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ECS Update Term 4, Week 8 – Friday 28th November 2025
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Kia ora e te whānau,
This week our Year 10 students have been away at camp. This has been a great chance to spend time together, explore a different part of God’s creation, learn some new skills, and cement friendships. A huge thank you to the team who have made this possible.
Reminder:
One of the key milestones in our end-of-year calendar is our Prizegiving celebration. This is a special opportunity to honour students for their effort, character, service, and growth throughout the year, and to gather together as a community to reflect on God’s faithfulness. This event will start at 1pm at the La Vida Centre.
To help us plan well, we do need your assistance with transport arrangements for Wednesday 10 December. Please ensure you complete and return the transport response form indicating your child’s arrangements for travelling back after Prizegiving. Your prompt reply will help us confirm bus numbers and ensure that all students are accounted for and get home safely.
Thank you for your ongoing support as we finish the year well together and prepare our hearts and homes for the joy of Christmas.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Alistair McKinnon
Tumuaki | Principal
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This newsletter contains information on the following:
- Important Dates
- Christmas Themed non-uniform day – Tuesday 2nd December
- Final End of Year Assembly / Prizegiving – 10 December Response required
- ECS Music News 2025 and Music Opportunities 2026
- Help Wanted
- Students not returning in 2026
- Dental Van Visit
- Read up to Mr LJ’s height
- Summer Reading
- School Accounts due 12 December 2025
- Open Home Foundation
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Wednesday 10th December – Final Assembly (Prizegiving) – at La Vida 1pm
Friday 12th December – Last day of Term 4
Wednesday 28th January – First day of school 2026
(The School Calendar including 2026 Term dates can be found here)
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Christmas Themed non-uniform day – Tuesday 2nd December
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On Tuesday 2nd December we are having a Christmas themed non-uniform day. We would encourage students to come dressed in a way which represents the theme of Christmas.
We also ask that students bring a gold coin donation as part of this day. These donations are used to support a World Vision Sponsor Child.
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Final End of Year Assembly / Prizegiving – 10 December
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Our final end of year assembly will be held on Wednesday 10 December. The assembly will start at 1pm and is held at the La Vida Centre (34a Hansons Lane, Upper Riccarton).
Students will travel to the event by bus from school. At the end of the event they will either be able to travel home with you from La Vida, or return to school by bus.
To allow us to plan transport and ensure that we know every student’s plans can we please ask you to complete this form. We need to get a response from every family, thank you for your help
Transport Response Form – Please respond
This is a great chance to celebrate the year. If it is possible it would be great to see you there.
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ECS Music News 2025 and Music Opportunities 2026
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The ECS Music News for 2025 is attached below. It’s wonderful to read about the many different opportunities students had to participate in music during the year in 2025 and to learn about upcoming opportunities in 2026.
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Help wanted to freshen up our six library beanbags!
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Thank you to the families who have offered to help in this way. We truly appreciate you. We do still have two or three left. Get in quick!
Are you able to commit to taking home one of our beanbags over the summer holidays and giving it a good clean?
Methods online include a good vacuum followed by using a damp cloth with a mild soap or detergent. Then rinsing and drying to remove any soap residue.
Or – not for the faint-hearted! – you could empty out the beans into a large plastic bag or dry container, wash the cover in the washing machine and re-fill, once the cover is completely dry. I have used this method before – best to do it in the driveway or garage!
One of the beanbags needs a stitch or two.
We would be most grateful.
If you would like to help in this way, please email me or catch me in the library on Mondays, Wednesdays after school or Fridays before school.
Blessings
Nicki Davison
nicki@emmanuelchristian.school.nz
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Students not returning in 2026
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If your child will not be returning to Emmanuel in 2026 could you please email us to let us know which school they will be moving to.
Thank you.
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Read up to Mr LJ’s height!
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If you peer through the reflections in the accompanying photo, you can see that the Year 7 and 8 readers aced this competition! In 26 days, they had read 81 books compared to the Year 9 and 10’s fifteen! Well done to all the participants (19 girls and 2 boys!). Looking forward to doing a re-run next year!
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Summer reading: The Summer Slide is real!
At the start of each new school year, we often see evidence of ‘The Summer Slide’ in our students. This means that some of the gains they have made in Reading over the previous year are lost. Research shows that as much as 3 months of progress could be lost over the summer holidays. Every year!
To help with this, we invite your family to borrow books from our library to enjoy over the holidays.
Please see the link below for more information.
Summer Holiday Reading Challenge :
Take a photo of someone reading in an interesting place! Up a tree..? In a tent..?
Where else could be fun? (P.S. It should be a real person!)
Email these to me, and I’ll make a display in February!
nicki@emmanuelchristian.school.nz
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School Accounts due 12 December 2025
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This is a gentle reminder regarding any outstanding balances on your school accounts. We kindly request that you ensure these payments are made by the end of term (12th of December 2025).
We understand that circumstances can sometimes make it challenging to meet financial obligations promptly. If you are facing any difficulties or need to discuss payment arrangements, please feel free to contact Louise at the school office or Mr McKinnon.
If you have already settled your account, please disregard this message. If not, we encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience.
We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and your continued support.
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Open Home Foundation is a Christian organisation that provides foster care across New Zealand. COVID impacted on our ability to recruit, and train foster parents. As a result we have a 15 year old boy who spends a couple of nights a week in a motel with social workers. We are looking for a family to support and care for him full time. OHF assess, train and provide 24/7 support for all our foster parents so if you feel called to provide foster care either for our 15 year old or other children in need we would appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible. Please contact Jacqueline Payne (Jacqueline.payne@ohf.org.nz) on 03 3665977 to discuss this further. Please join us in praying for all our vulnerable children.
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