Tuesday 27th October, 2026
Kia ora koutou,
This year we are receiving our 5YA (5 Year Agreement) funding from the Ministry of Education. They contract a company to help us to create a 10 Year Property Plan, and then we can use this funding to do those works. We are in a great position, as our property is in really good condition, so we have a bit more flexibility on what we can spend it on. We will use part of it to top up the cost of the shade sails we are putting in. The Glenmark Lions ended up raising $8800 for us, so we only need around $1500 from this fund to pay for the poles. Then we will be doing a little upgrade on the cleaning shed and outside toilet near the swimming pool, plus we will be putting in a scooter track behind the PE shed.
This is a really exciting project, and as always the children have been a big part of it. We are using Nature Flow and Woodland Escape, who we worked with to create our playground, and they came to meet with the children to get their ideas. I have attached their ideas at the bottom of this newsletter, and the initial design of the scooter track. We will be working with Jared from Nature Flow to use local contractors as much as possible to keep costs down, and I have applied for the Mainpower Grant to help fund it as well. We are hoping to create this early in 2027.
We have recently placed Guardian Rocks (from EcoFarm Aotearoa) around key points on our site. These natural rocks are used to support grounding and help offset electromagnetic "smog" from everyday electronics and Wi-Fi networks. It’s a simple, natural initiative aimed at keeping our school environment feeling grounded, balanced, and peaceful for our tamariki and staff.
We have our trail ride in two weeks time on Sunday 8th November. Please help us promote this by sharing our social media posts, telling your friends, and spreading the word.
Ngā mihi
Maree Lucas
Tumuaki/Principal
principal@omihi.school.nz
School Notices
Literacy update from Georgie, our literacy leader
This term as a staff for literacy we are looking at what the new curriculum focuses on for reading. The new curriculum for reading brings a structured approach. It focuses on teaching students to decode, make meaning from, and think critically about texts. It develops students’ understanding of how to read fluently, comprehend a range of texts with attention to audience, purpose, and form, and engage with ideas and perspectives. In Phase 1, year 0-3, it is about foundational literacy and learning how to read. Phase 2, year 4-6, is focusing on reading for meaning and consolidating this knowledge. Phase 3, year 7-8, is reading to analyze and understand critical literacy skills. We have recently purchased some new books that focus on this structured approach, titled The Fox Kids and Moon Dog series as well as Dandelion Readers.
Raffle prizes
If you haven’t sent your prize in yet, please can you do this asap. We will be sending home 20 tickets per child later this week. If everyone manages to sell their tickets, this is another $4000 for the school. Some families sell more, plus we sell some at the trail ride….so let’s aim for $5000!
Trail ride volunteers
We still need a few volunteers, and it would be great to have someone from each family if possible. Please add your name to the list if you are able to help.
Camp parents 2027
Thank you to all of the parents that put their names forward for camp in 2027. The parents that will be attending this camp will be Craig, Andy and Eran. Georgie and McKenzie will be running the camp, and Maree will be there on day one and day three.
Classes for 2027
The classes for 2027 will be:
Tūpari: Year 5-8, Mckenzie Baker-Flynn
Awaawa: Year 3-4, Bella Cubitt
Paemoana: Year 0-2, Georgie Stackhouse
We will have transition days for the year 2 students moving to Awaawa, and the year 4 students moving to Tūpari later this term, where they will get to spend time in the new classes.
Year 7/8 Hurunui Youth Amazing Race
The Year 7/8 students are invited to join year 7/8 students from Greta Valley and Waikari for the Amazing Race on Monday 7th December. They will travel to Northlands Mall, where students will split into mixed school groups, with a Youth Councillor in the group. From there, groups will make their way around Christchurch, either walking or using buses, to visit 3-4 checkpoints such as Tūranga, Ballantynes and the Bridge of Remembrance. At each checkpoint, they’ll take a photo and post it into a group chat with staff so we can keep track of everyone. They’ll then regroup at either Margaret Mahy Playground or Riverside Market for lunch before bussing back to Northlands and travelling home.
It’s a great opportunity for students to build confidence, independence and teamwork skills while learning to navigate public transport, read timetables and find their way around a city. They’ll also develop their problem-solving and communication skills while connecting with other young people and having fun along the way! We are lucky that this is all funded by the Hurunui Council. We will be in touch with permission forms and more details.
Contribution to activities
At the start of each year, or when a new student starts, we request a donation of $10 per student per term, which goes towards extra activities, not usually part of the school day. So far this year we have put these funds towards our trip to Orana Park, the visit from the Life Education bus, watching the Playhouse Theatre’s Puss in Gumboots show, a donation to St John for their first aid session with each class, and tickets to see The Faraway Tree at the cinema. Thank you for supporting us to provide these opportunities for our students.
Pie Day Friday
Here is the order form for pies for this Friday. Please have orders and payment in on Wednesday to guarantee a pie for Friday. If we have enough pies in the freezer, we will take orders on Thursday if you email Maree or Bryleigh directly. This will usually be a winter term event for terms 2 and 3, but as we have only just started, we will do it for half of term 4 as well.
Small Schools’ Athletics
The Small Schools’ Athletics day for Year 4-8 students is coming up on Wednesday 4th November. Here is the timetable for the day.
Here is our transport document. Please let Maree know if your child will be meeting us there - there are a few students with question marks next to them on the list. Otherwise we assume they are on the school bus.
School Docs review
We work on a 3 year cycle, and each term we review a number of our policies. These are open for review from our community as well. Please review the following by going to http://omihi.schooldocs.co.nz. Username: omihi Password: glenmark
Curriculum and Student Achievement Policy
Reporting about Student Progress and Achievement (board)
Learning Support
Māori Educational Achievement
Health Curriculum
Privacy Policy
