Greetings to you all, the whānau of Cambridge East School

This is a significant week for all of Aotearoa, Maaori Language Week.

Te reo is a treasure handed down from the ancestors, and it is for all of us to cherish and strengthen.

Let us come together to celebrate the language of this land. May we all be strong in speaking, learning, and supporting te reo Maaori every day.

Whether you are fluent, just starting out, or somewhere in between, we encourage everyone to give it a go, kia kaha te reo Maaori!

At Cambridge East School, we are proud to play our part in keeping the language alive. You’ll see, hear, and feel te reo Maaori in classrooms, around the kura, and in the activities we share throughout not only this week, but throughout the whole year. We had initially planned to finish Te Wiki o Te Reo Maaori with a Kapa Haka performance. Instead, we’ve chosen to hold this over until early in Term 4 so that our Kapa Haka roopuu can have the full spotlight and showcase their complete set properly. We know this will be a performance worth waiting for, and we look forward to sharing it with all our students and whaanau.

Last night marked an important milestone for our kura as we transitioned from our outgoing Board to a newly elected one. We want to sincerely thank our departing Board members for their years of service; many have given more than one term, which means 6–9 years of commitment to the governance of our school. Their dedication has helped shape the path we are on today, and we are appreciative of their time.

We also want to acknowledge those who bravely put their hand up for election. It takes courage to step forward in such a public way and offer your time and skills in service of the school. While there were more nominees than seats available (and nine can’t go into six!), we are fortunate to be part of a community with so much talent, passion, and expertise.

Our new Board brings together a wealth of experience, from leadership and governance backgrounds to hands-on skills in property, building, finance, and accounting. Together, we are excited to continue the important work of growing our kura into the very best version of itself (reflecting Always My Best), always with the Learner at the Centre of everything we do.

Looking ahead, the Board will also be engaging with our community through surveys and consultation to help shape the next 3–5 years of development. We look forward to working alongside you in this journey.

Unfortunately, the stars have not aligned well for our wider Cambridge East community, as I explained at the PTA meeting on Monday night. Over the past term, and looking ahead to next term, there have been a number of disruptions. These include Paid Union Meetings, Maths Professional Learning Days (with dates set by the Ministry, not the school), and additional Board-approved days to give families a break during Term 3, when no long weekends were otherwise planned.

To add to this, industrial strike action has now been confirmed for Thursday, 23 October. This will result in an extended break for families, from Thursday, 23 October, through to the Labour Day public holiday on Monday, 27 October.

We recognise this creates real challenges for families, and it is far from ideal. Please know that these decisions are often outside of our control, and we deeply appreciate your patience, flexibility, and continued support as we navigate what has become a particularly disruptive time.

As we draw to the end of another busy and rewarding term, our staff took time this week to visit classrooms and see the outcomes of our students’ Inquiries. Each class has been exploring our local area and history, and it was inspiring to see the creative ways our tamariki have engaged with the “Big Ideas” and “Key Concepts.”

One highlight was in Room 11, where Mrs Lizette Kruger and her five-year-old learners focused on the story of Te Koo Utu. Their Inquiry traced how the lake was used by Taawhiao, our second Maaori King, and local iwi during the Land Court period of the 1860s, right through to how we use it today for school events like Cross Country, and how our wider community enjoys it for leisure. The model Room 11 created was simply outstanding, with clear links to writing and reading. Ka pai, Lizette and Room 11 learners! Their creation is now on display in the school office. Please pop in and take a look.

This Friday at assembly, we will celebrate recent successes, including the awarding of Cross Country certificates and the recognition of students like Martha C, who have represented our school at various events.

Looking ahead, Term 4 will begin with a Whakatau on Monday, 6 October. We warmly welcome all new (and existing) whaanau to join us in welcoming our newest members into our school community. Our learning focus next term will be exploring Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique flora and fauna through ecosystems, something we’re very excited about! We will also be looking for our whole community to get involved with voting for Aotearoa Bird of Our Inquiry.

We are so excited to announce that Book Week is returning next term with a brand-new look! This year we’ll be running a two-week Scholastic Book Fair, filled with amazing displays and books for whaanau to browse and buy. It’s the perfect chance to add to your home library while supporting our kura.

As part of the celebrations, we’re introducing a special new event: Nearest and Dearest Morning on Tuesday, 28 October (straight after Labour Weekend). Traditionally, this has been “Grandparents’ Day,” but we know families come in all shapes and sizes, so this time, every student is invited to bring along someone special they hold dear. 
From 8:55–10:30 am, our tamariki will have the chance to proudly show off their kura to those who mean the most to them. We can’t wait to see the joy and connections this morning will bring!

And of course… what’s Book Week without a bit of fun? Get your imaginations ready for the ever-popular Book Character Parade on Thursday, 30 October. Costumes can be simple, clever, or creative, maybe a great holiday project for the break ahead!

If you would like to be involved in the fun for the week, we are after some parent help to man the book stall each day (before and after school). Mark your calendars now, it’s going to be a magical celebration of books, stories, and community!

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.

School Hats
Term 4 will (hopefully) bring us some sunny weather, and with that your child/ren will be required to wear a school hat. These are available to purchase from the school office for $25. We do have a limited supply of second-hand hats for $5.00.

Donations of Tissues and Canned Fruit
Thank you to those that have donated both tissues and fruit. We are asking our community to donate a box or two of tissues for us to distribute to the classrooms, as spring will continue to bring runny noses and allergies. 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 3 Upcoming Events
We are nearly at the end of Term 3 but we wish to advise whaanau (families) of the following up coming Term 4 dates:

Friday, 19 September - Last Day of Term
Monday, 6 October - First Day of Term
Monday, 6 October—Mihi Whakatau (welcome assembly), 9am in the school hall.
Friday, 10 October—Loud Shirt Day, gold coin donation for deaf awareness.
Thursday, 23 October—Potential Strike Day
Friday, 24 October—School closed for instruction

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.

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