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Newsletter:
Term 1 - Week 8
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It’s great to see the work happening around our kura with our Maramataka project as we reach the pointy end of the term. Our garden has never looked better, with all the attention in our garden beds and planting (and thanks to our garden-to-table teacher, Chessa, our bird scarers live again!). We’re also excited to see the whare ako projects coming into school ahead of next Monday’s deadline. Seeing some of these arrive this week made me wonder how many of you good people are being held hostage to perfectionist expectations like the ‘science fair dad’ in The Simpsons…There’s no such thing as bad papier-mâché!
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We’ll communicate shortly how our Maramataka learning celebration will take place next week, alongside our end-of-term assembly on Thursday.
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In my last pānui, I mentioned the importance of building resilience in our young people. At school, we see the challenges in coping when things don’t go as expected, navigating friendship wobbles, or dealing with missing out. Teachers are occasionally contacted about situations that, in many cases, could be resolved by the children themselves with some guidance. The challenge is how we build everyday resilience into our ‘operating models’ as parents and educators.
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This week, I attended a parent evening with Australian psychologist Dr Judith Locke. She suggests that while parents are investing more time and effort than ever, children’s self-esteem, resilience, and wellbeing are not improving. Her view is that we can make life too easy for our children by doing too much for them or giving too much. Our children often have access to opportunities that far exceed what many of us experienced growing up.
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I reflected on the Leith household, and her message certainly resonated; some changes are being made! It also prompted me to think about how we continue building resilience at school, particularly through the five essential skills Dr Locke identifies as key for success in life and future employment:
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- Resilience – the ability to cope with difficulty. How can we help children put immediate challenges into a wider perspective?
- Self-regulation – delaying immediate gratification for future gain. Can our children manage short periods of stillness or wait their turn in conversation?
- Resourcefulness – taking initiative to improve a situation. Can they problem-solve independently? What might they do if they forget their lunch or gear?
- Respect – for themselves and for others. Do they show respect for others’ rights and for authority? Can they accept ‘no’ when needed?
- Responsibility – contributing to the community. How do they support others at home and at school? What responsibilities do they take on for the collective good?
Personally, I found this message both challenging and liberating as a parent and a school leader. I’d highly recommend exploring Dr Locke’s work—we are all doing a lot for our children, but it’s worth reflecting on whether we are setting them up for the realities they will face in employment and life ahead.
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Her book is also well worth a read - perhaps it could help us avoid dropping our children off at university or work well into adulthood, or having them still at home in their 30s! 😎
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In our next newsletter, we’ll be able to share some staffing updates for Term 2. We are fortunate to be adding further teaching resource into some of our learning spaces, thanks to roll growth and the additional staffing that provides.
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Thank you for your ongoing support this term - it has certainly flown by. We look forward to celebrating learning together and finishing the term strongly at next Thursday’s assembly.
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Sports Stuff
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Thank you so much to all our parents who came to support our swimmers. What a beautiful day we had in the end! It was so great to see so many students giving events a go and aiming to do their best.
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Special thanks to our sports leaders and senior students who worked hard to help the teachers and to lead by example on the day- very cool to see.
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Student Achievements to Celebrate
Congratulations to the following students who have received puawai awards:
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Manaakitanga: Adrian, Mukti, Charlie W. and Eloise
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Excellence: Joseph, Leila, Eliza, Ned and Jules
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Responsibility: Heidi, Harvey T., Finn D., Eira and Advik
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Our end of Term assembly will be on Thursday 2th April at 2:00pm.
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Policies for review this term
We have a number of policies up for review this term.
They are:
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- Substances Policy
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Digital Technology and Online Safety
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Cellphones and Other Personal Digital Devices
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· Enter the username (redcliffs) and password (beach).
· Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
· Read the policy.
· Click the Policy Review button at the right hand top corner of the page.
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· Select "Parent".
· Enter your name (optional).
