Yesterday, we were fortunate to host John Parsons, a leading expert on cyber safety and digital wellbeing. John shared valuable insights on how we can protect our tamariki in an increasingly digital world, particularly with the rapid growth of technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

A key takeaway from his talk was the importance of not allowing children to access social media or online games before the recommended age. Young children simply aren’t emotionally equipped to manage the content or interactions that come with these platforms.

John reinforced the value of strong family routines – eating meals together, having open conversations, and sharing family values daily – as powerful protective tools. If you are not sure about family values, feel free to adopt or adapt our school values, which are part of our Character Wheel. 

He also reminded us that bedrooms should be device-free zones, especially at night. Bright screens, noise, and notifications disrupt sleep and impact children’s health and learning.

Finally, John urged us as parents and caregivers to stay actively involved. If your child is gaming, learn about the game, play it with them, and check whether it includes chat functions or access to online forums. These can be high-risk areas where inappropriate or harmful interactions occur.

Let’s continue to support our children by being informed, present, and connected in both the real and digital spaces they navigate.

Below is a link to some of John’s videos outlining some key things to think about if you were unable to attend his session last night. 

The message that continues to ring in my ears from John is the negative impact of the lack of sleep, for not only children but for adults as well. As part of our commitment to supporting the wellbeing of our children, we want to highlight the vital role that sleep plays in the health, behaviour, and learning of primary-aged children. 

According to the Ministry of Health, children aged 5 to 13 years need 9 to 11 hours of sleep per night to function at their best. Sleep is essential for growth, emotional regulation, concentration, and memory — all critical for success in the classroom and in life. When children don’t get enough sleep, we often see it reflected in increased emotional outbursts, reduced attention spans, and difficulty managing friendships and learning.

John reminds us that digital devices in bedrooms can have a significant impact on children's sleep quality and safety. He recommends keeping bedrooms device-free overnight, encouraging whānau to charge phones and devices outside of sleeping areas and to set clear boundaries around screen time before bed. Blue light from screens can interfere with natural sleep rhythms, delaying sleep onset and reducing overall rest time.

We encourage all our families to build healthy sleep routines, turning off screens at least an hour before bed, ensuring bedrooms are calm and quiet, and creating predictable bedtime routines that help tamariki (children) wind down.

Let’s work together to prioritise sleep, so every child can arrive at school rested, focused, and ready to thrive. 

For the record, in adults, getting less than six hours of sleep regularly can weaken the immune system, impair memory and decision-making, and increase the risk by over 30% of serious health issues like heart disease, obesity, depression and the early onset of Alzheimer's. Over time, it can also accelerate ageing and raise the risk of early death. Please look after yourselves as parents as you navigate ever-busy lives! 

We look forward to welcoming the whaanau of our learner's in Auaha, Koru and Te Puna to explore the Inquiry learning that has taken place this term around the theme of design & technology.

There has been a lot of exciting exploration and learning that has taken place and our akonga (learners) look forward to sharing this with their families. Please see the attached flyers for the details of your child's Inquiry Sharing afternoon - we hope to see you there.

We warmly invite our Cambridge East School whaanau to join us tomorrow morning at 6:30am as we come together to celebrate Matariki, the Māori New Year. This special occasion is a time for reflection, remembrance, and renewal as we welcome the rising of the Matariki star cluster and the beginning of a new season.

We will be gathering between Koru Tahi (Room 1) and the Senior Playground, where the ceremony will begin.

As part of our Hautapu ceremony, families are welcome to bring:

After the ceremony, we will gather to share kai. We invite each family to bring a small plate of food to contribute, which can be dropped off in the Hall. Sharing food is an important part of Matariki, symbolising connection, gratitude, and community.

Matariki is a time to pause, come together, and look forward with unity and purpose. We look forward to welcoming our community for this meaningful start to the day and the season ahead.

Please remember to wear warm clothes and waterproof footwear for the early winter morning!

As we near the end of Term Two, we move into the next phase of reporting to parents and whaanau. Our teachers have been working hard over the past month on writing Mid-Year Reports using assessments and forming Overall Teacher Judgements.  During this time, students have been working on Portfolios, which will be sent home next Wednesday afternoon (all going to plan!). 

As mentioned in a previous newsletter, some of the language has changed in these Mid-Year Reports which means you may wish to book in for a Goal Setting Conference early in Term 3. These are a critical time to reflect on the past six months' progress, while looking at goals moving forward for reading, writing, mathematics, along with a personal goal. 

These Learning Conferences will take place in Weeks 2 through to 4 of next term. Please keep an eye out for the email next week which will have a link to the booking website. 

Thank you to our community for supporting our teachers on Friday 13th June as we came together with colleagues from across the Kāhui Ako o Te Oko Horoi – Cambridge Community of Learning.

The day was filled with insightful and thought-provoking learning, plenty of laughter, and valuable opportunities to connect and collaborate across schools. Our staff engaged in important professional development focused on the current educational challenges, including the curriculum refresh, new NCEA prerequisites, strengthening of restorative practices, and the expectations around implementing Te Ao Māori initiatives in a meaningful and sustainable way.

We appreciate your continued support as we work together to navigate these changes and ensure the best outcomes for our tamariki.

