Wow! What a busy few weeks at Harrisville School!
Our students have had so many amazing learning opportunities, and I’m continually impressed with the way they always give their best and make the most of what’s available to them. This newsletter is full of their amazing achievements from art, productions, sports, and classroom learning. A huge thank you to everyone who helps make these opportunities possible for our tamariki. It was especially great to see our community come together last week to celebrate our school production. I am incredibly proud of our students, teachers, and whānau. What an awesome school to be a part of!

At Harrisville School, we take great pride in recognising and celebrating the achievements of our students. Each assembly, we award students who exemplify our school values and demonstrate commitment to their learning and citizenship.

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 who received awards at our last assembly! 

A massive thank you to everyone who came along to support our school production, Between Earth and Sky: The Tale of Ranginui and Papatūānuku! Our students were absolutely amazing on stage, shining with fantastic costumes, dancing, and acting. It was wonderful to see every student giving their best, and  to have our community come together to celebrate their efforts.

Putting on a production takes a huge team, and we are so grateful for all the support that made this possible:

Our students – thank you for your dedication, talent, and positive attitude!

Ms Zachan and our staff – your hard work and creativity brought the production to life. You’re all amazing!

HSC – for organising snacks and supporting the show.

Footsteps Dance – for helping with choreography and guiding our students.

Parents and caregivers – for helping with costumes, encouragement, and cheering our students on.

Thank you again to everyone who contributed, attended, and supported our production. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to shine, and we are incredibly proud of them! 

You can watch the show again by following the link below

 https://drive.google.com/.../1YTFrJ0jsFAFjj...

Room 2 have been busy preparing something truly sweet for our school production. Their cheerful new routine, “Cheeky Little Fantail,” has brought out big smiles as the children learn to sing and move together with growing confidence and coordination. Watching them practise the steps — tiny wings fluttering, feet keeping time, and faces full of concentration  has been a joy for teachers and classmates alike. Alongside the dance, Room 2 have been learning the sign language that accompanies Tiki Taane’s song “No Place Like Home.” It’s been wonderful to see the students pick up the signs with care and respect, adding an extra layer of meaning to their performance. A huge well done to Room 2 for their hard work, enthusiasm, and teamwork. They were very cute, incredibly proud of their progress, and excited to showcase the performance to their parents.

This term, the junior team’s learning inquiry topic is “Change”  and right now, we’re discovering how kitchen items can transform and react with each other. We’ve also been exploring changes of state (solids, liquids, and gases) and today things got seriously cool… literally…. - 80 degrees celsius!

Last week Ms Niezen ran an awesome science session for us using dry ice to show us some cool experiments and explain the science behind them. She kept us on our toes by asking questions and making us predict what would happen next. Our teachers were very impressed with the thoughtful answers and clever explanations from the children, and we were equally impressed with Ms Niezen’s super science skills! She explained tricky ideas in ways that made sense to junior children.

A huge thank you to Ms Niezen for bringing the science magic, and to Kieron Gussy for getting us the dry ice so that these experiments were possible - Friday’s learning was extra cool!

Over July and some of August, Kristy Kirkpatrick – high school art teacher and parent at our school – worked each week with a group of talented students to create Eric Carle-inspired artworks. They explored contrasting colours, texture, layering, and more, producing stunning pieces. Eight artworks were chosen for our school’s entry in the Franklin Arts Festival, on display in Pukekohe this week. Huge thanks to Kristy for sharing her expertise and inspiring our young artists!

On Thursday 31st July, twenty nine of our students represented our school at the Year 3 and 4 Franklin Netball Tournament, which was held at the Pukekohe Netball Centre. We had three girls teams and one boys team. Our teams all gave it their all, showed awesome teamwork, displayed some lovely passing skills and had some great shots at goal. There were some wins, some losses and some draws throughout the day, but most importantly, all of our netball players seemed to really enjoy their games. The results were: Our team in the Girls A Grade came 11th equal out of 14 teams. They played 6 games - drew 2 and lost 4. The Harrisville Team in the Girls B Grade Section 6 came last in their section. They played a total of 7 games - won 1, drew 1 and lost 5. Our Girls B Grade Section 2 team came 4th out of 5 teams. They played 7 games altogether, winning 2 of them and losing 5. Our boys team who were entered in the Boys Grade Section 3 came last, however they always held their heads up high and kept trying. I am extremely proud of everyone who played in the tournament. A big thank you to Ms Turner and Mrs Thompson for training the teams and the parent helpers on the day, you know who you are and you were all wonderful. Without parent help our students would not be able to attend and participate in fantastic sporting opportunities like this. I need to also say a massive thank you to Hinemoa and her daughter, Te Aroha, who did a terrific job of umpiring many of the Harrisville games throughout the day. Overall, it was a full on day that was packed with loads of fun and of course lots of netball too!

