Newsletter 2nd April 2026

Newsletter Date: 2nd April 2026

Issue: 05/26

Kia ora Team Bayview

This term has flown by, which usually means we have been busy! I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved this term as a school, by the staff and our learners. There have been lots of changes in the curriculum, in our attendance procedures, and in our assessment we complete with our learners. All of it has happened within a very short implementation time, but our staff has been extremely professional and positive to ensure these changes are implemented well. We are lucky to have been ahead of the changes, fully unpacking them before they had to be implemented. I am so proud of our staff, our learners and our parents and caregivers for maintaining a growth mindset through all the changes.

PARTNERSHIP MEETINGS

Thank you to everyone who managed to attend a partnership meeting over the past few weeks. We truly value the partnership we have with you to support your child’s learning journey. 

WELCOME TO OUR NEW LEARNERS

Welcome to these fabulous new learners who have joined us this year:

Lily SHAW, Kilipeni PAHULU, Jacobi JOSUE, Jordan JOSUE

DISCO

A huge thank you to Megan McGuire and her team for organising such a wonderful disco on Friday night. Another huge thank you to the parents who helped out on the night. The children were so well behaved and had a blast! I was very impressed with the number of ex-Bayview learners who came back to help. It takes a village and Bayview has the best village!

ATTENDANCE

Our attendance rate for term 1 2026 has been 93%.

For girls it has been 92% and boys 94%.

The classes with the highest attendance at 96% are Habitat 1, 6, and 14. Well done to those classes!

TEACHER ONLY DAY

The last Ministry of Education Teacher Only Day for this year will be on Tuesday, the 2nd June. This is the day after King’s Birthday holiday. School will be closed for instruction on this day.

DAYLIGHT SAVING

Just a reminder that daylight saving time ends on Sunday, April 5 (3 am to 2 am)!

WIFI UPGRADE

We have just had a wifi upgrade at school, which now means we need codes regularly to be able to access the school wifi. If your child brings their own laptop or Chromebook to school, their teacher will be able to connect them to the wifi for the day for any online learning. Teachers will not give codes to connect mobile phones. This means that if your child brings a mobile phone to school, they will no longer be able to connect to the wifi. Just a reminder that learners who bring a mobile to school must hand it in to the office each morning for safe-keeping and then collect it at 3 pm. 

PARKING IN THE LOWER CARPARK

Please do not park in the lower carpark at drop off or pick up. Yesterday we had an issue with people coming and blocking up the access to this carpark. This meant the after-school care workers were unable to get into the carpark to park their vehicles in their designated carparks to then look after our tamariki! One of the staff members tried to gain access and had to enter the carpark from the exit and then got abused by one of our parents as a result. It is everyone’s responsibility to keep ALL our children safe! Only permit holders may enter the lower carpark. Please remember this is a carpark for Bayview School staff, Bayview Kindergarten staff, Bayview Community Centre staff, Bayview Early Learning Centre staff and the before and after school care staff! We are stronger for our children when we work together.

CELEBRATING WITH OUR FAMILIES

As we continue to celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures at Bayview School, we want to extend our warmest wishes to our Muslim families who are marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

This week concludes a period of fasting, reflection, and community service, culminating in the celebration of Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Breaking the Fast). It is a time of gratitude, feasting, and spending quality time with loved ones.

At Bayview, we believe that understanding the traditions of our neighbours enriches our own lives. Recognising the end of Ramadan is another way we:

• Honour the commitment and discipline shown by our students and staff who have been fasting.
• Embrace the values of charity and empathy that this season represents.
• Foster an environment where every student feels seen, respected, and valued for who they are.

To all our families celebrating: Eid Mubarak! We hope your festivities are filled with joy, peace, and plenty of delicious food.

At Bayview School, we don’t just coexist; we grow together through curiosity and kindness.

A huge thank you to the families who donated Milo or milk so that the entire school could celebrate together.

For many in our community, this weekend marks Easter, a significant time for Christians to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We wish all our families observing this holiday a meaningful and joyful celebration.

At Bayview, our guiding principle is inclusion. We recognise that:

• Different families celebrate different milestones and holidays.
• Unique traditions are practised in a variety of ways across our community.
• Mutual respect for these differences is what makes us a stronger, more connected school family.

Other special celebrations coming up:

Date	Celebration	Culture/Religion	Significance
8 April	Hana Matsuri	Buddhist (Japan)	Celebration of the Buddha’s birthday, often marked with flower festivals.
13-15 April	Songkran	Thai/Lao	The traditional Thai New Year, famous for water-cleansing rituals and festivals.
14 April	Vaisakhi	Sikh	A major harvest festival and the birth of the Khalsa (Sikh brotherhood).
14 April	Puthandu	Tamil	The Tamil New Year, celebrated with colourful trays of fruit and flowers.
20 April	Ridván Begins	Bahá’i	The most Great Festival marking the declaration of Bahá’u’lláh.

Whether you are gathering for religious services or cultural events, enjoying a quiet break, or participating in family traditions, we acknowledge and value the richness that your heritage brings to our school.

“Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”

KEEPING OUR SCHOOL SAFE

We love that our grounds are used so much by the community and are incredibly grateful for the sensible people who use them appropriately. Over the term break, we hope you get to use these facilities. There has been some vandalism to the turf under the cola by e-scooter riders, so we ask please not to use e-scooters under the cola. Feel free to ride these on the concrete areas, but please stay off the turf.

Term dates for 2026:

Term 1: 30 January – 2 April

Term 2: 20 April – 3 July

Term 3: 20 July – 25 September

Term 4: 12 October – 11 December

HOLIDAYS (days when school is closed during a term)

Friday 3 April – Easter Good Friday

Monday 27 April – observance of ANZAC Day holiday

Monday 1 June – King’s Birthday Holiday

Tuesday 2 June – Maths Teacher Only Day (school will be closed for instruction)

Monday 26 October – Labour Day holiday                                    

                                    Di and Team Bayview Staff

2026 Dates for diaries

2 April – End of term 1 school closes at 2pm

3  April – Good Friday holiday

20 April – Term 2 begins

27 April – ANZAC day holiday

28 April – H10, 1, 13 Trip to Corban’s Art Centre

29 April – H6. 11, 3 trip to Corban’s Art Centre

29 April – Autism Awareness Day

30 April – H2, 8, 12 Trip to Corban’s Art Centre

30 April – Cluster sports day at Glenfield College

4 May – Dental van onsite

7 May – Student leader day at Campbells Bay School

15 May – Pink Shirt Day

21 May – Enrolment meetings for Term 3 starters

21 May – BOT meeting 6pm

28 May – Starship Mufti day

1 June – King’s Birthday holiday

2 June – Teacher Only Day

4 June – Parent meeting for parents of year 6 learners with Mr Mark Whitford from Glenfield Intermediate School 8.30am in the Bayview School Library.

19 June – Y6 trip to GIS for their Showcase

25 June – BoT meeting 6pm

2 July – Kaipatiki Matariki Festival @ Glenfield College, powhiri at 9.30am

3 July – Last day of term 2.

We wish everyone a safe and happy Easter weekend and a wonderful term break!