Newsletter T3W2 2026

View this email in your browser >

Newsletter T3W2

31 July 2026

From the Principal

Kia ora koutou,

MYP Authorisation

I am delighted to announce that we have received official notification that Glendowie School has been authorised by the International Baccalaureate to offer the IB Middle Years Programme. For the last two and a half years we have been a candidate school and been making the necessary moves to ensure we can be officially authorised to offer MYP. During our evaluation visit last month we had some fantastic feedback and were told that we had ‘no matters to be addressed’. This is a real testament to the group of teachers who worked so very hard, under Mr Liu’s leadership, over the last few years to put this curriculum in place.

Glendowie School is now the only New Zealand state school that offers both IB PYP and MYP programmes. We remain very pleased to be among the group of schools across 150 countries that can call themselves an IB World School!

The Wizard of Oz

Expectation is building for opening night of our first school production in recent memory. Rehearsals are complete, prop development has been finalised, and the stage is set. Tickets went on sale on Monday of this week and several hours later all four shows were sold out. We added a fifth show, which is now sold out too. Well done if you were able to secure tickets for one of the shows. These tickets will be sent home with your children on Monday. There will be no door sales.

We wish the cast and crew all the best for their big week in the limelight!

WhatsApp Groups

One of the wonderful things about our school is the tight knit nature of the parent community. Through class WhatsApp groups parents are able to keep in touch and share information with one another about school matters. In saying this, can I ask that you all be measured in the way you comment in these spaces.

One of the social oddities of our time is the way a small section of society shares their critical thoughts and opinions very openly when behind the safety of a screen. What is quietly mentioned to a family member or friend face-to-face is then shared to large groups, as though saying things online, in a forum, or via email is somehow less confrontational. Of course it is not perceived any differently when the comments are seen by the object of criticism. And, of course, when things enter the digital world they have a habit of being seen by a wide number of people, which essentially makes the criticism public, adding to its severity.

The day-to-day running of Glendowie School is not perfect, and no one knows that better than us who work at the school. I’m not trying to constrain people from sharing their frustrations with others, we all have them and need to express these. Having a good rant to a friend is understandable, over coffee, and with discretion.

It should go without saying that we all have a role to play in making the school better. I think a good rule of thumb for WhatsApp is – if you wouldn’t stand up and say something in front of 40 people, it is probably not a great idea to post it in a forum of that size.

Homework

If you begin to see some small changes creeping into the way we do homework please don’t be surprised. We are currently reviewing our practice at each year level with regards to the learning we expect at home. Please watch out in the next newsletter as I will address the matter of homework in more detail in two weeks time. As a small spoiler, we plan to reemphasise the importance of reading at home over literacy and numeracy tasks.

Interviews

Please note that the parent teacher interviews will be in Week 4 of Term 3. More information can be found further down in this newsletter.

Photolife

School photos are just around the corner. For administration ease we prefer to pass on email addresses of parents to Photolife so parents can order directly with them. If you would prefer that we don’t pass on your email address, please email the office.

Honey

Don’t forget that our honey is on sale now from the school office for $14 a jar.

Enjoy your weekend.

Paul Crowhurst | Principal

Important Dates Reminder

Friday 7th August is a Teacher Only Day so school will be closed to students.

Thursday 13th August -school closes 1.40pm for Parent Teacher Interviews.

Board Meeting

The next Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, 18th August from 6.30pm in the boardroom. Anyone is welcome to attend and a copy of the agenda is available from the school office from 3pm on the Friday before the meeting.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Interviews will be held on Thursday 13th August. Information regarding booking interviews was emailed earlier this week.

Non-uniform Day

Thanks to those who brought in a gold coin donation on the last day of term two. Your generosity allowed us to make a donation of $613 to support Cystic Fibrosis NZ. Thank you so much.

