Week 10 Term 4, 2025
Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,
This will be the last newsletter for 2025. What a fabulous year this has been.
Last week, we celebrated our youngest learners at the Rimu Team Year 0/1 Celebration, cherishing their achievements and the special moments that made this year so memorable. This week the celebrations continue with prizegivings for Kōwhai Team Year 2 & Pōhutukawa Team Year 3, Tītoki Team Year 4 & Tōtara Team Year 5, and a very special Prizegiving and Graduation Ceremony for our Kauri Team Year 6 tamariki; so much excitement in the air.
A huge congratulations to all our tamariki. This year you have grown, learned with enthusiasm, and demonstrated our ‘Botany Best’ in countless ways. Your commitment to Our Best Always and the way you uphold our school values fill BDS with joy and energy.
Our dedicated teachers, Team Leaders, and Deputy Principals have been carefully preparing classes for 2025. On Wednesday 17 December, your child will find out who their new teacher for 2026 will be and enjoy a fun meet-and-greet in their new classroom. What a lovely way to get ready for the year ahead.
Thank you to our incredible staff for your dedication, passion, and care. Your hard work fills every day at BDS with pride, purpose, and a true sense of belonging. You truly make a difference.
We also extend our thanks to our PTA and School Board for your ongoing support and commitment to our school community.
A special thank you to our BDS whānau, your support and encouragement help our tamariki thrive and make our school community so strong.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2026 on Wednesday 4 February. All our dates for 2026 are available on our website.
From all of us at BDS, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a summer break full of laughter, sunshine, and wonderful moments with your whānau. See you in 2026 for another fantastic year.
Ngā mihi nui,
Vicki Parkins, Principal – Tumuaki (vickip@botanydowns.school.nz)
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Coming Up @ BDS
Wed 17 Dec – Last Day of Term 4: School Closes at 12.00pm
Wed 28 Jan 2026 – Second-hand Uniform Sale
in BDS Staffroom: 12.00pm – 1.30pm
Wed 4 Feb 2026 – First Day of Term 1
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End Of Year Important Dates
Wed 10 Dec – Kōwhai Team Year 2 Big Day In
Wed 10 Dec – Tītoki Team Year 4 & Tōtara Team Year 5 Prizegiving, 9.15am
Thurs 11 Dec – Pōhutukawa Team Year 3 & Tītoki Team Year 4 Big Day In
Fri 12 Dec – Kauri Team Year 6 Prizegiving / Graduation, 9.15am
Mon 15 Dec – Kauri Team Year 6 Big Day In
Tues 16 Dec – Tōtara Team Year 5 Big Day In
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Teachers and Classes for 2026
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Congratulations 2026 House Leaders
At our assembly last week we announced our House Leaders for 2026. Over the past few weeks, the Tōtara Team Year 5 students who applied to be House Leaders have completed a series of tasks to help decide who would be best to lead their houses. The students had to complete an application form, take part in a series of team-building activities and attend group interviews.
After much deliberation, the students below have been selected. We would like to congratulate those students who have been selected and give a big thank you to all of the students who applied.
We look forward to this group of students leading us next year.
Mrs Rachael Jeffs (rachaelj@botanydowns.school.nz)
2026 Batten House Leaders:
Evan Guo, Lucas Pope, Aaryan Verma and Logan Hunter (absent)
2026 Blake House Leaders:
Arlie Clements-Goh, Ashley Cajayon, Ali Alsharefi and Autumn Jacobs
2026 Hillary House Leaders:
Ansh Patel, Liam Cho, Lillias Fisher and Cordelia Prentice
2026 Sheppard House Leaders:
Joy Qu, Harper Timms, Luke Buckley and Henil Tailor
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New School App – Ready to Use!
Our new school app is now up and running, and ready to go. With the @school app you will be able to: report a student absence, check the school calendar, receive important notices, keep up to date with our weekly newsletters, and link to our Facebook pages, and your Kindo login page, as well as our school website.
