MBS Paanui Newsletter Term 1 Week 5

MBS PAANUI – NEWS

‘Together we care, we learn, we succeed’

‘Aroha, Ako, Angitu’

Term One – Week 5 – Issue 

Student Inquiry Theme 2025

 ‘Ko wai ahau?’

‘Who am I?

Term 1: Curriculum Focus Area: Social Science and New Zealand Aotearoa Histories

Concept: Who am I as an individual, who am I in my school, who am I in my community and in the world?

Tumuaki – Principal Updates

Kia Ora Koutou, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Kia Orana, Namaste,  Ni Sa Bula, Taloha ni and warm pacific greetings.

We have had 5 weeks at school and our students have already started writing in their books and using the maths workbooks ‘Maths No problem’ which were provided free by the Ministry of Education. They have continued to practice their daily routines and recognise class expectations. Learning their pepeha has been part of our Student Inquiry Theme ‘Ko wai ahau?’. Our students will share about their learning journey at the end of the term. 

We had our Parent Information evening which was an opportunity to share important information to all whaanau and also introduce our teachers.

Our staff attended the Teacher Only Day held on Friday 21st February together with other schools in our Kaahui Ako (Community of Learning) as part of staff professional development with a focus on the New Maths and English Refreshed Curriculum. 

Attendance and Engagement is a focus and a priority this year. We have Whaea Belle who is our Kotahitanga Whaanau Leader, who works closely alongside Whaea Elaina (School Counsellor) and Whaea Loraine (Social Worker in School) to support our whaanau and students to be at school everyday. It is important for parents to contact the school if your child is going to be away sick or for other reasons. The school will refer to the new attendance codes from the Government. 

We would like to welcome Matua Jim Halafihi who is teaching in Room 4 for Term 1 while Matua Alan is on sick leave. Matua Jim has settled in well with the students in Room 4.  

Te Ara Puueru and Room 3 did well to host the first whole school assembly for this year.     Ka pai and thank you to their kaiako/teachers – Koka Ellina and Matua Jono. Congratulations to all of our tamariki who received a certifcate and Principal Award. 

It is great to see our students enjoying their class sessions in the school swimming pool and especially at lunchtime when our tamariki receive a special ‘Moana Pass’. 

We warmly welcome Greg Tucker and Heemi Walker from ERO Education Review Office also known as Te Tari Arotake Maatauranga. They will be at our school for 3 days from Monday 3rd – Wednesday 5th March. They are our evaluation partners and will be gathering feedback, evaluating our students success, looking at our school strategic plan and will also meet with the leadership team and the staff looking at the evidence that supports our school improvement framework. We will have a new team of evaluation partners coming at the end of Term 1 to work alongside Te Hiaraoa as part of the Te Pou Reo Review. 

We have our Community and Parent Hui/Meetings, including our Pasifika Fono and Te Hiaroa Whaanau Hui this term, and we encourage all parents to attend if you are available as part of our school partnership and gathering parent voice. We look forward to seeing you there. Please refer to the calendar dates below for the dates and times. 

One of my favourite things at MBS is seeing our students writing and giving out Principal stickers for their effort and hard work. Well done to our tamariki who got a sticker. 

There are some important updates from Auckland Transport at the end of this newsletter regarding roadworks on Coronation Road. 

Thank you parents for your ongoing support for your child’s learning. If you have any questions please continue to speak to your child’s classroom teacher. 

Ngaa mihi nui, Fa’afetai tele lava, Fakaue. Bernice Mata’utia 

Term 1 2025

Calendar Dates

3rd – 7th March – Sea Week 

3rd March – Poowhiri 9 am – New Students and Whaanau

3rd – 5th March – ERO Visit Evaluation ‘Te Tari Arotake Maatauranga’ – Poowhiri 1 pm 

5th March – MBS Maaori Whaanau Community Hui 6 pm 

6th March – Te Hiaroa Whaanau Hui 6 pm

6th March – Board Hui 6 pm 

11th March – PTA Hui 6 pm 

12th March – MBS Pasifika Fono Community Hui 6 pm 

19th March – International Community Hui 6 pm 

20th March – Emergency Drill 

9th April – Student Inquiry Outcome 3 – 5 pm – Students sharing learning journey in class

11th  April – Last day of Term 1 –  School will finish at 1 pm

Important Reminder!

