Kia ora e te whānau, 

It’s been a busy start to 2026, and it’s incredible to think that Easter is just around the corner already! At Kapakapanui, we pride ourselves on teaching foundation skills well, but we are equally proud of the broad curriculum opportunities we offer. These include our recent whānau day, EPro8, visits to Gymfun and the pools, a wide range of sports, leadership opportunities for our senior students, kapa haka, planting along our awa, streams and reserves and the many support programmes we provide for our vulnerable learners – just to name a few.

We are very grateful for the parent support we are often able to call upon for transport and to boost our adult-to-child ratios for safety. Ngā mihi nui to everyone who lends a hand along the way – it is very much appreciated! 🙏 

Parents and whānau play a huge role in helping their tamariki learn – not just at school, but at home too! Every task we do for our children can unintentionally limit their independence, so simple, everyday activities make a big difference. Reading together, practising basic facts, or asking about what they are learning at kura supports their learning, while involving them in “real learning” at home – helping with chores, meal prep, organising their school things, making their own lunch, sorting their washing, or even carrying their own school bag – builds resilience, responsibility, and confidence. These everyday experiences compliment school learning and help our tamariki grow into capable, independent learners.

Well done to our Year 7-8 team who took part in the Kāpiti Horowhenua Interschool Competition on Monday at Ōtaki Beach tennis courts. Our team of Parker, Mason, Jack and Henry came second place after a very close game against Fairfield School. A huge thanks to Rebekah Thompson & Michael Lambregts for taking the team for the day. 👏

Today we had 37 Year 3-6 students take part in the Kāpiti Interschool Cricket tournament at Waikanae Park. This was a busy day with all teams playing three games during the day against various other schools from across the coast. A huge thanks to our amazing team of parent helpers for the day!

Good luck to our Years 3-8 girls who are playing in the Futsal girls competition on Friday at Paraparaumu-have fun guys. Goall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ⚽️

There have been a few changes to our Teacher Aide team recently. We say farewell to Dana Reynolds, who has resigned to spend more time with her young baby. We thank Dana for her contribution to Kapakapanui School and wish her all the very best. 👩🏼‍🍼

At the same time, we warmly welcome Aniela Smith to the team. Aniela has been working with us in a casual capacity for the past six months and many of our students already know her well. She is also a former Kapakapanui student and a very experienced gymnastics coach. We are delighted to have Aniela officially join our Teacher Aide team.👍

We had lots of exciting wheels games on Monday and Tuesday — check out the cool photos below!

It’s great to see so many of our tamariki getting involved in Movin’ March. This awesome initiative encourages everyone to get active, whether that’s walking, biking, scooting, or skating to school. The old saying is “move it or lose it,” and the more active children are when they’re young, the more likely they are to stay active throughout their lives. Ngā mihi to our awesome Whānau leaders  who are running these events!

Keep it up, everyone! 🏃🏼‍♀️🛴🚴🏾‍♀️🚶🏾‍♂️🛼🛹

The Board held our second hui of the term last night. Once again, we began by spending time practising some te reo Māori and our school waiata. This initiative is being led by Reti Kershaw-Hoeta and is a great way to ease into our meetings — similar to how many classes begin the school day.

We have recently been notified that our school is due for an ERO review in Terms 2 or 3 (date yet to be confirmed), and we spent some time discussing this. There are a number of documents we are required to complete prior to the review, so we will begin working on these shortly. ERO has changed the way reviews are carried out, so this will be our first time experiencing the new format, which we are looking forward to.

The remainder of the hui focused on reviewing our policies, discussing our cash reserves, and working through our usual governance items. 

See you next term! 👋🏼

Just a reminder please — do not park on the yellow lines or pull into our driveways when dropping off or picking up your child.

We’ve had a couple of recent “close calls” where children have nearly been hit due to visibility being obstructed.

Keeping these areas clear helps ensure all of our tamariki stay safe. Thank you for your support.

Hats/pōtae are required in Terms 1 and 4 for sun protection. We appreciate that the weather can be a little up and down at the moment; however, hats remain compulsory during these terms.

If your child loses their hat/pōtai, their teacher will send them to the office where a replacement can be purchased for $20. Payment can be sent to school the following day or added to your Kindo account.

We will also send a reminder message home to keep families informed.

Check out these engaging and interactive webinars in March to help build parent knowledge in assiting their children to navigate the internet. 

These are FREE and well worth your time. Here's the link

The MOE have provided all schools with 2 teacher only days to support the implentation of the curriculum for 2026 and 2027. These days are for teachers and leaders to engage in professional learning and planning, focus on new curriculum content and assessment approaches. Our first day this year will be on Tuesday 28 April. Please pop this into your diary.

We’re delighted to continue offering delicious lunches from Bakehouse Waikanae on Fridays and Sushimi Sushi on Wednesdays. 

Ngā mihi nui!

Craig

We are int our third week of Movin’ March.
This year, we’re taking part in the new WoW Class Challenge. This week students have set their own goal for March and recorded this on a bookmark they hopefully have bought home.
Each day in class we are recording trips on class on a wallchart.  Info for whānau: www.movinmarch.com  
Reminder - for students who live longer distances from school, you can consider setting a designated drop off points to "Park and stride" so students can walk part of the way to school.

