year 5 = Tōtara
Year 6 = Kauri
Ngā mihi nui,
Vicki Parkins, Principal – Tumuaki (vickip@botanydowns.school.nz)
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Coming Up @ BDS
Wed 11 Jun – Yr 4 Tip Top visit: Room18 & Room 20
Wed 11 Jun – Girls Soccer competitive day
Fri 13 Jun – No Uniform day
Fri 13 Jun – World Vision 40 Hour Challenge begins
Tues 17 Jun – Soccer Non Competitive day
Thurs 19 Jun – Matariki Whānau morning, 10.00 a.m
Fri 20 Jun – Matariki (public holiday)
Wed 25 Jun – PTA Jester’s Pie day
Fri 27 Jun – Last day Term 2
Mon 14 July – First day Term 3
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Whānau Conversations
Wednesday 25 June, 3.20 – 6.00 p.m
Thursday 26 June, 3.20 – 6.00 p.m
At BDS, we believe in honest, positive communication and strong partnerships between teachers, students, and whānau. Our learners are always at the heart of what we do.
Whānau Learning Conversations give tamariki the chance to share their progress, celebrate successes, and talk about next steps. They also help whānau better understand their child’s learning.
If your child attends ESOL, you’re welcome to book two appointments – one with the classroom teacher and one with Mrs Keenan, our ESOL teacher.
Bookings are now open, please follow the below instructions:
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Hockey Fun Day
On Tuesday 3rd June, some Year 5 and 6 students participated in the HPPA Hockey Fun Day at Lloyd Elsmore. The students demonstrated sportsmanship, teamwork and had lots of fun playing other schools in the area.
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PTA Notice
A reminder:
This Friday (13 June) is No Uniform Day. Please either bring your gold coin donation to school on the day, or pay your gold coin donation via Kindo.
St Pierre’s Sushi Lunch Orders:
Orders close 9.00 a.m tomorrow (Wednesday 11 June) for lunch delivery tomorrow.
$1 from every order goes to our school!
Orders will be delivered directly to classrooms.
Second Hand Uniform Sale:
We will be holding a second hand uniform sale on Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th June, 3.00-4.30 p.m. We would love any donated uniform items that you no longer need or that your child has grown out of. Donated items can be dropped off at the school office – thank you!
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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’s item is from Room 2 (Year 2).
Our Values
Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown our focus value Resilience / Manawanui: Remi Atrushi, Leon Vatuvei, Michael Turnbull, Jeson Wang, Evelyn Han, Isabella Hudson, Omar Almohamad Sharif, Luna Hunter, Damian Odendaal, Raewyn Bua, Tommy Ma, Ekko Wong, Xavier Marck, Daniel Bayani, Luke Buckley, Adam Hamayun, Muhammad Abdullah, Zion Ewe, Bill Liu, Neus Limones Navarro, Rosie Roberts, Joanna Qiao, Tyler Bernard, & Hailie Chan.
Our Capabilities
Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown their Botany Best by displaying our Capabilities: Jane Bong, Jorawar Singh, Yeray Limones Navarro, Lennon Wallace, LA Sieleelea, Sakura Strickland, Victor Phanwa, Kaisley Zhang, Joy Qu, Jon Wu, Neil Olarte, Terry Sui, Connor Rudman, Nicholas Botha, Yasser El Chami, Bella Mackay, Anisa Tamihana, Dylan Davies, Jasmine Wu, Reuben Tate, Bianca Zhang, Hunter Collins-Preiss, Amy Meile, & Minji Kim.
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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, DP/SENCo – Year 0-3 (rachelr@botanydowns.school.nz)
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Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators and publishers on the finalists list for this year’s New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The winning books will be announced in August.
In the meantime, you can borrow many of these great books from our school library! Read them and see which ones you think will win!
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