New Zealand Badminton Junior Team Championships

Congratulations to Charlene X, Y6 and her Under 13 North Harbour Badminton Team who won Gold at the tournament which took place in Palmerston North from July 5th - 8th.

Sommerville - Room 29

Our room 29 Sommerville satellite students are learning how we can re-use our food scraps to help create rich soil for the garden by creating a worm farm. Before adding the worms students used recycled scraps of paper, cardboard, and soil to create a worm friendly habitat. Students are learning to care for our worms by making sure their environment is moist, warm, has air circulation and food. We are learning what types of food scraps our worms prefer and what food scraps are not good for the worms. Next we will explore and learn about how our food scraps break down and help feed plants in the garden.

Year 1 - 100 Days of School

Last Friday marked our 100th day of school, and our Year 1 students had a fantastic time celebrating! As part of our How We Express Ourselves unit, which we explore throughout the year and will focus on in Term 4, the children expressed what 100 means to them through a wonderful range of creative activities and costumes. We even had some glamorous grannies and a David Attenborough lookalike in tow! Students also enjoyed a range of fun activities based around the number 100, with one of the highlights being decorating and enjoying cupcakes topped with 100 sprinkles. It was a wonderful day filled with creativity, counting, laughter, and celebration as we reflected on how much our learners have grown and achieved during their first 100 days at school. Thank you to our families for helping make the day so special!

Room 28 Poetry

In Term 3, the Year 3 & 4 students in Room 28 spent several weeks learning about poetry. They read poems in the library with Mrs. Elisara and learnt about different forms of poetry in class - both reading and writing.

At the end of their learning, the children were invited to submit a poem to a writers' challenge on Poetry Box: A New Zealand Poetry Page for Children.

A massive congratulations to Mia S & Mahiru H whose “A Favourite Place” poems were selected to be published online. Mahiru has also had a poetry book sent to him by the author.

Ka pai, tamariki mā!

The poems are below:

The Beach

I smell the fresh air

It blows hard on top of my hair.
I smell the salty sea.
I feel the dry and crunchy sand.
I taste the salty water.
I hear the seagulls chirping.
It feels really hot.

- Mia S, Y3

Rainforest

As I walk I see monkeys
Swinging from vine to vine
I can also hear the hot steam
floating through the air.
Rain splattering gently.
The soft, cool leaves are rustling.

- Mahiru H, Y3

Parents' Association

Welcome back to Term 3! We hope everyone had a relaxing break and is feeling refreshed and ready for another exciting term. We have a fantastic lineup of events coming up, and we'd love to see as many of our school community as possible getting involved. Be sure to pop these dates in your calendar!

Disco Night – Red Carpet
Our first event of the term is the ever-popular school disco on Friday 14th August! This year's theme is Red Carpet, so it's time to dress to impress and bring your best red carpet style. The decorations will be glamorous, the tuck shop will be open with delicious treats, and our amazing DJ is guaranteed to keep everyone entertained all night long. Gather your friends, put on your dancing shoes, and come along for a fabulous evening! See details on the poster below.

Runathon
Our annual Runathon isn't far away! We're busy getting everything organised. More details were shared today!

Parents' Quiz Night
To round out our Term 3 events, we're excited to invite all parents and caregivers to our Parents' Quiz Night, to be held at the Churchill Club. It promises to be a fun-filled evening with a great quiz, plenty of laughs, and an exciting silent auction.
We're currently seeking donations for our silent auction and would love your support. Whether you're able to donate a product, service, voucher, or another fantastic prize, every contribution helps us raise valuable funds for our school. It's also a wonderful opportunity to showcase your business to our school community. If you are interested in making a donation please email glendowieprimarypa@gmail.com.

Thank you for your continued support of the Parents' Association. We can't wait to see you at our events this term and make Term 3 one to remember!

Next Uniform Shop Opening
8:30-9am, Friday 14th August.

Next PA meeting
7pm, Thursday 27th August, staffroom, all welcome.

2026 Event dates