Week 7, Term 3 2026
Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,
We are looking forward to welcoming all our fathers, uncles, granddads, and special men under the Junior Canopy this Friday for our Father’s Day breakfast, organised by our wonderful PTA. It is always a highlight of our term to celebrate these amazing people in our students’ lives.
Our PTA has a lot of other exciting things underway too. Disco tickets are available now, and work is currently in progress to look into shade sails for our Junior Playground to keep our tamariki sun-smart. If you would like to support these fantastic initiatives and others, our next PTA meeting is this Monday night at 7.00 pm in the staffroom. We would love to see new faces, so please come along and join the team.
This Friday marks Vanessa Hatley-Owen’s final librarian day as she leaves BDS. While we shared our blurb in Week 6, we want to acknowledge her final week with us and thank her for her dedication, passion for reading, and commitment to inspiring our students. We wish her the absolute best in her next chapter. We will be welcoming our new Librarian Ashleigh Harris to our kura starting in week 8.
Best of luck to all our students participating in the upcoming school Chinese Speech Competition. The overall winner will go on to represent us at the HPPA (Howick and Pakuranga Principals’ Association) Speech Competition, and we know you will make our school proud.
We also want to wish our Literacy Teams all the very best as they prepare to compete in the HPPA Lit Quiz at Baverstock Oaks this Friday.
Vicki Parkins
Principal/Tumuaki (vickip@botanydowns.school.nz)
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Coming Up @ BDS
Fri 4 Sept – PTA Fathers’ Day Morning
Fri 4 Sept – HPPA Lit Quiz
Fri 4 Sept – Junior Cross Country
(races start at 1:30- please arrive on time to avoid disappointment)
Mon 7 Sept – PTA Meeting
Tues 8 Sept – Cultural Art Experience
Wed 9 Sept – HPPA Netball Day / School Board Meeting
Thurs 10 Sept – Gymnastics Champions
Fri 11 Sept – PTA School Disco
Week 9 – Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
Tues 15 Sept – HPPA Mathex
Wed 16 Sept – PTA Jester’s Pie Day
Thurs 17 Sept – HPPA Mandarin Speech Competition
Thurs 24 Sept – Wear Your Culture Day
Fri – 25 Sept – Last Day of Term 3
Mon 12 Oct – First Day of Term 4
Fri 23 Oct – Teacher Only Day
Mon 26 Oct – Labour Day (public holiday)
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Influenza
The Ministry of Education is sharing the following Ministry of Health-approved information for schools during the current influenza season.
Given the current winter influenza season and the additional pressure on primary care and health services, schools and kura are encouraged to exercise discretion when considering requests for medical certificates for students who are absent. Schools and kura are encouraged to take a reasonable, case-by-case approach rather than routinely requiring medical certificates.
During the current influenza season, students who are unwell should be encouraged to stay home until they are well enough to return to school. This supports their recovery and helps reduce the spread of illness to other students and staff.
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BDS Yearbook 2026!
Planning for the 2026 yearbook is well underway with an exciting opportunity for an amazing artist to design and feature on the front cover!
Order your copy today from Kindo or pay by EFTPOS at the office. ONLY $20!
A year full of wonderful memories.
Sales from now until early Term 4. Don’t miss out.
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PTA School Disco – Welcome to the Jungle!
It’s time to get wild! Our Botany Downs School PTA Disco is back on Friday 11th September, and this year we’re heading into the jungle. Get ready for an evening of music, dancing, fun and plenty of jungle-inspired excitement.
Years 0–3: 5.30–6.30pm
Years 4–6: 7.00–8.30pm
Tickets: $6 per student via Kindo, or $7 at the door on the night
Make things easy by purchasing prepaid vouchers through Kindo, available in $4, $6, $8 and $10 amounts. Vouchers can be used to purchase food, drinks and treats during the disco for just $2 per item. Additional vouchers can also be purchased on the night, however, there will be no cash sales inside the hall.
