​Culture Festival  'Under One Sky' 

We were blown away with our wonderful cultural community evening last night. What a special community we have, and what a gift to come together to share food, traditions, stories and connection. 

Our children were amazing and loved the opportunity to try such a variety of beautifully presented food made by families. The explanations provided as to why the kai  was special were interesting and told far more than the words. The deep connection to family,  love and culture was reflected. 

 The  introduction by Laya and Ava focusing us on Matariki brought us back to our bi cultural heritage which was a special start to the evening. 
Our evening was uplifted by the clever & fun Chitty, as she compared and interviewed our wonderful performers. Our children were delightful and across the showcase showed their passion, knowledge and connection. 

Enjoy our wonderful photos taken by Aditya, one of our parents. They tell the true story of the wonderful time together. 

As the term draws to a close today we are grateful for your support and help during the term. We have tired children who have given their wee hearts to a full term of work. So many have made amazing progress and are feeling so proud of their work.  

A special thanks to our teachers who have navigated a challenging term with brand new reporting of a curriculum that we have so recently implemented and are still learning so much about. You are very fortunate to have a wonderful team working very hard for your children. 

Our support staff who support our children in their learning and a multitude of needs, our administration team and cleaning and caretaking are the glue that holds everything together. 

We have a wonderful school that has a beautiful culture of care, diversity and positive energy. 
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A couple of reminders: 
> Term 3 starts :  Monday July 20th 
> A chance to sort uniforms over the holidays and ensure we have everyone looking spick and span for the beginning of the term 

Have a wonderful holiday break and we look forward to seeing you all back on July 20th 

Nga mihi,
 
Linda Fraser 
Principal 

Kia Ora Everyone,

A quick note to you all as you begin the Holiday period.

As you all know School Reports are out. Prior to their release there were messages on the School App regarding the upcoming Teacher Interviews scheduled for early next term as well as detail around the new Curriculum reporting to parents.

The Board acknowledges and is very appreciative of the thorough assessment and considerable time given to writing and formatting these reports for you. Much time and Professional attention has been given by our School Leadership and Teaching staff in meeting the demands of such significant change and moving forward with it.

Principal Linda Fraser set out these new guidelines and benchmarks, known as descriptors in her Newsletter Week 9. A good plan would be to re-read these details before heading to your interviews.

A special Morning Tea was held this week to acknowledge and celebrate the 17 years of full time work teacher Jill Robb has devoted to our School. A commitment of such standing to our tamariki, whanau, and the many colleagues and friends has brought so much to our School. Jill will continue with us on a part time basis so we will enjoy an ongoing benefit from her expertise, presence and significant relationship with our tamariki.

Last night our School Cultural Festival was held. To conclude our term on such a positive and high note with such involvement of our School Community was a delight to all those who attended and participated.

Delicious food from the Nations of our students was prepared and shared and was followed by a relaxed look at school displays. Then performances in the hall rounded out an engaging and uplifting event for everyone. We believe in the importance and significance of our school existing within a wide community of students, whanau, extended family and staff all having a real role in making West Gore School a great place to be. A big thank You to all of the staff involved in this special event. The feedback so far received about our festival has been wonderful.

We commence our next term welcoming new families to our school. Details of this special assembly will follow.

So to everyone, all on the Board of trustees wishes you a great holiday.

Have fun, keep safe- and see you all next term.
​
Susan Hasselman
Presiding Member

Te Mana o Te Hā – Smoke/Vapefree Science Showcase

Our Year 5 & 6 Students will be attending this Showcase next term, how lucky are they!
 
Te Mana o Te Hā is an interactive science showcase designed for students in Years 5–13. This engaging, hands-on experience helps young people explore the real impacts of smoking and vaping, from how nicotine affects the body, to the ways it is marketed, and the wider environmental and social harm.
 
Through a series of practical activities and eye-opening demonstrations, students are encouraged to think critically, ask questions, and make informed choices. The programme also supports positive conversations at home, empowering rangatahi to make healthy decisions and take a leadership role within their whānau and community.
 
