Talofa lava Harrisville School Whānau, 

Next week, we look forward to welcoming the Education Review Office (ERO) to Harrisville School.

ERO works alongside schools throughout Aotearoa to celebrate and strengthen the quality of teaching and learning.

As part of their visit, ERO evaluators Kelvin Whiting and Michelle Thurlow will be observing teaching and learning across our classrooms and engaging in kōrero with our school community.

Our students will officially welcome the ERO team with a pōwhiri on Tuesday 3rd June at 9:00am in the school hall. We warmly invite all whānau to attend the pōwhiri and be part of this occasion.

Thank you for your continued support as we showcase and grow the excellent teaching and learning happening at Harrisville School.

Just a reminder that school will be closed on Monday 2nd June for the King’s Birthday Public Holiday, we also have an HSC meeting – Tuesday 3rd June, 6:00pm in the school library. All welcome!

Fa’afetai lava
 

The Principal’s Award is a special certificate given to one student each assembly who has demonstrated excellence in our 4Rs – Respect, Responsibility, Resilience, and Relationships. This award recognises students who consistently uphold these values in their learning and interactions, setting a positive example for their peers.

In addition to the Principal’s Award, two students from every class receive recognition for their hard work and dedication:

These awards showcase the effort, determination, and character that make our students shine. We encourage all students to continue striving for excellence, embracing our 4Rs, and supporting one another in their learning journey.

Congratulations to those students below who received awards at our last assembly!

Harrisville School Values Programme
At Harrisville School, we are proud of our values programme, which supports our core values of Respect, Responsibility, Resilience, and Relationships. Our senior students who consistently demonstrate these values in their everyday actions are recognised with a Values Badge. It has been wonderful to see so many students receiving badges over the past few weeks an excellent reflection of the positive attitudes and behaviours being shown across our school. Ka pai, tamariki! Keep up the great work. 

This Teacher-Only Day is the first of the Ministry of Education's Maths and Pāngarau Curriculum Days for 2025. On this day, our teaching team will be joining colleagues from other local schools to take part in professional learning focused on the refreshed Mathematics Curriculum.

These Ministry-approved days are designed to provide all teachers of Years 0–8 with time to:

By collaborating with other schools in our area, we can ensure a consistent and high quality approach that benefits all our learners. These days are part of the Make It Count Maths Action Plan.

Harrisville School will be closed for instruction on Monday 23rd June, the school office will not be open on this day. KAS will be operating on site for those needing supervision for their children. Please call them 09 2364078 to make an appointment.

Thank you for your ongoing support in helping us continue to grow and strengthen our teaching and learning.

Our annual Pet Day will be held on Saturday, 11th October this year, and further information will be shared during Term 3. However, it’s time to place your order for one-day-old chickens!

Please note: Only chickens purchased through the school are eligible to be entered on Pet Day.

The one-day-old pullets can be purchased via KINDO (the online school shop) at a cost of $5 per pullet. As in previous years, the maximum number of pullets per child is 5, and cannot be purchased for any other purpose than to be entered at Pet Day as set by the Franklin South Group Day Comittee.

 

Orders must be received by 3pm on Wednesday 25th June.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accept any orders after this time.

The pullets will be ready for collection after 3pm on Friday 18th July (first week of term 3).

Thinking about ordering pullets? Here are a few recommendations:

Today the Room 1 tamariki had a wonderful outdoor learning adventure at The Sharda Centre!

We began our visit by gathering together and reminding ourselves of the important rules to help us stay safe and show respect for the environment. After a quick brain food snack to fuel our bodies and minds, we got stuck into a rich discussion about shelters – what they are, who needs them, and why they're important, especially as the weather gets colder.

Inspired by our kōrero, we used natural materials to build fairy houses, carefully designing cosy shelters to help take care of our imaginary friends over the chilly months ahead. It was amazing to see the creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving on display as the children worked together in nature.

Next, we set off on a gentle bush walk, using our senses to observe the world around us – the sounds of birds, the rustle of leaves, and the beautiful healing rocks. After pausing to say our kai karakia, we enjoyed morning tea surrounded by the beauty of the ngahere.

