Newsletter – Week 2, Term 3 2026

                                   Week 2, Term 3 2026   

Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,

Uniform Update & Thank You
Thank you to all our BDS whānau for the fantastic turnout and support with our school uniform. Our tamariki are wearing their uniforms with pride, including correct winter uniforms, sport/fitness gear, and black shoes, socks, or sandals. We appreciate your effort in helping our students look great and represent our school so well. Please also ensure all items of clothing are clearly named.

New Resource: NZC Maths Practice for Years 3–8
During our recent Whānau Conversations, several parents asked about practical ways to support their children’s learning at home.

The Ministry of Education has created a fantastic website filled with helpful ideas, activities, and guidance for families. We wanted to share this resource with you as an optional tool. Please know there is absolutely no requirement or expectation to use it; this is simply a helpful option for anyone looking for extra ideas or inspiration to support their child at home.

NZC Maths practice

Years 4-6 Cross Country
Our Year 4–6 Cross Country event is coming up this Thursday. Please see the details below and come along to cheer on our tamariki. A big thank you to Mrs Jeffs for all your organisation and support getting our runners ready.

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

A Huge Thank You to Our Community Supporters

Our hall is finally completed. The final touches were done during the holidays. Cook Brothers, the builders behind our fantastic hall weathertightness upgrade and kitchen rework, did a brilliant job managing the renovation and even installed and paid for a brand-new califont, ensuring the kitchen now has a reliable supply of hot water whenever it is in use. We are incredibly grateful for their expertise and hard work in transforming this space.

A huge thank you to David Stephen and the team at Caledonia Group (specialist industrial and commercial scaffolding, access, and rigging provider), who were contracted to Cook Brothers, for their wonderful support of our school. On top of their hard work, they generously donated $1,500 to fund new sports equipment. Our staff and delighted tamariki are excitedly deciding what gear to buy. Their support is deeply appreciated and will make a huge impact on our sports and fitness at our kura.

Coming Up @ BDS

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
Tues 11 Aug – HPPA Cross Country
Mon 17 Aug – ICAS Science
Wed 19 Aug – HPPA Gymnastics
Thurs 20 Aug – HPPA Gymnastics
Fri 21 Aug – Daffodil Day / HPPA Gymnastics
Mon 24 Aug – ICAS Maths
Tues 25 Aug – Netball Fun Day
Wed 26 Aug – PTA Jester’s Pie Day
Fri 4 Sept – HPPA Lit Quiz
Wed 9 Sept – School Board Meeting

SCHOOL NEWS

Year 4-6 Cross Country

Our Year 4–6 Cross Country event is coming up this Thursday. Please see the details below and come along to cheer on our tamariki. A big thank you to Mrs Jeffs for all your organisation and support getting our runners ready.

We  will be walking over to Millhouse Reserve at 12:40pm

The first race will start at around 1:00pm, depending on how long it takes us to walk over. 

The races will be in the following order:

Year 6 Girls

Year 6 Boys

Year 4 Girls

Year 4 Boys

Year 5 Girls

Year 5 Boys

Prizegiving will follow before we walk back to school.

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.

Let’s all do our part to keep drop-off and pick-up times safe for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation.

Drop Off Zone Reminders:

It is very important that our Drop Off Zone is a safe option for our whānau in the mornings.

Please:

• Be patient. Do not overtake cars that are letting children out.
• Do not stop on the zebra crossing.
• Drive slowly and cautiously.
• Drive to the end of the Drop Off area before letting your child/children out.

Thank you for your cooperation with this!

PhotoLife Keycodes

The keycodes to access your child’s photo have been emailed out.  Please check your junk, spam, or promotions folders, in case the message was filtered.

Free delivery applies to orders placed before midnight on Sunday, 9 August 2026

Incredible Years Parent (IYP) Programme –
Spaces Available!

We have just been made aware that ‘The Incredible Years Parent (IYP) programme’ at Elm Park School has just started, and there are still a few spaces open for interested parents and whānau to join.

