Dear Parents/ Whanau, 

A huge week with bugs and very sick children and adults around the school. We have 35 children away today, several with Influenza A which is a serious illness. Please keep your children away until they are well enough to be at school. There is a lasting cough which we understand will take ages to go and we know it is not practical to keep your child at home until this is fully better. 

Please remember to use the App to inform us your child is sick. Anneke is spending far too long following up on absences. 

Polyfest - Monday 24th at  11.35am
We are ready and excited to perform at Polyfest on Monday morning at the ILT Stadium in Invercargill.  
There has been a lot of hard work going into the performance. Our staff are amazing and full credit to Jane Matthews, Rebekah Prattley and Kasey Owen-Wilson who have led the performance group. A special thanks to the other staff who have taught the rest of the school who are also participating on stage as a whole school performance. 

Monday Arrangements - Kapa Haka
 Sickness : We need to know asap if your child is sick and won't be attending. Don't send sick children to school please.  
Please send a message via the App on Sunday evening or early Monday morning

COSTUMES 
Performance Group :  Girls 8.30am Room 5 (back of Room 4, Junior block)
Girls : Room 5 for dressing, hair, (if needed), lipstick etc.
            Wear navy or black bike pants for under dress 
            Hair in a bun 
(Send the girls with a named supermarket bag for clothes to change into )
Boys : Room 14 - usual arrival time no later than 8.45am.

All Other Students
 Girls:  Tidy school uniform, navy socks (not tights), hair in a bun 
 Boys:  Tidy school uniform, navy socks, hair neat 

Buses 
We have got recorded if you have told us you are collecting your child after the event to travel home. You may take them after their performance. 
If you are now attending and taking your children home with you and we have not been notified you MUST tell your child's class teacher. 
Lunch Eating 
Students to bring water bottles and lunchboxes as they would on a normal school day. We have decided after viewing the forecast we will stay at the stadium , eat lunch while watching some more school performances.
Departure from Stadium 
We will depart at 1.30pm sharp from the stadium for our return back to school. Children will be dismissed on our return to school at the regular time. 

Speech Finalists 
We were delighted to have Katelynne, Isabelle and Izette represent us at the Eastern Southland Schools Speech Competition this week, hosted by East Gore School.  

The three girls did us proud with their excellent delivery of their entertaining speeches, entitled Principal for a Day, Being the Youngest and Facing Fear. 
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Katelyn had an extra bonus of actually trying out being the Principal for a day with Miss Prattley guiding her. The jelly beans were the biggest hit. I may need to up my game to stay in this job! 

 Speech writing and delivery is a great skill and we are proud of all our students competing and having the courage to deliver their speech to their peers. 

Student Uniform
At West Gore School, our school uniform helps foster a sense of pride, belonging, and identity within our school community. We encourage all parents and caregivers to review our Student Uniform Policy on SchoolDocs and support their child in wearing the correct uniform each day.

We ask families to ensure that students come to school dressed in the approved school uniform and that all items meet the school's uniform expectations. Wearing the correct uniform helps create a positive learning environment, promotes fairness, and reflects the high standards we have for our students.
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If a student is unable to meet uniform requirements due to financial hardship or other exceptional circumstances, we encourage parents and caregivers to contact the school so we can work together to find a supportive solution.
Thank you for your support in helping our students represent West Gore School with pride, both at school and when attending events or travelling to and from school. The full policy can be viewed on our SchoolDocs website.

We welcome you to come and explore how we engage our learners in a variety of ways.

At West Gore School we:

• engage in structured Literacy and Math programmes,
• create environments that are engaging for children,
• develop creative and critical thinkers, and
• foster children's interests in learning through play, encouraging them to be motivated learners.

We look forward to meeting you and your family.

Polyfest is held at the ILT Stadium in Invercargill. We will be travelling by bus and departing school at 9.10am.

When we arrive at Polyfest, we will eat our morning tea before our performance at 10.50am.  After our performance, we will watch some of the other performances, and have our lunch at the stadium. 

Weather permitting, we will stop at Queens Park for a play on our way home (at approximately 1.00pm). We will be back at school by the end of the normal school day.

All children will need to bring a packed lunch, snacks and a water bottle. 

We encourage whānau to come to Invercargill to watch the performance. If you are intending on coming to watch, you will need to travel down in your own vehicle. 

Join us for a special Breakfast Club on Thursday 28 August 2025 at 8am, in the hall.

Come dressed in yellow and bring a gold coin donation that will be donated to Cancer Society.

Join us for an important parent presentation by John Parsons, a Cyber Safety and Risk Assessment Consultant.

This session will cover essential information regarding the safe and ethical use of Digital Communication Technology, helping parents understand how to protect their children in an increasingly digital world.

Don't miss the opportunity to learn and engage. Empower your family with knowledge today! 

Wednesday 13th August, 3.15pm 
Room 8 (senior block behind the staffroom)