Whānau are warmly invited to come along and experience the showcase for themselves between 3.15pm–5.30pm on Tuesday 28 July at St Peter's College Gore.
​

Kia ora Parents / Caregivers, 

We are rapidly coming to the close of another term but some very important events before that.

Staff Farewell - Jill Robb
A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful class teacher, Jill Robb, as she steps down from her full-time teaching role. We are incredibly fortunate that Jill will remain a vital part of our school community providing release teaching.

Jill’s passion for teaching and deep love of books inspires our students every single day. Her thoughtfulness, kindness, and steady, friendly presence create a nurturing environment where both children and colleagues feel truly valued. Jill is a natural problem solver who approaches every challenge with well-grounded common sense.

Thank you for everything you have given to full-time teaching, Jill, and we look forward to your continued presence in our classrooms!

We are delighted that Juliearna Napier will take up the full-time teaching position in Room 2. Juliearna is currently the release teacher in Room 3 and 4 and no stranger to our Junior children. This makes this a very smooth transition for our children. We are very grateful to Jill, Juliearna and Margaret Norton for their continued teaching and expertise in our Junior classrooms. 

Reporting 
> Your children’s reports will be sent home on Tuesday 30th June,  the last week of term. 
>  If you require reports to be sent  to another parent and you have not notified us please let Anneke know in the office. These will usually be emailed. 

>  Parent teacher interviews will be held early next term, Wed 29th & Thursday 30th. These will be very important to discuss your child’s progress so you have a clear understanding of how they are tracking. You will be able to book appointments with your teacher through the School App. We will let you know when the bookings are open. 

What you need to know about our current reporting? 
Your child’s progress will be assessed against 5 progress descriptors. 

They are : Emerging, Developing, Consolidating, Proficient & Exceeding 

These descriptors are used to grade each individual child’s attainment with their Year level in the New Zealand Curriculum. 

Children will be assessed on what they have been taught so far this year. The reports reflect approximately 14 weeks teaching  and learning so this is a limited amount of the years’ curriculum. 

Your child’s assessment at this time will mainly be in the developing and consolidating areas as they cannot be proficient in a curriculum they have not covered unless they are clearly working beyond their current year level expectations. 

It may look like your children’s learning has gone backwards, but really it is because the curriculum at each year level has got harder with greater expectations.  

The comments are very important because they will tell you what your child is achieving and what their next learning steps are.  We are proud of our children’s achievement with so many children making significant progress. 

The big message is that the goal posts have shifted and it will take time to move our learners closer to them. 

Enjoy your reports, celebrate your child’s achievement and what they have achieved to date. 

Cultural Festival
We are excited to welcome all families to our Cultural festival on Thursday July 2nd, 5 - 7 pm 
This is a special celebration where all families come together and we celebrate who we are. 

Sharing food together is an important part of this. This will be followed by a time to view children’s work and a concert to conclude our evening. Further information will be coming home over the next week so please look out for this. ​

Uniform  
Thank you to those of you that send your children to school each day looking fabulous in our correct uniform. 

However, we have many children wearing all sorts of items that are not our regulation school uniform. This affects how people see us and reflects on the culture of our school. 

We want to look good and be proud of our presentation and who we are at West Gore School.   

Please note: 
> Extra tops for warmth can be worn under the long sleeve t-shirt so they are not seen;
> Pants/ shorts must be navy, no flairs, jeans, Canterbury pants and other branded pants ;
> Navy socks / tights only;
> No jewelry, nail polish, elaborate hair decorations or makeup (except cultural and studs / short earrings);
> No Croc footwear, only black or sport shoes.

Teachers will check uniforms and inform you via a written slip if required.  Let’s work together to get this sorted quickly as this is time consuming and takes time away from learning for our teachers. 