School Finishes at 1 pm

Last day of Term 1 

Friday 11th April 

Student Inquiry Learning Journey

Wednesday 9th April 3 – 5 pm

Students will be sharing their student inquiry learning journey ‘Ko wai ahau’ Who am I?’ on Wednesday 9th April after school from 3 – 5 pm in their class. 

We invite you to come along with your child to see their student inquiry learning journey!

Library Paanui/Notice

PTA Meeting 

Tuesday 11th March 6 pm 

If you are interested in being part of the PTA where parents come together and support with our school fundraisers, please come along to the first meeting held on Tuesday 11th March at 6 pm in the Staffroom. Please contact Whaea Maxx or Whaea Luana. 

Hero – SMS 

Throughout the year, our staff and students will be posting rich content to our HERO software. For information about HERO, including login instructions, visit the HERO page on our school website or the HERO website, or contact Candace Nicholson in our office at candacen@mangerebridge.school.nz.
We encourage you to get set up with the Hero App on your chosen device.. Please be aware we are learning how to use this new system too. Please let us know if there are any issues! 
Our admin staff can support you to get started on how to use the HERO App. There are also instructions in the classroom. Ngaa mihi

Te Hiaroa Whaanau Hui

Thursday 6th March 6 pm 

Piiwaiwaka Whaanau

Years 1 – 3

Ruma Tahi – Rm 1

Room 1 has been exploring ‘Ko wai ahau’ through the creation of self-portraits. Each student has embraced this personal journey, using colors, shapes, and expressions to capture their unique identities and reflect on their inner selves. As they worked on their portraits, they delved into what makes them who they are—whether it be their interests, passions, or how they see themselves in the world around them. The self-portraits not only showcase their artistic talents but also offer a beautiful window into their self-discovery.

Ruma Rua – Rm 2

Bula everyone we are ROOM 2, We are so excited and  happy to be back at school. We have settled in so well. We are all ready to rock this year!  We have enjoyed making new friends. It have been learning about our school values, getting familiar with our new learning environment and look forward to creating wonderful memories together.  We have enjoyed swimming and having our first library and biking sessions.

Ruma Toru – Rm 3

Kia Ora e te Whanau, Room 3 is off to a great start this year, establishing classroom routines and safety promises. We’ve also read The Rainbow Fish and created some beautiful artwork.  We  love having our ice block Fri-Yayes,  what a treat! 

We are going to have an amazing year. 

Ruma Wha – Rm 4

Fakalofa lahi atu we are Room 4. We have had a great start to 2025!  We have learnt about our MBS values so that we can create a happy and safe learning zone.  We have written stories about our family and the favourite things we like to do. We have enjoyed creating self portraits using crayon and dye. Welcome to Matua Jim!

Ruma Rima – Rm 5

We have had a great start to 2025! Our tamariki are so happy to be back at school and to reconnect with their friends. We started using our writing books on day two. They wrote amazing stories and some received a Principal’s award sticker. Ruma Rima were keen to do Fitness. They impressed us with their skipping skills. We celebrated a class birthday on Friday by making fruit kebabs. The children enjoyed making them using their favourite fruit.

Ruma Ono – Rm 6

Ruma Whitu – Rm 7

Ruma Waru – Rm 8

Talofa we are ROOM 8, 

We have settled into our classroom routines and built a positive learning environment.   We have enjoyed our daily challenges and making new friends. Our favourite team challenge has been the Balloon challenge and game is four corners.  We have enjoyed swimming and bikes and look forward to more exciting learning opportunities and challenges this term.

Kea Whaanau

Years 4 – 6

Ruma Tekau maa Tahi – Rm 11

Room 11 has had a wonderful start to this year. Students from different rooms in Piwaiwaka and Kea now call Room 11 their classroom for 2025. In the first few weeks of school the students got to know each other and made new friends. They also got to learn the classroom routines,  how things are done in Room 11 and have begun working towards their academic goals. In Maths this year, students are following a new approach called Maths No Problem and have received Textbooks and Workbooks to work with. In Reading and Writing they have been developing and working hard on their comprehension and writing skills. Our inquiry this term is based on ‘Ko wai ahau?’ meaning ‘Who am I?’, a topic we will be exploring in many different ways throughout the year. Together with all this, we are enjoying and making the most of the great weather and our swimming and bike lessons..

