Week 9 Term 1 2026
Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,
Book Week was an absolute highlight, filled with so much fun and a real love of reading right across our school. The costumes were amazing; it was fantastic to see such creativity and enthusiasm from our tamariki. A big thank you to our BDS whānau who came along to support our Book Week Parade. It was wonderful to see so many of you there celebrating with us.
Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page for photos and special moments from the week.
A huge thank you to our Book Week Committee lead by Mrs Ryan and Mrs Hatley-Owen with Miss Chand, Mrs Leslie, Mrs Lee, Miss Ashley, Miss Young and Mrs Fromont – you are truly awesome, and we appreciate all the effort you put into making this such a special event for everyone.
Our swimming sports at Lloyd Elsmore last week were a great success. Our students demonstrated our school values and gave their absolute Botany Best throughout the event. We are incredibly proud of all our participants. Thank you Mrs Jeffs for your organisation and running of the HPPA (Howick and Pakuranga Principals Association) swimming sports event, and support helpers Mr Insley, Mr D’Ambrosio and Rachel Pang.
Thank you to everyone for an absolutely amazing Term One. It truly has been a fantastic start to the year, filled with rich learning, exciting sports, vibrant cultural and arts events, and so many special moments where we have come together as our Botany Downs whānau.
A sincere thank you to our staff, students, and community for your energy, support, and commitment, it is what makes our school such a special place.
My sincere thanks to Mr Insley for stepping into the role of Acting Principal, and to our leadership team, who will also provide extra support throughout Weeks 1–10 of Term Two. I look forward to seeing you all again in Week 11.
Wishing everyone a safe, restful, and enjoyable holiday break.
Ngā mihi nui,
Vicki Parkins, Principal – Tumuaki (vickip@botanydowns.school.nz)
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Coming Up @ BDS
Tues 31 Mar – Parent Curriculum Evening, 6.00pm in staffroom
Wed 1 Apr – PTA Jester’s Pie Day
Thurs 2 Apr – Last Day of Term 1
Mon 20 Apr – First Day of Term 2
Fri 24 Apr – ANZAC Assembly, 10.00am
Mon 27 Apr – ANZAC Day (public holiday)
Mon 4 May – PTA meeting
Wed 6 May – PTA Jester’s Pie Day
Fri 8 May – PTA Mothers’ Day Breakfast
Fri 15 May – Pink Shirt Day / HPPA Dodgeball
Wed 20 May – HPPA Girls Soccer Day 1
Fri 22 May – HPPA Rugby
Wed 27 May – HPPA Girls Soccer Day 2
Fri 29 May – TEACHER ONLY DAY
Mon Jun 1 – King’s Birthday (public holiday)
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School and Office Hours
The last day of school for the term is Thursday 2nd April 2026
and we will reopen for Term 2 on Monday 20th April 2026.
During the holidays the office will be open for new enrolments on:
Thursday 16th April 2026 and Friday 17th April 2026 from 9.00am until 12.00pm
or please email office@botanydowns.school.nz for an appointment or enrolment pack.
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Property Update
We are pleased to share that the weather-tightness work on our school hall is nearing completion. It’s wonderful to see the progress, and we are hopeful the hall will be fully finished by Week 5 of Term Two. Our new weathertight hall will also include air conditioning.
Over the holiday break, a landscaper will be onsite to refresh and plant our gardens. We are looking forward to seeing these spaces transformed into vibrant, welcoming areas for our tamariki and community to enjoy.
Planning for our Years 3 and 4 playground is also nearly complete. This exciting project is scheduled to be built during the school holidays at the end of Term Two.
Our new office for our Executive Officer is working very well. Thank you for welcoming our new Office Administrator, Stacey Muellers, into our BDS whānau.
With the recent weather, we did experience some flooding in corners of two classrooms. Repairs are underway, including roofing work, and thankfully this has had minimal impact on learning during the term.
A friendly reminder not to walk through the staff car park. To further support student safety, we are also exploring the installation of fencing along this area in Term 2. This will help ensure our tamariki are kept safe, particularly during the busy times at the end of the school day.
