Newsletter – Week 6, Term 3 2024

                                         Week 6, Term 3, 2024

Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,

Our Year 4, 5 and 6 Gymnastics teams delivered an outstanding performance of our Botany Best at the HPPA Gymnastics competition last week, achieving fantastic results. A huge thank you to Miss Liu and Miss Young for their organisation and coaching of our teams during lunchtimes, and to all the parents for their incredible support. The gymnastics certificates will be given out at this week’s assembly.

Congratulations to our Year 5 and 6 speech finalists who presented to our Year 4, 5 and 6 classes and their parents. Our winners were First: Ruby Buckley; Second: Reuben Tate; and Third: Cooper Ellis – congratulations! It was a very tough competition for our judges Mrs Hewlett from Howick Intermediate and Mrs Hatley-Owen. Thank you judges for your time and expertise in selecting our winners.

Mrs Carson will be going on maternity leave at the end of Week 8 (Friday, 13 September) as she prepares for the arrival of her baby. We wish her all the best and happiness in her journey into motherhood. We look forward to meeting your baby boy and seeing you back at BDS in 2025.  We are fortunate to have the flexibility within our teaching staff to maintain consistency in the classroom. We are confident Room 18 and 19 students will be in excellent hands. We have emailed the parents in these rooms with further details.

A huge thank you to our PTA who have spent many hours fundraising for our school through the organisation and promotion of chocolate sales, and the counting of the amazing amount of money raised by this event. Thank you also to our BDS whānau who supported this fundraising.

Ngā mihi nui,
Vicki Parkins, Principal – Tumuaki (vickip@botanydowns.school.nz)

Coming up @ BDS…

Wed 28 Aug – PTA Jesters Pie Day
Fri 30 Aug – HPPA Lit Quiz / Junior Cross-country
Mon 9 Sept – PTA meeting
Tues 10 Sept – HPPA Boys Soccer / HPPA Rehu Tai Speech finals
Wed 18 Sept – PTA Jesters Pie Day / School Board meeting
Fri 20 Sept – PTA School Disco
Tues 24 Sept – Celebration of Learning:
classes open 3.15 pm – 5.00 pm
Fri 27 Sept – Last Day of Term 3

** click here to view more of the school calendar **

School Activity Donations –
Help Us Make These Experiences Possible

As we reflect on the wonderful activities and trips we’ve been able to offer during Terms 1 and 2, we want to extend our sincere thanks to those families who have already made their contributions. Your support has been instrumental in ensuring these opportunities were available to all students.

However, we still need additional donations to continue providing these enriching experiences. These contributions are vital for covering costs and ensuring that we can keep offering such activities in the future. We truly appreciate your generosity and support.

We are now able to itemise each item for the school activity donation in your Kindo account for payment.  If you do not have a Kindo account please see payment options below. 

Payments can be made in a lump sum or spread out over the year. These payments can be made:

1. By EFTPOS at the school office
2. Using our school bank account  12-3089-0059300-00 

Please contact trisht@botanydowns.school.nz if you have any questions or wish to discuss the payment options in confidence. 

Thank you, 
Botany Downs School Board

Working together with Kindo, our School offers you a simple and quick way to view and pay for school items, payables, order lunches, support fundraisers.

This is our preferred method of payment, and we encourage you to set-up your myKindo account today. Please visit the school website for more information: https://www.botanydowns.school.nz/kindo/

SCHOOL NEWS

Daffodil Day Friday 30 August

Friday is Daffodil Day. The House Leaders will be selling daffodil stickers before school outside the hall.  Please bring a gold coin to support this very worthwhile cause. Daffodil Day is the Cancer Society’s most important fundraiser. The money raised is used to support patients with cancer and their families, you can find out more here: Daffodil Day 2024

HPPA Gymnastics Competition

On Wednesday 21st of August, 39 students represented BDPS at the HPPA Gymnastics competition. Their dedication and hard work truly paid off! Well done gymnasts!

PTA Notices

Sausage Sizzle – Lunchtime Wednesday 4th September
Purchase a tasty sausage in bread for your child for lunch!  $2 per sausage, max 2 per student.  Sausages must be pre-purchased via Kindo or with cash to your class teacher by Monday 2nd September.  Sausages will be delivered to your child at lunchtime. 

Disco – Friday 20th September
The PTA Disco is coming up soon!    

Years 0-3, 5.30pm – 6.30pm   
Years 4-6, 7pm – 8.30pm

Tickets and vouchers are now available for purchase via Kindo, beat the queue on the night and purchase today.  Tickets $6 each and vouchers available in $4, $6, $8 and $10 values.  Vouchers are used at the disco to purchase slices of pizza, popcorn, lolly bags, chocolate bars, juice boxes and glow products – $2 per item .

