Waitaha School

Check out HERO for the newsletter. Have a good day everyone ☺️

Namaste whānau!

Get ready to splash into the new year with colour, laughter, and a whole lot of joy as we celebrate Holi – the Waitaha way!

Bring the whole family along as we welcome the season of new beginnings with bright colours, big smiles, and community spirit.

When: Saturday 21st March

10:00am – 12:00pm

Pop it in your calendar, circle it, highlight it, tattoo it! We want YOU to join the fun!

More details coming soon — but for now… start planning your black or white outfits!

Dash into colour, Run into fun! Join us in the Colour Run and Whānau Picnic 🌈 See you there!

Ngā manaakitanga

Grace

February 2, 2026 - Waitaha School

– Attendance requirements update for 2026 school year.

To all parents/caregivers,

The Ministry of Education have new attendance legislation for parents and schools. This comes into effect at the start of this school year Tuesday, February 3, 2026

What we expect of parents

• You must enrol your child at a school and ensure they attend every day the school is open (i.e. term time). These are legal requirements from the Education and Training Act 2020.

• Contact us on Hero if your child is going to be absent (ie if your child will not be at school for a whole day, or part of a day, or if they are going to be late). If you need guidance with this please reach out to the Principal, Bernie. I will find someone to guide you with accessing and using Hero.

• If your child is reluctant to come to school, let us know why this is. If something is happening at school that is making them want to miss school, talk with us so we can work together.

• Getting back to school quickly after being absent is important. Support your child return to school as soon as possible. The longer your child is absent from school, the harder it can be to catch up on missed learning. Again, talk with us so we can work together.

Quick reminders:

• Your child can be absent from school if they are sick, or at a medical appointment. Please let us know as soon as possible.

• Holidays during term time is not an acceptable reason for your child to be absent from school.

• Haircuts, shopping and other personal activities should not be planned during school hours.

• Attendance matters – every day counts.



The Board have approved the Stepped Attendance Plan. This provides guidance to parents and staff. A copy is provided here for you to read. If you have any questions please contact Bernie Mulcahy-Bouwman, Principal. [email protected]

Welcome back!!! 😊

Friendly reminder

Open Day at Waitaha School - Monday February 2, 2026

29.01.2026

Kia ora koutou Parents/ Whānau,

You are welcome to pop in to visit the class space that your child will be attending this year. Staff will be available on Monday from 9am – 3pm. We are excited to have our Waitaha Students back at school for the 2026 school year. This open day is an opportunity to reconnect before school starts back on Tuesday February 3.

Here’s a photo of the new Waitaha School playground just completed today. We hope students will enjoy trying out the new activities provided.



Ngā mihi nui

Bernie

Principal

Happy new year to all our whānau and friends. May 2026 treat everyone kindly.

Wishing everyone a very happy and safe Christmas 🎄