Kia ora, Tenā koutou, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Bula vinaka, Malo e lelei, Talofa lava, Taloha, Kia orana, Ni hao, Buenos días, Chao, Malo ni, Habari dobar dan, Namaste, Salam. Staffing Update Next term, to accommodate our growing 5-year-old cohort, we welcome Mr Louis Board to Room 20. Louis, who recently completed his teaching practicum with our Year 2 whānau, will be a valuable addition to our Year 1 whānau.
Term 2 Celebrations I want to acknowledge our dedicated staff, and the parents who support them, for providing our students with enriching experiences beyond the classroom. Here are some highlights from this term:
Year 5 Camp: Led superbly by our Year 5 teachers, Miss Skipper, and a dedicated group of parents.
STEM Competition: Our Year 3 and 4 STEM group achieved 5th place at the recent competition at MOTAT. Year 3 and 4 students participated in a MOTAT STEAM Cell visit here at school.
Hockey Success: Our undefeated hockey team excelled in the HPPA competition. Thank you so much to Esther Waqavakatoga and Kanwar Gill who supported Ms Buchanan and Mrs Manning.
Dodgeball Champions: Winners of the inaugural HPPA Dodgeball competition. Thank you Ms Hornsby for supporting and training the team.
Cultural Enrichment: Mr Flanagan has arranged expert teachers for our Chinese Dance and Choir groups, with performances scheduled later this year.
Cultural Groups: Whaea Lisa continues to support our Pasifika, Kapa Haka, and Indian dance groups. What a wonderful celebration we had of the Samoan culture last week.
Sports Excellence: Marist Eastern coaches have been preparing our Year 5 and 6 for the upcoming rugby championships, with our Rugby League team also competing in the HPPA competition this week.
Talent Showcase: Mr Flanagan has also been running our famous Baverstock Oaks Got Talent event. We look forward to seeing who makes it to our finals.
Community Engagement: Mrs Thompson, Whaea Lisa and Miss Skipper led a successful hui/fono evening, strengthening our connections with families.
Chess Tournament: We hosted a regional Chess cluster tournament in our hall and attended the HPPA event. Thanks to Mrs Green for preparing our teams.
Sports Update: Our rugby and soccer teams are in full swing, with special thanks to Richard Ware for his dedication to training our soccer team.
Additional Activities: Badminton taster sessions for Years 3-6 were a big hit, with Netball and Cross Country events scheduled before term's end.
Community Engagement: The Warriors Community Foundation tackles social issues through programmes and community initiatives that support mental health, anti-bullying, literacy, and other wellbeing skills to help our tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau thrive. Baverstock Oaks School was lucky enough to host the Foundation and take part in their skill development workshops. To top it off, we even scored a visit from three of the Warriors players – an unforgettable experience for everyone involved!
Basketball: We have Basketball training after school on a Friday.
Healthy Eating: Our Year 1 and 2’s attended the Magic Show Eat Right, Be Bright and then went back and made their own fruit kebabs.
Caring for the Environment: Mrs Edmonds has led a very successful collection of the Moth Pods in our area. The Moth plant is one of Auckland's most noxious weeds.
Some of our teams tried early training sessions this term. Well done to those students for taking the opportunity and showing their commitment by getting up early and attending all the training sessions. These students are learning wonderful skills that will make them reliable committed citizens now and in the future.
Caring for Your Children At Baverstock Oaks School, our office staff are dedicated to caring for your children when they are injured or unwell. Please ensure we have your correct contact details on file to enable us to reach you promptly if needed.
Term Dates for 2026 Please note the updated end-of-year date for 2026. Staff Only days are yet to be confirmed, focusing on implementing the refreshed mathematics curriculum.
Term Starts Term Finishes Term 1 - Wed 4 Feb 2026 Thu 2 Apr 2026 Term 2 - Mon 20 Apr 2026 Fri 3 July 2026 Term 3 - Mon 20 Jul 2026 Fri 25 Sep 2026 Term 4 - Mon 12 Oct 2026 Thu 17 Dec 2026
Holiday Dates Fri 6 Feb - Waitangi Day Fri 3 - Tue 7 Apr - Easter (During Holidays) Mon 27 Apr (observed) - ANZAC Day Mon 1 Jun - King's Birthday Fri 10 Jul - Matariki (During Holidays) Mon 26 Oct - Labour Day Weekend
Please schedule holidays during these times to ensure your child maintains over 90% attendance in 2026.
Feed and Read Our Feed and Read initiative encourages healthy eating habits with teacher-led reading sessions daily at 10am. Only fruits, vegetables, and nuts are allowed during this time.
Parent Code of Conduct and Parking Consideration We uphold a Parent Code of Conduct policy to promote respectful communication and effective resolution of any concerns, ensuring a positive environment for our students.
Additionally, we've received a kind notification from one of our neighbours residing in Oswald Close regarding concerns about parents parking in their driveway. Our neighbouring community plays a vital role in safeguarding our school and has kindly informed us of this issue. We kindly ask all parents to show consideration by refraining from blocking driveways in the vicinity.
Your cooperation in these matters is greatly appreciated as we continue to foster a harmonious relationship with our community.
Attendance Thank you to families supporting their child's learning through regular attendance. We are currently at 75% towards our attendance target. Please consider how holiday absences impact your child's attendance and our school's goals. The 418 students who are currently attending school regularly received a digital certificate last week, from me. Look out for this in your inbox.
Reporting to Parents Our staff are preparing mid-year reports for your child, to be shared during Learning Conversations on 25th and 26th June. We encourage your attendance to celebrate their progress and discuss ways to support them at home.
