ECS Update Term 3, Week 9 – Friday 18th September 2026

Emmanuel Christian

School Newsletter

Kia rite tā koutou haere ki tā ngā tamariki o te mārama – Walk as children of light

ECS Update Term 3, Week 9 – Friday 18th September 2026

Kia ora Parents, Caregivers and Whānau,

Ngā mihi mahana i te mutunga o te wiki tuarua ki te whakamutunga o te Wahanga Toru.

Warm greetings as we finish the second to last week of Term 3.

It is a wonderful joy to see the signs of new life all around us with the arrival of spring. The brighter mornings, warmer sunshine, and blooming flowers bring a fresh energy to our school grounds.

As we reflect on the strength and joy found in our togetherness, we are reminded of Psalm 133:1:

He waiata; he pikitanga. Na Rawiri. Na, ano te pai, ano te ahuareka o te nohoanga o nga teina, o nga tuakana i runga i te whakaaro kotahi!

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

This spirit of unity is especially meaningful as we celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) this week. It is a special time for our school whānau to embrace, practice, and honour te reo Māori together, celebrating the richness that this language brings to our community in Aotearoa.

Reflecting on the past few months, Term 3 has been an exceptionally busy and action-packed time. Looking back, we acknowledge that at times we compressed too much into a very short space, creating an extraordinarily tight schedule for everyone. We recognize this as an area for us to work on and refine in future years, aiming for a more balanced rhythm that supports the well-being of all.

We want to extend our deepest thanks to our parents and whānau. Thank you for your grace, partnership, and steady support throughout this demanding term.

As we head into these final days of the term, we pray that the love of God, joy of community and the refreshing spring weather sustain our students, staff, and families.

Ngā mihi nui,

Alistair McKinnon
Principal
Emmanuel Christian School

This email contains information about:

Important Dates
Te kupu o te wiki – Word of the week
2027 intentions
Staffing Update
Car Parking at school
Monster Music – Colouring Competition
KiwiSchools Connect App – Update
Message from Librarian
Ezlunch orders
Hot Chocolate Stand
Kiwi Lunchbox Resource
Rolleston Christian School Spring Fair
School Holiday Program Notice – St Silas

Important dates

Saturday 19 September: Tuhono Kapahaka Festival

Friday 25 September: Final Day Term 3

Monday 12 October: First day Term 4

Wednesday 9 December: End of Year School Prizegiving

(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 pai hoki koe” – “You’re all good”

2027 Intentions

As we look ahead to the end of 2026, we know that some families will be moving on from Emmanuel Christian School for various reasons.

If your child will not be returning to Emmanuel next year, please notify the school office as soon as possible if you haven’t already. While we are always sad to see students leave, having this information early helps us plan for the upcoming year and offer places to prospective families.

Note: Families of graduating Year 10 students do not need to contact us, as we have already accounted for these departures.

Thank you to those who have already informed us. We appreciate your assistance and support.

Staffing Update

Term 3 & 4 Staffing Updates

Head of Primary Position: As you are aware Simone Thomas will be retiring at the end of the year. We deeply appreciate her service and commitment to the school over 25 years. We have now started the process of looking for her replacement. The vacancy for this position has now been advertised, closing on Thursday of Week 1, Term 4. Please feel free to pass this opportunity along to anyone who might be interested. http://edgaz.nz/1HAu0k
Susie Bell: We acknowledge and thank Susie for being a valued part of our staff team throughout 2026. We are delighted to be able to with you share that she will be remaining at ECS in a permanent role from 2027 onwards.
Teacher Aide Support: You may well have seen Sonya Oliver, and Miranda Chen supporting our existing Teacher Aide Team. Both Sonya and Miranda have already made valuable contributions supporting us when other teacher aides have been away and when additional needs have developed, we look forward to this continuing. We also acknowledge the work of Rebekah Walker who has indicated that she will be finishing her time at Emmanuel, having been on a period of maternity leave for the last few months. We look forward to seeing Rebekah around the school from later next term as her daughter starts as a student.
Counselling Team Changes: We want to acknowledge and thank Alisha Moot for her dedication and work over the last several years. Alisha finished her role earlier this term to focus on her studies. We are extremely grateful for her input into the lives of many students, and we look forward to seeing her around as she continues to be an active and valued part of our school community. Josh Weir has added an extra half day to his schedule as we explore options moving forward.

Relief Teaching Work: If you know anyone looking for relief teaching work, please encourage them to get in touch with the school.

Along with many schools in New Zealand currently we are finding it challenging to find relief teachers to cover classes when regular staff are unwell or involved in other activities.

If you are aware of any Christian Teachers who would be interested in relief work at Emmanuel Christian School then we would love to hear from them.

Our relief teacher application information can be found here: https://www.emmanuelchristian.school.nz/vacancies/

Prayer Support: Please keep our appointment processes in your prayers over the coming weeks as we look ahead and prepare for 2027. We are grateful for God’s provision and very aware of our need for His wisdom and guidance through these processes.

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

For those who are unaware, Emmanuel Christian School has a Mobile App for access by the school community. To download the app click this link (or use the QR Code): link

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 .

Monster Music Colouring Competition

We’re excited to let you know that Monster Music is running a colouring-in competition over the coming school holidays, and it’s open to all students at the school!

How it works:

Students colour in the attached Monster Music design
Entries can be submitted by scanning the QR code on the sheet
Entries close 8th October
The top 5 winners will each receive a Monster Music T-Shirt

Feel free to print off the attached PDF and share it with your students — whether that’s popping copies in the office, sending it home, or putting it up on a noticeboard. The sheet includes spaces for the student’s name, school, and age, plus the QR code for submitting entries.

We can’t wait to see what the kids come up with!

Download: MM Colouring Comp.pdf

Library Books

Message from the Librarian

If your child borrowed a book from the library van, you are welcome to send it back to school, and I’ll make sure it gets returned.

Alternatively, you may return it/them to any of the 21 branch libraries around the city.

If necessary books may be renewed online or on the library app.

Any questions feel free to email me.

Nicki Davison

ECS Librarian

nicki@emmanuelchristian.school.nz

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

Marshmallow Mayhem is finishing up for 2026. We’ll be running for the last Thursday of Term 3, and then hopefully the warmer weather will be on its way!

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to our fundraiser. We hope the hot chocolates brightened up your cold Thursday mornings!

Between the hot chocolates and our stall at the Matariki hāngī, we raised over $600. We really appreciate all your support.

A special thank you also goes to our Year 9 helpers- you guys had the stall sorted!

We’ve loved running Marshmallow Mayhem this year and look forward to doing it all again next year!

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