Tuesday 27 October

Tuesday 27 October 2026     Rātū te rua tekau ma whitu 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

Wednesday 28 October
Year 5-6 Athletics Day at RPS

Thursday 29 October
Year 7-8 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

Saturday 7 November
Randwick Park School hall open for Election Voting

Tuesday 10 November
Interzone Year 7-8 Touch

Wednesday 11 November
Year 7-8 Inter school Athletics 

Thursday 12 November
Year 1-2 Athletics Day at RPS

Friday 13 November
Cultural Dress Day
Massey Park Pools – Rms 25, 26, 27 & 31

Monday 16 November
Board Meeting, 5.30pm

Tuesday 17 November
Year 3-4 Athletics Day at RPS

Friday 20 November
Year 5-6 Inter School Athletics
Massey Park Pools- Rooms 10, 24 & 32

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November
Auckland Regional Lego Championship

Tuesday 24 November
Sonny Memorial Football Game

ATTENDANCE – EVERYDAY MATTERS

Our weekly regular attendance rate climbed back above 60% last week, which is great to see! Our data also shows an improvement in Friday attendance, which is really positive. Thank you to our whānau for supporting tamariki to attend school every day.

We still have work to do to reach the Ministry of Education’s goal of 80% regular attendance. Regular attendance means being at school for 90% or more of the term, which is fewer than five days absent across a 10-week term. Every day matters, and together we can continue to make positive progress!

Well done to Te Hiringa, who had the highest house attendance last week at 64.4%, and Room 17, who achieved the highest class attendance for the second week in a row, with an impressive 76%! Congratulations to Navya from Room 20 and Kapeli from Room 22, both from Te Hiringa, who attended school every day last week and won our weekly LEGO prize draw. Ka pai!

NZ SHAKEOUT -NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE DRILL

Last Wednesday, Randwick Park School took part in the national New Zealand ShakeOut earthquake drill. A message was played over the school intercom, and everyone practised Drop, Cover and Hold by dropping to the ground, taking cover under a desk or table if possible, and holding on until the message stopped.

These drills help our tamariki become familiar with what to do during an earthquake and build confidence in responding safely in an emergency.

SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

Room 5 and Room 26 delivered an unforgettable Fijian Language Week assembly with the support of the Fijian cultural group . Their vibrant songs and dances carried a powerful message rooted in this year’s theme, “My language starts at home” reminding everyone to cherish and speak their languages within their families first.

MANU TIORIORI CHOIR FESTIVAL

 Last week, on Tuesday evening, the Year 5 & 6 choir went to the Due Drop Events Centre to perform in the Manu Tioriori Choir Festival. We sat down in our school lines, and each school went to the stage one by one while the parents got into their seats. Some of us were nervous, and some of us were excited. We’ve been practicing since Term Two! The first song we sang was the National Anthem, and our conductor helped us with the song. After that, we sang ‘I See The Light’. The crowd clapped so loud that our ears rang! After that song, we sang a few more beautiful songs, and Greenmeadows Intermediate performed Kapa Haka while our Tongan dance group got ready. Mrs Leha taught us a beautiful Tongan dance that 13 girls performed in our traditional costumes. Everglade School performed a Bollywood dance, and following that, we performed more songs and watched more amazing cultural items. At the end of the evening, we took pictures with our families and then got on the bus to go home. It was a really fun, amazing experience that we will always remember, and we can’t wait to perform again. 

By Kimberly Marurai (Room 31) 

EPRO8 COMPETITION

By Queen Ngondonga R27

YEAR 5-6 TOUCH TOURNAMENT

What a fantastic day for our Year 5 and 6 touch teams had at last Friday’s MPSSA tournament!
 
 Our Year 6s went undefeated in pool play before narrowly losing to Manurewa South and St Anne’s in the playoffs, finishing 4th overall. What an awesome effort!
Our Year 5s played a round-robin tournament, winning five games and drawing one to finish 1st overall! An outstanding achievement!

A huge well done to all our players for their hard work throughout the day. We are so proud of you all!
A big thank you to Coach Ron for his time and dedication, and to all the parents who came out to support and cheer on our teams! 

MOCK ELECTIONS AT RPS – EVERY VOTE COUNTS

Last Tuesday, our Year 4-8 students took part in Randwick Park School’s Mock General Election! Students experienced the voting process by casting their party and electorate votes, as well as having their say on our two referendum questions: whether our school uniform and logo should change. It was a great opportunity to learn about democracy, understand the importance of having a voice, and see why every vote counts. With only around 20 general election opportunities in a lifetime, it’s never too early to start learning about the democratic process!  A huge thank you to our amazing student leaders, who ran the entire event themselves.

OUR STUDENT LEADER VOICE AT ASSEMBLY 

Kia ora everyone! We have an important announcement today. There are only eight weeks of school left. That’s just 37 school days after today!

Thirty-seven days! That’s 37 lunches, 37 mornings of getting out of bed, and 37 more opportunities to make good decisions…or some really questionable ones!  But seriously, just because the end of the year is getting closer doesn’t mean our behaviour standards get to drop. We still expect everyone to show respect, make good choices, and have a positive attitude.

And if you’re in Year 8, think about it, you’ve only got 37 school days left at Randwick Park School. Do you really want your final memories to involve getting told off, being sent to RTC, or having your parents called?

As student leaders, we’ve also noticed something happening on the turf court. People are forgetting, or just choosing to ignore the rule that you cannot kick the ball above waist height.  Now, we get it. Some of you have absolutely massive kicks. You might think you’re the next Ronaldo, Messi, or Chris Wood. But this isn’t the World Cup, and nobody signed up to be a human football target!

The rule is there for everyone’s safety. Nobody wants to take a full-blooded kick to the face while they’re just trying to enjoy their lunchtime. Broken noses and missing teeth are not the sort of souvenirs we want from school!  So, keep the ball below waist height. If you accidentally kick it too high, own it. But if you keep doing it, don’t act surprised when a teacher steps in.

And this goes for everything, not just the turf court. Keep your behaviour standards high, keep your attitude positive, and keep looking out for each other. Because 37 days can either be a great way to finish the year… or a really long countdown to your next telling-off!  Let’s finish the year strong, make our teachers proud, and make sure everyone gets to enjoy the last few weeks safely.

Thirty-seven days left, let’s make them count!

Our student leaders’ certificates recognise students in our school who have been displaying our school values:

• Responsible and resilient
• Positive and kind
• Succeeding as collaborative, curious and creative thinkers.

Our recipients last week were Anderson-James from Room 29 and Jasman from Room 10.

TOTARA TEAM AT THE STARDOME

Year 2 had a wonderful time visiting Stardome Observatory! We enjoyed exploring the fascinating world of space and learning all about the Sun, Moon and stars. There were lots of exciting discoveries, curious questions and plenty of opportunities to spark our imaginations. It was a fantastic day of learning and adventure, and we came away with a greater appreciation for the wonders of our universe! 

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.

HATS – SUMMER IS ON ITS WAY!

With summer just around the corner, we are starting to see more sunshine and warmer days! We are encouraging tamariki to start wearing their school hats, which must be
navy-blue bucket hats, full brimmed. Please have a hunt around at home and encourage your tamariki to start wearing their hats or bringing them to school in their bags. Wearing a hat helps protect tamariki from the sun during outdoor activities. Please also ensure all hats are clearly named. Thank you for helping us keep our tamariki sun-safe!

KEEPING OURSELVES SAFE- PERSONAL SAFETY PROGRAMME

Starting this 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.