At this time we also have our annual Book Fair. Make sure before or after your child/rens Learning Conversation you pop into the library to see what this year’s Book Fair has to offer. It is a great way to develop a love of reading.
I look forward to catching up with you before the end of term.
Noho ora mai, Genee Crowley Principal/Tumuaki
Acorns - Room 3 & 4
Our Year 1 students had a fantastic time learning about healthy eating through an engaging and interactive magic show, Be Bright, Eat Right. The performance was full of energy, fun, and important messages about making smart food choices to fuel our bodies and minds.
To build on this learning, the tamariki took part in a hands-on kebab-making session! They explored a colourful variety of fruits, and proudly created their own healthy kebabs. It was a wonderful way to connect learning with real-life experiences — and best of all, the kebabs were delicious!
We're so proud of our students for showing curiosity, making great choices, and giving everything a go with bright smiles!
Budding Branches - Room 25
More Than Just Poi!
In Room 25, we’ve been doing more than just making poi, we’ve been weaving together learning, culture, and connection. What started with string, wool, and a bit of trial and error quickly turned into something much deeper.
This learning is a powerful reflection of what we value here at Baverstock Oaks. Making poi together speaks to our sense of belonging, everyone contributes, everyone matters, and together, we create something beautiful. It’s an opportunity to try something new, to stretch ourselves creatively, and to succeed in different ways. Helping one another through the tricky parts shows our spirit of service, and the laughter, teamwork, and pride we’ve shared truly reflect our sense of family.
At its heart, this journey with poi has shown us that learning comes to life when we use our hands, our hearts, and our voices. It’s about working together, celebrating identity, and growing in confidence and creativity. It’s about knowing who we are and how we connect to our learning, to each other, and to the wider community.
Budding Branches - Room 26
Room 26 had a great time celebrating Samoan Language Week. We were very lucky to have Lani Thomson come in to teach us a siva which we then performed at a special Samoan Language Week celebration assembly. Throughout the week we learnt about siapo which is a Samoan art form. We worked with our buddy class and learnt how to draw traditional Samoan patterns.
Tall Oaks - Room 7
In Week 3 of this term the Year 5 whanau went to Willow Park Christian Camp at Eastern Beach for our three day camp. Room 7's favourite activity was kayaking but we also enjoyed archery, raft building, team building, mini golf, pancake making and sports. Although for many of us it was our first time away from home, we were all really brave (and so were our parents!). We had a great time and would have liked to stay for longer.
Tall Oaks - Room 8
In Room 8, we have been reading the novel 'How to Eat Fried Worms' by Thomas Rockwell. After finishing the book, we got a chance to see how the character Billy felt about having to eat worms to win a bet. Miss Ahn brought in pan-fried silkworm pupae (beondegi) for us to try, which is a Korean street food often eaten as a snack. We had to be brave! Some of us actually enjoyed the taste and ate more than one while most of us were put off by the distinctive smell. We could see how Billy would have been very nervous to try his first worm.
Cultural Groups
Talofa lava! Kia ora! Mālō e lelei! Cultural Celebrations at Baverstock Oaks School
Here at BOS we continue to embrace and celebrate the many cultures that make up our vibrant community. Kia ora to Whaea Lisa, who continues to gift our seniors this term with her deep knowledge of Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori. Her dedication is seen and felt daily as she supports our students in understanding the language and values of Aotearoa.
In Term 1, our Pasifika groups proudly performed at the HPPA Cultural Festival held at Sancta Maria School. Their energy, pride, and spirit shone through and reminded us how powerful cultural expression can be.
This term we held our annual Hui/Fono evening, bringing together whānau and community to reflect on last year’s next steps and celebrate the achievements we've made. It was a valuable opportunity to gain insight into what we’re doing well culturally and to discuss future directions. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the rich and meaningful kōrero.
More recently, Samoan Language Week was an absolute blast—a joyful week where we explored Gagana Samoa through song, dance, and language. We started the week with a meaningful flag-raising ceremony and the singing of the Samoan National Anthem, a moment of unity and cultural pride.
Mālō le soifua! Whaea Lisa once again played a key role, working alongside our Pasifika performers to prepare and deliver stunning performances that the entire school was able to enjoy and be a part of. Their passion and precision were a true testament to the hard work and heart they pour into their culture. A huge thank you to Mrs Silva who brought her daughters in to perform for us.
A special highlight came from Mrs Rogers' class, who were lucky to be visited by Indiana’s mum, Lani. She generously taught the students a simple Siva Samoa (dance) called Le ‘Aute. Lani also shared the story behind her malu (traditional Samoan tattoo), and brought in the framed 'au (tools used for traditional tattooing), providing a powerful and personal insight into Samoan heritage.
Looking ahead, we are excited to share that during Week 8, we will celebrate Matariki through fun classroom exploration, a community Matariki evening, Y4-Y6 Matariki Disco and a whole school Matariki Mufti Day. Our very own Kapa Haka group has also been invited to perform at Ormiston Town Centre as part of the community’s celebration. What an honour!
From a Cultural Festival, to Cultural Week, to Samoan Language Week to Matariki and beyond, we can’t wait to keep exploring the rich and diverse cultures that make up our school whānau. Bring on more cultural weeks and the opportunity for us all to immerse ourselves, learn, and grow together.
Fa’afetai tele lava, kia ora, and thank you to everyone who has helped make these experiences so meaningful!
The 2nd hand uniform shop is open fortnightly on a Thursday from 8.30am - 9.00am. Open days: Term 2: 12 June, 26 June
Tidy uniform donations are welcome to be dropped off at the school office (no socks or hats please). For any enquiries please email Mrs McLoughlan on [email protected]
