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ECS Update Term 2, Week 6 – Thursday 28th May 2026
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Kia ora e te whānau,
As we wrap up another fantastic week and look ahead to a busy fortnight, I want to take a moment to pause and reflect on Psalm 100. This beautiful passage reminds us to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” Even in a busy season, cultivating a heart of gratitude changes our perspective. We are deeply thankful for the joy your children bring to our hallways, and for your incredible, ongoing partnership in our school community. This week I am particularly thankful for the gift that the different cultures are within our school community. The oportunity to celebrate Samoan Language week as a school this week, was a great expression of God’s creativity.
With a teacher only day, long weekend and an early finish just around the corner, please take a moment to note the following important dates and reminders:
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Friday, 29 May (Teacher-Only Day): School will be closed for students. Our teaching staff will be on-site focusing on curriculum development.
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Monday, 1 June (King’s Birthday): School will be closed for the public holiday. We hope you all enjoy the long weekend with your families!
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Wednesday, 3 June (Early Finish): School will finish early at 2:15 PM to allow our staff to attend a joint professional development session with other local Christian schools. Please arrange for your child to be collected at this earlier time.
Ngā mihi nui,
Alistair McKinnon
Principal
Emmanuel Christian School
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This email contains information about:
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- Important Dates
- Teacher Only Day 29 May and Early class finish Wednesday 3rd June
- Samoan Language Week
- Combined Christian School’s Parents Night
- Mobility parking spaces at School
- Keeping our School Community healthy: When to stay home
- Bikes and Scooters on the School grounds
- Notice from Public Health Nurse
- Ezlunch orders
- Hot Chocolate stand
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Friday 29th May – Teacher Only Day
Monday 1st June – King’s Birthday
Wednesday 3rd June – Early finish (2:15pm)
Wednesday 3rd June -Combined Christian School’s Parents Night
Wednesday 10th June – School Photo Day
(The School Calendar including 2026 Term dates can be found here)
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Teacher Only Day 29 May and Early class finish Wednesday 3rd June
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On Friday 29th May School will be closed for a Teacher Only day. Staff will be using this time to work on the implementation of the curriculum changes currently underway.
On Wednesday 3rd June classes will finish at 2:15pm. This is to allow staff to travel to a combined Christian Schools professional development session. These chances to gather together with staff from across Canterbury is really valuable as together we grow together as a community. Looking to do our part in serving God within our Christian School communities.
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Talofa lava!
It has been a truly special week as our school community came together to celebrate Sāmoan Language Week (school observed). We kicked off the festivities with a Sāmoan art competition, providing a wonderful platform for all students to express their creativity.
On Tuesday, our Middle School ākonga enjoyed a preview of traditional Sāmoan dance and explored the linguistic links between Sāmoan and Te Reo Māori. The assembly also featured a reading of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in Sāmoan.
We were thrilled to have our Sāmoan aiga (families) join us for a memorable Junior School assembly on Wednesday—Afio mai!
During the special assembly, our Sāmoan students showcased a traditional dance performed with remarkable grace and beauty. We also celebrated the winners of the Junior School art competition, who were presented with ula lole (lolly necklaces), thoughtfully prepared by our senior Sāmoan students. We look forward to the announcement of the Middle School winners, as they will also be honored with these lovely ula lole in the next assembly. All of the winning artwork will be proudly exhibited at the school office.
We are blessed to have these wonderful opportunities to learn about Samoan culture, and it was fantastic to see so many beautiful entries in the Sāmoan art competition. A heartening highlight this week was seeing our Sāmoan ākonga proudly wearing their traditional attire and our students dancing away to Sāmoan music at lunchtime on Wednesday.
The festivities continue this term in Week 8 with International Languages Week (school observed) and in Week 10 with NZ Chinese Language Week. We look forward to further embracing the diverse cultures that enrich our school.
Manuia le fa’ai’uga o le vaiaso — have a wonderful long weekend!
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Combined Christian School’s Parents Night.
“Answering Tough Questions in the Home”
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We would love to see many of our ECS families at this event as we join together with other Christian school communities across Canterbury. You are welcome to invite friends who do not have children at Christian Schools, please just ask them to register and use Emmanuel as their school when asked, or include their numbers with your registration.
We are privileged to have Dan Paterson speaking on:
“Answering Tough Questions in the Home”
Dan brings years of experience helping families, students, and young adults engage with faith and the big questions surrounding Christianity. This promises to be a practical and encouraging evening for parents.
Event Details
While the event is completely free, we kindly ask that you please RSVP/register by 29th May so we can plan and accommodate everyone appropriately.
RSVP Here: (Or Follow QR Code on Poster)
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Mobility parking spaces at School
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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.
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Keeping our School Community Healthy: When to stay home
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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:
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Let us know: Please contact the school office as early as possible to report their absence and the reason for it.
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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!
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Bikes and Scooters on the School grounds
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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!
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Notice from Public Health Nurse
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Kia ora koutou,
My name is Natasha and I am the Public Health Nurse for your school.
The Public Health Nursing Service (PHNS) work with tamariki and their whānau where health and wellbeing concerns impact on their home and school lives.
Please contact me if you have any health concerns for your tamariki.
waea pūkoro: 03 383 6877, 021 576 248
īmēra: natasha.graham@tewhatuora.govt.nz
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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.
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Marshmallow Mayhem – Hot chocolate stand
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The ECS Fundraising Team is opening a Hot Chocolate Stand for students in Years 5–10 every Thursday from 8:25am by the shed on the Middle School side of the School.
Hot chocolate will be sold using concession cards, with 4 hot chocolates for $10.
To order your concession card, payments can be made to the school fundraising account:
06-0870-0073625-00
Once payment has been made, please email your child’s details to ecsfundraiser@gmail.com and we will organise their concession card.
We can’t wait to share some Marshmallow Mayhem and make chilly mornings a little warmer!
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