Kia ora, Hello, Talofa Lava, Malo e lelei, Ni hao, Ahn nyung, Wei ho ma, Namaste, Hola, Kee haal hai, Vannakkam, Jomreep sua, Sawat dee, Privet, Kumusta, Nabad!

EHS hosted the annual kapa haka exchange with Waterloo and Boulcott Schools and as always was a wonderful sharing of kapa haka performance by tamariki who performed with much passion and pride! It was great to see so many whānau supporting them. See Whaea Chelsey’s recount and photos later in the newsletter.

Last week the school was immersed in Indian Culture as many of our families were celebrating Diwali. See our bilingual Teacher Wanwan Liao's recount and photo later in the newsletter. Thank you very much to the many parents who came in to help throughout the week and enrich the learning of our students.

Although there are many upcoming events for our students, teachers are keeping them focussed on their learning as we head towards the end of the school year. Our teachers are very busy completing assessments, writing student reports, organising classes and planning for next year! 

It is also a time where we notice our Year 5s stepping up into leadership roles for 2025 and it was great to see the students begin their training to be Road Patrollers yesterday. Thank you to Hayley Walshe for co-ordinating this and she will be in touch soon as there is still a need for 12 Supervisors for next year. Supervisors can be parents of students from any class, or grandparents and supervisors may like to help for just one term. Email Hayley at hwalshe@easternhutt.school.nz if you can help or have any questions and Hayley can give you a call. We are desperate for supervisors!

All these trips, swimming and EOTC can only happen as a result of the Activity Related Donations and the EOTC Donations being made as we are not given any additional funding from the Ministry for these. All of these really help to enrich the learning experience of every child and we really don’t want to be in the situation of either cancelling or not even including these activities that support the curriculum.

 

The Camp Commitment Letter has recently gone to the Year 5 parents so we can use the information to make a decision about the Makahika Camp for the Year 6s in 2025. We have been really pleased with the outcome and so camp can go ahead! Lisa Cross and Hayley Walshe are now working hard with getting plans in place. The Juicy sales, Seniors Christmas Gala sales and the generous contribution from the Home and School Committee all help to reduce the camp cost.

 

If you are a Year 5 parent, keep an eye out for further communication from Lisa Cross and Hayley Walshe.

 

The Seniors also have swimming at Huia Pool over the next 2 weeks. This is a big expense and the Activity Related Donation helps to cover thisl

 

We really appreciate the donations being made by families as it means we can enrich the programmes and learning for everyone.

 

We would welcome Automatic Payments or Direct Credit. 

Our school bank account details are ASB 12 3478 0009657 00

 

You are able to claim back the donations - General Donation, Activity Related Costs and ETOC/Camp) amount from your tax (33.33%) and a tax receipt will be provided for each donation. 

 

If you are unsure of any donations requested for your child(ren), you can email accounts@easternhutt.school.nz and Katherine Mason will clarify for you.

 

The Government has an Attendance and Engagement Strategy to raise the levels of attendance in schools. Every day at school is a day of learning and achieving.

 

Regular attendance is defined as being at school on average 9 days a fortnight or away 5 or less days over the term.  Data is gathered by the Ministry of Education and we receive the reports at the end of each term. Your child’s individual record of attendance and lateness is recorded in the end of year report.

 

Although EHS is close to meeting the 2024 Ministry Target we are still below the target for 2026 and should be already aspiring to that.  We are very aware that some students due to significant health conditions will have a higher level of explained absence.

See how EHS is tracking in the table below.

Late to school at EHS is defined as not being at school when the bell rings at 8.55am. Students should be in class when the teacher is taking the class roll. Students who arrive after the bell must sign in at the office on the Late Register.

Lateness continues to be of significant concern at Eastern Hutt with almost a third of students regularly late. We are aware that occasionally there may be  a very valid reason for being late.  Let’s lift our effort here for term 4 and improve the number of students arriving on time for school. Work out a plan for the morning to make things easier to get to school on time. We do not want to see students seeing this as being OK as they go through their schooling and on into college and employment.

Thank you again to all our whānau who support the school in so many ways.

 

He waka eka noa – we are all in this together.

 

Ngā mihi nui 
Julie Henderson
Principal 

In week 2 term 4, Eastern Hutt Kapa Haka and Ngā Manu Piripiri proudly hosted our annual Kapa Haka exchange with Waterloo and Boulcott Schools. This has been running for 13 years. 

