Newsletter - Week 9, Term 4 2025

Amanda
13 minutes ago
4 min read

Principal's Update

Kia ora Waitetuna Whaanau, thanks again for your support of Richard farewell last Friday. It was a special afternoon. He has expressed his huge thanks for everyone’s generosity.

Pool keys—pool keys are available for purchase and children can bring their togs everyday for class swims.

Book Amnesty—it would be great if you can send back any school books that you find at home as soon as possible.

Final assembly organisation– in the last week of term on Wed 17th Dec starting at 6pm we have our final assembly event. This is a spe-cial event where we acknowledge our leaving year 8s and celebrate the year of learning. We hope that all families can attend. After the assembly we have a shared dinner so please bring along a plate of food for this.

To help students get through to the end of the term I have reminded them of the importance of getting lots of sleep, drinking plenty of wai (water) and eating well and whaanau, a reminder about the importance of keeping routines going too.

Transition sessions—the students moving classrooms next year got to visit their new classrooms this week. It was really good opportunity for children to meet their teacher and classmates.

Wheels Week—next week-bring along scooters, bikes, rollerblades etc for the week. Make sure you have all the necessary safety equipment—helmets are complusory

Stationery for 2026—you will not need to purchase any stationery for your children other than purchasing a device (chromebook) if you are in a position to do so. We will provide the students with what they require. They will also be able to use some of the books that they have had this year if there is room left. Thanks to the board for this.

I know the Middle room will have lots of fun at camp next Thursday and Friday and the Junior Room will have an amazing time on their two days out.

Have a great weekend. I hope it isn’t too busy.

Ngaa mihi Amanda and staff

All the Happenings

Board Meeting—9th Dec– 5.30pm
Middle Room Overnight Camp—11th and 12th Dec
Junior Mountain day—9th Dec
Junior Room picnic at Hillary Hope Reserve—12th Dec
Final Assembly—17th Dec—6pm start
Reports home—18th Dec
Final day of Term 4—half day - 19th Dec—school closes at noon

Principal’s Message: The Gift of "No" – Social Me-dia and Wellbeing

As we navigate the complexities of raising children in a digital age, I want to urge you to consider your child’s ‘need’ for any Social Media, including Snapchat. I know the pressure is immense. Many of you are likely hearing: "But everyone else has it!" or "I’m the only one left out!" I am writing this to support you in pushing back against that pressure. The Facts: It is important to be clear: The minimum age for Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram is 13 years old. 13 is the Minimum but that is suggested by the social media companies. This is not the recommendation from organisations like Netsafe. This age limit is set for a reason. Even at 13 years it is difficult to navigate these apps but by doing so you are protecting children's emotional wellbeing, data privacy, and developmental milestones. Primary and intermediate-aged children generally do not yet possess the emotional maturity, critical think-ing, or impulse control required to navigate these platforms safely. Netsafe Advice New Zealand’s online safety organisation, warns that the specific design of apps like Snapchat—where messages "disappear"—can encourage risky behaviour. It creates a false sense of secrecy that often leads to cyber-bullying, exclusion, and sharing in-appropriate content. Even if a child is technically 13, Netsafe advises that maturity is the real key. If a child cannot handle a complex so-cial conflict face-to-face, they are certainly not ready to handle it online where the rules are harder to see. I urge you to consider de-leting these apps and delaying access if they are asking for them. I know this is not easy. If you remove an app or say "no," you will likely face a tantrum. You may be told you are "ruining their social life." It will be loud, and it will be uncomfortable. However, I want to reassure you: This short-term conflict is worth it for their long-term wellbeing. You will see a reduction in Anxiety and "Fear of Missing Out" (FOMO). Reduction in temptation to peek at night and reduce sleep deprivation from late-night notifications. Complex friendship issues that start online and spill into the playground are also significantly reduced. We Support You - You are the parent, and you have the right to set boundaries to keep your child safe. If you decide to remove these apps, you are not being "mean"—you are prioritising their mental health over their digital popularity. Please check your child’s device. If they are under 13, I urge you to enforce the age restriction. Let’s let our kids be kids for a little longer, without the weight of this digital world on their shoulders. Use of social media in girls and gaming in boys has been directly linked to huge increases in anxiety in as young as 8. Many Countries have already moved to R16. Let’s get ahead of this. If we all sing the

same tune to the children and work together we can make the change!