Tinwald School

Police are reminding motorists of their obligations around kea crossings, also known as school pedestrian crossings.

Kea crossings operate before, after, and sometimes during school hours.

As a motorist, you are required by law to abide by the crossing patrols rules – when the red stop signs are out, you must stop behind the white line painted on the road. Failure to do so can result in being fined or charged with dangerous driving.

When approaching a kea crossing that is operating but has the stop signs drawn in, you must slow down and prepare to stop – only carry on through the crossing once it’s clear the stop signs are not being put out.

If one sign is out and the other is not, you should take care and stop, as a child or supervisor may be preparing to set up or pack down.

For more information on kea crossings, go to: kea crossings: school crossing points - www.nzta.govt.nz/travelling-on-our-roads/keeping-children-safe/school-patrols/kea-crossings

What an awesome day for our runners on Tuesday! Congratulations to our 17 children who competed at the Showgrounds for Counties Cross Country!

Well done Michail for placing first in Year 5 boys who will go on to compete at zones in Christchurch 🥇

Congratulations to our winners from our Character Parade:

Year 0: Johnny - Where's Wally? Brooklyn - Belle
Year 1: Joshua - Mario, Evie - Minnie Mouse
Year 2: Max - Secret Explorer, Alaia - Bluey
Year 3: Mason - Nee Naw, Molly - Pink Crayon
Year 4: Maddie - Cat in the Hat, Lucy - Hermione
Year 5: Felicity - Gangsta Granny, Flynn - Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Year 6: Isla and Munro - The Lorax

Congratulations to our winners from the book competition - children had to match the teacher to their favourite book!

Hutt: Maverick and Verity
Arrowsmith: Melanie and Zavana

📚✨ Day Five: Book Week Parade Grand Finale! 🐶❤️

What an absolute end to our Book Week! Friday’s Book Week Parade was a massive success. We loved seeing each and every year level proudly show off their incredible character costumes. From storybook heroes to modern characters (and everything in between), the effort and imagination from our students (and parents!) was truly outstanding. 🌟

To make the day even more magical, we had a very special, extra-large guest appearance... Clifford the Big Red Dog dropped by to say hello and join in on the fun! 🐾❤️

Thank you to our amazing Tinwald School community for making this week so memorable. Check out some of the fantastic highlights from our parade!

Day Four of Book Week was another special one! 📚✨

We were so lucky to have Feturi Carrina Malifa - Brown join us yesterday. Feturi has a wonderful history with our school, having previously shared her talents by leading the Samoan dance for our 2025 school production!

Yesterday, she shared her culture again, reading to our students in both Samoan and English. It was a real treat to hear such a beautiful language and a perfect way to finish off our guest readers for the week.

Thank you so much, Feturi, for coming in and volunteering your time with us once again! 🇼🇸❤️

Day Three of Book Week was a local hero-sized success! 👮‍♂️👨‍🚒✨

We had some very special visitors take some time out of protecting their communities to spend time in ours! A huge thank you to Officer Rob Hooper and Firefighter Matt Harrison for rocking on up to read to our students and share the incredible work they do for our community.

It's not everyday we get both the police and fire service at the school at the same time!

Just a reminder: Our Book Fair is open all week so please come in and have a look around.
There is a wide range of books, crafts, posters and stationery to view and purchase.
Book Fair is open for purchases: 8.30am - 9.30am and 2.30pm - 3.30pm and Eftpos is available.

Thanks for supporting our Book Week.

Day Two of Book Week was double the fun! 📚✨

We kicked off our morning with not one, but TWO headliners! Our students were absolutely captivated! It's clear that the "reading bug" is well and truly spreading through Tinwald School!

First we welcomed Liz McMillan - Mayor of Ashburton District, who let some of our students get a close up look at the mayoral chains. For a few brief seconds, some of our tamariki were "in charge" of Ashburton! (That's how it works - right?) The verdict? They loved our town the way it is and didn't change a thing!

Next, we welcomed Navid, who shared a story read in both Farsi and English. He not only read it, but also wrote the story! It was a great display of talent and a wonderful reminder of how stories connect us across different languages.

What a start to the day! Thanks for coming down and reading to us, Liz and Navid!

Day One of Book Week was a page-turner! 📚✨

We had a blast kicking off the week with three incredible guest speakers who brought stories to life and shared their passion for reading with our students. From costumes to great conversations, the energy in the school was amazing!

A massive thank you to our guests Mary Blain (Explore with Me Aotearoa), Hokonui Breakfast with Luke Howden and Armand vandereik real estate for inspiring our young readers.

Our school now has a little slice of Mackenzie Country gifted by Mary Blain - we know our students will be lining up to check this one out!

Also keep an ear out on Hokonui tomorrow morning! Luke had a chat about this weeks book week. Huge thanks for the support, Luke! 😄

We can't wait for Day Two!

📖📖 THE WAIT IS OVER! BOOK WEEK IS HERE 📖📖

Thanks to our wonderful librarian, Carmeena, our library has been transformed into a book lover's paradise! From the latest graphic novels to some awesome stationery and posters, there is something for every reader at our Scholastic Book Fair.

What you need to know:
When: Open 8:30am-9:30am & 2:30pm-3:30pm daily next week (May 11th - May 15th)
Where: Tinwald School Library

Payment: Eftpos is available!

Don't forget our Book Character Dress-up Day on Friday.

Come along before/after school to browse the shelves and find your next adventure. See you there 📚✨