Kia ora e te whānau

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there. Thank you to everyone who came along today for lunch to celebrate our Fathers or Special Persons. Have a great day on Sunday and hopefully the All Blacks can bring a smile to your face as well. Sorry to our South African families LOL. I probably shouldn't say anything, we know what happened last time. 

Polyfest is one of my favourite times of the year, especially when GMS is performing. We are so proud of our group and the dedication and effort they brought to not only this performance, but also to the months of training. They have given up so much of their time to ensure that they knew every waiata, every action and all the moves to the haka. We want to thank everyone for their support and we hope you all enjoyed our performance. Thousands of children have performed at Polyfest and expressed their love for Māori and Pasifika Culture. With so much negativity in the media, and from some of our politicians, it warms my heart to see our children embracing culture. Our group is made up of so many different ethnicities, but this event brings us together and gives our children a chance to shine on stage.

There are 3 days left to vote for the new GMS Board of Trustees. If you haven't voted yet then get your voting papers filled out and sent back to us before 3pm, 10th September 2025. I want to thank our current board for everything they have achieved over the last 3 years. It has been awesome working with you and I hope you feel proud of all the great things you have achieved. Our school has made so many positive changes over the last 3 years and this is all because you trusted the vision and expertise of our team. You believed in us even when structure learning wasn't a thing and now we are leading the way with many schools across Otago and Southland wanting to learn more from us. 4 of our current board members have put their hand up to be re-elected but we sadly say goodbye to Wendy Blythe who is leaving us this year. Wendy, I want to thank you for the time and commitment you have given to our board and I want to wish you all the best for the future.   

There is only 2 weeks left in the term. This term has flown by but we still have some pretty cool things happening between now and the end of the term. Junior Swimming is in the last week along with Whānau Sharing Day, Year 5-6 Rugby Quad Tournament and also Te wiki o te reo Māori/ Māori Language Week. 

Principal Award - Will Davis and Jackson Williams

The principal award for this week goes to Will Davis and Jackson Williams for consistently showing amazing dedication and effort in Enviro Schools this year. You both show fantastic leadership and lead by example.

Southland Athletics Champion - Today we finally got to presented Isaac Raymond with his Champion Hoodie which is presented to all athletes who win their event at Southland Athletics. Congratulations Isaac. (See attached)

That's about it for this week whānau. Please read through the rest of the newsletter as there are some important dates for you to remember. Kia pai te mutunga wiki, have a great weekend.

Ngā mihi nui

We would like to welcome Oskar O'Brien to GMS. We are so happy to have you join our kura and we hope you have had a great start to your schooling. 

Kia ora e te whānau

Last Thursday 28th August I had the pleasure of going to watch Ruby and Indie compete at the Central Eastern Speech Final. Both of the girls did an amazing job but unfortunately didn't place which means that they are now out of the competition. Sometimes in this competition things don't go your way and you have to take the good with the bad. Sometimes the judges get it right and sometimes the judges get it wrong. We are so proud of the girls and can't wait to see them on stage again next year.  

Kia ora 

Hello and happy spring!
How good was Pizza Lunch last week! 58 pizza's arrived and went down a treat!
Thanks to those who purchased.... keep an eye out, we might try it again sometime! 

Amazing start in selling our 'Let's Bake' Baking premix fundraiser.  You've hit the ground running and we really appreciate it. 

A few common questions have been popping up this week, so here are some quick answers to help with your selling spiels.... 

Additional forms...? yes you should have received an email from Mr Puna early this week with the form attached and you can print as many as you need. 

If you didn't receive it on email please flick us an email goremainpta@gmail.com and we can get you one. 

What size are the mixes...? all the mixes are a standard recipe size, obviously there are some variables on sizing but here is a guide for you. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies makes approx 16 cookies

Muffin Mix makes 12 standard muffin size

Chocolate Brownie makes a 20cmx20cm baking tin

Pancake Mix makes approx 16 pancakes

Pizza Mix makes 2 standard size pizzas (feed 3/4 people) 

PS: Mix making day is Saturday 11th October... mark it in your calendars - we'll need many helping hands!

We also have sponsorship opportunities available to support the playground project, allowing local businesses and families to contribute. If your family is connected to a business that might be interested in exploring these options, please email us at goremainpta@gmail.com or speak to Glenn.

Next meeting - Wednesday 10th September, 3.10pm in the school staffroom. 

Cheers 

Gore Main School PTA committee

At the last board meeting the GMS Board of Trustees approved a teacher only for the 28th November 2025. In 2025 all NZ schools have been granted 2 teacher only days to use for teacher professional development around the new maths curriculum. We had one of these days in term 1 and we will be taking the second day to review our progress in maths and to set up next steps for 2026. Teacher Only 28th November 2025.