To finish, we had some free exploration time. The children chose their own adventures – climbing, balancing, building, and discovering all the magic that the bush has to offer. It was a beautiful reminder of how much learning happens when we slow down and connect with the natural world.

We’re so proud of how our tamariki showed curiosity, care, and cooperation today. What a special way to build resilience, relationships, and a deeper connection to the world around us.

 On Wednesday, 21st May, thirty of our Year 3 and 4 students represented Harrisville School at the Franklin Soccer Tournament. The tournament was held in Pukekohe at the A&P Showgrounds.

We were able to enter three teams in the tournament – two girls' teams and one boys' team. All of the teams gave it their all and enjoyed their games. Throughout the day there were some wins, losses, and some draws.

The Girls B Grade team, who were in Section 1, played a total of 7 games – they won 2, drew 1, and lost 4. Overall, the girls placed 4th out of 8 teams. Way to go, girls!

We are so proud of you all for your awesome effort at the tournament. Great job, everybody!

A huge thank you to all of our wonderful parents who came along to help out with refereeing, managing a team, and supporting our students. You all know who you are, and you are all fantastic!

Overall, the day was full of sunshine, some super soccer skills, and terrific sportsmanship!

On Thursday 22nd May, 33 of our Year 5 and 6 students represented Harrisville School at the Franklin Soccer Tournament. The tournament was held at Dr John Lightbody Reserve, in Tuakau.

We entered four teams: Year 6 Boys A Grade, Year 6 Boys B Grade, Year 5 Girls and Year 6 Girls B Grade. All four of these teams played extremely well throughout the day, gave it their all and had lots of fun together on and off the soccer field.

The Year 6 Boys A Grade team had 5 wins and 1 loss. They placed 2nd out of 7 teams in their section. Awesome result boys - way to go!

The Year 6 Girls B Grade team won 4 of their games, had 2 draws and lost 1. They ended up in 1st place out of the teams in their section. Super result girls - terrific job!

The Year 6 Boys B Grade team lost 5 and drew 1. They came 7th out of the 7 teams in their section. Great effort though boys - you had some tough competition and some close games too.

The Year 5 Girls team played 9 games in total! So, their team spent 135 minutes on the soccer field. They won 2 of their games, lost 4 and had 3 draws. They came 8th out of the 10 teams in their section. Fantastic result girls - great job!

We are so proud of you all for your awesome effort at the tournament. Terrific job everybody!

A massive thank you needs to go to all of the wonderful parents who came along and helped out on the day, whether it was managing a team, supporting and encouraging the students and/or helping with refereeing. You all know who you are, and you are marvellous. Without you all, our students could not attend awesome events like this. A big thank you also to Ms Zachan for helping the Year 5 and 6 students prepare for this tournament.

Overall the day was full of sunshine, fun and talent on the soccer field. A huge pat on the back to all of our soccer players!

A group of our students had the opportunity to attend the Auckland Writers Festival in Auckland. It was a celebration of storytelling, creativity, and imagination! They listened to inspiring authors, asked great questions, and left buzzing with ideas for their own writing.

A huge thank you to the wonderful parents who supported this trip and helped make it possible. Special thanks to Miss Hirst, who took our students and ensured they had a fantastic, and enriching day

Kia ora whānau,

As part of our Matariki celebrations this year, we are planning a special learning experience for our tamariki – preparing and enjoying a traditional hāngī. This will support our focus on Tupuānuku – the star connected to food grown from the ground – and will tie in with our school Production, which is based on The Māori Creation Story.

We are looking at holding the hāngī early in Term 3. The hāngī will be prepared for the tamariki to enjoy as part of their cultural learning and as a way to connect with the meaning and values of Matariki.

To make this possible, we are seeking support from anyone in our community who has experience with hāngī preparation or would like to be involved. This may include:

This is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community and share knowledge with our tamariki in a meaningful and memorable way.

If you are interested in being involved, please fill out the Google form with your contact details.

