Monday 2nd February, 2026
First day back in the sunshine!
Kia ora koutou
It was such a nice start to the day to see our tamariki smiling and excited to be back this morning, and a chance to say hi to a number of our parents as well.
We warmly welcome Dovi and Ben who are joining our Paemoana whānau this week. Starting primary school is such a special time, and we truly want them to feel welcome and have a sense of belonging to our Omihi whānau.
I recently attended a breakfast where Owen Eastwood was the guest speaker. He is a performance coach from NZ, who specialises in leadership and culture, and has worked with a number of high profile sports and business organisations, such as the England men’s football team, South African cricket team, Harlequins Rugby, the Royal Ballet, NATO’s Command Group plus many more. He has written a book called ‘Belonging’, which draws on his Māori heritage and the concept of whakapapa—the belief that people are part of an unbroken chain, bound by shared identity and purpose.
One of the points I took away from this was that when people belong, they thrive. For us at Omihi, whakawhanaungatanga (building relationships) is such an important part of our daily life, as this is when our teachers, our staff, and our tamariki feel like they belong, and therefore can ako, tipu, puāwai (learn, grow and thrive).
Ngā mihi
Maree Lucas
Tumuaki/Principal
principal@omihi.school.nz
School Notices
Stationery
Please can you hand in your child’s stationery to their teacher, and they will give it out as needed. The lists can be ordered through www.myschool.co.nz/omihi. We will give students their books and invoice you for these.
Whānau picnic - change of date
As the weather looks terrible for tomorrow, we are changing this to Monday 9th February, from 3.15pm - 5.15pm. The council will run the sausage sizzle from 4pm, and the pool will be open from 3.15 - 4.15pm. Children are only able to swim if their parents are attending. We would love to see you there.
Evan’s farm walk
On Tuesday 10th February, we will be doing a walk on the Evans’ farm, as part of our ‘Belonging to our community’ inquiry. Please let Maree know if you are able to help with transport and be a parent helper on the trip.
Omihi bus
Please note there is no Omihi bus on the afternoon of Monday 16th February due to First Aid training for all staff.
School lunch orders in 2026
Lunch Online has been taken over by Ezlunch. Ezlunch continues to work with the same providers, so we will continue to have Subway or sushi available on alternating Wednesdays, starting with Subway this week. Families who have previously ordered through Lunch Online should have received an email from Ezlunch with new login details.
Triathlon
Our school triathlon for Year 1-8 is on Thursday 5th February at 1.30pm. We welcome parents to come and watch. The top 3 children in each year level from Year 5-8 will go to the Kowai triathlon on Thursday 12th February at the Amberley Domain. Children can bring their bikes to school each day in week 1 to practise.
Sunsmart policy
A reminder that as part of our Sunsmart policy, sun hats need to be worn every day in term 1. Please put sunscreen on your child before school. If your child has a rash vest, please send that along for swimming. We will be swimming every day if possible.
Year 4-8 Small School Swimming Sports
On Tuesday 3rd March, we will be joining Waipara and Broomfield School at the Amberley Pool for our small school swimming sports. We will start at 9.30am, and finish by lunchtime. We will take the school bus, so please let us know if your child needs a ride or if you will meet us there.
Food Truck Friday
We are collaborating with Farmstrong to bring Food Truck Friday to Omihi. This will be across the road at the Omihi Hall on Friday 6th March, from 5pm - 9pm. It is not a fundraiser, just a chance to bring the wider community together. Kelly will be singing and there will be a number of food trucks available to purchase dinner. Bring a picnic rug, and we would love to see you there.
Whole school assembly
We welcome you to our whole school assembly on Thursday 2nd April at 2pm.
ICT agreements
This week your child will be bringing home an ICT agreement. Please read through this with them, and both sign it and then send it back. After week 2, children will not be able to use school devices unless this is returned.
Basketball
Please let Bryleigh know ASAP if your child is interested in playing basketball in Term 1. There is a 3x3 competition for Year 5/6 students on Thursday nights at Mainpower Stadium in Rangiora ($230 team fee), or a 5x5 competition for Year 7/8 students on Friday nights, played at both Mainpower Stadium and Kaiapoi High School ($420 team fee). Fees would be split evenly between registered players. Games start 12/13 February and run for 6 weeks.
