Newsletter – Week 11, Term 2 2026

                                   Week 11, Term 2 2026   

Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,

I am absolutely thrilled to be back with you all for the final week of the term after being away on a ten-week sabbatical. I have returned this week feeling completely refreshed, energised, and incredibly grateful for the opportunity.

While I was away, I had the opportunity to collaborate closely with the Ministry of Education and principal colleagues on some deep professional learning. It was an invaluable experience, and I have been focusing on the latest educational strategies to bring fresh ideas back to our school. I am so excited to put this new knowledge into action to support your children’s growth as we head into the second half of the year.

A Massive Thank You to Our Team

An absence of ten weeks is no small thing, and it could not have happened without our incredible team. I want to extend a massive thank you to:

Mr  Mark Insley: Thank you for doing an absolutely amazing job as Acting Principal in my absence. Your leadership kept our school moving forward seamlessly.

Mrs Rachel Ryan & the Leadership Team: Thank you for your unwavering support of Mark and for guiding our school so capably.

Our Wonderful Staff: Thank you all for being so dedicated and professional. Our staff always go above and beyond, and I deeply acknowledge the hard work and dedication they put into everything they do.

The School Board & Community: Thank you to the Board for granting me this sabbatical, and to our entire community for your support, which allows opportunities like this to happen.

Since returning on Monday, catching up with people around the school has been absolutely wonderful. I am very much looking forward to seeing many more of you at our Matariki morning celebration this Friday. It will be a beautiful way to wrap up the term together.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended the recent Whānau Learning Conversations and for supporting our staff as they navigate our new assessment and reporting systems. Many, many hours of hard work and mahi have gone into developing these behind the scenes, and your partnership makes all the difference.

Looking ahead, Term 3 is already filling up with so many exciting events. Have a wonderful, safe, and restful upcoming school holiday, and I look forward to connecting with more of you when we return for an exciting Term 3.

Vicki Parkins
Principal/Tumuaki (vickip@botanydowns.school.nz)

Coming Up @ BDS

Wed 1 Jul – PhotoLife Class and Individual Photos
Thurs 2 Jul – PhotoLife Sibling Photos
Fri 3 Jul – Matariki Morning / LAST DAY OF TERM 2

Mon 20 Jul – FIRST DAY OF TERM 3
Tues 21 Jul – Kōwhai Yr 2 Stardome Trip
Wed 22 Jul – Howick Intermediate Visiting Kauri Yr 6
Mon 27 Jul – Somerville Intermediate Visiting Kauri Yr 6
Wed 29 Jul – HPPA Dance Festival
Thurs 30 Jul – Senior School Cross Country
Mon 3 Aug – PTA Meeting
Tues 4 Aug – Senior Speech Competition
Wed 5 Aug – School Board Meeting / PTA Jester’s Pie Day
Mon 10 Aug ICAS English

School and Office Hours

The last day of Term Two is Friday 3rd July 2026. 
Term Three begins on Monday 20th July 2026.

During the holidays the office will be open for new enrolments on Thursday 16th July 2026 and Friday 17th July 2026 from 9.00am until 12.00pm.  Please email office@botanydowns.school.nz for an appointment or enrolment pack.

School Photo Reminder

We have school photos on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Please ensure your child comes to school in full uniform (even if they have Specialist PE lessons) on both of these days. Thank you.

Lost Property – Shoes

We have a large number of unnamed school shoes in the lost property waiting to be claimed. Please check this week if you are missing school shoes. Any shoes still unclaimed at the end of term will be donated to a local charity shop.

Howick Intermediate Information For
Kauri Year 6 Parents

If you will be enrolling your child at Howick Intermediate for 2027, please check the dates and times below for their open day, visits and parents evening. Year 6 students who enrol at Howick Intermediate will walk there for an orientation visit on Wednesday 11th November.

SCHOOL NEWS

HPPA Boys Competitive Football 

We were fortunate enough to take two teams to the HPPA Competitive Football Tournament. Botany Downs faced some tough competition taking on the reigning champions and giving them a run for their money. After completing all five of our games we were ranked 6th and 16th out of 24 teams. 

2026 International Competitions and
Assessment for Schools (ICAS)

Year 5 and 6 students have the opportunity to participate in the 2026 International Competitions and Assessment for Schools (ICAS). ICAS assessments are designed to recognise academic excellence. Students are assessed on their ability to apply classroom learning to new contexts, using higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills.