Bus trips also count as it is a sustainable mode of transport. Many students also walk to the bus stops as well.

During the month of March our Whānau leaders will also be running a variety of fun lunchtime activities. Here is a timetable of our events......

Next week is our final week of Movin' March lunchtime activities and we are finishing off with our Wheels Disco. This will be held next Monday lunchtime for all year groups. Students can come along with their scooters, skateboard or skates (sorry no bikes).

The University of Canterbury is once again offering students the opportunity to participate in the KIWI English, Mathematics and Science competitions. These competitions take place annually and are designed by New Zealand teachers for New Zealand students based on the New Zealand Curriculum. The competitions are open to all Year 5-8 students in English, Mathematics and Science. Students can enter in one or more subjects. Each competition will provide parents/caregivers with an individual student report of their child’s overall performance. The supervised online tests will take place in the last 3 weeks of Term 2 and the first few weeks of Term 3. All participating students will receive a certificate and a prize will be awarded to the top student nationally in each competition. For more information see https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/cam/kiwi-competitions/ 
To register your child please pay online at  https://www.kindo.co.nz/ and select the tests you wish your child to participate in from the shop. The cost to do each test is $9.90 per student. Entry and Payment to be made by Friday 24th April (End of first week of Term 2).

These are available to purchase from the school office or via myKINDO for $20.  
If you are unsure of which whānau your child is in please check with the office.

Te Whenua - Green

Te Awa - Navy

Te Waka - Red

Ngā Manu - Yellow

Te Moana - Light Blue

We’re delighted to share a collection of delicious, good old-fashioned recipes kindly provided by the Kāpiti Food Poverty Project. These are simple, family-friendly meals that don’t cost a lot to make but taste great. A link has been added to our school website – perfect if you’re looking for some fresh inspiration for dinners at home

Check them out

With the rising cost of living and increasingly busy lifestyles, it's understandable that pre-packaged snacks on supermarket shelves can seem like a convenient option for lunchboxes. However, these convenient choices often come at a cost—both financially and nutritionally. Individually packaged biscuits, chips, and other lunchbox fillers are typically more expensive and often lack the essential nutrients children need.

At the Heart Foundation, we're here to support you with nutritious, cost-effective lunchbox ideas. Our recipes and tips are designed to help you create balanced meals that keep children nourished, focused, energised, and satisfied throughout the school day.

Our lunchbox guide poster provides a simple framework for building a healthy school lunch, including recommended food groups and nutritious snack options. Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing easy-to-make recipes that offer a healthier homemade alternative to common lunchbox treats.

Building Work
Over the next couple of weeks we're having windows replaced in Rooms 6, 7 and the library. Everything is sectioned off however please be aware as you're passing through-ngā mihi

Please help us keep our tamariki—especially our younger children—safe by making sure our school gates are closed. From time to time, gates can be left open when classes head out on trips. If you happen to notice a gate open during the school day as you pass through, we’d really appreciate you closing it. Ngā mihi.

Please let the office know asap if your contact details have changed. You can do this online-click here

Thank you to all the Whānau who use the crossings safely. This includes waiting for the signal to cross now and walking across the crossing with small children. 

Please remember that children are always watching our behaviour as adults, so use the crossing, even if it is just you crossing.  Also, to continue respecting the children who are working hard on the patrols to keep all our tamariki safe, such as waiting patiently, not pushing past etc.  

We really value and appreciate the support we get from parents and whānau as coaches and supporters and Kapakapanui School has an excellent reputation for playing hard while being great sports-on and off the field/turf/court.

Click here to read our school sport code of conduct

Registrations and fees are now open on KINDO.
This year, the grades and playing days will be:

Equipment: Some sticks are available on loan from the school. They are well-used and well-loved sticks. Mouth guards and shin pads are compulsory for all children to play. Uniforms are compulsory for Yr 3-8 teams and a Kapakapanui sports shirt will be provided by school, or you can purchase your own. We play in black or navy blue shorts and black or navy blue socks. The Year 1&2 players do not have shirts as their sessions on a Sunday morning at the turf are skills and mixed games where uniforms are not required. 

Registrations and fees are now open on KINDO.  
Closing Date for Registrations is the 27th March, for those who register after this the fees will be $25 more, late registrations could result in larger teams and less game time. 

Year 3/4 - $70
Season is from Monday 4th May – 27th July 2026 (no games during Kings Birthday or school holidays)

Year 5/6 & 7/8- $70
Season is from 02 May - 22 August 2026 (no games during Kings Birthday or school holidays)

2026 Stationery Packs
These are now live and ready to purchase and can be sent to your home, these will remain live throughout the year.  Qizzle School Packs

Stationery Items on your Kindo account
If your childs teacher has sent them to the office last year or this year for additional items (eg, book, pen, ruler etc) these have been added to your account.  This billing/invoice will show as '2025 Stationery or 2026 Stationery', where possible we will itemise what the item/s is.

Weekly trips are made to the library with your childs class where they can browse or loan books.