 Please send a change of clothes for playing on the fields please. Our grounds are exceptionally muddy and we want our classrooms to be clean and show respect for our lovely cleaner, Kristine.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Ngā mihi

Linda Fraser
Principal​

Hello Everyone,
​
Over the last weeks there have been so many activities West Gore students have been involved with. We have had the
Cross Country, well done to those who placed in their Girls and Boys age groups. Special congratulations to Ollie, Lachie, Harry, Lachlan and Malachai who did a stellar job of representing West Gore School!

At the Southland Festival of Dance our fabulous dancers took out First Place in the School’s section!
Our dancers achieved recognition in several categories, well done everyone for that hard work and your fantastic efforts on the day. Keep dancing Katelynne, May, Issy, Izette, Willow, Isabella and Aaliyah.

Pink shirt day was a valuable and engaging way for our tamariki to learn about and consider the effects and feelings
associated with bullying. An ongoing awareness, especially at such a young age can change the lives of so many young
people, now and into the future.

Our students who participated in the busking last Thursday gave such a joyful performance that was so well received.
Many parents came out and the positive vibe on the street that was full of parents watching their particular school
groups was so good.

To all of the students who took part in all of these activities, you did your school proud. The focus on learning at West
Gore goes hand in hand with the collaboration, fellowship and team spirit that these fun activities promote.

All of these really cool achievements are reported on our school app, check us out on Facebook too.

Of course the success of all these endeavours rests in large part on the staff , community and parent helpers who
offered their time, knowledge, experience and encouragement, our grateful thanks to you all.

Also last Thursday our school acknowledged and offered thanks to our incredible Support Staff who are a constant and
ever present strength not only in our school function but in the day to day experience of your children’s day at school.
I was very happy to be there on behalf of the Board and to express our gratitude.

At our Board meeting last week Principal Linda Fraser and Deputy Principal Rebekah Prattley updated the Board on the
new curriculum reporting that will be coming into effect over the next months. The repeated adjustments to the
curriculum over the last two and a half years have brought with them intense ongoing change.
The staff have been spending valuable time with curriculum advisors from the Ministry of Education trialing new assessment procedures, identifying issues and preparing early to best serve the needs and requirements for our students.
​
We are fortunate indeed to have such experience in our leadership team to guide staff through a large amount of
change and the intense work required. We are in good hands and the Board appreciates this very much indeed.

Susan Hasselman
Presiding Member

This amazing group of children did West Gore School proud at the Eastern Cross Country yesterday. They all ran hard and gave it their best! 
Congratulations to  Ollie and Lachie who will be going on to represent us at Southland Cross Country on 12th June 2026.

AGM - Thursday 11th June at 7pm in the staffroom

Volunteer sign-up sheets went home yesterday. A massive thank you to everyone who has already stepped up to join a sub-committee or offered to be a general helper on event days. We truly appreciate your support!

We Need You! If you haven’t sent your form back yet, our friendly office team will give you a quick call soon to check in. Joining a sub-committee is a fantastic way to help because these smaller groups work independently. This means fewer long meetings and more quality time back with your family!

Committees to sign up for are:
Heat Ups, Breakfast Club, Home and Garden Tour, Pizza Days, Disco, Sport Uniforms and Community Support.

Road Patrol – Supporting Student Safety

Did you know that Road Patrol plays an important role in helping keep our students safe when travelling to and from school? We encourage all parents and caregivers to take a few minutes to review our Road Patrol Policy on SchoolDocs to learn more about how crossings are managed, the responsibilities of students and supervisors, and the safety procedures in place.

The policy also highlights the important role that parent volunteers play in supporting the operation of Road Patrol. At present, we do not have enough volunteers to safely run the programme, meaning that Road Patrol has had to be scaled back, and not all crossings are always managed. If you are able to assist, even occasionally, we would love to hear from you. Together, we can help create a safer environment for all students travelling to and from school.

If you can help with Road Patrol in the mornings at either Robertson or Kitchener Streets, please contact Anneke in the office.