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Newsletter ~ 9 October, 2025
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From the Principal
Tena koutou ngā whānau, ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa,
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Welcome to Term 4, the final term of another busy and rewarding year! It’s hard to believe we’re already here, but as always, this term promises to be full of learning, fun and celebration.
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Some of our Term 4 highlights that we look forward to are:
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Christchurch Primary School Music Festival;
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Year 8 camp to Wellington;
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Celebrating our Year 8 students when they move off to secondary school, and
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End of year celebration - celebrating all the wonderful mahi that has gone on during the year.
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Across the school this term the curriculum area we are focusing on is Health and Physical Education. The middle and senior school are currently practicing their athletics skills as they prepare for athletics days. The juniors will have their Run, Jump, and Throw day later in the term. Literacy and numeracy remain central to the daily classroom programmes.
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Thank you to those who supported the film festival at the end of last term. Even though I was unable to attend, I would like to thank everyone involved for all their hard work. It was obviously a fun and enjoyable event.
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Have a fabulous couple of weeks, and enjoy the lovely sunny weekend we have coming up.
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Film Festival
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Last term, each class had to create a short film on the topic of space. Some classes made their films in groups, but our class made one all together.
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In our movie, our class was learning about space. Lyon and Scarlett were the teachers. In groups, we demonstrated our knowledge of space. One student made a control panel for the rocket. He said it would make the rocket fly, and he was right! Our class ended up in space! We floated in zero gravity and looked out the rocket window to see planets and the International Space Station. Back at school, the teachers and principal were really worried and were looking everywhere for us! Meanwhile, in the rocket, people were getting hungry, wanted to go to the toilet, didn’t want to miss their homework, and didn’t want to live on the moon. So we decided to come back to Earth.
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In the last week of term, we held the Diamond Harbour School Film Festival. It was held over three evenings. When you arrived, you saw that the school was decorated. There were people dressed up as Darth Vader, a mad scientist, an alien, and astronauts. You could launch a rocket into the air. There was a ‘What planet are you most like?’ quiz. There was a space photo booth where you could dress up and have your photo taken. Our movie posters were displayed, and best of all, we could buy popcorn and ice cream.
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When we watched the movie, it was a very crowded room. The audience laughed a lot. We thought it was very cool but weird and embarrassing to see ourselves on the big screen. We thought the film festival was amazing, funny, interesting, silly, and good. We were all very proud of our movies!
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Pō Whakangahau - Kapa Haka Festival
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On September 11, Te Iringa o Kahukura (Cashmere High School) hosted Pō Whakangahau, a showcase of Kapa Haka talent from schools across our region.
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We were incredibly proud to have our own Kapa Haka group perform. They were absolutely amazing and represented our school with mana and pride. Their performance was a true testament to their hard work and dedication and
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they showcased the Waiata tira -te wero: A song about welcoming and embracing our visitors, and ‘Waiata ā-ringa - nga waka e whitu: A song about unity and the strength of our people and also our powerful school haka.
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Congratulations to every member of our kapa haka group for their outstanding performance. You did an incredible job and made our kura very proud.
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A special thank you to everyone who supported our students, from the teachers to the whānau who came to watch.
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Te Kohanga Year 1 - Repeating Patterns
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Maths Learning – Repeating Patterns (Year 0/1)
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This week in Maths, our ākonga have been learning all about repeating patterns. We've been noticing what makes a pattern repeat and how to spot the core — the part that repeats over and over.
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Spotting repeating patterns in colours, shapes, and everyday objects
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Copying simple patterns and ones with more detail
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Continuing patterns that someone else started
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Creating their own patterns using up to four different elements (like AB, ABC, ABBC, ABCD)
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Have You Seen These Books?
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Decodable Book Return Request
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We are desperately seeking any of our decodable reading texts that may have been forgotten in your homes. After a concerted effort to ensure all books were returned at the end of the term, we are still missing the following books. Each of these books costs between $10-13, and we would rather spend money on the purchase of new learning resources rather than replacing lost books.
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For any decodable books brought back to school - 5 house points per book will be given. No questions asked, we just really need these books back!
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The Snails that Tim Forgot
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Oink Oink Oink x 2 copies
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Bouncing Around the Globe
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Museum of Strange but True
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Garden to Table News
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Our Chickens Are Back and Loving Their New Home!
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We’re very excited to announce that our chickens are back from their holiday and are happily settling into their brand-new coop and run.
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A huge thank you goes to Ursi, Sam, and Zane for the amazing job they’ve done creating such a beautiful new home for our feathered friends. The coop looks fantastic, and it’s clear the chickens are enjoying the extra space and comfort because they’ve already been busy laying eggs!