As we settle into winter, the recent hailstorm and heavy rain have reminded us how quickly the weather can turn. To help ease end-of-day congestion and improve safety during these colder months, we will be trialling a staggered pick-up time from Monday 9th June.

To support smoother traffic flow and free up parking for families, the new system is as follows:

We kindly ask all families to stick to the correct pick-up time. If everyone arrives at 2:50pm, it defeats the purpose of the staggered approach. If you are unable to collect your Phase One child at 2:50pm, don’t worry — our teachers will supervise them until 3:00pm.

We will review how this system is working at the end of the term and appreciate your support as we trial this change to improve the end-of-day experience for everyone.

As many of you will be aware, the New Zealand Government has introduced a nationwide ban on mobile phones and personal digital devices during school hours. This new regulation applies to all state and state-integrated schools, including primary schools like ours.

The goal of this policy is simple but important: to support focused, calm, and engaged learning environments where students can thrive without the distractions of personal devices.

What This Means for Our School

While we understand that many students carry phones for safety reasons, particularly when walking or biking to and from school, it’s essential that these devices do not interfere with learning.

Students are still welcome to bring mobile phones to school however, they must be handed into the school office upon arrival and can be collected again at the end of the school day.

Unfortunately, we’ve recently had several instances where phones left in school bags have rung or received notifications during instructional time. These interruptions can disrupt the learning of not just the student, but the entire class. This is exactly what the new guidelines aim to prevent.

How You Can Help

We’re asking for your support in reinforcing this message at home. Please talk to your child about:

If there is an urgent need to contact your child during the school day, please continue to do so through the school office. Likewise, if your child needs to reach you, they are always welcome to come to the office and we will assist them.

We appreciate your understanding and partnership in creating a learning-focused environment for all our tamariki. Together, we can ensure school is a place of connection, concentration, and calm.

We have noticed an increase in our learners arriving at school before 8.30, and whilst we appreciate their enthusiasm for learning, we need to remind whaanau that children must not arrive before 8.30, unless they are going to Journey Kids Before School Care, as we cannot provide teacher supervision before this time.
Conversely, please ensure that your children are at school before the bell for the start of the day at 8.55am. It is essential in setting our learners up for success each day that are at school on time. This minimises disruption to both your child and the others in the class.

As part of our commitment to enhancing digital learning, we encourage more students to participate in our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program. Having access to a personal device in the classroom allows students to engage more actively in their learning, develop digital skills, and take greater ownership of their education.

To ensure a seamless learning experience, we recommend Chromebooks as the preferred BYOD device. Chromebooks are affordable, easy to use, and integrate well with our school's digital platforms, making them an excellent choice for students.

Thank you for supporting our efforts to create a future-focused learning environment!

 We know that it is tough out there to keep household budgets in order, it’s as challenging to keep the school budget in order in the current climate. If you would like to take advantage of setting up a weekly/fortnightly payment to help cover trips, stationery supplies and unforeseen costs associated with school, please come and see the office crew. They are great in helping set up regular payments to go towards your child/rens accounts.  If you are setting up payments to our school, please note that the legal school name on our bank accounts is Cambridge East School Board of Trustees.

Change of Clothes
A reminder to pack a changes of clothes, particularly for our junior learners, as the weather begins to change and puddles start to appear around the school.

Donations of Tissues and Canned Fruit
With the change of seasons upon us, we are asking our community to donate a box or two of tissues for us to distribute to the classrooms. We are also asking families to bring in a can or two of fruit if they are able to supplement the weetbix at Breakfast Club. Please bring them into the office. Thank you.

Contact Details
If you have moved or any of your contact details have changed, please let the office know either by email office@cambridgeeast.school.nz or by calling 07 827 7651. It is really important that we can contact you about your child.

Term 2 Upcoming Events
As we near the halfway point of the term we wish to advise whaanau (families) of the following up coming Term 2 dates:

Further information will be sent home about all of the events listed above as they occur. Remember to check the calendar on the website for upcoming events and activities.

2025 Term Dates
2025 Term Dates are available on our website under the "Important Dates" button on the home page.

Disco
Theme : Winter Pyjama Party
Phase 1 (Year 1-3) 5.30-6.30
Phase2 (Year 4-6) 6.45-7.45
If you can help with setup or pack up please contact the PTA on pta@cambridgeeast.school.nz

Scholastic Book Orders
Click here to order - online orders only.

Entertainment Book
Grab your Entertainment Book online at www.entertainmentnz.com and choose Cambridge East School as your fundraiser - 20% of your purchase goes directly to support our school!

Vet Post Fur-raising Programme
We are excited to announce that Cambridge East PTA has joined the Vet Post Fur-raising Programme!

You can now support us simply by purchasing your pet supplies and products online at Vet Post. Every time you shop at Vet Post using our unique link https://vetpost.co.nz/?linkId=lp_299255&sourceId=cambridge-east-pta&tenantId=vetpost , a percentage of the sale will be donated to our group.

It's an easy way to get the best for your pets while supporting our cause. Thank you for your continued support!

Please consider downloading the app for our Student Management System, Edge. Parents and caregivers can use the app to view their child's attendance and school report, pay their school account, and advise us of an absence. Follow this link to view a copy of their information document below to help you set up their App or Parent Portal.

Koru 1  

Koru 3  

Koru 4 

 Room 10 

Room 11 

Room 15 

Auaha M