If you would like to participate or find out more about how this programme can support your family, please get in touch directly by calling Russell at 021 225 3036 or Donna at 0211 754 768 or completing the enrolment form linked below and emailing to: hearourstory3@gmail.com. 

Incredible Years Parenting Programme Enrolment Form

Fun & Learning @ BDS

Pōhutukawa Year 3: Our Stardome Trip By Room 3

Last week all the Year 2s went on a field trip to the Te Whatu Stardome. We concluded our learning about why the Sun and Moon are important and we all had such a great time learning about space, the planets and what it’s like on the moon.

Do you know that if you went into the moons shadows, you will freeze because the temperature is minus 200 degrees! I learned that Earth is in a galaxy called the Milky Way! The Milky Way is a whole bunch of stars…
Coco

…I liked the movie because I felt like I was spinning and I felt dizzy! We saw a spaceman. The moon orbits Earth. Earth takes one day to spin on it’s axis.
Lloyd

I learned that Neil Armstrong was the first person on the moon. Did you know that if you go in the shadows on the moon, you would freeze like an iceblock? If you look directly into the sun you will burn your eyes because it is really bright and hot.
Scarlett

…Earth is a good distance from the sun because if were by the sun we will be too hot and burn and if we are too far away we will freeze.
Titus

Titoki Year 4: Room 17’s Matariki Learning

At the end of term 2, Room 17 were learning all about Matariki and why it is important.

We learned that each Matariki star has a connection to the land, sea, ocean and sky. Hiwa i te rangi is linked to our goals we make in the coming year. Pohutukawa reflects on our loved ones that have passed away.

We completed art on our own chosen star. Here are some of our beautiful art pieces.  

PTA Notice…

School Assembly

We invite you to attend our school assembly on Friday at 2.15pm. We will be presenting our Botany Best Certificates and Values Bookmarks. This week’s item will be from Tītoki Year 4 Room 20. All whānau are welcome to attend.

Our BDS Capabilities

Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown their Botany Best by displaying our Capabilities: Cassia Grisselle, Ethan Du, Darcey McCrindle, Nathan Hurter, Lexi Tsai, Naoki Yamagata, Natalie-Mae Tokai, Devansh Manseta, Joy-Ellen Tokai, Helaina Jamalidogaheh, Farah Almayah, Harper Timms, Elijah Perry, Wimarie Key, Elaina Su’a, Keli Hu, Zakaria Hamayun, Charlie Ellis, Megna Swaraj, Sakura Strickland, Scarlett Hudson, Anaisha Sharma, Jorawar Singh, Lakena Wilson & Ethan Zhang.

Our BDS Values

Congratulations to the following tamariki who have displayed our Value of Relationships – Whanaungatanga: Brady He, Olivia Chen, Asher Ellis, Alyssa Roberts, Aaronn Ajai, Chloe Jack, Neil Olarte, Terry Sui, Ethan Luo, Caelin Ramiah, Jeremiah John, Ayla Mii, Andrew Uiese, Carlito Calvert, Isla Marshall, Eason Han, Courtney Chi, Zane Williams, Ryker Christian, Willow Cometti, Lily Oliver, Damon Chen, Dylan Manu Lambai, Otto Ward & Rona Walters.

Enrol Now If Your Child Turns 5 in 2026!

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)

LIBRARY NEWS

Scholastic Book Club – Latest Issue!

Brochures of the latest Scholastic Book Club will be sent home this week. As ever, it is filled with popular, and engaging books for all ages and interests!

Each purchase not only supports your child’s reading skill development but also helps the school to fund valuable resources for the library and classrooms – thank you!

Orders will close Wednesday 5 August, 3.00pm. 

Orders are preferred online via the Scholastic Loop website: https://mybookclub.scholastic.co.nz/Parent/Login.aspx

Best of luck to all our athletes competing in Glasgow!

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Enrolment forms available from the school office

HJ Elite Academy’s After School Soccer Development Programme is back for Term 3!

Please note: day has changed to Friday! 

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/