When you leave a comment or reason for your child’s absence, it will be recorded directly in the Absences app so you and the school stay informed and our records stay up to date.
Please check your emails for your personal login and password. Instructions on how to set up your @school app are attached below.
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Basketball – Bears, Bees, Badgers and Beetles
It has been a fantastic year for basketball. We’ve been training and playing every term.
Botany Beetles had a blast learning the basics and we’d like to thank Mrs Marck for taking on the Year 3/4 team this year.
Botany Bears progressed to a higher league this year and ranked 5th overall with Coach Du. Thank you again for the extra training sessions!
Botany Bees, dubbed the ‘no-subs’, was a tight team of seven players. We had a blast and came 5th overall in the Foundational Grade. Thank you to Coach Jack for looking after the team.
Botany Badgers, our first all-girls team, participated in the non-competitive league. They played incredibly well – 22 baskets in one game – and we’d like to thank Miss Liu for running the team.
More importantly, basketball has brought together unlikely friends in the spirit of teamwork. They learned to show resilience, communicate effectively, and uphold the values we’re proud to foster at our school.
We look forward to the 2026 league!
Ngā mihi nui and regards, Sojung Yoon (sojungy@botanydowns.school.nz)
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Kauri Team Year 6 Uniform Donations
Kauri Team Year 6 – Congratulations on completing your final year at Botany Downs School.
On the last day of school, Wednesday 17th December, you may choose to wear no school uniform. The reason for wearing no uniform is so you can donate it to our school. These uniform donations are used by our school PTA to sell onto other families in our community.
If you would like to donate school uniform items to the PTA, please drop them into the box in the school office foyer.
Thank you for your kindness! We wish you all the best for 2026.
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Library Books to Return
We still have a large amount of school library books that need to be returned. Please double-check at home (on shelves, in bedrooms, in the car, under the couch, etc…) and in your child’s classroom for any books and return them this week.
This is particularly important for our Kauri Team Year 6 students, and any other students who will be leaving BDS at the end of term.
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Summer Reading – Last Chance to Register!
After a successful Summer Reading programme last year, we are excited to offer this opportunity once again for our students.
- For BDS students in Years 0/1-5 only. Students must be returning to BDS in 2026.
- By giving permission to take part, parents agree to ensure books are cared for and returned in the first week of Term 1 2026.
- Parents/caregivers also agree to reimburse the school for any lost or damaged books.
- Only students who have had a form signed are able to borrow books. Borrowing will be available until the end of school, Friday 12 December.
- Registered students will be able to borrow up to 10 library books for the summer.
Why sign up for Summer Reading? The best way to improve literacy skills is to keep practising them. This is particularly important over the long summer holidays and helps keep students reading levels up. Plus, it is a fun thing to do!
Developing a love of reading for pleasure helps to improve wellbeing, develops empathy, builds focus and stamina, builds vocabulary and general knowledge, and encourages curiosity and imagination (key factors in innovation and problem-solving skills).
If you would like your child to borrow school library books over the summer, please complete and submit this form:
Summer Reading – Register Here!
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Children’s Book Recall Due to
Unsafe Edible Flower Advice
The publisher of the New Zealand children’s book ‘Play Wild’ is recalling retail copies across the country after the author mistakenly claimed toxic plants are safe to eat.
What is the safety risk? An error appears on page 46, where “vegetable flowers” are listed as edible.
While many vegetable flowers are safe, plants in the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums) have flowers that are toxic if eaten. The risk of serious harm is low, however, because these flowers taste bitter, the publishers want to ensure no unclear information remains.
We have removed our library copy of this book from the shelves, and encourage any families who may have bought this book for their children, to follow the advice given by the publishers.
If you have this book at home, please cross out the words “and vegetables” on page 46.
Further information can be found in the following New Zealand Herald article: NZ Herald – “Play Wild” Recall
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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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HJ Elite Academy –
Holiday Soccer Development Programme
Registration is now open!
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!
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