More information about the disco, and a request for parent help on the night will be coming home.

Whittakers Chocolates Fundraiser
Thank you again to everyone who supported our fundraiser, we were thrilled to announce the winners of the top seller prizes at assembly last week.

1st place, selling 27 boxes was the Tokai family – Samantha, Joy Ellen, Natalie-Mae, and Nathan

2nd place, selling 13 boxes was Maci Lund-Finn

3rd place, selling 7 boxes was Kacey Wang

Ten lucky students also received a $20 TimeZone voucher as part of the prize draw for all families who sold their full box of chocolates.

School Assembly

We invite you to attend our school assembly on Friday at 9.10 am. We will be presenting our Botany Best Certificates and Values Bookmarks. This week our item will be from Room 30, Year 3.

Our BDS Capabilities

Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown their Botany Best by displaying our Capabilities: Elizabeth Ilalio, Jasgun Mavi, Cassia Grisselle, Olivia Chen, Makarios Tufue, Ryker Christian, Thea Moir, Nav Kaur, Yeray Limones Navarro, Ephraim Kazaroho, Amelia Berkett, Zayne Van Neikerk, Evan Guo, Liah Van Wyk, Oliver de Bruin, Sui Gu, Neville Arora, Lisa Huang, Felix Cao, Katy Qin, Ishnoor Virk, Breeannah Clark, Kayla Martins-Fouche, Eli Adams & Jaskiran Kaur.

Our BDS Values

Congratulations to the following tamariki who have displayed our value of Whanaungatanga / Relationships: Brody Tynan, Riley Wu, Datis Bassam, Olivia Leaumoana, Mia Cajayon, Odi Hika, Lucas, Bercich, Nathan Mohsin Rana, Lincoln Takaiti, Jason Van Wyk, Scarlett Blanco Zijp, Flynn Hodgson, Athena-Rose Hamilton, Ashley Cajayon, Lucas Pope, Kai Du Plessis, Stevie Lawrenson, Oscar Wong, Nathan Christians, Aidan Sameer, Lukas Stoltz, Ian Lopez Woo, Suxi Yan, Kacey Wang, Braxton Sills, Mila Biddick & Ela Uguz.

Fun & Learning @ BDS

Year 0/1, Room 8: The Year 0-1 team do Jump Jam every Friday. The students love coming together to dance with their friends. 

Here is what Room 8 likes about Jump Jam:

Jump Jam is fun because I can move back and forth. – Renee Li

I like Jump Jam because I can be fit and healthy. – Baghel Singh

I like Jump Jam because we go on the stage. – Avery Ip

I like Jump Jam because I like to dance. – Luna Lopez Woo

I like Jump Jam because I like practicing the dances. – Jason Van Wyk

I like Jump Jam because I like to dance. – Xena-Leigh Hamilton

Jump Jam is so fun. – Alana Sahni

I like Jump Jam because I like to dance. – Reyna-Lee Valdez

I like Jump Jam because it makes me fast and healthy. – Nathan Tokai

I like the dance “oo ee oo ah ah”. – Vaice Gasologa

I like to dance. – Ranaya Galahitiyawa

I like Jump Jam because I like to dance. – Yeray Limones Navarro

I like Jump Jam because I get to dance with my friends. – Matilda Malez

I like to dance. – Ava Shahsavari

I like to dance on the stage. – Inaya Galahitiyawa

I like Jump Jam because I like to dance and I want to be in Miss Smith’s dance group. – Uriel Su’a

Student Success…

Congratulations to Shangyuan Cao – her beautiful design was judged runner-up in a bookmark design competition. Over 700 designs were entered in this annual competition run by the Dorothy Butler Bookshop.

Children Turning Five – Enrolment 

If your child is turning five in the next six (6) months please ensure you enrol them as soon as possible. Our roll is steadily growing and we need to plan for classes and teachers during the year.

Please collect your enrolment pack from the office, or email office@botanydowns.school.nz 

Joanne Hughson DP/SENCo – Year 0-3 (joanneh@botanydowns.school.nz)

LIBRARY NEWS

COMMUNITY NOTICES

2025 ENROLMENT APPLICATIONS

Enrolment applications are currently being accepted and need to be completed online through our website: www.somervilleintermediate.school.nz 

In-zone families are encouraged to complete and submit their enrolment applications, as soon as possible, for processing prior to the end of Term 3.

Out-of-zone enrolment applications will close 4pm Wednesday 4th September 2024. The ballot will be held on Wednesday 11 September 2024, and all out-of-zone applicants will be notified of the ballot results via email, to their Priority 1 caregiver within 24 hours.

Pay the kindo way: https://botanydowns.school.nz/kindo/