ECS Update Term 2, Week 11 – Friday 3rd July 2026

This email contains information about:

• Important Dates
• Te kupu o te wiki – Word of the week
• School Photo’s
• 2026 NZ Chinese Language Week
• Parent Teacher Interviews
• Year 1-6 Swimming Lessons
• Prizegiving Notice
• Keeping our School Community healthy: When to stay home
• Shredders Needed
• Ezlunch orders
• Hot Chocolate stand

Important dates

Friday 3 July – Final day of Term 2

Monday 20 July – First Day Term 3

Monday 20 July – Friday 31 July – Year 1-6 Swimming Lessons

Thursday 30 July and Tuesday 4 August – Parent Teacher Meetings

Wednesday 9th December – End of Year School Prizegiving

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

School Photo’s

Student photos are now live and ready to view and order.

Keycodes have been sent out to families via email. This is a new system – Parents, please check your junk, spam, or promotions folders, in case the message was filtered.

Use the below link to make your orders:

https://photolifeonline.co.nz/ordering/access

Free delivery applies to orders placed before midnight on Sunday, 12 July 2026.

For ALL parent enquiries please email:
enquiries@photolife.co.nz

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: Me tīmata – Let’s get started

2026 NZ Chinese Language Week

This week, our school had a fantastic time celebrating NZ Chinese Language Week with a range of fun and engaging activities that gave students the opportunity to learn more about the Chinese language and culture.

On Monday at lunchtime, we held a whole-school scavenger hunt. Students eagerly searched for clues around the school, and everyone who completed the hunt received a traditional Chinese milk candy as a sweet reward.

Throughout the week, we learnt a new Chinese phrase each day. Our wonderful middle school student volunteers visited classrooms on Monday and Thursday to teach the phrases, while videos were prepared for the remaining days so everyone could continue learning together. Junior school students also enjoyed a Chinese colouring-by-number activity, helping them engage with numbers and vocabulary in a fun and creative way.

Both school assemblies featured Chinese language and culture quizzes, with students enthusiastically putting their new knowledge to the test.

On Thursday, we were fortunate to welcome two parent volunteers who read Mandarin stories to participating classes. Students enjoyed stories such as The Old Man Lost His Horse (But It All Turned Out for the Best) (塞翁失馬，焉知非福), Hauraki Broo, and The Hungry Caterpillar. Some classes also had the opportunity to try Chinese calligraphy, adding another hands-on cultural experience to the week.

A huge thank you to Candace, Michelle, and Belinda for the incredible work they put into preparing the scavenger hunt, assembly quizzes, and language videos. We would also like to give a special shout-out to our amazing middle school student volunteers for confidently visiting classrooms to teach the daily phrases and inspire other students to learn Mandarin. Finally, thank you to our parent volunteers for generously sharing their time, resources, language, and cultural knowledge through storytelling and teaching Chinese calligraphy.

Your support and enthusiasm helped make NZ Chinese Language Week a memorable and meaningful celebration for everyone.

Term 3 Parent Teacher Interviews

Today we sent home copies of students Mid-Year reports.  A copy of these will also be sent by email over the next 24 hours.  

A copy of the letter which went with the printed reports can be found is attached to this update. 

While written reports contain valuable information regarding your child’s progress at school, the opportunity to discuss this with their teacher adds important depth and context.

We strongly encourage you to make a booking and attend an interview with your child’s teacher early next term.

Key Details

• Dates: Thursday 29th July and Tuesday 4th August

• Interview Times: 3:00pm – 7:00pm on both days

• Early Dismissal: Classes will finish early at 2:30pm on both afternoons to allow time for these interviews.

⚠️ Exception: On Thursday 29th July, Year 9 and 10 Technology classes at Middleton will continue at their regular times.

How to Book – Bookings will be open from 3pm Friday 3 July until 5pm Wednesday 28 July

Bookings must be made online. To secure your timeslot, please go to: https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code/hsjpj

• Year 1–6 Students: Please book with your child’s primary class teacher.

• Year 7–10 Students: Please book interviews with your child’s individual subject teachers.

Year 1-6 Swimming Lessons

We wanted to remind you that our annual year 1-6 swimming lessons run for 2 weeks starting on Monday 20 July (First day of Term 3).

Year 1 – 6 students have their swimming programme at the Graham Condon Recreation Centre, with the use of the swimming instructors trained in teaching water skills, safety skills and swimming. 

When students arrive at school next term they will need to have their named swimming gear in a seperate bag with them. Please ensure this (and their uniform) is well named (including socks and shoes). If Year 1 – 6 students would find it easier they may wear their PE uniform for the first 2 weeks of term as this is often easier for getting changed at the pool. 

Each child will need a waterproof bag to store their swimming togs, towel, and comb. We recommend students wearing goggles and some may prefer to use a cap as well. Many parents find the zip up supermarket bags are ideal for carrying wet swimming gear.

Class Swim Schedule for Term 3:

9.30-10.00am – H1, H2, H3

10.00-10.30am – Koru 2 and 17 students from Rimu 2

10.30-11.00am – Rimu 3 and students left from Rimu 2

11.15-11.45am – Rimu 1 and 7 students from Koru 3

11.45-12.15am 23 students from Koru 3 and 10 students rom Koru 1

End of Year Prizegiving

We have finalised the date of our end of year school prizegiving for 2026.

This will be held on Wednesday 9th December.

More details to come later in the year.

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!

Shredders Needed

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!