Room 1 -  Sterling Starr - awesome eagerness to grow as a learner.
                  Amelia McLeod - amazing confidence as a learner
                  Freddie Swindells - awesome fluency in reading.
                  Isla Sheridan - amazing maths knowledge.
Room 2 -  Hunter Bonisch - beautiful handwriting.
                  Maycee Cumming - amazing confidence in reading.
                  Lulu Wilson & Bella Lunas - amazing persuasive writing. 
Room 3 -  Evie Beardsworth - in just 8 weeks, she has made a fantastic improvement in her reading! Evie is working so
                  hard to understand new iDeal concepts and apply them to the text.
                  Amelia Jones - making wonderful improvements in her handwriting! She is thinking carefully about how to
                  form each letter and her hard work is really shining through.
                  Joseph Sheridan - for showing fantastic enthusiasm during inquiry and being fully engaged in designing and
                  creating his very own planet.
                  Thomas Murdoch - for moving up a level in reading and handling the new challenge with confidence and
                  determination.
Room 4 -  Ezra Taylor & Eden Hall - putting an amazing effort into your persuasive writing.
                  Indiana Littlejohn & Richelle Chand - listening and sharing ideas with Harold & Pip.
Room 5 -  Cooper Grace & Harper Moyle - beautiful, neat handwriting in all your books.
                  Kylie Johnson - working so well on your reading activities.
                  Axel Shuttleworth-Tawhiao: super effort with odd & even numbers.
Room 6 -  Ali Pont - great improvement reading.
                  Archie Stevenson - your hand/eye co-ordination at PE is superb.
                  Hosea Esveld - such a kind and  caring class member.
                  Sagal Kaur - kapai learning your numbers.
Room 7 -  Ryan Taylor - great reading comprehension. You are answering questions in full sentences. Ka pai!
                  Cooper Bonisch - for working hard on your learning this term!
                  Olivia Hughes - you always demonstrate a good understanding of what you've read and answer 
                  comprehension questions confidently.
                  Hudson Brown - great ideas in writing.
Room 8 -  Will Davis - high levels of academic achievement.
                  Charlie Hodge - excellent learning & behaviour every day.
                  Ivy Swindells - you're a high achiever!
                  Cole Baxter - excellent work ethic!
Room 9 -  Bailey Scott-Rowe & Charlie Barclay - working super hard during persuasive writing and creating great
                  persuasive arguments.
                  Isla Stewart & Molly Tuhakaraina - awesome mahi on the slopes, you both came out full of confidence.
                  Jake Trotter & Bailey Donaldson  - working super hard in your mahi and persevering. Always put in 100% 
                  into all mahi, getting you the best results.
                  

Room 1 -  Sophie Smith and Thomas Teutenberg- showing kindness to everyone in Ruma Tahi consistently.
Room 2 -  Sadie McKay - showing kindness to everyone!
                  Ivy Stevenson - always being kind.
Room 3 -  Lucy Smith and Ruby Middleton - for always showing kindness to friends and adults at GMS, without
                  even needing a reminder. What fantastic role models.
Room 4 -  Rosie Diggs - for being a kind & thoughtful classmate.
                  Oscar Grant - for always being kind & looking out for others.
Room 5 -  O'Riley Murdoch and Lucas Sanders - always being super kind to everyone.
Room 6 -  Alyza Whelan - you always stay back to kindly help clean up. Ka pai!
                  Hendrix Donaldson - your kindness towards your friends is evident daily.
Room 7 -  Paul Esveld - for always being kind and caring towards others.
                  Maaka Rangiuaia - for always being a kind and thoughtful class member.
Room 8 -  Taria Aue - you are kind & friendly to all.
                  Taylor Patterson - you are a very friendly & kind class member.
Room 9 -  Liam Welsh - consistently showing kindness to you peers and kaiako.
                  Esme' Le Grange - being a kind and caring class member al all times.

Well done everyone, keep it up!!!

Room 1 -  Aria Blakely and Asher Collins
Room 2 -  James Cumming and Zayne Chand
Room 3 -  Keira Donaldson and Mia McHaffie
Room 4 -  Penelope McLeod and Willow Eden
Room 5 -  Lily Hughes and Indigo Middleton
Room 6 -  Matilda McKay and Guntash Kaur
Room 7 -  Noah McKay and Janina De Waal
Room 8 -  Khloe Wyllie and Penny Nicholson
Room 9 -  Jur'nee Turipa and Danzig Jones

Here is the next Kupu Challenge for the tamariki of GMS. Rangipō - Uranus and Rangawhenua - Jupiter

Here is the Kupu we have done so far this year.

Kia ora e te whānau from Rūma Rima

Our tamariki in Room 5 have been absolutely buzzing with excitement as we've explored the fascinating world of the moon this term. Students have created stunning moon artwork using an innovative technique combining salt, PVA glue, and paint. The results are truly out of this world!

We've been captivated by our class novel "The One and Only Ivan." Our dedicated learners have shown incredible engagement during read-aloud sessions, making thoughtful connections and predictions as the story unfolds.

