Week 3, Term 2 2026
Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,
It has been great to have some sunny weather lately and awesome to see the children making the most of it when playing outside at break times.
You will notice over the next couple of weeks that the white plastic and scaffolding will begin to be removed from our school hall as the construction works near completion. Students and staff alike are excited to get it back!
I would like to welcome back Mrs Keenan, our International Director and Lead ESOL teacher who has recently returned from China. Mrs Keenan was able to connect with schools and agencies to promote our amazing school.
To celebrate Mother’s Day, our wonderful PTA are holding a Mother’s breakfast on Friday 8th May before school under the Junior canopy.
Ngā mihi nui,
Mark Insley
Acting Principal/Tumuaki (marki@botanydowns.school.nz)
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Coming Up @ BDS
Wed 6 May – PTA Jester’s Pie Day
Fri 8 May – PTA Mothers’ Day Breakfast, 8.00-9.00am
Fri 15 May – Pink Shirt Day / HPPA Dodgeball
Wed 20 May – HPPA Girls Soccer Day 1 / School Board Meeting, 6.00pm
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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Keeping Our Tamariki Safe – Parking Reminders
The safety of our tamariki is our top priority. Please remember:
No parking on yellow lines – These areas must stay clear for visibility and safety.
Do not park across driveways – This blocks access and creates hazards.
Please drive slowly through the Drop off zone in the mornings.
Let’s all do our part to keep drop-off and pick-up times safe for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation.
Complaint to Auckland Transport On-Line
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Health and PE Curriculum Survey
At Botany Downs School, we value our parent and caregiver thoughts about what we do. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey regarding our Health and Physical Education Curriculum.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated and will be used to support our future decision making in designing and delivering this important curriculum learning area.
Health and PE Curriculum Survey
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NEW DATES – Fibre Upgrade/works on Booralee Ave
We have been contacted by Universal Communications Group (UCG), that they will NOW be completing fibre-upgrade/works on Booralee Ave for five days during the dates of Monday 11th May to Sunday 7th June.
While UGC’s work time set up is from 10.00am and cleared by 2.30pm on school days, please be aware that this may cause some delays for drop offs and pick ups at the Booralee Ave gate exit at the back of our school.
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PTA Notice –
Mother’s Day Morning – This Friday 8th May
Celebrating All the Special Women in Our School Community
Friday 8th May | 8:00–9:00am | Under the Junior Canopy
Join us for a morning of connection and appreciation as we celebrate not only mums—but all the amazing people who fill a mother-like role in the lives of our tamariki.
Enjoy a warm drink, a bite to eat, and a chance to relax and connect with others before the day begins. Everyone who attends will also go in the draw to win a beautiful basket of goodies, kindly donated by the PTA!
Please note: food and drink will be provided for mums and caregivers only.
We look forward to celebrating with you!
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Pink Shirt Day – Coming Up…
Pink Shirt day is coming up next week. Keep an eye out in next week’s newsletter to see what is happening on Friday 15th May for Pink Shirt Day.
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Fun & Learning @ BDS
Tōtara Year 5, Room 15 – Art Spotlight: Crayon Transfer Self-Portraits
Room 15 students explored crayon transfer drawing to create their self-portraits. After applying a thick layer of crayon to the back of their images, they traced over their features onto contrasting coloured paper, allowing the pigment to transfer and reveal detailed lines and shading. This careful process encouraged close observation and resulted in a striking collection of bold, expressive portraits.
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School Assembly – Juniors
This Friday is our Junior (Year 1-3) assembly at 2.15pm. We will be handing out Botany Best awards, and Values Bookmarks to the following Year 1-3 students. This week’s assembly item will be Pōhutukawa team, Room 28. All whānau are welcome to attend.
Our BDS Capabilities
Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown their Botany Best by displaying our Capabilities: Samuel Cao, Ohana Kaily Kodithuwakku, Ananya Dhinesh Babu, Harley Hine, Zyad Bshennaty, Louie Takaiti-Kerr, Cooper Jack, Bridie Bird, Zion Tipi, Averia Reid, Chenuthi Konara Mudiyanselage, Archie Brown, Noah Wei, Timi Yu, Zelda Brockwell-Gounder, Madison Hall, Damon Chen, Zoe Mungapattu, Lincoln Takaiti-Kerr, Matilda Malez, Nicolas Long, Sachie Ogura, Daisy Huang & Yixuan Zhang.
Our BDS Values
Congratulations to the following tamariki who have displayed our Value of Responsibility / Kaitiakitanga: Grace Manu, Benie Kazaroho, Bhevin Verma, Kaisley Zhang, Meghan Liau, Olivia Huang, Oliver Jones, Thea Smith, Mario Ma, Ava Krishna, Megna Swaraj, Shuang Liang, Caityn Grisselle, Jireh John, Kade Hubbard, Lennon Wallace, Landon Broodryk, Sunny Sagatea, Nav Kaur, Noah Eliesa, Liam O’Neill, Suzanna Kamakorewa, Baghel Singh & Chloe Simpson.
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Meet Owlette…
At our Senior Assembly last week Ruru introduced us to his sister Owlette. Owlette is going to be joining a class each week as a reward for the winning house. This week’s winning house was Blake and Room 17 are the lucky class to be the first in the school to have Owlette visit them for the week. Let’s see who the winning house will be this next week.
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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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