15 Sep 2026

Dear Parents / Caregivers,

Please find attached communication for Week 9. Hard copies have been handed out to students.

Blessings,

Anine Bonthuys

Kotahitanga-News-Week-9-Term-3.pdf

14 Sep 2026

Dear Parents / Caregivers of Pitomata and Kotahitanga classes,

SwimSafe sessions during Week 10 (Monday 21 – Friday 25 September 2026)

During the last week of term, Pitomata and Kotahitanga students will attend SwimSafe sessions at the Te Awamutu Livingstone Aquatic Centre. SwimSafe is a comprehensive water safety initiative that provides essential aquatic skills to Year 0–8 students across the Waikato region. This programme forms part of the school curriculum, and all students are expected to participate in these sessions before the end of Year 6.

Students will have a normal school day in the morning before travelling to the pools for their session. We are looking for parent helpers to transport students to and from the pools each day.

Date:   Monday 21 - Friday 25 September 2026

Place: Te Awamutu Livingstone Aquatic Centre

 

Daily timeslots:

Pitomata

11:30am           Drive to Pools, get dressed.

12:00pm           SwimSafe lessons.

12:20pm           Return to school.

Kotahitanga

12:30pm           Drive to Pools, get dressed.

1:00pm              SwimSafe lessons.

2:20pm             Return to school.
 

What to Pack:                             

·       Usual school bag with morning tea and lunch,

·       Togs (no bikinis or t-shirts allowed),

·       towel,

·       goggles (optional).

 

FAQ:

1. What is covered during each session? 

These sessions are all survival skills based. We cover different water scenarios such as beach, river and lake. We teach students how to enter and exit water safely, how to tread water, how to do survival strokes, reach rescues, how to float, signal for help etc. All activities include context around what we are doing and why we are doing it, are age appropriate for the students in each group and super fun. We finish the week off with life jacket and boat safety.

2. What level of ability does each student need in order to safely participate? 

All ability levels are catered for; we will have 2-3 instructors in the water with the students to assist any less confident swimmers and to support students with the tasks.

Thank you for your support in helping our students develop these important water safety skills.

Please note, there are two separate forms to complete:

1.Permission form:    Please complete the Permission Form.

2. Transport form:   If you are able to help, please sign up on the Transport Form or contact the school office, and they can add your name to a suitable timeslot.

 

Blessings,

Mrs Bonthuys and Mrs Goodwin

 

 

7 Sep 2026

To Parents and Caregivers of Waipa Christian School,

Chess Club has 15 spaces available for year 3 and up during term 4.

Pleases email Catherine Macdonald catmac180@gmail.com with chess in the subject line, your
child’s names, school year and if your child has any medical or dietary allergies. This is because
afternoon tea is provided.

Coast: $5 per child per term
Day: Monday
Time :3-4pm

If there is any adult who would like to help out on a Monday afternoon with chess club also email
Catherine Macdonald.

Kind regards
Catherine Macdonald

3 Aug 2026

Good morning all,

I'm writing to you all with an urgent plea to please observe the traffic safety measures we have in place around school. Unfortunately, we still have some parents / caregivers who:

 
Speed;

Make u-turns directly out of the pick-up / drop-off zone;

Park across the road - resulting in their child(ren) having to cross the road during peak traffic.

Scenario
With children it should always be a case of 'expect the unexpected'. Children are spontaneous and don't always think about the dangers of stepping onto the road, chasing after a ball, or running to mum, or dad.
We've had a few near-misses in recent times. We simply cannot afford to risk the safety of our children.

Therefore, may I please ask you (again) to:
- Stick to the speed limit of 10 km/h;
- Only turn around in the Cul de Sac area after drop-off, or pick-up;
- Not park across the road from school.

Traffic safety around school is everyone's responsibility. Please help us with this.

Much appreciated,

Jaco

22 Jul 2026