On Wednesday 30 July, our two Harrisville School Year 5 & 6 girls’ netball teams competed at the Pukekohe Netball Centre.

Our B Grade team finished with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses, while our C Grade team had an impressive 4 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses.

It was awesome to see the girls representing Harrisville with pride, giving it their all on court, and showing great sportsmanship throughout the day — win or lose.

A huge thank you to all the parents who helped out on the day, and a special shout-out to Journey for coaching the girls before the event and to Te Aroha for umpiring.

Well done to all the girls who put their hands up to play – we’re so proud of you!

Last Monday, our Year 5 and 6 boys' netball team competed in the Franklin Year 5 & 6 Boys Netball Tournament at Pukekohe Netball Centre. Throughout the day the team had some tough competition in their B Grade section, but their effort and team work led to them having 3 wins, 3 draws and only 1 loss. Overall they came 3rd in their section. Way to go boys! A special thank you to Aimee Bagshaw who helped me transport the boys to and from the venue. Also, a huge thank you to all of the parents who came along to support, cheer and encourage the team. Well done once again boys!

On Friday 1st August, 23 of our students were meant to represent our school at the River Zone Cross Country, but unfortunately 3 of our runners were sick on the day and unable to attend, so we ended up with a team of 20 runners instead. Te Kohanga School hosted the cross country. Each race was a true cross country course for our students, as there was farmland, hills, ditches, mud and lots of puddles! Everyone displayed resilience, determination and physical stamina while completing their challenging course. It was so lovely to see our students encouraging and supporting each other at the event too. A big thank you to our parents who also came along to support and cheer our students on. A special note of appreciation needs to go to Mallory for travelling with us on the bus and marshalling during the event, and also to Kylie who took her vehicle to the event as our emergency vehicle. Thankfully the emergency vehicle was not needed. Having parent support like this, allows our students to attend these awesome sporting opportunities. Well done to all of our runners who took part in the River Zone Cross Country and a huge congratulations to Cole, Matias, Adel, Brodie, Jaxon, Frankie, Isabella, Svetlana, Charlie, Brooklyn, and Layker who have qualified to participate in the Franklin Cross Country Championships, which is on Tuesday 12th August. Good luck to our eleven students named above for your next big running event. Have fun, give it heaps and enjoy it!

On Tuesday 12th August, 11 of our students represented our school at the Franklin Zone Cross Country event, which was held at the A&P Showgrounds in Pukekohe. This event brings together the best young runners from the Franklin region. The Year 5 and below race was a 1.5KM course and the Year 6 students ran a 2KM course. Each race was a true cross country course for our students, as they had to run across farmland and tackle a couple of challenging hills throughout their course too. All of our runners showed determination, resilience and physical stamina while completing their course. It was fantastic to see our students encouraging and supporting each other during their races. A huge thank you to our parents who came along to support and cheer our students on, and a special thank you needs to go to Michelle for helping transport students to the event. Having parent support like this, allows our students to attend these awesome sporting opportunities. Well done to all of our runners who took part in the Franklin Zone Cross Country and congratulations to Matias, Adel and Cole who placed in the top 20 runners for the Year 6 Boys race. Matias came 11th, Adel placed 15th and Cole came 19th. We are super proud of all of our runners! Way to go!

We could hardly believe our luck - for the second week in a row, the sun was shining and we were able to make the trek down to the beautiful Sharda Centre.

Our mission today was to create ‘journey sticks’ to help us tell the story of our time spent exploring at the Sharda.  We were incredibly fortunate to have a fantastic team of parent helpers join us, which made a big difference. With so many extra hands, we had all the help we needed to collect and attach the special taonga we found. We started collecting things on our walk to the Sharda Centre and then we spent time there fossicking around for more special things.

So, what exactly is a journey stick? They are also known as a story stick or nature stick, it’s a keepsake made from items gathered on a nature walk - leaves, twigs, feathers, flowers, or anything else you spot that feels meaningful. The idea comes from Aboriginal people, who used journey sticks to record and share their travels. They would tie natural objects to a stick in the order they were found, creating a visual retelling of their journey. Native American cultures also used similar sticks to recount adventures and experiences.

Once we each found the perfect stick to decorate, we used small rubber bands to attach our treasures - a simple trick that made the process much easier! Then came the fun part….. adding colour and flair with vibrant wool and pastel patterns to make each journey stick unique and beautiful. I’m not sure who had more fun - the adults or the children!

It was a long walk back to school, and there were definitely some tired little legs by the end of it. We felt pretty lucky though - just as we stepped into the classroom the rain began to fall. Talk about perfect timing!

