Newsletter – Week 7,Term 3 2025

                                         Week 7, Term 3, 2025

Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,

We are excited to share that our stunning new junior playground is now open.  A huge thank you goes to our fabulous PTA, who have worked tirelessly over the past three years to fundraise for this project. We also thank our School Board for contributing school funds to help make it possible.

It was wonderful to see the smiling faces and hear the cheers from our Year 0–3 students at the opening on Monday. What a fantastic addition to our school for our tamariki to enjoy.

 Ngā mihi nui,
Vicki Parkins, Principal – Tumuaki (vickip@botanydowns.school.nz)

Coming Up @ BDS

TONIGHT – School Board Meeting, 6.30pm
Fri 29 Aug – HPPA Lit Quiz / Daffodil Day
Thurs 4 Sept – Junior Cross Country / Chinese Speech Competition
Fri 5 Sept – No Uniform Day / Father’s Day Morning
Tues 9 Sept – Netball Competitive Day
Wed 10 Sept – PTA Jester’s Pie Day
Thurs 11 Sept – Year 2 Kōwhai Trip to Howick Historical Village
Fri 12 Sept – PTA School Disco
Thurs 18 Sept – HPPA Mandarin Speech Competition
Thurs 18 Sept – Visual Arts Evening
Fri 19 Sept – Last Day of Term 3

Mon 6 Oct – First Day of Term 4
Fri 17 Oct – No Uniform Day
Wed 22 Oct – PTA Jester’s Pie Day
Thurs 23 Oct – Senior School Athletics Day
Fri 24 Oct – Teacher Only Day
Mon 27 Oct – Labour Day (public holiday)

SCHOOL NEWS

Reminder: Scholastic Book Club – Issue #6
Orders Close 3.00pm TODAY Tues 26 August

Choosing their own books to read is a great way for children to build their reading for pleasure; reading for pleasure is proven to improve literacy, social skills, well-being, empathy, and more.

Every order also helps the school to purchase valuable library and classroom resources – thank you for your support!

• Orders for Issue 6 close Tuesday 26 August, 3.00pm
• Order and pay online via the Scholastic Loop website: Loop parent login

PTA Notices

Father’s Day Morning – Friday 5th September – 8.00am – 9.00am – Junior Canopy
Start your day with us as we take a moment to recognise and celebrate the incredible dads, stepdads, koro, uncles, and father-figures who support and care for our tamariki.

Come along for a hot drink, something tasty to eat, and a relaxed opportunity to catch up with others in our school community. Every guest will also be entered into the draw to win a fantastic hamper of goodies, generously provided by our PTA.

Please note: food and drinks will be provided for fathers and male caregivers only.

Let us know if you can make it via this link. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing this special morning together!

PTA School Disco 
Get ready to dance the night away at our School Disco on Friday 12th September! The theme is Out of Space—so start planning those cosmic outfits.

Buy your child’s ticket now on Kindo for just $6. Tickets will also be available on the night at the door for $7. Prepaid vouchers for food, drinks, and treats are also available starting at $4.  

Years 0-3  5.30pm – 6.30pm       
Years 4-6  7.00pm – 8.30pm

AUT Oral Health Students Visiting BDS

In Term 4, AUT Oral Health students will be working with our classes to run interactive and fun sessions about keeping our teeth and mouths healthy. The AUT team is currently talking with our teachers to learn more about what our tamariki already know, so that they can plan their sessions at the right level for each age group.

As part of these visits, every child will receive a toothbrush pack kindly sponsored by Colgate.

Parents may also receive a very short survey (via class teachers). This is to help the AUT students prepare for the sessions, and we appreciate your support in completing it.

In addition, AUT Oral Health facilitators will have an information table at our upcoming Cultural Arts Evening, located near the staffroom. This will be a great opportunity for parents and whānau to ask questions about children’s teeth, oral health, and how to book appointments.

We are looking forward to this partnership with AUT and know our tamariki will benefit from these engaging and practical sessions.

Daffodil Day Friday 29 August

Friday is Daffodil Day. The House Leaders will be selling daffodil stickers before school, outside the hall.

Please bring a gold coin to support this very worthwhile cause. Daffodil Day is the Cancer Society’s most important fundraiser. The money raised is used to support patients with cancer and their families.

School Assembly

We invite you to attend our school assembly on Friday at 9.10am. We will be presenting our Botany Best Certificates and Values Bookmarks. This week our items will be fromYear 1 Rimu Room 8.

Our Values

Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown our focus value Respect Manaakitanga: Boston Bills, Vaice Gasologa, Grayson Visser, Lennon Wallace, Megna Swaraj, Grace Marshall, Theodore Salomon, Landon Broodryk, Boston Haretuku, Cooper Ellis, Varya Govender, Skyla McCallister-Lee, Grant Leslie, Eason Dong, Alexander Ong, Lucas Pope, Ashley Cajayon, Oliver Wu, Zewen Chen, Jaspreet Kaur, Isabella Liang, Demi Tseng, Lexi Jones, Sujin Yu & Asher Ellis.

Our Capabilities

Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown their Botany Best by displaying our Capabilities: Sachie Ogura, Katya Troussova, Nathan Tokai, Alana Sahni, LA Sieleelea, Abigail Ellis, Jayden Lo, Haya Rana, Elaina Su’a, Khleigh Velasco, Tommy Ma, Mac He, Carol Ma, Finn O’Neill, Cherry Nguyen, Olivia Wang, Jia Zhang, Jan Nieuwoudt, Rafa Zhao, Judi Tbakhi, Bella Hu, Odi Hika, Blake Coxen, Jack Berkett & Blake Sills.

Fun & Learning @ BDS

Year 3 Pōhutukawa, Room 27: We are learning to recognise Tongan patterns that are used in Tapa Cloth. Tapa is made from the bark of a tree. We spent time with Room 25, our buddy class, to colour Tongan patterns to make a bookmark.

Year 4 Tītoki, Room 20: In Room 20, we have been learning about Kiwiana and the different ways New Zealand’s unique identity is shared through art. We have recreated one of Glenn Jones’ art pieces, which focuses on New Zealand birds in a unique way. We were careful while painting our butterflies and made sure they were symmetrical. We hope you enjoy our art!

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)

COMMUNITY NOTICES

HJ Elite Academy –
Holiday Soccer Development Programme

Looking for a fun and active way to keep the kids engaged, entertained, and learning during the school holidays?
Join our Holiday Soccer Development Programme with HJ Elite Academy!

Click here to register

Pay the kindo way: https://botanydowns.school.nz/kindo/