Newsletter Week 1, Term 3

Monday, 14 July 2025

Principal’s Message

Dear Parents and Whānau,

Community Consultation

In preparation for the revision of our current strategic plan, the Board seeks feedback from the school’s parent community. A link is being sent to all families today, and each family is asked to complete one response by 21 July. We really value you giving 15 – 20 minutes to this task, as the responses will be invaluable to inform future plans for Cockle Bay School.

Board Information Evening, Wednesday 23 July, 5.45pm – 6.30pm

Board elections will take place in September. If you’re a parent interested in standing as a board member, we invite you to an information evening on Wednesday, 23 July at 5.45pm in the Cockle Bay School staffroom. Our current board members will share what their role involves to help you decide if it’s right for you.

A strong, well-functioning board is key to our school’s success, and we’ve been fortunate to have dedicated members with a wide range of skills working together for the good of our students, whānau, and wider community.

Please let the office know if you are planning on attending.

Co-opted Board member

Mark Bramwell has been co-opted onto the Cockle Bay School Board to ensure some level of continuity with the change in board members with the upcoming election. Mark Bramwell has been co-opted onto the Cockle Bay School board to ensure some level of continuity with the change in board at the upcoming election.

Mark has a daughter in year 2 at Cockle Bay and is passionate about the school, having been a key leader in the Carnival earlier this year. Mark has been involved in the commercial property sector since 2001 and currently as a Director, he enjoys nurturing both the staff and organisations’ growth. His passion, energy and property experience will certainly benefit the school as a board member. Welcome aboard Mark, thanks so much for offering your support to Cockle Bay School.

Staff News

Mr Dylan Marshall joins us as Deputy Principal with pastoral care responsibility for Years 4-6 today. We look forward to working with Dylan and hope he enjoys his new role. Mrs Kimberley Rivett is thanked for her busy Term 2, where she helped cover the absence of a D.P. while the appointment was made.

Mrs Ivy Narot, a Team Leader of many years at Cockle Bay School, is helping us out by teaching Room 1 for the remainder of the year and therefore is becoming the Year 3 Team Leader. Room 32 is starting up as a new entrant class, led by Mrs Hollie Burgess and Mrs Jacqueline Brannigan, with Mrs Alisha Coleman as Kiwi Team Leader. Welcome to our staff, and I hope you enjoy your new roles.

Our part time teachers fulfill a vital role in the classrooms. Welcome back to Mrs Krystle Hubers, Mrs Lisa Burns and Mrs Leann Brennan. A warm welcome to Mrs Chelsey Lee, Mrs Christina Timmer. and Mrs Hayley Russell who join us this term.

Specialist teachers are another group of staff that your children benefit from and may refer to at home. They offer expertise in music, dance, physical education and health, and science. Click HERE to find out more about this team of teachers.

Parent Conferences Wednesday 23 July

Parent Conferences are Wednesday 23rd July so please book a time if you haven’t already. Normal programmes cease at 12.30pm. We ask all students who can go home at 12.30pm to do so, as there are limited numbers of staff to supervise those remaining at school.

CyberSafety

Each year students and families are asked to agree to device usage. This is important for students’ safety and in teaching them responsible usage. Please refer below to the details of what you are asked to read and do. Thanks.

Cross Country

Our Cross-Country event for Year 3-6 will take place on Thursday 24th July. All students in Years 3-6 are to bring their P.E. gear including appropriate running shoes, as students will be running on footpaths and through school grounds for their race. In the event that the school cross country is postponed, parents will be notified and the backup date of Thursday, 31st July will be utilised. In preparation, please encourage your child/children to continue their running, and be organised with P.E. gear for sports lessons and fitness at school.

PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning)

As most parents will be aware, the school’s ‘Positive Behaviour for Learning’ programme teaches our students how to behave well in social situations and what good behaviour looks like in different school situations. We provide incentives to motivate students and reward effort towards behaving well. Each week there is a different focus, and these are shared with you through newsletters. This week the focus is wearing the correct school uniform (including sports gear in Y3-6) and making good choices. We encourage students to use our ‘Wheel of Choice’ to help them with minor playground challenges, and our Peer Mediators provide support as well. If you, as parents, have concerns about behaviour issues that you think need adult intervention, please let the school know so we can give appropriate support. In the first instance, class teachers are the best staff to contact, but our SENCo Mrs Stansfield and D.P.s or myself are always available if needed.

International Students

Welcome to our short-term international students. We’re absolutely excited to have you join our school for the next 2 to 10 weeks. Even though your stay is brief, we truly want you to feel like a valued and important part of our school community here in Auckland, New Zealand.

We look forward to you sharing a little about your home country and family with us while we share a little about New Zealand and our beautiful surroundings. We hope you take home lasting memories of your time here.

We are here to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions, need assistance, or just want to chat, please don’t hesitate to speak with our office staff or teachers. Enjoy your time here!

Traffic

With the winter term upon us, it is important that drivers allow sufficient time for dropping off/collecting students, even when it is raining. Please obey road rules and keep all our students safe. We encourage parking further away from school and walking, to limit congestion and teach children how they can get to/from school safely on foot.

I look forward to another good term at Cockle Bay School, with lots of learning, fun and ongoing activities. Thanks everyone for your continued support of our wonderful team here at Cockle Bay School.

Regards

Dorothy Bigwood

Key Dates

Parent Conferences, Wednesday 23rd July
Year 1 – 100 Days of Learning, Friday 25th July
Somerville Intermediate visit Year 6 students, Friday 25 July
Literacy Open Morning, Friday 1st August

Student Cyber Safety and Publication of Students’ Images and Work Agreement

The current student agreements expire at the end of this term. Please refer to the link below to familiarise yourself and your child/children with the updated agreement. This document will also be discussed with students in class.

There are significant changes to this agreement that take into account the new Ministry directives related to health and safety, which state that cellphones and smartphones for students are not permitted, unless an exemption is in place (such as the phone or smart watch is needed for medical purposes, eg. diabetes). If you need to communicate with your child during the school day, please liaise with the classroom teacher or the school office. If you are concerned about the whereabouts of your child, particularly if they are walking to or from school, an alternative would be to discreetly place a tracking tile or Apple AirTag in your child’s school bag.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qwqIQAHnSJfsRvAYOwHbzkjPUS2W23gl/view?usp=sharing

The last page of this document needs to be signed and returned to the classroom teacher on the first day of term 3. You may scan and send this to the teacher instead.

ICAS Registrations

If you would like your child to participate in ICAS this year, please register and pay via the Parent Portal by Monday 28 July 2025, 11:59pm. Any questions, please email rochelle@cocklebay.school.nz or click on the link below for further information.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MFzWCp3unQJiQVTWPlERaX0p2SADt8fY/view?usp=sharing

Lost and Found

Please remember to check our lost and found for any missing items. After the holidays excess items will be donated to the second hand uniform shop. Replacing lost belongings can be costly, so we encourage all families to clearly name clothing, lunchboxes, drink bottles, and other personal items. Named items are much easier to return to their owners promptly.

In Zone Enrolments

If you have a child turning five this year, and you have not yet completed an enrolment form, please do so now. Knowing student numbers is crucial for effective school planning and the allocation of resources (classrooms, teachers, and other essentials)

Forms can be collected from the school office or downloaded from the school website.

Uniform Shop

The uniform shop will be open Monday, 14 July, 8:15am-8:45am and 2:45pm-3:15pm.

The SchoolDocs review process allows the school community to provide feedback on policies and procedures, and ensures information stays up to date. To access our School documents, use the community usernames and password below: