14 Oct 2025

WPS Newsletter

Kia Ora,
This is our latest newsletter for Week 2 of Term 4, 2025

Please click on the link below to open and view our newsletter:
WPS Newsletter - W02T04 - 14 October 2025

If you would like to view any of our previous newsletters, please click on this link below:
WPS Newsletters and Notices

Nga mihi

Office@WPS
Ph: (09) 438 3186
office@whangareiprimary.school.nz

7 Oct 2025

Kia ora Whānau,

It's Matua Danny here, and I'm excited to officially welcome everyone back for Term 4! Can you believe we've reached the final term of what has been a fantastic and incredibly busy year?

It's a wonderful time of year as the weather begins to warm up and the days get longer. With that in mind, we've got a couple of important reminders for the coming weeks:

Swimming is on its Way!
As the weather gets reliably warmer, we'll be starting our school swimming programme. We anticipate this will be from Week 6 onwards, so please make sure your child has their togs and a towel ready to go around that time.

Learning to swim is such an important life skill, and we encourage every student to participate fully. It's not only great fun but also a vital part of water safety education.

Sun Safe School
With the sun's strength rapidly increasing, we must all be sun smart. Please ensure your child comes to school with a hat every day. They'll need to wear these outside during break times, and it’s also a good idea to apply sunscreen at the start of the day. Let's work together to keep everyone safe from the rays!

Important Dates for Your Calendar
Please take careful note of the following two days when the school will be closed to students:

• Official Teachers' Strike Day: Thursday 23 October
  The school will not be open for instruction on this day. Please make alternative arrangements for your child's care.
• Teacher Only Day: Friday 31 October
  Our teaching staff will be busy working on professional development, focusing specifically on the new Refreshed Mathematics Curriculum. As this is a day for our teachers to work, parents MUST keep their children at home for this Teacher Only Day.   

A Term Packed with Fun and Learning!
Despite the busy schedule and important dates above, this term is going to be filled with so many exciting learning opportunities! We have lots to look forward to, including our athletics programme, continued swimming lessons, cricket in schools, various kapa haka festivals including our own Whangarei Primary School Festival on Thursday 13 November, and, of course, the grand finale of the year: our spectacular end-of-year summer concert. These events are fantastic chances for our students to shine, celebrate their achievements, and create lasting memories.

Let's make this last term the best one yet! We appreciate your continued support and partnership.

Ngā mihi nui,

 

Matua Danny 

Principal Whangarei Primary School

6 Oct 2025

Please read this Health Notice about Measles Cases in New Zealand

Recent measles cases linked to overseas travel have been reported in Te Tai Tokerau and Queenstown. Cases were active in the community while infectious, and there is a risk of measles circulating there, as well as more widely in Aotearoa.

Measles is highly contagious and can cause severe illness in people of any age. Watch for measles symptoms – fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes and a blotchy rash.

Measles: Locations of interest in Aotearoa New Zealand – Health New Zealand https://info.health.nz/conditions-treatments/infectious-diseases/about-measles/measles-locations-of-interest-in-aotearoa-new-zealand

If anyone in your whānau has measles symptoms, keep them home and contact a doctor or Healthline urgently on 0800 611 116.
Vaccination is the most effective protection against measles. Check that all whānau are immunised.

Measles immunity – Health New Zealand https://info.health.nz/conditions-treatments/infectious-diseases/about-measles/measles-immunity

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine – Health New Zealand
https://info.health.nz/immunisations/vaccines-aotearoa/measles-mumps-and-rubella-mmr-vaccine

Anyone closely exposed to measles who has not received two MMR vaccinations cannot attend their school | kura for at least eight days.

Measles resources:
Measles: A guide for education settings – Health New Zealand https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/health-services-and-programmes/public-health/measles-education-settings
Measles resources – HealthEd https://healthed.govt.nz/search?type=product&q=Measles  

Nga Mihi
Office @ WPS