Later that afternoon, we shared our journey sticks with the class. Each stick helped us retell our story - where we went, what we discovered, and why the taonga we chose were so special.

A huge thank you to Lucy, Nina, Sarah, Chris, Will, and Pip - the wonderful parents who came along to support us. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Room 2 was thrilled to see the sun shining yesterday for our fortnightly visit to the Sharda. After missing a few trips this term due to rainy weather, it was a real treat to get back into nature. After our brain food and exploring our home base area, we set off on a little foraging walk to gather treasures for the land art we were creating. Armed with our bags, we discovered all sorts of interesting natural items to include in our ground pictures and patterns. Ms Turner and Mrs Beere brought along some treasures from their own gardens to add to our creative collection.

Before getting started, we looked at photos of different styles of natural land art and talked about patterns, shapes, sizes, and colours. We also explored how different textures could represent different things – for example, pine needles make great straight hair, while twirly vines or curly kale are perfect for curly locks!

Our creations were so varied - from circular and square patterns to symmetrical designs, and from tigers, fish, pandas, and monkeys to people and mermaids. Some children worked individually, while others collaborated with a buddy, leading to some very interesting creative conversations! Once finished, we went on a “walk and gawk” to admire each other’s art pieces and hear about the ideas behind them. We are very proud of our work and loved the chance to let our imaginations run wild.

A big thank you to our parent helpers – Max, Cassandra, and Tam. We couldn’t have done this without you.

In Room 3, have been exploring descriptive writing and how it helps add detail and interest to our stories. They started by talking about the color yellow what things are yellow, what yellow looks like, and how it makes us feel. Using all the amazing ideas from the discussion, they then wrote their own descriptions of what yellow is. It was a bright and imaginative way to build our writing skills!

 Harry was lucky enough to be selected for the Steven Adams Basketball Camp in Papakura. It is wonderful to celebrate our students’ achievements outside the school environment. We are also looking forward to seeing our basketball team representing our school later this term.     

Our annual Pet Day and Gala will take place on Saturday, 11th October 2025. Pet Day is a cherished tradition at Harrisville School that celebrates our rural culture. It provides students with the opportunity to learn responsibility, empathy, and animal care, while also showcasing their hard work in raising and looking after their pets. 

If you’re thinking about entering an animal, please refer to our Pet Day Information Booklet which can be found by following this link. Animal entries close 7th September.

Once again this year, we are incredibly fortunate to have a group of dedicated parents from our HSC (Harrisville School Community Group) working hard behind the scenes to organise a fantastic Gala to run alongside Pet Day. We are so grateful for their ongoing support and enthusiasm in bringing this special day together for our school community.  More details about the Gala to come—watch this space! 

HSC Pet Day & Gala AGM – Let’s Make It Amazing!
📅 Tuesday 26th August 2025 | 🕕 6pm | 📍 School Hall

Pet Day & Gala is coming — and we want YOU to be part of the fun! Everyone is welcome to attend our AGM, share ideas, and help make this year’s Pet Day & Gala the best yet.

We’re on the hunt for fantastic sponsors — whether it’s prize donations, cash contributions, equipment use, and/or for services for the big day. Every little bit helps.
📧 Get in touch: hsc@harrisville.school.nz


📚 HSC September Meeting
📅 Thursday 18th September | 🕕 6pm | 📍 Library

Got great ideas? Love being part of something that makes a difference? Come along, share your thoughts, and help shape what’s next for our school.
 Picnic Table Fundraiser – Leave Your Mark!

We’re adding brand new picnic tables to both the junior and senior areas! Some are already under construction, and we’d love your help to make it happen.

 For $250, you can sponsor a table with a personalised plaque featuring your business or whānau name, engraved alongside the HSC. Your plaque will be mounted on a table as a lasting legacy and contribution to our school community. 

This Teacher-Only Day is the second 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 Friday 29th August. 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.

Harrisville School is regulated by an Enrolment Zone which ensures that our classrooms do not become overcrowded. Families who reside within the designated zone are guaranteed enrolment in our school. However, we do consider enrolments from families residing outside the zone if we have vacancies available.

We are happy to inform you that we currently have a few spaces available in various year levels, allowing us to accept out of zone enrolments at any time during the year.

If we do receive more applications than we have available spaces, the selection process will then be done by a ballot. If you are interested in enrolling your child at Harrisville School and reside outside the zone, please get in touch with our school office for further information. We would be delighted to have your child join our school community.

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 

Child Protection 
Abuse Recognition and Reporting
Food and Nutrition 
Safety Checking
Police Vetting
Missing Student Procedure

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.