Kia ora e ngā whānau, 

We would like to invite you to our mihi whakatau on Tuesday 27th October, 9:30am, to welcome our new ākonga and whānau.

We do ask that you RSVP to your child’s teacher to ensure we can cater for you all. 

When: Tuesday 27th October

Time: 9:30 am

What: Mihi whakatau (details below)

Why: A Māori welcome to our school

What is a Mihi Whakatau?

Pōwhiri and mihi whakatau are Māori ceremonies of welcome where tangata whenua make speeches of welcome to manuhiri. Pōwhiri generally take place on a marae, while mihi whakatau are less formal and can take place in other settings. 

Mihi whakatau are performed differently around Aotearoa New Zealand. 

As a kura, we regularly welcome new kaimahi, ākonga and their whānau to our school. We believe in the importance of developing strong relationships with each other. This allows new families to feel connected and included. A mihi whakatau is an important part of this process, as it acknowledges our important partnership.  

The Process

• Manuhiri gather at the office at 9:30am. Your tamariki will meet with you at this point if they have gone to class. 
  A staff member will greet you.
• You slowly walk into the PC. Our children will be calling you in with a Waiata.
• You are seated in the PC with men in the front row, and women and tamariki behind. Stay standing for the Waiata to finish.
• Our speakers will greet you. Their speeches will each be followed by a waiata.
• Someone from manuhiri will speak. We will indicate when it is time to speak. Manuhiri will sing (we will support, if we have no speaker then, it is ok).
• Our speakers meet you for a greeting of a hongi and harirū.
• Our tamariki will sing a waiata as you go through.
• Mrs P will then speak followed by a waiata tautoko.
• Manuhiri are welcomed into the staff room for tea/coffee and biscuit. Your tamariki are welcome to join us for a drink and snack, or can join their classmates.
• If you would like to volunteer to speak on behalf of the manuhiri, please let Hinehau know. This speech can be short, and include te reo Māori and English.

We sincerely hope you can join us, if not, welcome to our school, we are so glad to have you with us.

Ngā Mihi, 

Staff at ABS!

Kauri Newsletter – Wiki 2! 

Week 2, already done and dusted! School photos were done today, you should've gotten a form already to oder a copy of our class photo or individuals. Your child has come back to the term feeling fresh and ready to get stuck into their learning with positive vibes!

Your child should have come home on Monday with two pieces of paper. The first asks them to identify three people they trust and explain how these people have influenced them. They are then to ask those three people how they have been influenced by them and what values they have been taught.
The second piece of paper is a letter that one of those trusted adults can write to your child.
These activities do not need to be returned to school, but they are a lovely opportunity to sit down with your child and discuss the values that are important to your whānau.

A HUGE congratulations to all our athletes who gave Athletics their best effort, with some achieving placings! Asher, Aurora, Gab, Hemi, Josh, Langi, Lawrence, Louis and Marbeau, you ALL did such a great job, and we are so proud of you ALL!

Our topic this term is Te Taiao (Nature and Our Environment). If you are handy in the garden and would like to offer your time to help us when we get started on this area, please flick me an email, and I can give you more information.

We have a few college visits coming up soon, so please ensure your child is enrolled. It would also be great if you could have conversations with your child about what they are excited about and what they might be worried about, too, as it will be a big adjustment!

Our class is about to embark on The Challenge — a 10-day times tables adventure where your child will climb a virtual mountain, one times table at a time.
Every great climber needs a Sherpa, and we'd love you to be theirs!
As a parent Sherpa, you'll be able to follow your child's progress up the mountain and send encouragement along the way. It takes just a minute to sign up.
Your child will bring home a personal access code. To join them on the climb:

Visit http://smarttables.app/parents
Enter your child's access code.
Sign up, and you're on the mountain!
The Challenge begins soon. We hope to see you at Base Camp!

Lastly, this term, we will be starting our unit, ‘Navigating the Journey: Relationships and Sexuality Education.’ We have attached a document outlining what we will cover during these weeks. Some topics have already been covered in class, while others are similar to the activities we do at the beginning of the year to help us get to know one another and build positive relationships. If you have any questions about this unit, please feel free to send us an email.

Reminders and Important Dates

Sunhats are a MUST for Term 4! Please make sure your child brings one to school each day. BUCKET HATS
Last day of term: Tuesday 15 December
Week 3: Labour Day – Monday 26 October
Week 4: Book Week – Dress-up Day on Friday; College Visit 6 November– 9:30 am–11:00 am
Week 5: Canterbury Show Weekend
Week 6: College Visit 18th November -9:30 am–11:00 am
Week 7: College Induction Day – Tuesday 24 November

Ngā mihi nui,
Hinehau Butcher and Jess McCormick

Kia ora, 

Our tamariki are very excited to be attending the Haratere Marae on the 29th October. Please ensure they are dropped off at the marae 

between 8.30 - 9am. 

Location: 

Haratere Marae 

439 Rakaia Highway 

Fairton 

In the evening (5:30pm), families are invited to join us for a BBQ. There is a small cost of $5 per person. 

Students not attending the BBQ will need to be picked up by 3pm. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Jason 

Any questions please email.   jason.hagan@ashborough.school.nz

ABS Athletics Day 2026

What a beautiful day we had today! Well done to all our tamariki who participated. We are so proud of the effort, courage and skill you displayed today. Certainly displaying our values of Be Brave, Be Strong, Be Borough. Thank you to all our teachers, parents and BOT for your support today and to Miss Shapland for all her amazing organisation!

RELAYS AND STUDENT-TEACHER-PARENT RACES ON FRIDAY

At 1:30pm on Friday we will have our relays back at school (Lagmhor will be in town) as well as our Student-Teacher-Parent race. We would love to see some whānau come along and race our students and teachers! If you don’t want to race, you can come along and support, or have a laugh!

CERTIFICATE ASSEMBLY ON FRIDAY

Straight after our relays and Student-Teacher-Parent race we will have our Athletics Certificate Assembly in the Performance Centre. All welcome.
Results and photos from the day will be published in Friday’s newsletter