Tuesday 20 October, 2026

Tuesday 20 October 2026     Rātū te rua tekau o Whiringa-ā-nuku

Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Sat Sri Akal, Namaste, Talofa, Mālō e lelei, Fakalofa lahi atu, Bula Vinaka, Salam & Warm Pacific Greetings to you all

WHAT’S ON AT RPS

Tuesday 13 – Friday 23 October
Pohutukawa Team swimming

Tuesday 20 October
Manu Tioriori Choir Festival, Due Drop Centre, 7pm
Year 7-8 Epro 8, 4pm

Wednesday 21 October
Totara Team to Te Whatu Stardome
Year 5-6 Epro 8, 9.30am
Nz ShakeOut- National Earthquake Drill, 12.50pm
Māori Bilingual Whānau Hui – 5.30pm

Thursday 22 October
Whole School Assembly – Rooms 5 & 26 hosting, 12.20pm, all whānau welcome
School Disco: Jnr – 4 to 5pm, Snr – 5.30 to 7pm
*All tamariki need to be collected by an adult at the end of their session

Friday 23 October
Year 5-6 Touch

Monday 26 October
Labour Day – School closed

Tuesday 27 October
Year 7-8 Athletics Day at RPS

Wednesday 28 October
Year 5-6 Athletics Day at RPS

Wednesday 28 October – Monday 2 November
Kahikatea Team/Year 7-8 swimming

Friday 30 October
Whole school assembly – Rooms 7 & 31 hosting, 2pm, all welcome

Thursday 5 – Friday 6 November
CM Games at Bruce Pulman Park

MĀORI BILINGUAL UNIT – WHĀNAU HUI

Randwick Park School is exploring the re-establishment of a Māori Bilingual Unit in 2027. Last term, 113 whānau indicated that they were interested or possibly interested in having their tamariki participate, and three existing teachers have expressed an interest in teaching in the unit.

There is a hui to discuss what the unit could look like, ask questions and confirm whether whānau wish to include their tamariki for 2027.

Hui details: Wednesday, 21 October, at 5.30 pm in the school staffroom.

If you completed the survey and indicated an interest, we need you to attend, as we will be seeking a firm commitment to help us confirm student numbers and plan for 2027.

Didn’t complete the survey but are interested? You are still welcome! Please contact the school office or come along to the hui to find out more.

We look forward to working with whānau to explore this exciting opportunity for our tamariki.

NZ SHAKEOUT -NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE DRILL
WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER, 12.50PM

Tomorrow Randwick Park School will take part in the annual New Zealand ShakeOut, practising what to do during an earthquake – “Drop, Cover and Hold” actions to help keep everyone safe. Practising emergency procedures helps us stay calm, know what to do, and be prepared if a real emergency happens. By taking part in ShakeOut, we are building confidence and helping keep our school community safe and prepared!

ATTENDANCE – EVERYDAY MATTERS

During Term 3, winter illnesses and bugs had a big impact on our school-wide regular attendance, which was just 45%. This was lower than both the previous year and Term 2, so we have some work to do this term. Thank you to all our whānau who contact us when their tamariki are absent. This helps us record absences correctly and avoids the need for us to follow up with phone calls.

A reminder that if you sign your child out early for a medical appointment, we need to sight the appointment letter so we can code the absence correctly. Please also be aware that signing your child out early may result in them being recorded as absent for half a day.

With warmer weather, longer days and a team effort between home and school, I am confident we can improve our attendance this term. At school, we will continue to encourage regular attendance through our weekly updates, house points and LEGO prize draw.

Congratulations to last week’s house winner, Kotahitanga, and Room 17, which had the highest class attendance. Well done to Julius from Room 23 and Patalione from Room 17, both from Kotahitanga, who won our weekly LEGO prize draw!

TŌ TĀTOU MĀRA KAI

Spring is with us, and the gardens are growing well. Donations from mufti days have allowed us to plant our class spaces. Thank you to the ‘Gardening Gurus’ who have been busy weeding the onion crop. Watch for fresh produce for sale following Friday assemblies.

KINDNESS COLLCTIVE LEGO BUILD CHALLENGE

Last Thursday, Kindness Collective hosted a special Build the Change event in our school hall, generously funded by LEGO New Zealand. The theme was ‘Build Your City of the Future’, and all students attending RPS had the opportunity to participate.

The event encouraged creativity, imagination, collaboration and communication. Using LEGO bricks, students shared their ideas, expressed themselves and worked together to build their vision of a future city.

As part of this amazing initiative, every student received a LEGO set to take home, with all sets fully funded by LEGO New Zealand!

A massive shout-out to LEGO New Zealand for making this possible, and a heartfelt thank you to Kindness Collective for selecting our school to be part of this wonderful experience. The students had an awesome time, and the excitement and smiles throughout the day said it all!

We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity and for the generosity that made it such a memorable experience for our students.

SKIDS RPS

Our tamariki at SKIDS were recognised by SKIDS Head Office for their creative after-school artwork. Tino pai!

A PROUD MOMENT FOR DINIKA GOYAL !

COUNTIES ZONE BAKSETBALL

Well done to our Year 7/8 Girls Basketball Team, who competed in the Counties Zone Basketball Tournament last week.

The girls started strong with wins against Kauri Flats and Greenmeadows. After two tough games against Manurewa Intermediate and Clendon Park, they showed great resilience and finished the day with a win over Pukekohe to take 3rd place.

A big thank you to Mecca, Ana and Ron for their coaching and support throughout the day. We really appreciate you!

ARRIVAL TIMES

We would like to remind families that students should not be dropped off at school before 8.00am.

We have become aware that some students are arriving at school as early as 7.00am. At this time, there are no teachers on site to supervise students. Our teachers are not expected to be at school until 8.00am, and therefore we cannot ensure the safety of children who arrive before this time.

Students must not be at school before 8.00am. Please make sure your child arrives at school no earlier than this time.

Thank you for helping us keep all of our students safe.

END OF DAY PARKING

A reminder to all whānau to please not park or stop on yellow lines when collecting tamariki at the end of the school day. Parking in these areas creates safety risks for our tamariki, reduces visibility for drivers and pedestrians, and adds to traffic congestion around the school. Yellow lines are there for a reason, and keeping these areas clear helps everyone move safely and smoothly. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us keep our tamariki safe.

KEEPING OURSELVES SAFE- PERSONAL SAFETY PROGRAMME

From next week, tamariki will take part in a two-week unit using the Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) programme, developed by New Zealand Police. KOS is a personal safety programme that helps children recognise unsafe situations, develop strategies to keep themselves safe, understand appropriate and inappropriate behaviour, and know how and where to seek help. The programme builds on children’s learning as they progress through school.

What will tamariki learn at each year level?

• Years 1–3: Understanding feelings, recognising safe and unsafe touch, knowing that their body belongs to them, and identifying trusted adults who can help.
• Years 4–6: Recognising unsafe situations and inappropriate behaviour, making safe decisions, speaking up, and knowing when and how to ask for help.
• Years 7–8: Developing greater independence, recognising risks in different situations, understanding healthy and safe relationships, and knowing how to keep themselves and others safe, including online.

The programme reinforces the important messages that it is always okay to ask for help. We encourage whānau to talk with their tamariki about personal safety and remind them that trusted adults are available to listen and support them.