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Just a few reminders of what is happening and will happen …
Welcome to the end of week 2. We hope your children are settling back into school routines after what was a very long break. Very little summer weather but after yesterday I am not sure we are cut out for hot weather! There is a lot coming up with swimming and athletics hard on our heels. Swimming We are very grateful for the Gore District Council & ILT sponsoring our children's swimming lessons. Week 3 - 16 – 20 February – Seniors 10.00am - Room 15 10.45am - Room 14 11.30am - Room 12 Week 4 - 23 – 27 February – Juniors - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 10.00am -Room 1 10.30am - Room 2 11.00am - Room 3, Room 4 On Athletics Day-> Tuesday - Rm 2 and Room 1's 6 year old's will swim at 10am, Rm 3 and 4 at 10.30am No 11am session on Tuesday 24 February Our Junior teachers would welcome your help with dressing if you are available during your child’s time. This is part of the curriculum so please respect the teacher is in charge during pool times and while walking to and from the pool. All children will walk to the pool so it is not an option to transport them in your car. Please make sure they have a jacket in their bags each day as the weather is very changeable. The swimming instructor is in charge of the children when they are in the pool. If you require anything please speak with your child's teacher. Athletics Mrs Sandi Pasco, our sports coordinator has sent home messages requesting help on the day of our athletics event. If you can assist please let Sandi know as soon as possible. We need people to support teachers running events. You will be instructed on what to do and supported throughout the day so no previous knowledge is needed. It is always a great day and we appreciate you all being there to support your children. We just can’t run this event without your help! Open Morning - New Entrant Students - Wednesday March 4th We welcome all intending students or anyone that may be interested in enrolling their child at West Gore School. Speak to neighbours, friends and family and encourage them to come along to this morning . it is a great way to meet the staff and see the children in their classroom and see the programmes in action. Strike Performance We had a fabulous performance on Wednesday that inspired many of our children. The Strike team are fabulous musicians and entertained the children. They then did a workshop in each classroom. Lets see this creativity expressed during our Learning through Play. Teacher Only Day - Monday March 9th
All teachers have a Ministry of Education Maths Professional Development day on Monday March 9th. We appreciate your support in arranging care for your children during these days. This is necessary due to the significant changes in our curriculum. Teachers are implementing a very new curriculum. Enjoy your weekend, Ngā mihi Linda Fraser Principal Welcome back! It was just lovely to have all our tamariki back at school today, bringing West Gore School to life again. This morning we held our Mihi Whakatau, where we warmly welcomed our new students and their whānau, and also introduced Miss Kasey Owen-Wilson to our school community. This is a short week, with Waitangi Day on Friday. Please keep an eye on all news and notifications via our school app, as the beginning of the year brings a number of forms that need updating. This term includes Athletics, Swimming, a Teacher Only Day, and the Year 6 Camp. Head on over to the calendar on the school app for specific dates. We’re pleased to get the year underway and know the students of West Gore School will thrive!  Welcome Back to a New School Year
A very warm welcome back to what promises to be an exciting new school year at West Gore School. We hope you all enjoyed a refreshing summer break and are ready for the year ahead. Students will start on Wednesday 4th February at 8:55am. This will be followed by our Mihi Whakatau at 9:10am in the hall. We warmly welcome all new families to meet their children in front of the hall. All families are invited to attend this first assembly of the year as we welcome new students and their whānau into our school community. We also formally welcome Miss Kasey Owen-Wilson to West Gore School. We look forward to all that this year will bring. To help the year begin smoothly, please ensure the following:
School Communication All school communication will be through School Apps NZ and newsletters on our website. You will receive newsletters via email on a Friday. If you do not yet have the app installed, please see Anneke in the office, who will be happy to help you set it up. The app includes a very handy school calendar, where you’ll find important dates for:
Medication at School If your child requires medication to be administered during school hours:
Arrival & Leaving School The bell goes at 8.30am for children to come into the school grounds. School finishes at 3.00pm. Children are expected to pack their bags and go home by 3.10pm when the bell rings. If they wish to remain and enjoy the school grounds, they must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. Children are not permitted to remain on the school grounds unsupervised. Road patrol finishes at this time and you can expect your child to return home in a timely manner knowing they left school at this time. If you have an exceptional circumstance and require your child to be at school beyond these times, for any reason, please see Linda or Anneke. Teacher Only Day Please note there will be a Teacher Only Day on 9 March, focused on further Maths development. Staying in Touch If you have any questions or need to discuss anything regarding your child, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office to make an appointment with me or email your child’s class teacher. Together, we can ensure that your child’s needs are well cared for. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead at West Gore School. Ngā Mihi Linda Fraser Principal  Kia ora e te whānau, Hello everyone,
A message of thanks on behalf of the Board of Trustees. As you can imagine it has been an intensely busy time here at school for staff and students. On Monday we celebrated the graduation of our Year 6 students. Seeing so many whānau and friends attend was so wonderful. I was so struck by the warmth and aroha of the occasion and the participation of all of the students present, not only the graduating pupils. From the stage I could see the junior classes joining in with the Kapa Haka group. The Kapa Haka presence during the graduation was powerful and unifying, as was the choir. Both were absolutely wonderful. To me and many others watching there was a clear sense of identity, belonging and pride amongst the students in their school. The culture of our school was very evident. I felt honoured to be there and enjoyed every moment. The last two years have been a challenging time in the Education Sector with three curriculum changes within two years. The amount of work undertaken by our Principal, Deputy Principal and all of the teaching staff to address, plan for and implement constant change can not be understated. The entire Board has been able to witness first hand the thorough and painstaking approach to addressing these changes as they apply to each student, in the classroom and in future planning. The regular reports made to the Board in curriculum matters are detailed and clear. While the learning curriculum leads the work here at school our school culture is so important. The learning and experience gained from our school commitment to safety, engagement, care and support is such a valuable foundation for our tamariki. We have full confidence and trust in our Principal Linda Fraser, Leadership team and our teaching staff and we are deeply grateful to you all. A big thank you also to our many Support staff who are part of every child's day at West Gore School. Our Office Manager Mrs. Van den Heever who is a familiar friendly face and support to our parent community and all of us too, our dedicated Teacher Aids staff, Librarian and groundskeeper. Our sincere gratitude to you all. The Home and School Committee has worked very hard this year raising funds for our school. The Board thanks you sincerely for the time and work done to provide resources and support for our tamariki. We especially acknowledge that a smaller committee has achieved so much. If any in our parent community would like to join the Home & School Committee, please let our School Office Manager, Mrs. Van den Heever know. My personal thanks to my fellow Board members Linda, Rebekah, Zac, Jacqui, Sam, Sonya, Monika and Board Secretary Anneke. Thank you for your dedication to WSG and for the mahi. Today is the day!- a stream of excited happy kids rushing off to a summer holiday :) So from all of us on your School Board, A Very Merry Christmas, a safe holiday period and a Happy New Year to you all. Susan Hasselman, Linda Fraser, Rebekah Prattley, Zac Andrews Monika du Plessis Jacqui Ruddenklau Sam Srimanthula Sonya Stewart  Floyd Beale attends the Horse Riding program each week.
This year at their break-up, Floyd was presented with the Dawson Family Memorial Trophy for Animal kinship and connection. This is a very special award and Floyd is the very first recipient of this trophy. Well done Floyd. Keep up the good work, we are all very proud of you.  What a day it has been for you Ayden and Fletcher. All of your planning, fund raising and hard work has come to fruition with the handy work and skills of Ayden’s Poppa Gary. This scooter ramp exceeded both of your expectations with you both saying, “this looks way better than our prototype”. So much learning in this Exploration. You will get to enjoy your project for your remaining years at West Gore School, and so will all of the other tamariki.
 We started an exploration to fundraise then donate gifts to the Gore & Clutha Whānau Refuge team.
