Week 4, Term 4 2026
Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,
Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau
What an exciting week of sport for our tamariki. They represented our Kura brilliantly in basketball and touch rugby, showcasing our school values and giving it their “Botany Best” every step of the way. A huge thank you to Mr Wakerly and Mrs Marck for supporting and coaching our teams.
The new Year 3 and 4 playground is fully completed and looks amazing. However, due to a slight delay in turf supply, the official opening will be pushed back by one week. We can’t wait for our Year 3 and 4 students to start enjoying this fantastic new space very soon.
Ngā mihi nui
Vicki Parkins
Principal/Tumuaki (vickip@botanydowns.school.nz)
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Coming Up @ BDS
Week 2
Wednesday 4th Nov – Sommerville Orientation
Thursday 5th Nov – Year 6 Omana Ecology Adventure
Friday 6th Nov – Gumboot Friday
Monday 9th Nov – Last day to order Yearbooks
Wednesday 11th Nov – Howick Intermediate Orientation
Wednesday 11th Nov – Year 1 Zoo Trip
Wednesday 11th Nov – Year 4 Zoo Trip
Friday 13th Nov – HPPA Athletics Day
Monday 16th Nov – Calendar Art Final day for orders
Monday 16 Nov – 4.30pm Information on BYOD for 2027 (Bring Your Own Device)
Tuesday 17th Nov – Junior School Athletics
Wednesday 18th Nov – Non Uniform Day/ Silly Socks
Wednesday 16 Dec – Last Day of School Term 4. School finishes at 2pm.
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HPPA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT 2026
On Wednesday 28th October we participated in the HPPA Basketball Tournament at the Pulman Arena in Takanini. Our team played incredibly well and won 6 of our 8 games, coming in at 5th place out of 24 teams. Our team played exciting basketball which was so enjoyable to watch. There was some amazing passing along with slick layups and long shots on display. They showed great sportsmanship all day and gave their best efforts on court.  Well done to all of our players and thank you to our two parent helpers who helped make the day run smoothly.
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Who: BDS Whānau of 2027 Year 4, 5 and 6
When: Monday 16 November, 4.30-5.30 pm
Where: Room 22, Year 5
What: Information on BYOD for 2027 (Bring Your Own Device)
In 2027, our Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 students may bring their own devices to school each day. Students who do not bring their own devices will continue to have access to school owned devices.
Please visit the following link for more information on recommended devices your child could bring: https://www.pbtech.co.nz/education/byod/botany-downs-school
At Botany Downs School, we highly recommend a Microsoft or Chrome OS laptop.
The minimum screen size should be 11″ as our testing programme will not work with smaller screens.
If you do decide that your 2027 Year 4, 5 or 6 child will bring their own device, BYOD agreement forms will be sent home at the beginning of the 2027 school year. Students are unable to bring their device until a completed form is returned to school.
For any enquiries please email Mr Yoon: sojungy@botanydowns.school.nz
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Gumboot Friday 6th November
Gumboot Friday is an annual event that raises money for free youth counselling. The event also serves as a platform to raise awareness about mental health and provide support to those who may be struggling with their mental well-being.
To support Gumboot Friday, our Botany Downs School Councillors will be collecting gold coin donations on the hall deck from 8.30-9am next Friday, 6th November. It would be awesome to see as many children wearing their gumboots as possible to support this worthy cause.
Our councillors are also running a colouring in competition with a prize for the best colouring for each year level.
Gumboot Friday 6th November, gold coin donation, wear your gumboots!
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 On Thursday 22nd November, our Year 4–6 students took part in our school athletics event. It was fantastic to see everyone giving their best, showing great determination and sportsmanship, and cheering on their classmates.
Well done to all our students for their efforts and achievements!
Here are the results:
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Your children have been busy creating beautiful works of art that can be made into calendars, cards, diaries and more! Please keep a look out for a flyer coming home with a preview of your childs artwork and your unique order code.
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School Assembly
We invite you to attend our school assembly on Friday at 2.10pm. We will be presenting our Botany Best Certificates and Values Bookmarks. This week’s items will be from Room 18,Tītoki Year 4. All whānau are welcome to attend.
Our BDS Capabilities
Congratulations to our following tamariki who will receive certificates for shown their Botany Best by displaying our capabilities:
Datis Bassam, Daniel He, Connor Swanepoel, Amylee Meile, Ekko Wong, Rosanna Siew, Leo Mckeen-Smith, Miles Maceachen, Grant Leslie, Terry Sui, Carlo Larita, Alofa Vaolele, Laurayne Soafa, Marcus Ismail, Riaan Karthick, Amisha Clarke, Elani Venter, Zean Wang, Austin McNeill, Lorcan Van Wyk, Meghan Liau, Aariz Zahidani, Kobe Barlow, Issa Khan, Hairam Vaolele, Dana Al-Sarraf, Cayden Chan, Coco Hussey, Landon Broodryk, Luna Arthur, Amber Potgieter & Baghel Singh.
Our BDS Values
Congratulations to our following tamariki who have displayed our Value of Relationships – Whanaungatanga:
Yasmine Alsharefi, Hannah Biddick, Mia Cajayon, Thevindu Manikkuwadura, Jude Al-Khazraji, William Hong, Charlotte Walsh, Emily Green, Nicholas Botha, Juping Qi, Kyle Forrest, Vindi Alpenerislage, Daisy Wu, Luke Buckley, Ariel Wang, Mene’ Nel, Sophie Chen, Tina Tian, Chevy Davis, Jannat Jaidka, AJ Van Niekerk, Olivia Huang, Alisa yang, Ayla Cameron, Archer Pitcaithly, Emily Jiang, Charlotte Else, Isabella Hudson, Scarlett Hudson, AJ Aisea, Taia Vaolele, Mawada Khammas & Remi Atrushi.
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Important Dates to Remember
- End of Term Dismissal – Wednesday, 16 December: School will finish at 2:00pm on Wednesday, 16 December. (Please note this updated time—school will conclude at 2:00pm instead of 12:00pm due to the new Ministry of Education requirements).
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Secondhand Uniform email address
Due to popular demand we have now set up a second hand uniform email address.
We only have limited stock and sizes available. If you require any second hand items please use
this email address: secondhanduniform@botanydowns.school.nz and put your child’s name,
room number, their size and the items you are looking for.
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Enrol Now If Your Child Turns 5 in 2026 or 2027!
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We are currently planning classes and staffing for 2027. To ensure we have accurate numbers of our Year 0 and Year 1 learners, we ask you to please contact the school office for enrolment information.
Thank you for your support in ensuring we can have a smooth transition to BDS!
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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