ECS Update Term 4, Week 1 – Friday 16 October 2026

ECS Update Term 4, Week 1 – Friday 16 October 2026

This email contains information about:

• Important Dates
• Te kupu o te wiki – Word of the week
• Fijian Language Week
• Special Evening of Worship, Music & Farewell for Mrs Simone Thomas
• Winter Sports
• Car Parking at school
• KiwiSchools Connect App – Update
• Ezlunch orders
• Kiwi Lunchbox Resource

Important dates

Monday 26 October: Labour Day

Wednesday 28 October: Year 4-10 Atheltics Sports

Friday 30 October: Year 1-3 Athletic Sports

Wednesday 11 November: Special Evening of Worship, Music & Farewell for Mrs Simone Thomas

Friday 13 November: Canterbury Anniversary (Show) Day holiday

Monday 16 November: Teacher Only Day

Wednesday 9 December: End of Year School Prizegiving

Friday 11 December: Last Day of School for 2026

(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/phrase of the week.

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

This weeks word/phrase is:     “Ka hoki anō”      –      “I’ll be back”

Fijian Language Week 2026

Bula vinaka!

This week we are celebrating Macawa ni Vosa vakaViti – Fijian Language Week (school observed). It was a wonderful opportunity to honour the rich culture, language, and traditions of Fiji within our school community.

At our school assembly, our Fijian students shared about their beautiful home country, fascinating insights into Fijian culture, geography, and traditions. To make the occasion even more special, the school learnt to sing Fijian Welcome Song, and it was especially meaningful to share this moment with our Fijian whānau who joined us for the occasion.

A heartfelt thank you to our Fijian whānau for celebrating with us and for your ongoing support of our tamariki.

Special Evening of Worship, Music & Farewell for Mrs Simone Thomas

An invitation to  join us for a special evening as we come together as a school community for a time of worship, music, and to give thanks and bid farewell to Mrs Simone Thomas after 25 years of faithful service to Emmanuel Christian School. We would really like to encourage every student across the school to attend this event if at all possible.

Please feel free to extend an invitation to attend to any members of the wider Emmanuel Christian School community, including any ex students and families you may have contact with.  We would love to see the venue full as we celebrate together

• When: 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM
  Wednesday 11 November 2026

(Students please be there by 6:40pm so we can seat you as part of this event. Uniform should be worn for this event) Students involved in the orchestra may be asked to arrive slightly earlier

• Where: La Vida Centre (34A Hansons Lane, Upper Riccarton)

• Who: All families and students across the school (Both current and past) . We are eager to involve as many ECS students as possible in this memorable evening! Please feel free to extend an invitation to the wider Emmanuel Christian School Community.

Car Parking at School

Can we please remind you to ensure when you are parking at school you only park in the appropriate marked carparks.  

This includes:

• Not parking in the marked accessible carparks (unless you are ceritified to do so) so these are available for those who need them.
• Not parking in the area beside the admin block where student bike parking and the minivan is stored.                                 

Thank You

KiwiSchools Connect App – Update

This App allows school:
· Student Absences –  this is our preferred method for notifying absences – it’s easy for you to use.
· Communications – school communications all in one spot at one time and you can be connected at all times.
· Calendar – links to our school calendar.
· Links – to our newsletter and school website.
· Alerts – The app also allows us to send out an Alert really promptly if something is happening at school that you need to know about urgently.
We encourage parents  to download the app today to stay up to date with what is happening in and around the school.

We are aware that there is currently an issue for new users trying to register with the APP. KiwiSchools is aware of this issue and are working to resolve it as part of their APP rebuild. They hope to have a resolution to this soon.

We thank you for your patience as we work together on this .

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.

Kiwi Lunchbox Resource for Busy Parents

Feeling the pinch on lunchboxes?

Kiwi Lunchbox is a FREE tool built by an Auckland parent. It plans a week of school lunches around whatever is on special at Woolworths and New World, shows what the week will cost, and gives you a prep plan.

No account needed, nothing for sale! It’s completely free and available to anyone.

https://www.kiwilunchbox.co.nz