Dear Parents/Caregivers and Whānau of Elm Park School
Kia ora, e te Elm Park School Whānau,
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori! A powerful reminder that te reo is not just a taonga, but a living, breathing language that endures āke āke āke – a forever language.
As we come to the end of Term 3, I want to acknowledge the effort, energy, and resilience shown by our students, staff, and whānau. This term has been filled with learning, creativity, and opportunities to grow together as a school community.
I am proud of the way our students continue to live our school values, whether in the classroom, on the sports field, or through cultural and artistic expression. Their enthusiasm reminds us of the joy of learning and the importance of supporting each other along the way. We hope you enjoy our Facebook Posts. We try to capture snippets of school life. Next term, we will have Instagram as well. I am reliably informed by younger staff members that Instagram is the platform of choice these days!
A special thank you to our staff for their hard work and dedication, and to parents and caregivers for the support you provide every day—it truly makes a difference.
As we look forward to Term 4, we know it will be a busy and exciting time with many opportunities to celebrate the achievements of the year. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy a well-deserved break and some quality time with family and friends.
Nga mihi nui
Sarah Baleicakau
Principal A couple of weeks ago, we farewelled Sheree Houghton. Mrs Houghton had been a Learning Assistant at Elm Park School for many years. She has positively influenced many students over the years, and has had a career working with neurodiverse students. Mrs Houghton had such a heart for these students and made many deep connections over the years. We wish Mrs Houghton all the very best. We farewell and thank Karl Wadia and Trisha Tan for their service and contributions over the last few years. We welcome Paul Sherley and Leanne Swan as new Board members who will contribute to ensuring we achieve our strategic outcomes for the school. Thank you to Sharlet Naidoo who served as our Staff Representative for the past 3 years.
Welcome to our newly elected Board Members who took office on the 17th September 2025 for the next 3 years.
Erin Steele Brad Newlove Scott Shera Leanne Swan Paul Sherley
Staff Representative - Dave Borcher
Remember to keep an eye on our upcoming events window on the homepage of the website. For heavy weeks we will send out a separate flyer.
Term 3 Award Winners - Student of the Term
Term 3 Award Winners - ESOL and Specialist Classes
Term 3 Award Winners - PTA Book Awards
ESOL News
Second-hand Uniform Shop
Scooters and Bicycles at School
For the safety and wellbeing of all students, we kindly ask that children do not ride bikes or scooters within the school grounds. The school is very crowded during drop off and pick up, and this increases the risk of accidents or injuries. It can be difficult for children to maintain proper control of their bike or scooter when there are a lot of parents and children around. We appreciate your help in ensuring a safe environment for everyone at school.
School uniform presentation
Not only is it an important skill in later life to present well and appropriately for the circumstances, but we also believe that smart presentation helps the students to feel positive about themselves.
We will be speaking to students about personal presentation at our assemblies.
For safety reasons no jewellery is to be worn. Students are reminded that hair over the collar or longer needs to be tied back, with a small hair tie that matches the uniform, and only one plain gold or silver stud worn in each ear lobe.
It is important that Year 4, 5 and 6 children have their PE gear every day.
ALL clothing needs to be named. Students are reminded that the school hat must be worn when they are outside, during terms one and four.
We want to maintain the high standards we have set and appreciate your support in ensuring your child is appropriately dressed when they set out for school in the morning.
Are you details up to date?
We kindly ask you that you keep your contact information and your child's medical details up to date with the office. This ensures that we can reach you in case of an emergency. Please notify us via our email office@elmpark.school.nz of any changes as soon as possible to help us maintain accurate records.
Early pick up from school
We understand that sometimes circumstances arise, but we kindly ask that you avoid picking up your child early from school unless absolutely necessary. When children leave early it can disrupt their learning and may cause your child to miss out on important lessons or activities. However, if you do need to collect your child for an appointment during the school day please contact the office on 09 577 0070 or email office@elmpark.school.nz to arrange. If possible please arrange to collect your child before or after the morning tea and lunch breaks, as it is difficult to find children during these times. Morning tea is at 10.30am until 11.00am, lunch from 1pm until 1.50pm.