This year we are offering Year 5 and 6 students the opportunity to participate in English, Science and Maths assessments. All assessments are supervised at school and completed online. You will be notified of your child’s results when they are ready and they will also receive a certificate. Top performers will be eligible for medals and special ceremonies to recognise their academic excellence from ICAS assessments.

Dates of assessments:

English: Monday 10th August 9-10.30am

Science: Monday 17th August 9-10.30am 

Maths: Monday 24th August 9-10.30am

Each assessment has a cost of $22.95. For payments, we will be using the Parent Payment System so you must make your payments directly to ICAS. All payments must be made by Monday 20th July. We will not be accepting payments at school. See below for payment details:

• Direct login link

This link to log directly into the ICAS shop and start registering:

https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/parent-payment/XNF939

• Log in using the PPS code

Visit the ICAS website shop and use the PPS code to log in: XNF939

ICAS tests shown for selection are at the school’s discretion.   After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email, please keep this for your records.  

Practice papers for ICAS will be available to borrow from the beginning of Term 3.

Mark Insley, (marki@botanydowns.school.nz)

Jumping June

Thank you to all of you who donated to the Heart Foundation for our Jumping June Day.

The wind was not nice to us on the day but everyone got involved and enjoyed an afternoon of jumping. There was skipping, elastics, obstacle courses, hoops and art. It was great to see all the students of Botany Downs getting active and our Kauri Year 6 students were all great role models for the younger students. Thanks to our House leaders for organising the event. 

You can still donate if you wish: https://www.jumpingjune.org.nz/fundraisers/rachaeljeffs/botany-downs-primary 

Fun & Learning @ BDS

Specialist Classes: Enviro/STEAM Years 4, 5 & 6:
What a great term it’s been! Tītoki Year 4 has been designing and building treehouses, doing a fantastic job of problem solving and trying new ideas. 

Tōtara Year 5 has been busy with their environment topic, exploring food chains in the garden, learning about composting, and most recently discovering the importance of insects and creating some beautiful Eric Carle inspired art.

Kauri Year 6 have been getting to grips with potential and kinetic energy by building their own paper rollercoasters. There was plenty of trial and error involved, but they embraced the challenge.  

Kōwhai Year 2 and Pōhutukawa Year 3 have been getting stuck into science this term, exploring forces, magnets, and friction through a range of hands-on experiments. They have been investigating how pushes and pulls affect the way objects move, testing what magnets can and can’t do, and finding out how different surfaces create more or less friction. Alongside this, we’ve been focusing on changing variables and making a hypothesis.

Student Success

NZ Modern School of Music held their annual music competitions in Remuera recently and the following pupils of Glenda C received these awesome awards:

Maxton Fung:
Silver medal for 8 years own choice 
Silver medal for 8 years test piece

Ozias Su’a:
Gold medal for beginners class test piece
Very Highly Commended for beginners own choice

A big congratulations, well done on all the practise! 

PTA Notice…

Enrol Now If Your Child Turns 5 in 2026!

We are currently planning classes and staffing for the remainder of 2026, and having accurate numbers of new entrants — even those starting later in the 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)

LIBRARY NEWS

Meet international best-selling author Graci Kim and check out her new book – Royalslinger!
Dorothy Butler Children’s Bookshop, 1 Jervois Road, Parnel

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Bucklands Beach Sea Scouts are currently recruiting 5-8 year-old Boys and Girls to Join our Kea Section on either Monday or Thursday 5:30-6:30pm. We also cater for older children up to 18 years-old in different sections.

We have a really fun group and offer to help children develop Adventure, Friendship and confidence through traditional new Zealand activities. Sleep overs, Camping, walks, team building, boating and water activities, arts and crafts, games etc.

Sign up online for a free trial: https://scouts.nz/group/bucklands-beach-sea-scout-group/

We’re excited to announce that HJ Elite Academy’s After School Soccer Development Programme is back for Term 3!

This fun and engaging programme is designed for both boys and girls who are new to soccer or looking to further develop their existing skills. Our focus is on:

• Recognising and nurturing each child’s individual abilities
• Supporting age-appropriate skill development
• Most importantly, making sure every child enjoys the journey

To register: click here  *payment plan available ” 

Pay the kindo way: https://botanydowns.school.nz/kindo/