Newsletter week 11. 1 July 2026

Term 2, Week 11- 1 July 2026

Kia ora Waterlea Whaanau

Nǐ hǎo (Mandarin) or Néih hóu (Cantonese) and welcome to New Zealand Chinese Language Week (NZCLW). Chinese Language Week is a New Zealand initiative which was launched in 2014 and is designed to increase Chinese language learning in New Zealand. The first of its kind in any Western country, NZCLW seeks to bridge the cultural and linguistic knowledge gap between China and New Zealand by delivering fun and practical initiatives that assist Kiwis to learn Chinese. At Waterlea we celebrated NZCLW with a performance from the good folks at the Onehunga Chinese Centre and we extend a huge thank you to them. Some of our Chinese tamaraki were able to use their home languages to welcome them and thank them for sharing their rich culture with us. It was lovely to see Shumin Liu today and she will be back after the school holidays in Room 12.

This week we also celebrate Matariki at Waterlea School. There is a public holiday acknowledging Matariki when our school is on term break so on behalf of all our staff we wish you and your whaanau a very special Matariki time together.

On Friday night, over 250 of our whaanau and friends joined us in the hall for our movie night. There was plenty of excitement as people streamed in wearing their comfy movie-watching clothes and carrying a range of things to sit on from cushions to chairs to giant teddy bears! The movie was a hit and we were able to raise over $4000 for our school!! Ngaa mihi nui to the amazing PTA for their organisation of the evening and all the others who helped out on the night.

Don’t forget that school finishes this Friday at 3pm for 2 weeks holiday and will be closed until Monday 20th July

Our Waterlea tamariki with their whaanau enjoing the PTA Movie Night!

The traditional dance performance from Onehunga Chinese Centre

Chinese Art by Room 7

Matariki

The official theme for Matariki in 2026 is Matariki Herenga Waka – the mooring place of many canoes. This theme emphasizes inclusivity, diversity, and community, encouraging people from all backgrounds to gather, reflect, and share cultural practices together. It acknowledges the navigational traditions of voyagers, the stories carried by waka and the journeys that bring people from all backgrounds together to celebrate the Maaori New Year. At Waterlea, Matariki  has been part of our learning programmes this week and please join us this Friday at 11.15am for our Matariki MANA Assembly celebration. Please check out the senior school’s Matariki celebration below. Each class got a chance to experience some learning and fun. They had a glorious day for kite flying, there was high energy waiata and rakau, string weaving as a response to Nanny Rina’s Amazing Net and some lovely contemplation about the meaning of Matariki whilst making star art. The other teams arranged similar rotations for all our tamariki to enjoy.

Teacher Led Conferences

Just a reminder that on Thursday 23 July from 1.30 – 7.15pm, we are holding our Teacher Led Conferences. These conferences are a two-way conversation, and your active participation is valued. Below is the information you need in order to book a time with your child’s classroom teacher:

Teacher Led Conferences (TLC) – Booking Information

– In order to book a time, please go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code and enter the following code: br9yt.

– The TLC is an opportunity for a parent/caregiver conversation with the classroom teacher so where possible, please keep children at home.

– If you are unable to do so, we do have some availability for child care during the interview time. If this is required, please complete the following form – child minding form.

– School will close early on this day at 1:00pm and children need to be picked up at this time.

-SKIDS, after school care are also available from 1:00pm.

If you need any additional support in booking a Teacher Led Conference please phone the office on 096364233 or email reception@waterlea.school.nz

Parking around the school at pick-ups/drop-offs

Swimming this term

A big thank you to Moana-nui pools and the John Kirwan Foundation!

Year 4-6 tamariki have all enjoyed going swimming this term  and thanks to our whaanau who came along for support 🙂

Attendance

Our attendance rate as a school for the eleventh week for Term 2 is at 74% . As always, please remember to let the office know if your child is going to be away and the reason for the absence. This information will allow us to enter the correct attendance code for your child. You can phone the office on 096364233 or email reception@waterlea.school.nz.

If your child is going away during the school term please email principal@waterlea.school.nz with the details for the absence and the dates your child will be away.

For more information see 2026 Waterlea School Attendance Management Plan

Keep up this great mahi in ensuring your children are coming to school each day!

Important Dates

29 June – 3 July – Chinese Language Week 

1 July – Last Swimming Day

03 July – NE visits – 9-10am

              – New parent workshop – 10 -10.30am

              – Matariki MANA Assembly – 11.15am – 12pm

             –  PTA Casual Cothes Day

             –  Last day of Term 2

10 July – Matariki public holiday

20 July – First day of Term 3

21 July – Mid-year reports go home to whaanau

23 July – 2 – 7:30pm Teacher Led Conferences, children go home at 1:00pm

03 Aug – 07 August – Cook Island Language Week

MOSA Girls Hockey Interschool Tournament

      by Milla and Julia

Winners of PTA Silent Auction

#1 – McDonalds Voucher – James

#2 – McDonalds Voucher – Kieran 

#3 – McDonalds Voucher – Tammy

#4 – Auckland Zoo Family pass – Mel

#5 – Odysseum 2 entries – Lucy

#6 – Butterfly Creek Family pass – Shelley

#7 – Family pass to Stardome show – Jana

#8 – Good Home Voucher – James

#9 – MOTAT Family Pass – Kieran

#10 – MOTAT Family Pass – Shelley

#11 – Principal Experience – Lucy

#12 – Lunch with the DPs – James

#13 – X4 Front Row seats to Moana show – Shelley

Auckland Schools Karting Competition

Weekly Notices

sKids at Waterlea School

If you are missing a scooter, please contact Eric, the caretaker to collect before the end of the term!

You can download your sticker collection sheet here if you would like your own one, or pick one up at the office