Tuesday 10 November, 2026

Tuesday 10 November 2026     Rātū te tekau o Whiringa-ā-rangi

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 3 – Friday 13 November
Kowhai Team (Year 3-4) daily swimming at school

Wednesday 11 November
Year 7-8 Inter school Athletics
Epro8 Semi finals, The Gardens School

Friday 13 November
Cultural Dress Day
Massey Park Pools – Rms 25, 26, 27 & 31
Whole School Assembly – Rooms 9 and 10 hosting, 2pm, all welcome 

Monday 16 November
Board Meeting, 5.30pm

Monday 16 – Friday 27 November
Year 1-2 Swimming daily, Group 1 – Rooms 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9

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

Monday 23 November
Sonny Memorial Football Game

Friday 27 November
Year 8 Transition visit to Alfrisotn College

Monday 30 November – Friday 11 December
Year 1-2 swimming daily, Group 2 – Rooms 1, 2, 3 & 29

Tuesday 15 December
Final day for 2027, 12.30 pm

DIWALI

Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most celebrated festivals around the world. It is a time of joy, family gatherings, delicious food, and celebration. Diwali symbolises the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance.

During Diwali, families decorate their homes with colourful rangoli patterns, light traditional oil lamps called diyas, enjoy fireworks, share sweets, and spend special time with loved ones. For many, it is also a time to pray, give thanks, welcome new beginnings, and spread happiness and kindness.

Diwali reminds us of the importance of hope, unity, love, and the light we can bring into the lives of others. It is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and appreciate the richness and diversity of Indian culture.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali!

ATTENDANCE – EVERYDAY MATTERS

Our regular attendance rate dropped last week from 63.7% to 56.5%. We still have lots of learning to cover over the rest of the term, so it is important that tamariki attend school every day, right through to the end of the year. We have noticed that some tamariki are absent on days when we hold special events, such as athletics. These events are an important part of our curriculum, and we work hard to make sure they are inclusive and enjoyable for everyone. Please avoid keeping your children home on these days, as they are valuable learning opportunities too. Every day of learning counts!

A big shout-out to Kotahitanga, who took out the top spot again last week for regular attendance! Ka pai! 🎉

A special mention to Room 22, our top class with an awesome 71.4% attendance, with Rooms 25 and 17 hot on their heels!

Congratulations to Alfred from Room 21 and Nito from Room 16, who were our lucky winners in this week’s LEGO prize draw. Enjoy your LEGO goodies! Keep up the great work, everyone.

GOVERNMENT SCHOOL DONATION SCHEME

Randwick Park School has opted to be part of the Government’s School Donations Scheme again for 2027. Through this scheme, the Government provides additional funding to the school, meaning we do not ask whānau for general school donations or payments for day trips. The only exceptions are contributions towards overnight school events, such as camps and AIMS, and consumables for the Year 7/8 Technology programme. The scheme aims to ensure all tamariki can participate in their learning and school activities without financial barriers.

HOUSE POINTS – WEEK 4 WINNERS

COUNTIES MANUKAU GAMES

YEAR 5-6

FOOTBALL

Our Football 1 team had an outstanding tournament, going undefeated throughout the competition! Unfortunately, some scoring errors by the organisers meant they were unfairly left out of the semi-finals. Although understandably disappointed, our tamariki showed incredible resilience and sportsmanship, continuing their winning streak to finish 5th overall. Football 2 also had some fantastic wins, gained heaps of experience and learnt plenty along the way, finishing 10th overall. Ka pai to both teams! 

TAG

Our two Tag teams had some awesome games throughout the tournament. Tag 1 were a force to be reckoned with on defence, hardly letting in any tries. Their only loss came in a close 2–1 quarter-final against the eventual tournament winners, earning them an impressive 5th place overall. Tag 2 also battled hard, playing some very close games and showing great determination, finishing 16th overall. Awesome effort from both teams!