Room 5 mathematicians have been developing their mental strategies for addition and subtraction, moving beyond counting on or back to more efficient methods. Our Numicon resources have been fantastic for building these important skills! We've also been exploring geometry, learning all about perpendicular and parallel lines in our environment. Ask your tamariki to point out these special lines in your home - they're everywhere once you start looking!

Room 5 has been developing their hand-eye coordination in PE, focusing on striking small balls with bats and successfully returning them to partners. The new nets purchased this term have been a fantastic addition to our equipment, helping our young athletes build confidence and skill.

Watch out for our convincing young writers! Room 5 has been mastering the art of persuasion, crafting compelling arguments that are hard to resist. 

Kia ora from Room 8! We’ve had a challenging, and rewarding term! Being in Kapa haka has been a challenge, and so rewarding. The tamaiki have learnt new waiata, haka and actions. Two weeks ago, they reaped the reward for their hard work, by performing superbly at Polyfest. A huge thank you to Mr Puna, Whaea Cathy and Whaea Annabelle for their incredible efforts teaching and preparing the tamariki for Polyfest, and taking them to Polyfest.

This term in writing we’ve been learning to write a Year 5 persuasive text. We have learnt about persuasive vocabulary, and the structure a persuasive text requires. Our paragraphing skills are exceptional! We’ve written on topics such as: Should Pluto return to being a main planet and not just a dwarf planet? What is the most important object in the Solar System? As the term has gone on, our reasons have deepened, and the sentences we write to support our reasons (facts, figures, examples …) have really improved and become more convincing.

Some of Room 8 were excited to receive their librarian badges last week! They work hard at lunch times running the library so children can visit. They are experts at returning and issuing books as well as correctly shelving books. Maybe a future librarian for the Gore Library in Room 8! Thank you to Mrs Henry for being lead teacher of library and the amazing work you do with the children.

Mihi aroha to our whānau and community. Happy Fathers Day too!

If your child is sick and staying home or you have something on then please let Jan in the office know. Please don’t just email the teacher. If you let Jan know then she will pass it on. You can use your @school app, text the school phone (0274562495), ring or email Jan directly: office@goremain.school.nz.

STAR - Stepped Attendance Response https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BKb6_My_zX9K_9RPd5S0ds1VvKLRGr2e/view?usp=sharing

Bible in Schools

Bible in Schools is every Thursday at 2.30pm. If your child is not attending then they must be picked at 2.30pm.

Every Friday (only) children can bring an item of food that can go into our heat up oven so that it is nice and warm by lunch. All food should be pre-cooked and only require heating (No raw meat). Pies, mini pizzas, savouries, mac n cheese etc etc. All items must be clearly named (first and last name and class number). No plastic wrapping please. All items go straight to your classroom each morning and get placed into your class's heat up container. 

Safety and role modeling is top priority. Please use the crossing at all times. We have seen a few parents crossing the road up by the middle gate. Other children see you and may follow you. It's only an extra 50 metres so please come to the crossing and cross there. Also please be at school before 8.50am as this is when road patrol finishes.

This is a friendly reminder that school starts at 8.55am. Please ensure that children are at school before this time so that they are ready to start class at this time. Road Patrol also finishes at 8.50am so for safety reasons please make sure children are here before that time so that they can cross the road safely.

8.30am -   Kids allowed in class

8.55am -   Off to class

9.00am -   Session 1 starts

11.00am - Morning tea

11.30am - Morning tea ends

12.30pm - Spelling time

1.00pm -   Lunch time

1.45pm -   Lunch time ends

3.00pm -   Home time

School Docs Policies and Procedure

Go to https://www.schooldocs.co.nz/ then search for Gore Main School. Enter the user name and password.
Username: goremain
Password: GMS39Ardwick

School Bank Account

Please take note of the Gore Main School and PTA Bank Account numbers. These are 2 different account numbers. Please remember to add the child's first and last name as a reference.

03 0915 0253014 00 - Gore Main School BOT. Please add the student's name as a reference - This account is for things like after school sports, camps, payment of school accounts etc.

03 0915 0255562 00 - Gore Main School PTA. Please add the student's name as a reference - This account is for all things related to the PTA, Xmas raffle money etc.

Merino jerseys are available to order and will now be the black merino jersey. The price is $90.00 per jersey. 

If you still have the blue merino or purchased a  second hand one these are still able to be worn as part of the school uniform. There is a sample of the new jersey along with sizes for anyone to view at the office.

Be sure to stay up to date with what is going on at Gore Main School by liking our Facebook

If you don’t have the @school eTap app setup then please contact the office asap!

Gore Main School

39 Ardwick Street, Gore

Email: office@goremain.school.nz 

Phone: 03 208 7615

From time to time you may have concerns about things happening at school. Discuss your concern with the class teacher. Most concerns can be addressed at this stage.

If you are still unhappy, contact the school principal to arrange a meeting to discuss your concerns.

email: principal@goremain.school.nz