Ruma Tekau maa Rua – Rm 12

Kia ora whaanau!

This week in Room 12, we’ve been getting familiar with our Chromebooks and learning how to use websites like Google Classroom and Writers Toolbox. We’ve been practicing signing in and out and completing the tasks our teacher has set for us. For our inquiry, ‘Ko wai ahau? – Who am I?’, we’ve been learning our pepeha and creating a visual pepeha to show who we are. It’s been awesome practicing our pepeha in Te Reo Maaori and expressing our identity through art! In maths, we’ve been using Maths No Problem to build our problem-solving skills and work through some fun challenges. It’s been a great week of learning, and we’re excited for what’s next!

Ruma Tekau maa Toru – Rm 13

Room 13 has had an awesome start to 2025. In our first few weeks we dedicated time to important aspects such as getting to know each other, building relationships and setting goals for the year. We also revisited our school values and used it as a guide to set up our classroom expectations together. Our inquiry focus of ‘Ko wai ahau’ led us down an exciting journey of self discovery and sharing who we are with our classmates in a variety of fun and colourful ways. We also met up with our tuakana/teina or buddy class Maunga Pikitea for some awesome games while getting to know each other. Learning also took off with a bang using our brilliant new maths resources and discovering who our talented writers and bookworms are. Other than that we are enjoying the warm weather, swimming lessons, classroom games and we are looking forward to the rest of this exciting new year!

Ruma Tekau maa Whaa – Rm 14

Sunshine, friendship, laughter and learning- these are the ingredients of a wonderful start to Room 14’s year together. 

As we journey through our inquiry topic of ‘Ko wai ahau?’ we continue to learn about who we are as unique individuals, where our strengths and vulnerabilities are, how to recognise and name emotions in ourselves and others, and how to best support each other so that we can be the best learners that we can be! 

Our favourite times of the week have certainly been our library visits with Whaea Rose, and our weekly swimming lessons where we get to practice our skills (and cool off). We are looking forward to the upcoming bike lessons and kapa haka too!  

In class it is business as usual; reading, writing, mathematics and a side of art for our creative brains. 

Aroha, Ako, Angitu – Together we care, we learn, we succeed!

Ruma Tekau maa Rima – Rm 15

What an incredible start to the year we’ve had in Room 15! Our focus has been on building relationships and getting to know each other, which is closely linked to our inquiry theme for this year “ko wai ahau?” which means that we are learning about who we are and where we come from. We’ve been exploring this theme in colorful and creative ways, allowing the students to share their individual stories and connect with one another in meaningful ways. It has been such a joy to watch them engage in these activities with curiosity and excitement. In addition to this, we’ve started the new “Maths No Problem” lessons, which have ignited a true love for mathematics among the class. It’s wonderful to see how much confidence they’re gaining in this area. We’re also working hard on developing amazing writing skills, where the students are encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas creatively and effectively. Reading is another area we are focusing on, and the children are enhancing their skills by exploring different strategies to become more confident and fluent readers. A highlight of the term so far has been our time with our buddy class, Room 5. Together, we explored the fascinating world of cicadas and learned some incredible facts about these creatures. The students were thrilled to examine old cicada shells and discuss the life cycle of these fascinating insects. It’s moments like these that truly bring the learning to life! I am exceptionally proud of the progress and growth of the tamariki in Room 15, and I look forward to all the wonderful learning that lies ahead this year.

Ruma Tekau maa Ono – Rm 16

What an incredible start to the year! In the first few weeks, our focus has been on building relationships and understanding one another, aligning with our inquiry theme for the year, “Ko Wai Ahau?”—which explores who we are and where we come from. We set goals, established expectations, and revisited—while for some, introduced—our school values. Each week, we enjoy a variety of fun activities, from riding bikes and swimming to spending time in the library, where we can relax in the sun and enjoy a good book. Room 16 has shown amazing rangatiratanga as we bonded with our buddy class, Room 7. Together, we explored Māngere Mountain, shared delicious treats, and had fun creating thoughtful cards. We are all excited for a year filled with learning, growth, and opportunities to shine!

Skids – Afterschool Care

If you are interested in after school care with Skids please contact the number below or see the office for more details. Ngaa mihi

Important Community Notice!