Newsletter – Week 8, Term 3 2024 – Botany Downs Primary School

Week 8 Term 3, 2024

Kia ora koutou Parents and BDS Whānau,

This Friday, we will say goodbye to Mrs Carson from Room 19 as she starts her maternity leave. She’s expecting a baby boy, and we’re thrilled for her! We want to thank her for all her dedication and hard work with the students, and we wish her all the very best during this exciting time.

Week 8 is a busy week with netball, soccer, and gymnastics competitions. A huge thank you to our amazing teachers for their dedication in organising and coaching the teams, and to our parents for providing transport and support. Best of luck to all our BDS tamariki.

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

Coming up @ BDS…

Wed 11 Sept – Whānau Hui, 3.15 pm / HPPA Boys Soccer
Wed 18 Sept – PTA Jesters Pie Day
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
Mon 14 Oct – First Day of Term 4
Wed 16 Oct – Yr 2 trip to Botanical Gardens
Wed 23 Oct – Yr 5 trip to Butterfly Creek
Fri 25 Oct – Teacher Only Day
Mon 28 Oct – Labour Day (public holiday)
Tues 29 Oct – Yr 4 trip to Museum (Rm19 & Rm 20)
Wed 30 Oct – Yr 4 trip to Museum (Rm17 & Rm 18)
Thurs 31 Oct – Yr 2 trip to Butterfly Creek
Fri 1 Nov – Yr 4-6 Athletics Day

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

Please note: a coffee van and Mr Whippy will be on-site for the Celebration of Learning

SCHOOL NEWS

Author Visit – Helen Griffiths

Last week our Year 5 and 6 students enjoyed a visit from author Helen Griffiths. Visiting local schools during Conservation Week, Helen’s book Treasure Beyond Measure takes readers on a safari of animals, and encourages us to do our bit to help protect them and our environment. Alongside this message, readers are introduced to various collective nouns for the groups of animals encountered.

Helen’s visit was a great success and we love giving our tamariki the opportunity to meet the people who create wonderful books.

Year 6 Lion King

Last Monday the Year 6 team travelled to Pride Rock to pay a visit to Simba and his friends. We watched as Simba and Nala set off on an adventure. Timon and Pumbaa taught us about Hakunna Matata and we left with no worries.

The National Youth Theatre presented an amazing performance of this classic story. It was inspirational to see so many young people on the stage and we just can’t wait to be king of the stage someday.

HPPA Netball

On Thursday Mrs Jeffs and Mr Wakerley (student teacher) took 20 Year 6 students to the competitive netball day. Both teams played six games throughout the day. Everyone played really well and won half of their games. They all showed great sportsmanship during their games and proudly represented Botany Downs School. A huge thank you to Taylor Holmes for umpiring for us and thanks also to the parents who came along to support and transport the students.

ICAS Results

Thank you to all of the Year 5 and 6 students who took part in this year’s English, Science, and Maths ICAS exams. Certificates for these exams will be handed out when we receive them. If you would like to see your child’s results earlier please follow the instructions below:

Parents can access their child’s results via our Results Portal using their TAP-ID and PIN, within 10 to 15 business days after the final sitting day of each ICAS subject.
Each child’s TAP-ID and PIN are on the back of a previous year’s ICAS certificate. Note, the TAP-ID and PIN could have changed if the child has moved schools.

Parents can also request their child’s TAP-ID and PIN using this form and receive it within 1-3 business days.

PTA Notice

The PTA disco is coming up soon! Tickets and vouchers are available now via Kindo until 16th September – beat the queue on the night and purchase today.

Tickets and vouchers can also be purchased at the door on the night. Vouchers are used at the disco to purchase slices of pizza, popcorn, lolly bars, chocolate bars, juice boxes, and glow products – $2 per item.

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 Year 1, Room 6 and as well, our Choir will be performing.

Our BDS Capabilities

Congratulations to our following tamariki who have shown their Botany Best by displaying our Capabilities: Athena-Lyn Parkin, Rosie Roberts, Hannah Biddick, Demi Tseng, David Kim, Angela Cajayon, Elijah Jooste, Inaya Galahitiyawa, Charlotte Koka, Jacy Ablos, Allen Wang, Quintus Wang, Julian Kim, Chloe Morgan, Mariam Alwaidh, Mila Ritchie, Tatum Budd, Mia Swartz, Matthew Zhou, Tanya Kumar, Benjamin Duckworth, Violet Liu, Anthony Song & Joshua Chuah.

Our BDS Values

Congratulations to the following tamariki who have displayed our school values. Our focus value for the second half of Term 3 is Respect, Manaakitanga. Jiale Yu, Amanda Kim, Aria Zhang, Hugo Liang, Grayson Visser, Nathan Miguel, Savneet Thind, Luna Lopez Woo, Hridaan Dave, Sidney Chai, Troy Viljoen, Logan Hunter, Alofa Vaolele, Yara El Chami, Cameron Ellis, Bella Hu, Shane Hwang, Ann Wang, Kourtney Chan, Owen Huang, Terry Sui, Wickus Botha, Jax Bloem & Tushita Arun Kumar.

Fun & Learning @ BDS

Year 3, Room 28: ‘Olympic Torches’:

To celebrate the end of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Room 28 has been learning about the significance of the Olympic Torch and its historical and cultural role. We used paper, paint, glitter, and beads to decorate the torch and added some crepe paper to create the effect of flames.

Student Success

A group of BDS boys had a fantastic weekend at the BBAFC soccer tournament. The 8th grade Otters team, including Eli Adams, Ariyan Atrushi, Ethan Symons, Noah Ellis, and Xavier Marck, had a fantastic season and were top of table in the league. At the end-of-season tournament on Saturday they won every game, and finished by winning the final 8-0, coming away with a gold medal.

The 10th grade Netherlands team including Carter Kenny, Cooper Ellis, and Flynn Hodgson had a tough season this year. At the end-of-season tournament on Sunday they played exceptionally, winning all their games and not conceding a single goal all day. They won the final 1-0 in extra time, also coming away with a gold medal.

Congratulations to all the boys!

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.