NETBALL

Our two Netball teams played their hearts out, improving with every game. Both teams came agonisingly close to a podium finish, narrowly missing out and taking home an awesome 4th place each! 

We are incredibly proud of the way all our tamariki represented our kura.

A huge thank you to Logan, Mia, Meka and Ana for their time and dedication coaching, both in the lead-up to and during the games. We also want to acknowledge Mrs Leha and Mrs Horne for coming along and supporting our teams. Without these incredible people, our tamariki wouldn’t have these amazing opportunities and experiences. We are so grateful for you all. Ngā mihi nui!

YEAR 7-8

TAG

Our two Mixed Tag teams had an awesome time competing at the CM Games tournament.
RPS 1 took out the tournament after being undefeated in all eight games. They only had two tries scored against them across the whole tournament, one of those being scored by RPS 2!
RPS 2 played some excellent Tag, and on the back of some excellent Day 2 results finished fourth (only missing third by a single point).
Thank you to Jordan for all your coaching, and to Ron and Anthya for all your support during the tournament. 

NETBALL

Our Year 7/8 Netball Girls 1 played some outstanding netball throughout the day, narrowly missing out on a place in the final after a hard-fought 14–15 semi-final loss to Sutton. They showed great resilience, bounced back strongly and finished the tournament on a high, defeating Manurewa East to secure 3rd place!

KĪ-O-RAHI

Our Kio Rahi team were the first team from our school to participate in the CM Games! Although they were nervous at first, they showed great resilience, courage and determination, giving the game their very best. They faced some highly competitive teams with much more experience, but never gave up and embraced the challenge. We are incredibly proud of their efforts, positive attitudes and willingness to step outside their comfort zones. Ka pai, team! 

E-GAMES

Our E-Games crew Julius-Ryan, Akrish, Maira, and Aisha headed out to represent the school at the CM Games this week. Thursday proved to be a tough opening day, with the team facing fierce competition and coming up short across all matches. Hoping to turn the tide on Friday, the team’s comeback plans were unexpectedly cut short when morning rain forced the cancellation of all E-Games events. Despite the disappointing end, the team showed great determination and sportsmanship throughout the event!

VOLLEYBALL

A great effort from our volleyball team, finishing 6th overall! For many of our players, this was their first time playing competitive volleyball, and they had only a short time together to prepare. The team came agonisingly close in a thrilling quarter-final, narrowly losing to the eventual champions, Clendon Park. An outstanding effort from the whole team. Plenty to be proud of and an exciting foundation to build on for the future!

FAREWELL AND CONGRATULATIONS

We are pleased to announce that James Dawson has won the postiion of Principal at Clendon Park School, commencing in 2027. We are very excited for him, but sad he will finish his time at Randwick Park School at the end of this year.

James joined RPS in June 2025 as Associate Principal, bringing with him almost 25 years of teaching and leadership experience in the Manurewa area. During his time at Randwick Park, he has contributed to the school’s leadership, curriculum development, student wellbeing and sporting opportunities, making a positive difference across the school.

While we are naturally sad to be losing James, we are delighted for him and excited about this next chapter in his career. Clendon Park School holds a special place in his heart, having spent more than 20 years there before joining RPS. His appointment is a wonderful opportunity to return to a school and community that mean so much to him.

We thank James for his contribution to Randwick Park School and wish him and his whānau all the very best for the future. We know he will take many fond memories of his time at RPS with him, and we wish him every success when he takes on the role of Principal at Clendon Park School.

HATS – SUMMER IS ON ITS WAY!

The weather is definitely getting warmer, and we are enjoying more sunshine! We are encouraging tamariki to start wearing their school hats, which must be navy-blue, full-brimmed bucket hats. At present, wearing hats is optional. However, as the weather gets hotter, hats will become compulsory. Wearing a hat helps protect our tamariki from the sun and possible issues later in life.

Please ensure all hats are clearly named. Thank you for helping us keep our tamariki sun-safe!