The tamariki put in lots of mahi to be performance ready and they all shone like whetū. We had a pōwhiri to welcome our manuhiri where Matua Rob spoke on behalf of the tangata whenua and then we followed up with performances from the 3 kura. The tamariki made us so proud with their beautiful waitata. 

After the performances Mrs Henderson passed on the taonga made from the wood from the 3 kura to Waterloo School, who will host in 2025. To show Manaaki to our manuhiri, the tamariki provided delicious kai. 

We would like to say a huge ngā mhi nui to all our kaiako, kaimahi and whānau who contributed kai and helped out on the day. 

We look forward to taking part again in 2025!

Last week at EHS we celebrated Indian Cultural Week with a range of exciting activities that immersed our students in the rich traditions of India. The week was filled with hands-on experiences, from henna art designs by students and talented parents to beautiful rangoli creations and a harmonium performance by one of our own. Students also enjoyed a Hindi language workshop and an interactive Kahoot quiz about India, learning about the country’s language, history, and festivals. Many students were introduced to Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, for the first time and explored the meaning behind the celebration.

Throughout the week, students from across different classes shared their excitement about the cultural activities. Olive (E4) loved decorating with henna, while Ann and Selena (B6) enjoyed crafting diya lamps and coloring rangoli patterns. Scarlet and Ivy (B3) embraced the Diwali story of Lord Rama and Sita, and Marcus and Olly (G4) enjoyed making rangoli and learning the stories behind the festival. Audrey and Shlok (B5) reflected on the festival’s focus on light, and both A9 and A1 had a blast participating in the Kahoot quiz. The students showed gratitude for the organisers, eager to learn more and participate in similar events in the future. Henna and rangoli emerged as favourite activities, with many finding joy in the artistic expressions of Indian culture. 

The week ended with a memorable assembly featuring ten captivating dance performances, with groups made up of current students and alumni who returned to celebrate. The dances, set to both traditional and modern Indian music, filled the hall with energy, colour, and cultural pride, bringing the celebration to a vibrant close. Indian Cultural Week at Eastern Hutt School was a wonderful success, fostering curiosity, appreciation, and a deeper understanding of India’s rich cultural heritage.

A special thanks to these students and parents who went above and beyond to support our wonderful celebration: 

Students: Jeyna, Taanniya, Rian, Anya, Aahanna, Zayn

Parents: Shilpi, Pratima, Ketaki, Kapil, Preeti, Chelvi, Neha, Amit, Roopal, Yamene, Vidya and Nikisha for the beautiful decoration at our school office. 

 

 

If your child is going to be ABSENT OR LATE from school please ring the absentee line 566 2734 or text only (we do not answer this phone) on 027-773-7243 before 9.30am and leave a message which includes name, room number and the reason your child is away or  is going to be late.
Late Children – please report to the office so we do not ring your parents.
Remember school starts at 8.55am.

 There are a number of students who are not being picked up until well after 3.30pm. There is no one supervising these students.  It is very important that you collect your child by 3.15pm as per Eastern Hutt School policy. 

If your child has borrowed some of the school’s clothes, please can they be washed and returned.  We have no small clothes if any students need to be changed.

If you are living in our zone and have a child turning 5 this year or in 2025, please contact the school office for an enrolment pack if you have not already done so. If you have family or friends living in zone who also have a child turning 5 please let them know to contact the school office on 566 0167 as soon as possible.
There will also maybe places for children turning 5 who live out of zone. Our next ballot date is in March 2025.
Enrolling NOW helps us to forward plan.

You can still start an automatic payment for Stationery, Camp, EOTC (Education Outside the Classroom) Activity Related Donations and School Donation, please contact Katherine by email at accounts@easternhutt.school.nz or ring the office on 566 0167. This is an easy way to spread the payments throughout the final term.
Direct Credit to our Bank Account.

Account Details:
ASB Lower Hutt
Eastern Hutt School Board 
Account number: 12 3478 0009657 00 

Well done on a top effort to Kyran Lincoln and Grace Smith who competed at the Hutt Valley Primary Tennis Tournament. Grace won the Year 5 and 6 Girls Primary Event, she will now represent Lower Hutt at the Regional Tournament in Palmerston North.
 

 

Touch Rugby has officially started, wishing all of our teams the very best of luck for the season ahead.  

 

EHS Stars, our Year 1 and 2 team certainly enjoyed their game.  This is the magic of sport!

There is no Hutt Valley Event 2025.  Registrations are now open. Be in quick as this year’s entry sold out early.

 
All sport uniforms MUST now be returned to the school office named.