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Lost Some Shoes?
There are lots of school sandals in the lost property. Please come and look if you have lost shoes this term.
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Book Week Fun!
What a great week! All around the school our students enjoyed activities, and celebrated books and reading. Our special guest authors were a hit and inspired us all with their love of words, illustrations, and story. The Senior team was especially inspired by Graci Kim’s personal story of her resilience after failing and her determination to keep going and become the hero in her own life story.
The Book Week committee would like to thank our school whānau for helping their children prepare for dress up day, and for supporting the Book Fair – it is heartwarming to see so many families celebrating books and reading.
Thanks also to our wonderful helpers with the Book Fair – Jena, Sam, Sarah, Chantelle, Mariah, Tash and Nancy.
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Eye on Nature Trip
Last week, some of our Year 5 and 6 students visited the Auckland Botanic Gardens to take part in the Eye on Nature School Days Programme. They enjoyed a forest walk identifying different sights and sounds of the bush, learned about planting seeds and composting, and explored ways to be energy efficient. Students also investigated pests and how trapping helps protect our native wildlife.
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Student Leadership Day
Last Tuesday our school House Leaders and Councillors had a fantastic Day at Howick College working with Darren Pareira about being effective school leaders. Our students were also fortunate to participate in activities run by Howick College Student Leaders. It was also an awesome opportunity to display ‘Ruru’, our mascot. A great day of learning and fun was had!
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HPPA Swimming
On Wednesday last week 19 swimmers from Year 5 and 6 represented Botany at our HPPA interschool competition at Lloyd Elsmore. It was a day of high energy and tough competition, but our students rose to the challenge and did us proud. Ozias and Vion made it into the final for their races, and we placed in a couple of the relay races.
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Fun & Learning @ BDS
Kōwhai Year 2 – Room 4 has loved book week so much that they have created some wonderful book covers to share with you. We picked our favourite classroom story book and we copied the front cover using our own creative designs. We loved creating it and sharing our fabulous favourite books with our classmates.
Tōtara Year 5 – This term, Rooms 21 and 22 explored and celebrated what makes each of us unique. Through stories, discussions and creative activities, tamariki learned about their own identities as well as those of their classmates, helping to build respect and connection. Students shared their learning through Pepeha and art, highlighting what is important to them and strengthening a class culture of belonging.
Our waka represents our learning journey and shows that everyone has their own story. We all bring our strengths, cultures, interests and goals with us. When we paddle together, we support each other and help our waka move in the right direction.
He taonga te tangata – People are the most important treasure.
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PTA Notice
Hot Cross Buns:
Thank you to everyone who supported our fundraising efforts and ordered Hot Cross Buns: 132 packs were sold, raising $396. These will be coming home with students tomorrow.
Frujus and Fleeces:
Our last Fruju sales be will be on Thursday from 3pm outside the staffroom. Payment can be made via Kindo or in cash.
We will also be selling second hand uniform fleece zip jackets in a range of sizes, $10 each. Payment can be made in cash or eftpos.
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End of Term Principal’s Certificates
We invite you to attend our whole school assembly on Thursday at 9.10 am. We will be presenting our End of Term Principal Certificates.
Parris-Praise Singh, Amara Pavadia, Grace Marshall, Anaisha Sharma, Luna Hunter, Rumi Knight, Aashvi Singh, Ayla Cameron, Emma Zeng, Violet Liu, Yamina Maiava, Jasgun Mavi, Riley Wu, Hailie Chan, Karen Yang, Breeannah Clark, Nella Ranchhod, Jennifer Wu, Henil Tailor, JY2 Fajardo, Aaryan Verma, Katya Troussova, Uriel Su’a & Jane Bong.
The winning house this term is Sheppard. They will have a house colour day tomorrow where they can wear their house colours.
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Enrol Now If Your Child Turns 5 in 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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Fun in the Holidays!
Looking for fun, FREE events for your tamariki in the holidays?
Auckland Libraries offer a range to activities across the city. Check out this page to see what is happening: Auckland Libraries Holiday Events
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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 with HJ Elite Academy!
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