· Submit your ratings and comments
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SUN SMART KIDS
Kia ora koutou Te Raekura whānau,
I'm Alicia, the mum of Tobin (Te Urunga) and Sanne (Te Awa), I work in cancer care at the hospital and have a family history of melanoma so cancer prevention and sun smart behaviour is very dear to my heart. Redcliffs School is currently reviewing its sun smart policies this term and Nick Leith has kindly suggested this opportunity to communicate with other parents directly via this newsletter (thanks!) to see if anyone else is also keen to have the school adopt sun smart behaviours more in line with best practice recommended by NZ skin doctors (please see attached letter). Common wisdom has it that skin damage only occurs at UV index levels greater than 3, but in reality there is still significant risk of skin damage also in the winter months or on cloudy days, especially for fairer skin children in NZ latitudes. I'm hoping we can update the school policy to have kids required to wear sunhats year around instead of just in the summer terms (using the same enforcement rules currently in place for Term 1 and 4, but all year).
Ideally this is also coupled with a requirement to get a squirt of sunblock to apply when heading outside for regular daily play/lunchtimes, especially in summer, instead of leaving it up to each kid to remember. I know sunblock is more actively encouraged for special events but not so much on a daily basis. Our teachers do a great job of keeping our kids safe at school but as the effects of poor sun habits often strike decades down the line, it is easy for this to be less of a focus than their immediate physical safety. However the habits and values that children learn at school, as well as at home, go a long way towards creating healthy habits as adults - and a culture shift is clearly needed in NZ as we have the highest rates of skin cancers in the world (currently ~1 in 15 fair skinned people develop melanomas in NZ, often from regular unprotected sun exposure from childhood and very preventable). By making and implementing fairly minor changes to the school policy now, we can hopefully prevent some of our kids from dealing with this decades down the line. If you are also keen to see hats required all year round and kids required to reapply sunblock during the day (unless officially "opted out") then it would be fab if you could consider adding your voice to the review of the sunsmart policy this term: https://redcliffs.schooldocs.co.nz/ ( username "redcliffs" /password "beach") and make it more likely the Board considers the requested changes. The more kids who practice safe sun behaviours the more it is normalised amongst their peer groups. I'm happy for you to get in touch with me (alicia.moggre@gmail.com) if you'd like more information about sun protection!).
Thanks heaps,
Alicia
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PTA
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There will be a second hand uniform sale held at the beginning of Term 2 during the Learning Conferences.
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Our next meeting will be on Monday 11/05/2026 at 5:30pm.
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Everything Else...
Yoga Classes 2026
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Jane Acland is continuing her offer of yoga classes to our community this year, with all proceeds donated to support Creative Arts Therapy at Te Raekura. The goal is to ensure this therapy receives funding so it can continue to support the mental health of our kids.
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Classes will be focused on developing strength, flexibility and restoring a sense of calm.
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No experience necessary; it will be suitable for beginners.
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Feel free to invite your friends from outside the Te Raekura Redcliffs School community too!
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When: Weekly at 6.30 - 7.30pm on Tuesdays. Tues 10 Feb - Tues 31 Mar.
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Where: Te Raekura Redcliffs School hall
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Cost: $80 for the eight week term. Or $15 per casual class.
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Bring: A yoga mat, a firm blanket to sit on. If you have yoga blocks and/or strap please bring those along.
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Wear: Clothes you feel comfortable moving in, bare feet.
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Please deposit funds into the below account and email Jane at aclandjane@gmail.com to confirm your spot.
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Jane is a certified, experienced yoga teacher and mum to Angus (8, Waipatiki), Isla (7, Te Urunga) and Sophie (4).
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Kelly Club
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Community Notices
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Smartphone Free Childhood New Zealand
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As the term wraps up and we head for a well deserved holiday its a great opportunity to think about the super powers our smartphone free kids have here at Te Raekura Redcliffs school:
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Parents often worry about worry about taking action alone in delaying smartphones for their children - Will my child be isolated from their peers? Or the only one not on Snapchat or not in a group chat? When you sign the parent pact you are saying we are in this together to your school community. We can change the 'norm' together. Suddenly its not weird to be a kid without a smartphone .... its just normal.
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As I am a parent of junior students you may think 'what does Alice know of the pressure around smartphones' - well this term my 7 year old asked me for a phone. I know the statistics and even I was shocked. One of her classmates has one and for a whole week the chat was around wanting one and that she prepared to use her own money to buy it.
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The chat about smartphones starts young whether you want it or not - having a plan and a consistent message about smartphones and what is right for your children is important.
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2026 School Term Dates
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Thanks to our Supporters!
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