Week 3 – Friday 7th August, 2026
In this newsletter:
- A message from the Principal
- Welcome to new whānau and ākonga
- Important Dates and Reminders
- Fundraising Committee
- School Events
- Sport at DSS
- From the classrooms – Rooms 3 and 11
- Community Noticeboard
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Kia ora e te whānau,
At the mid-year point, our regular attendance rate—students attending school more than 90% of the time—currently stands at 60%, following a strong Term 1 result of 67%. This is almost 14% higher than where we were at this same time last year. A huge thank you to all our families for your ongoing commitment towards your child’s learning. The evidence in our mid-year data clearly demonstrates that time spent away from school results in lower academic levels and achievement for our tamariki. As Term 3 is typically when we see the highest rates of sickness, focusing on the basics—such as thorough hand washing and wearing warm, appropriate clothing—goes a long way in keeping everyone healthy. Please also remember that we have access to a school health nurse if you would like support or need a referral.
Here are a few other practical ways you can support your child in getting to school regularly:
- Establish predictable routines: Keep consistent sleep and wake-up schedules to ensure children get enough rest.
- Prepare the night before: Pack school bags, lay out uniforms, and plan lunches ahead of time to make mornings stress-free.
- Schedule appointments wisely: Whenever possible, book medical and dental visits outside of school hours or at the end of the day.
- Communicate early on worries: If your child is feeling anxious or hesitant about coming to school, contact their teacher or the school team early so we can support them together.
- Maintain positive conversations: Speak enthusiastically about school, learning, and friends to build confidence and excitement about attending.
Every day does matter, so thank you for continuing to value your child’s learning and progress.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Mana Hui this week. Despite the challenging weather, we were delighted by the strong turnout of whānau and tamariki. These learning updates play a vital role in strengthening our shared understanding of student progress at the mid-year mark and setting clear goals for the remainder of the school year. Seeing over 85% of whānau booked for these meetings is pleasing and reflects the wonderful support within our school community. If you missed your hui, please get in touch with your child’s teacher directly to arrange a meeting time so we can connect.
In terms of staffing updates, we are delighted to welcome Whaea Kimberley to our kura as the new teacher in Room 7. Kimberley will co-teach alongside Nicole Hawke for the first six weeks of Term 3 before taking sole charge of the class. A huge thank you to our acting Deputy Principals, Mr Ranchod and Whaea Col, who have made an impressive start and are doing a wonderful job stepping into their new responsibilities; both will remain in these leadership roles for the remainder of the year. Looking ahead, we will shortly be advertising for the permanent Deputy Principal position, with the goal of making an appointment by the end of this term. Finally, we warmly welcome Luke Dentice, Heather Isaac, Nat Finch, and Colin Thompson to our release cover team for Term 3. It is fantastic to have such highly skilled and experienced teachers supporting our school.
Our next strategic plan is coming together nicely, with three core strategic goals identified as priorities for our kura moving forward: 1. Inclusive Environment, 2. Teaching and Learning, and 3. Culture and Identity. We are currently consulting with our team around specific initiatives and success measures, with the goal of completing the plan to share with our community by the end of the term. As part of our Identity pou, we have been working alongside Toi Digital to create our new house logos, and a sneak peek of the first draft is featured below. Following feedback gathered this week from both staff and tamariki, we will be making a few minor tweaks, but overall we are thrilled with the simplicity and effectiveness of the design.
Have a great weekend.
Ngā mihi
Lee Ewington
He tumuaki no kura o Dyer Street
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Week 2 Principal’s Award Winners
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Welcome to our new students:
Room 1 – Peyton, Ted, Lukas, Prisha, Lachie,
Room 2 – Arhaam,
Room 3 – Lucas,
Room 4 – Rossleen,
Room 7 – Avery, Arthur, Aviena,
Room 10 – Eksee
We are so happy to have you join our school community.
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From the School Office
If your child has borrowed swimwear and towels from the school since swimming, please return these to the office, washed and dried. Thank you.
If for any reason your child is unable to come to school, please let the office know before 9:15 am.
Please remember to keep us up to date with any changes to contact details, including email addresses, home addresses and phone numbers. You can email updates to office@dyerstreet.school.nz
With Winter in full swing and cold weather, sickness is setting in. If your child requires inhalers or medicine at school, please visit the office to complete a medical form and discuss your requirements.
We also have quite a few students who need spare changes of clothing. Making sure your child has a spare change in their bag, especially long pants, will help when they get muddy or soiled.
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Term 3
Week 4
Wednesday 12 August: Assembly, Room 10 Hosting & Room 1 Sharing
Friday 14 August – Teacher Only Day (School closed)
Week 6
Wednesday 26 August: Assembly, Room 9 Hosting & Room 2 Sharing
Friday 28 August – Scholastic Bookfair Begins
Week 7
Monday 31 August – Wednesday 2nd September – Bookfair
Week 8
Wednesday 9 September: Assembly, Room 6 Hosting, Room 6 Sharing
Friday 11 September – Naenae Intermediate Out Of Zone enrolments close
Week 9
Tuesday 15 September – School Photos
Week 10 – Production (Honk! Jr.) – 3 Shows
Wednesday 23 September 11:30 am – 12: 30 – Matinee
Wednesday 23 September – 6:30 pm – 7: 30 pm
Wednesday 24 September – 6:30 pm – 7: 30 pm
Friday 25 September – Last Day of Term 3
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Dyer Street School has a small but friendly fundraising committee that works together to raise funds and put on fun events. We are in need of some more people to come on board this year. There is an active Facebook group as well as a mailing list to receive posts on Hero. The committee has plans for more online hui this year to make sure those who can’t attend in-person meetings can be more involved.
The next meeting is Monday 7th September at 7:30 p.m. in the school library. We’d love anyone who would like to be involved to come along. If you can’t make it but have ideas or would like to be kept in mind as a volunteer, please email colleene@dyerstreet.school.nz or join the Facebook group: Fundraising Facebook Group
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We have had a busy first few weeks of Term 3 so far, with events and exciting opportunities such as Swimming and a special visit from Du’plessis Kirifi
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Our Netball, Basketball and Water Polo teams are back into it this term!
A big thank you to our coaches for volunteering their time to coach teams, run practices, and coordinate communication with our players and whānau. We really appreciate all that you do.
Good luck to all our teams for the season ahead!
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