Throughout this exploration we have faced many challenges such as a lack of communication, rough teamwork, and obstacles that can push us back. We thought about what we wanted to sell and we landed on ice creams and ice blocks. Surprisingly everyone wanted only one of the two things for sale. We had a lot of support and we are very grateful for that. This was tricky for everyone but we all learnt something: Teamwork makes the dream work. Along the journey we formed stronger friendships and bonded as well. Last week we were able to donate sports gear, toiletries, treats, socks, board games, balls and outdoor games for teenage boys and families to enjoy. The Refuge team was very grateful for our donation and we felt very proud to support them. hank you to everyone who purchased an ice cream or ice block. Your support means everything. Issy, Laya, Grace, Danel, and Ella  You cannot survive school unless you are friends with everyone.
If you see smoke, RUN!!! Fire, Fire! If you hear someone scream Markus, that means something is broken. Never get in the way of Kristine’s vacuum. Leave your chocolate at home. Beware of all the noise, bring earplugs so you can survive. Don’t wear muddy shoes in class you will get on the teacher's bad side. You can’t survive when everyone has a better lunch than you. In order to survive school stay away from Room 12, nah just joking but still run for your life. Don’t waste tape…it’s a waste of money. Never bring up 67, follow my advice. Do not leave your classroom sports equipment out or the PE shed takes it! Make sure that you know when anything bad or mysterious happens, it was Markus! Have fun and treat others with kindness. Try not to tighten your sunhat too much or you will get a red mark on your forehead. Stay away from the attacking bees and wasps! Don’t question Mrs Pasco or Miss Prattley…you have been warned. Stay away from trouble. Don’t climb the skinny branches, your legs have been warned. Stay away from bees! Don’t backchat or you will get on the teacher’s bad side. Beware of Mr English’s lawn mower!  Year 6 Graduation / School Break-Up
Monday 8 December Calvin Church – 6.00pm start (Students should arrive from 5.45pm when the doors open.) Our Graduation evening is a significant occasion where we come together to recognise and celebrate our Year 6 learners as they complete their time at West Gore. We warmly encourage all families to join us in honouring our leavers as a school community. Every child plays a part in the ceremony, and class awards are also presented. It is always a shame when students are absent and miss receiving their acknowledgements. The Choir has been practicing so we would love everyone to be present on the night. Meet the Teacher On Thursday students will be told who their class teacher is and will have a class visit with their teacher and classmates. They will be given their class and stationary lists for 2026. School Rumble Thursday 11 December, 2.00pm–3.00pm (Year 6 students will begin setting up from 1.30pm.) This is always a favourite event for our students. Our Year 6s can purchase a desk space for $5 and use it to sell homemade items or personal treasures to other students. Prices range from 10 cents to a maximum of $2 per item. While commercially produced goods are not included, items such as homemade headbands, books, toys, sweets, and drinks are welcome. Children may bring a few coins if they wish to buy something—around $2–$5 is usually plenty. A small wallet or purse and a bag for their purchases is helpful. Money will be kept safely by teachers during the morning. Each year, Year 6 students choose a charity to receive the proceeds from the $5 desk fee, while they keep any profit they make. It’s a wonderful chance to see their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit in action. Families are invited to come along and share in the excitement of this enjoyable afternoon. Final Assembly - Wednesday 10th December 2.15pm At this assembly we will be: > Farewelling Megan Johnstone , Sarah Cruickshank > Presenting Road Patrol Certificates < Presenting the Main Freight Duffy Book Award We would love to see lots of parents / whanau along for our final assembly for 2025. Final Day of Term A reminder that school finishes at 12.00pm on Friday 12 December. Please note that buses will not be running at midday, so families who use bus transport will need to arrange pick-ups. Start of School – 2026 School begins again on Wednesday 4 February 2026. School Uniforms If you have uniforms your child is finished with we would love if you donated them to school so we can on- sell them to others families. We charge a nominal fee as our aim is to ensure all families can access a uniform at a reasonable cost. Our school office will open late January so you are welcome to bring in uniforms and purchase at this time before school starts. Enjoy your weekend. Nga mihi Linda Fraser Principal
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