Ngā mihi nui,

Jo Zachan

Rooms 7, 8 ,9 & 10 Release Teacher

Across School Leader; Cultural Responsiveness, Kāhui Ako o Te Puaha o Waikato 

A reminder that our Year 4, 5, and 6 students will soon be taking part in our upcoming speech competition. Speeches will be presented in class during Week 7, and students who are selected for the finals will perform in the school hall on Thursday 19th June, starting at 11:00am.

We’re excited to welcome Preeti Walia (Head of Year 7 & 8) and Sarah Welch (English Teacher) from Tuakau College as our guest judges for this year’s event.

The overall winner from our school will go on to represent us at the Franklin Schools Speech Competition, held at Pukekohe Hill School on Wednesday 25th June.

Please continue to support your child in practising and learning their speech at home. If your child still requires cue cards, they are welcome to speak to their classroom teacher for assistance. Thank you for your ongoing support, we look forward to seeing our students shine!

Te Whare Kai has been proudly serving nutritious, delicious meals to students in our community for over three years and are excited to bring this opportunity to Harrisville School on Tuesdays and Fridays, offering students the chance to enjoy a freshly prepared meal from their kitchen twice a week – delivered to the school at an affordable price.

Complete the Harrisville School Lunch Order Form (below). Please ensure all required fields are filled out and submit the form to finalise your order. https://form.jotform.com/242027912255856

One Form Per Student: Please submit a separate form for each child.

Payment Reference: Include your child’s name and class as a reference when making payment.

Absence Policy: In case of absence or inability to collect the lunch, refunds cannot be provided; however, the meal will be given to a student in need.

For more information please contact Mel Simmons, Manager of Te Whare Kai, 0274 193 639 mel@tewharekai.com 

Planning and Preparing for Emergencies, Disasters, and Crises
Communication During an Emergency, Disaster, or Crisis
School Closure
Emergency Management
Disaster Management 
Crisis Management

Harrisville School uses SchoolDocs to maintain a comprehensive, up-to-date set of policies and procedures. These policies and procedures follow guidelines and legislation and best practice and have been tailored for our school. To access our 'SchoolDocs' simply visit www.schooldocs.co.nz, search for Harrisville School. Enter our login name (harrisville) and the password (hv1877)

We would like your input and encourage you to review these policies.

All you need to do is:

Visit the website https://harrisville.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm

Enter the username (harrisville) and password (hv1877).

Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.

Read the policy.

Click the "Start Your Review" button at the top right-hand corner of the page.

Select the reviewer type.

Enter your name (optional).

Follow the prompts to show that you've read the topic and enter your feedback if you'd like to comment.

Agree to the privacy statement and click “Submit Review”.

If you don't have internet access, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form.

Our car park and road around our school becomes very busy at the start and end of the school day.  We ask that you reduce your speed and exercise patience and caution when driving your children to and from school. PLEASE DO NOT PARK AND WAIT IN THE DROP OFF PICK UP ZONE. This adds to the congestion and blocks access. We have plenty of parking spaces to wait for children.

BEFORE SCHOOL DROP OFF INFORMATION

Entry to school grounds starts at 8.20 am. For Health and Safety, students are not allowed on site before this time as we cannot guarantee their safety. KAS is available for students who arrive before 8:20 am. Classrooms will be open at 8:30 am. The school gates will be closed between 8:50 am and 2:45 pm. Entrance into school during these times will only be via the office.  Students and parents who arrive after 8:50 am will need to sign in at the office. This is to ensure all students are accounted for on our school roll.

AFTER SCHOOL PICK UP INFORMATION

To avoid congestion we run a staggered collection as stated below:

2:50 pm        Rooms 1,2,3,4 & 6 students are to be collected from the front car park (unless they have older siblings in Rooms 7,8,9 & 10)

3:00 pm        All remaining students will be released for collection. 

                     This includes students who are attending KAS or who are biking, scootering or walking home.

Please collect your children as close to these times as possible. Children walk to the front gate and wait. Please avoid parking and waiting for your child in the drop off zone in front of the office.

As always, if there is a last minute change in arrangements for who is picking up your child after school, please phone the school office and we will get the message to your child. 

Thank you for working together with us for the safety of our students.