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Make sure to pop by and take a look next time you’re at school.
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Year 8 Car Wash, Sausage Sizzle & Bake Sale
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Support Our Year 8s This Saturday
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This Saturday, the Year 8 students from Diamond Harbour School are hosting a Car Wash, Sausage Sizzle, and Bake Sale at the Diamond Harbour Four Square car park from 10am to 3pm, everyone is invited
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The students are raising funds for their upcoming school camp to Wellington.
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Bring your car down for a good scrub, enjoy a sizzling sausage straight off the BBQ, and treat yourself to some delicious homemade baking, while supporting a great cause. Every dollar raised goes directly towards helping our students experience this unforgettable camp.
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Weetbix Kids Tryathlon
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Entries are now open for the Christchurch Weetbix TRYathlon on Sunday 22 February 2026 at Jellie Park!
The TRYathlon is all about giving it a TRY and is a great day out for tamariki and you!The TRYathlon events are open to participants aged 7-15 on event day and they can either TRY as an individual or in a team of two. There is also a 'Splash and Dash' event for 6 year olds. For more information on distances visit www.tryathlon.co.nz/. We had an incredible number of our students take part last year and are keen to encourage as many as possible this year!
Diamond Harbour School has created a School Group, so if you are keen please enter through this link https://raceroster.com/registration/ef084956-c82c-4aff-9182-ab439ba9c076/entry?team=853613 or search for the School when prompted. By linking to our School group it will give us the chance to win some great prizes!
It might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but it is an incredibly well organised event and is set up for tamariki to have a lot of fun and just give it a TRY. There is a discounted early bird registration fee, but you have to get in quick! Each TRYathlete will get a T-shirt, Medal and goodie bag, with free breakfast and fun and games on the day.
If you require financial assistance, you can apply to the Weet-bix TRYathlon Foundation through the website. If your tamariki needs to borrow a bike to take part please get in touch and we can see if our wonderful community can help.
More information and FAQs will be coming soon, however if you have any queries in the meantime please get in touch with the School Group Co-ordinator at hilary-ann.quayle@diamondharbour.school.nz
Go on...give it a TRY!
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Swimming Lessons Diamond Harbour School
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Swimming lessons at Diamond Harbour Pool
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Over the last few years, I have run swim lessons in the school pool.
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Term 4 is a bit hectic with the opening of the new Parakiore rec centre and the Special Olympics. So, no lessons.
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If there is enough interest, I will do lessons in term 1: 2026. If you are interested, please email Diane.
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What's Coming Up at Diamond Harbour School
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- Wednesday, 15th October - Year 3 Scooter Safety
- Tuesday, 21st October - Middle and Senior School Athletics Day
- Thursday, 23rd October - Postponement Athletics Day
- Tuesday, 4th November - Zones Athletics
- Wednesday- Thursday, 5th-6th November - Primary School Music Festival, Daytime Rehearsal and Evening Performance TBC
- Wednesday, 12th November - Pet appreciation Day
- Tuesday, 20th November - Enviro Afternoon
- Monday - Thursday, 24th - 27th November - Year 8 Wellington Camp
- Friday, 28th November - Diamond Challenge Due
- Thursday, 4th December - Loop-a-thon (tough kids)
- Tuesday, 9th December - Junior School Run, Jump and Throw
- Wednesday, 10th December - Postponement date Run, Jump and Throw
- Thursday, 11th December - Year 8 Dinner
- Friday, 12th December - Diamond Challenge Assembly
- Monday, 15th December - End of Year Music Concert
- Tuesday, 16th December - End of Year Celebration and Prizegiving
- Wednesday, 17th December - Final Day for 2025 - School Finishes at 12.30
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Lunch programme $3:50 per week (a slight increase from the last few years) - Thursdays
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After School Care - contact the office at office@diamondharbour.school.nz
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What's Up In The Local Community
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Make a team of 5 and enter the Quiz. $10/ person.
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Contact Wendy 021 154 1434
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What's Up Outside Diamond Harbour
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Workshop 2: Parenting in the Wild – Practical ADHD Strategies for Families
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Date & Time: Sunday 12th October 2025, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
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Location: Commodore Hotel
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Parenting a child with ADHD can feel overwhelming. This workshop offers a supportive, science-backed framework to help you move from chaos to clarity. You’ll leave with scripts, visuals, and practical tools that make a real difference in everyday family life.
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Meet Your Facilitators
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Rose Carson — Clinical Psychologist with expertise in child and family wellbeing, known for her warm, practical approach.
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Dr Sarah Anticich — Clinical & Organisational Psychologist, bringing science-based strategies that connect the dots between home, school, and work.
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