Parking at School
For the safety of our children and the entire school community, we kindly ask that you park your vehicle safely and drive with caution when dropping off or picking up your child. We know that parking is sometimes limited but please don’t park on the yellow lines. A reminder that the boom gate on the driveway is locked in the mornings at 8:30 am / opened again at 9:15 am and in the afternoons locked at 2:30 pm and opened at 3:15 pm.
Please use the pedestrian crossings at all times and remain on the footpaths. This is especially important in the afternoon in front of the school as there is a high volume of traffic at this time. We know it can be tempting to cross the road at the wrong place, but it is all about the example we are setting for our children.
When driving near the school, slow down, stay alert, and be mindful of students walking or biking close to the school especially around the pedestrian crossing immediately outside our school gate and the traffic lights on Gossamer Drive. Your ongoing support will help ensure that our school remains a safe environment for everyone. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our children safe!
Dollar for Schools
At Elm Park School we use the Dollar for Schools lunch ordering system. You can order your child's lunch via their website. Lunches are delivered to school and distributed by our lunch monitors. School lunches are available to order Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays - orders need to be received before 9am.
You will need to create an account, confirm your email address and order lunches from the Dollar for Schools website: www.dollarforschools.co.nz.
Elm Park School - 2025 Term Dates
Whooping Cough
HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELLBEING Influenza Immunisation Programme starts today
Health New Zealand recommends getting immunised against the flu for everyone aged 6 months and over. The vaccine is free for those who have a health condition that may mean they are at risk of getting very sick from a flu infection. This includes pregnant people and those aged over 65 years.
The flu vaccine is available from 1 April from your local pharmacy, doctor, nurse or healthcare provider. Read more and book at:
Book a vaccine – Health NZ Influenza Immunisation Programme – Immunisation Advisory Centre
Pertussis (whooping cough) update
Te Whatu Ora | Heath New Zealand has reported an increasing number of confirmed pertussis (whooping cough) cases. It is highly contagious and particularly serious for pēpi, tamariki and older adults – it can be fatal in some cases. Vaccination provides the best protection against pertussis and is free for children under 18.
Staff are encouraged to stay up to date with immunisations – in particular pertussis and measles. Health New Zealand are recommending the free Boostrix vaccination for pregnant people.
Not enough New Zealanders are immunised against measles, which means there is a very high risk of an outbreak. The best protection against measles is two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine – free for all young people aged 18 and under in New Zealand and all adults over the age of 18 who are eligible for free New Zealand healthcare. The first symptoms of measles are fever, cough, runny nose and sore red eyes, followed by a red or dark pink rash typically starting on the face or behind the ears three days after the first symptoms before moving down the body. If you observe these symptoms, encourage parents and/or caregivers to contact their healthcare provider or Healthline on 0800 611 116 immediately. If in doubt that your child is immunised or not - please contact your GP or health provider.
Away for the Day - Student Cell Phones
Parental Controls
Please find the link to - A guide to the tools that are available to keep your whānau safe when viewing entertainment online in Aotearoa New Zealand.
At Elm Park School, we strongly encourage students to have litter free lunch boxes to reduce litter and waste at school. Please encourage your child to return any wrappings and packaging that they may have, to their lunch box, to be disposed of at home.
Some ideas for litter free lunches include:
Sandwiches/rolls in reusable plastic containers
water in a reusable drink bottle brought to school daily
whole fruits
snacks in reusable containers
Please do not use cling wrap or pack in muesli bars in wrappers, chip packets, juice boxes or yoghurt squeeze packs.
If your child purchases their lunch from the our lunch supplier, please ensure that the wrappers are packed into their lunch box and disposed of at home.
Each term, the school community (Board, Staff, Parents/Whānau) is invited to review and comment on specific policies and procedures. This term the following are to be reviewed: The Elm Park School Policy and Guidelines documents inform and guide our school practices. The documents can be viewed here through the SchoolDocs website. Please search for Elm Park School and enter: Username: 1269 Password: Elm1269
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