ECS Update Term 2, Week 9 – Friday 19th June 2026

ECS Update Term 2, Week 9 – Friday 19th June 2026

This email contains information about:

• Important Dates
• Te kupu o te wiki – Word of the week
• Mobility parking spaces at School
• Matariki Notice 
• Keeping our School Community healthy: When to stay home
• Bikes and Scooters on the School grounds
• Ezlunch orders
• Hot Chocolate stand

Important dates

Wednesday 1 July – ECS Matariki Celebration

Friday 3 July – Final day of Term 2

(The School Calendar including 2026 Term dates can be found here)

Te kupu o te wiki – Word of the week

This week’s te reo Māori word of the week.

We would encourage you to try to use these at home.

This weeks word is:  Kia rite – Be ready!

Mobility parking spaces at School

Parents and caregivers are kindly reminded that the school’s designated mobility parking spaces are reserved strictly for vehicles displaying a valid mobility permit.

These spaces are essential for members of our community who require accessible parking due to mobility needs.

We ask everyone to please show consideration and respect by leaving these parking spaces  available for those who genuinely need them. Your cooperation helps ensure our school remains safe, inclusive, and accessible for all.

Matariki

Kia Ora Emmanuel Christian School Community,

Our school has a really special day coming up soon and we’d like to let you know about it so you can join in the celebrations.

Matariki is the Maori New Year and as a Christian School there are lots of ways we can use it to celebrate God’s goodness to us. Some of the special things we can be thankful for and celebrate at this special time are our whānau (families), our tūpuna (family members who have passed on), things that God has done in the last year, things we’d like to see Him do in the future (like we do at New Year’s Eve), and learning and talking through the lessons we have had to learn over the past year.  

Another thing we can also thank God for is the awesome community that we have at Emmanuel Christian School. There are so many people who work incredibly hard in many ways to support our school that we would love to have our families join together for a meal to celebrate our unique character. So on Wed July 1st we are going to do something special. 

We are going to use the day at school on July 1st to join our children into their whānau/house groups. They may come in their house colours, and until lunch time they will rotate around activities that will help them to join in the celebrations of Matariki. Then, for dinner, we would like to invite everyone who is a part of our school community to join us to share our evening meal together. You may choose to enjoy our delicious traditional “in-ground” hangi of chicken and veggies, or vegetarian, or bring some takeaways of your own.  Hāngi meals will be presold for $6 (small) and $10 (large) and prepackaged. The hāngi will be unearthed at about 5:45 at night for people to enjoy.

As you can imagine there is a lot of work to be put into an event like this so if you are able to assist in preparing the food on the afternoon of June 30th, helping lay the hāngi from about 8:00-10:30am on July 1st or helping teachers with running crafts/activities before lunch on July 1st, then please let us know before Fri 26th June via the MyKindo App. We’d really appreciate the help.

After our meal, some of the school Kapahaka groups will perform for the families, as well as there being some other whānau related activities. We are thinking everything will be finished at about 7:00.  This is going to be a really special time for our school and family to build what the Māori term as “Whānaungatanga,” – a developing of togetherness and community… We really hope and pray that, as a part of our school, you and your family can join us to celebrate.

Orders can be placed online via the following link or by downloading the MyKindo App: https://shop.kindo.co.nz/app/login

All orders must be submitted by 3:00pm on Friday, 26 June 2026.

Please note that payment cannot be made at the school office.All orders must be placed through the MyKindo App.

Thank you for your support.

Keeping our School Community Healthy: When to stay home

At our school, we love seeing our ākonga (students) in class every day, learning and catching up with their friends. Regular attendance is incredibly important for their progress and wellbeing! However, as we manage the usual bugs that circulate, we also need to balance this by keeping our school environment safe and healthy for everyone.

A friendly reminder about tummy bugs: If your child has experienced vomiting or diarrhoea, Health New Zealand guidance requires them to stay home from school for at least 48 hours after their last symptom. We know it can sometimes be a bit tricky to decide when a child is ready to come back, but viruses that cause tummy bugs spread very easily in classrooms. Giving them that full 48-hour window ensures they are completely recovered, have their energy back for learning, and aren’t at risk of passing anything on to their classmates or staff.

Another common illness a is Hand, Foot and Mouth.  In this case the medical advice is that children should stay away from schools (and early learning centres) until all blisters have dried up so that these are not infectious.

What to do if your child is unwell:

• Let us know: Please contact the school office as early as possible to report their absence and the reason for it.

• Need advice? If you are ever worried about your child’s symptoms, you can contact your GP or call Healthline anytime on 0800 611 116 for free, 24/7 health advice.

Thank you so much for your support in keeping our whole school community healthy, happy, and ready to learn!

Bikes and Scooters on the School grounds

We love seeing so many of our students active and riding to school. However, we have noticed an increasing number of students riding their bikes and scooters while on the school grounds before and after school. To keep everyone safe, all bikes and scooters must be walked once inside the school gates.

We will be talking to the students at school to remind them of this, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could reinforce this safety message at home. Thank you for helping us keep our school site safe for everyone!

Ezlunch orders

Our school now uses Ezlunch, part of the Kindo platform, for all online lunch orders.

Ezlunch offers a simple, mobile-friendly way for families to order fresh, tasty lunches from the same local providers you already know and love (Sushi Factory on Wednesdays & Subway on Thursdays).

The ordering process is quick, payments are secure, and delivery to school is reliable and easy.

Parents can order using the Kindo app (iPhone and Android) and choose from a range of convenient payment options including card, bank transfer, Google Pay, Apple Pay and more. The system also includes helpful allergen alerts and automated reminders, so no one misses out on lunch day.

Marshmallow Mayhem – Hot chocolate stand

Thanks to your amazing support, Marshmallow Mayhem has been a huge success! With the colder weather just getting started, we’d love to keep it running throughout Term 3. 

Hot chocolates will continue to be available every Thursday from 8.20 for students in Years 5 and up, located by the Senior School near the Shed.

If you already have a concession card, great news, it will continue to be valid next term.

For the rest of this term, hot chocolates are available for:
• $2.50 each (cash sales welcome as we end the term)

• $10 concession card

To purchase a concession card, please make payment to: ECS School Fundraisers Association Account Number: 06-0870-0073625-00    Once payment has been made, please email your child’s name and classroom details to ecsfundraiser@gmail.com, and we’ll organise their concession card.

Children are also welcome to bring their own reusable cup for us to fill. Please ensure it is clean and has a secure lid.

Thank you for your continued support-every hot chocolate helps support our school community!