Fernside School

01/09/2026

We're hiring!! Join the Fernside Whānau!!

*Property & Grounds Caretaker*

Fernside School | 20–25 Hours Per Week (Negotiable for the right person)

Fernside School is seeking a practical, community-minded Caretaker to take pride in keeping our school grounds safe, beautiful, and vibrant. If you love working outdoors, enjoy hands-on maintenance, and value being part of a supportive rural school community, we would love to hear from you.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Grounds & Gardening: Maintain gardens, lawns, and outdoor spaces so our school always looks presentable and welcoming.

Maintenance & Light Repairs: Handle general site upkeep, basic building repairs, and routine safety checks.

Digital Logging: Update and follow our simple online maintenance log to track tasks and health & safety requirements.

School & Community Projects: Work alongside staff and occasionally lead hands-on outdoor or building projects with our enthusiastic tamariki.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Practical trade skills, DIY experience, or strong groundskeeping knowledge.

Ability to plan heavy tasks around class hours—all loud outdoor work (e.g., mowing, hedge trimming, power tool use) must be completed either before or after school hours to keep learning environments quiet and safe.

A warm, collaborative team player who communicates well with staff, parents, and children.

Comfort using basic digital tools (smartphones/tablets) for logging maintenance tasks.

A police vet check will be required as part of the appointment process.

HOURS AND FLEXIBILITY

20–25 hours per week. Specific working hours and schedule are negotiable for the right applicant.

To apply, please send your CV and a brief cover letter outlining your experience to [email protected] by Friday 18th September at 4pm.

31/08/2026

Need a night out? Grab a friend (or a whole group!) and join us for a fun evening of creativity, connection, and community.

We’re hosting a Paint & Sip night in the School Hall to raise funds for our Year 8 trip to Wellington and would love your support!!

No artistic experience needed - our local artist will guide you step-by-step!

🗓 When: Saturday 19th September, 6:30 PM
📍 Where: Fernside Hall
🎟 Tickets: $50 per person
🧀 Includes: All art supplies + delicious nibbles
🍷 BYO: Your favorite beverages!
🎁 Bonus: Spot prizes & raffles on the night

How to book:
Transfer $50 per person to 02-0816-0118140-002 (Lisa Bunton) with (Your Name) – Paint & Sip as the reference. Your transfer confirms your booking!

Come along, enjoy a laugh, and help us give our Year 8 tamariki an incredible Wellington experience. 💙

Please tag your friends below and help us spread the word! 👇

20/08/2026

Massive congratulations to our incredible Year 8 CantaMaths team! 🧠⚡️

You showed pure GROW values on the big stage, displaying relentless grit, taking total ownership of every problem, working seamlessly as a team, and fighting with everything you had until the final second.

We couldn't be prouder of your determination, effort, and sportsmanship. Exceptional work, team! 👏🏆

16/08/2026

2027 Enrolment Reminder: Help Us Plan Ahead!!

If you have a child starting school next year, please let us know as soon as possible if:
You live within our school zone, or
You already have a child attending Fernside and their younger sibling plans to join us.

Having accurate numbers now is vital for our future staffing and classroom planning. If you have any neighbours, friends, or family living in the area who have upcoming school-starters, please pass this message along to them as well!!

See our website for information
https://fernside.school.nz/enrolment-info/enrolments-school-zone/

04/08/2026

🎟️ Year 8 Raffle Time - Wellington Trip Fundraiser! 🎟️

Our Year 8s are busy selling tickets for their first raffle to help fund their Wellington trip! Catch our lovely Y8 students at the school gate before and after school, or drop by the front office to grab yours.
$2 per ticket - remember to bring along some spare cash. Thank you so much for getting behind our Year 8s!

A massive thank you to the following generous businesses whose wonderful donations have made this raffle basket possible:
Barker’s of Geraldine
Whittaker’s
Griffin’s
Heartland
Propaganda
North Canterbury Books
Mill Orchard

03/08/2026

We are still buzzing from our incredible first day on the mountain last week! It was wonderful to see our students embrace the snow with such optimism, energy, and determination.

It seems Mother Nature wanted to keep the winter magic going -how exciting was it to get our very own dusting of snow right here at school today ❄️?!
Speaking of snow, we have some great news: our cancelled ski trip has now been rescheduled for Wednesday, August 26th!

Action Required: All students from the cancelled trip will automatically stay on the list for August 26th. If your family CANNOT make this rescheduled date, please let the school office know as soon as possible so we can update our records.

Check out some of the awesome highlights from Day One below 👇 We can't wait to get the rest of our students up on the slopes very soon! ⛷️

03/08/2026

Get ready for a wonderful, story-filled week as we celebrate reading across our kura with our Scholastic Book Fair and annual Book Character Parade!

Scholastic Book Fair
Our library will be open all week for students and families to browse and purchase from a fantastic selection of books. Every purchase helps support our school library!

Opening Hours:
Before School: Monday – Friday
Lunchtime: Tuesday – Friday
After School: Monday – Thursday

🎭 Book Character Parade (Wednesday!)
⏰ When: Wednesday, starting at 9:15 AM

📍 Where: School Courts

We invite all students to dress up as their favourite book character for the day! We can’t wait to see all the creative costumes on display.

✨ Whānau Invitation: Parents and grandparents are warmly invited to come along for the parade and stay afterward to read and share a story with the children!

Thank you all for your ongoing partnership and warm support in everything we do. Have a fantastic week ahead!

29/07/2026

SKI TRIP CANCELLED

We are really disappointed to announce that Thursday’s Ski Trip has unfortunately been cancelled due to the upcoming weather forecast.
While this outcome is completely outside of our control, our students’ safety and wellbeing are always paramount. Sincere apologies for the change in plans—we know how excited everyone was!
What’s next? The ski field will be in touch with us as soon as they have a new date to reschedule our trip. We will keep you posted as soon as we receive an update!

Tomorrow will be school as usual for all students.

Thank you all for your understanding and continued support.

21/07/2026

🎨🍷 PAINTS UP! GLASSES UP! 🍷🎨

Looking for a fun night out? Join us for an awesome Paint & Sip evening and help get our Year 8 tamariki to Wellington! 🏛️✈️

Whether you're a budding Picasso or haven't touched a paintbrush since primary school, this night is all about fun, friends, and community. No experience needed—our local artist will guide you step-by-step!

👉 Check out the poster below for all the details on date, time, and how to register!

🙌 HOW YOU CAN HELP US FILL THE HALL:

Tag your friends in the comments who need a night out!

Hit SHARE to spread the word to your family, friends, and local groups!

Every ticket bought and every share gets our Year 8s one step closer to Wellington. Thank you for supporting our kids! 🎒✨

20/07/2026