Kindo sales close Monday 7th September,
so make sure you get your child’s tickets and vouchers sorted before then.
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Daffodil Day
A huge thank you to everyone who bought a ribbon or sticker last Friday on Daffodil Day! We raised $355.00 for the Cancer Society.
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Netball Fun Day
Last week Mrs Marck and Miss Smith took two netball teams to the Netball Fun Day. It was a great day with everyone trying their best and having fun. There was lots of learning and we were able to apply our new skills from our trainings. Thank you to our lovely parent helpers who supported us on the day!
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Fun & Learning @ BDS
Rīmu Year 1, Room 8: Room 8 loves to read! We have been working hard to learn new words, share ideas about the stories we read, read at a good pace, and answer questions.
“I like to read.” – Raizel
“I like to read with my teacher.” – Boston
“I like to read the Pip and Tim books.” – Louie
“I like to use the literacy activities.” – Elaina
“I like to practise my sounds with my teacher.” – Rumi
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Music Exam Success
NZ Modern School of Music held their annual practical exams recently. Pupils were required to complete Technical work, Aural, Viva Voce, Sightreading and perform three pieces. The following pupils of Glenda C received these superb results:
Chevy Davis: Preliminary grade with Merit
Maxton Fung: Preliminary grade with Honours
Louis Hunter: Preparatory grade with Honours
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NZ Robot Olympiad Success
Liam Cho from Rūma 25 participated in the New Zealand Robot Olympiad (NZRO), held from July 7–13, 2026, in the Junior High Division, and received:
Gold Medal – Cyber Robot, and Robot Racing Formula
Silver Medal – Line Tracer Relay
Bronze Medal – Creative Idea, and Battle Cube
He also participated in the New Zealand National Competition of the World Robot Olympiad (WRO-NZ) on May 31, 2026, where he received a:
Silver Medal – Future Innovators
Congratulations Liam – wonderful results!
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PTA Notices…
Father’s Day Morning – This Friday, 4th September
A quick reminder that our Father’s Day Morning is happening this Friday from 8:00–9:00am under the Junior Canopy.
We’d love to see dads, fathers, grandads and male caregivers join us for a hot drink, something to eat and a chance to catch up with others in our school community.
There will also be a draw to win one of two $50 Bunnings vouchers, generously provided by the PTA.
PTA School Disco – Friday 11th September
Another reminder that our Welcome to the Jungle School Disco is happening next Friday.
- Years 0–3: 5.30–6.30pm
- Years 4–6: 7.00–8.30pm
- Tickets: $6 via Kindo or $7 at the door
Don’t forget to purchase your prepaid vouchers through Kindo in $4, $6, $8 or $10 amounts. Each food, drink or treat is just $2.
Kindo sales close Monday 7th September so make sure you purchase your tickets and vouchers before then.
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Enrol Now If Your Child Turns 5 in 2026!
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We are currently planning classes and staffing for the remainder of 2026. To ensure we have accurate numbers of our new entrants— even those starting in 2027— we ask you to please contact the school office for enrolment information. 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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Book Launch – Wild Summer
Come along to celebrate the first week of Spring with the launch of Vasanti Unika’s latest beautiful book Wild Summer. All are welcome.
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Join us for a fun-filled day of tennis and community! Love Tennis is FREE, everyone is welcome. Bring the whole family, invite your friends, and come along to experience everything our club has to offer.
- Fun activities on and off the court
- Music, food and refreshments
- Meet our friendly club members and coaches
- Spot prizes and giveaways throughout the day
- Bring your Colour-In Competition to go in the draw to win a prize!
Whether you’ve never picked up a racquet before or you’re looking to get back into the
game, we’d love to see you there, all ages and abilities.
Where: Cockle Bay Tennis Club & Howick Tennis Club
When: Sunday 13 September
Time: 10am to 2pm
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