Kia ora, Glamorgan Whānau,

What a wonderful and colourful week! Our school hall was absolutely transformed into a magnificent art gallery, overflowing with the creativity, colour, and fun of our students' imaginations.

It was a powerful reminder of why visual art is so important for kids. Art isn't just about creating something beautiful; it’s a vital way for children to develop fine motor skills, learn to problem-solve, and express their feelings and ideas in a safe way. The art on display was a testament to the hard work done not only in our classrooms but also in our specialist art rotations with Mrs. Halkyard. Thank you to all the families who came to view the amazing creations; we have such a wonderful, supportive community.

I was away from school on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week, attending the New Zealand Principals' Federation Conference in Wellington. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to meet with other principals, discuss the current issues facing education, and share our enthusiasm for the profession.

The conference theme, "Winds of Change," truly resonated with me. One of the first speakers talked about our ability to navigate and harness these winds to serve and strengthen education. I know that times of change can often feel overwhelming, but I have every confidence in our Glamorgan team to embrace these opportunities. We will continue to harness the winds of change to strengthen the great things we already do. 

As we move into the final week of Term 3, I am once again astonished at how quickly the time is passing. Whatever you get up to this weekend, I hope it brings you joy.

Ngā mihi nui, 

Anna-Marie McAleer

Tumuaki - Principal

A massive congratulations to our amazing Year 5 Team 2 for finishing in second place in their netball grade this season! We are incredibly proud of how you played with such determination, teamwork, and great sportsmanship. 

A huge thank you to Jo, their incredible coach, and Amy, their dedicated manager. Your guidance and support helped the girls shine on the court. We would also like to extend a special thanks to all the parents and whānau for your unwavering support from the sidelines.

Kia ora Whānau

We are excited to announce that our school will be hosting our very first Diwali celebration on Friday, 24 October! This will be a special event where we come together as a community to celebrate the Festival of Lights with our tamariki.

To help make this event a success, we invite our parents and whānau to get involved. If you are able to support with planning, organising, or helping on the day, please complete the attached Google Form. 

Your contributions will make this celebration extra special and a memorable experience for our school community.

Ngā mihi nui,

Lindsey Heystek

We’ve got some exciting events coming up in Term 4, and we’d love the support of local businesses to help make them a success! Sponsorship not only helps us cover event costs, but also gives your business great exposure through our marketing, school newsletter, and social media.

Interested? Fill out the form linked here – we’d love to work with you!

We’re wrapping up the term with a good old sausage sizzle and ice block treat on Friday 19th September. $2 each. 

In line with the Glamorgan Art Festival, we’re excited to launch this year’s Kids Artwork Fundraiser (also known as Calendar Art).
 

After feedback from teachers and parents, we’re doing things a little differently — instead of each class producing one set piece of artwork, you now have the freedom to choose what goes on your products!
 

Whether it’s a favourite piece of artwork, a treasured family photo, or something else meaningful, you can create personalised items such as calendars, diaries, sketchbooks, and more.
 

It’s easy to order:

 

Every order helps FOTS continue working towards our total funds needed for the year — thank you for your support! 

Grab your gloves and join us on Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th October as we freshen up Area 1!

Whether you can spare an hour or a whole morning, we’d love your help. Please register your interest so we can keep you updated.

This private group is your go-to hub for FOTS news, events, and reminders.
   Join here

 

 

 

Is your child interested in playing hockey during term 4? The summer season is starting soon, and this is the perfect opportunity to give the sport a try! Follow the link below to sign up. All the information required is inside the form. -Link

Good news, Glamorgan School whānau! Our first school yearbook is being created, capturing memories from the year, and pre-orders are now open.

You can secure your copy for $20 directly via KINDO. Please ensure you place your order, as pre-orders will close on Friday, October 10th.

For those who purchase, yearbooks will be distributed here at school late in Term 4. We hope this will be a special keepsake for our students and families.

This is a final call for expressions of interest to become a qualified Waterwise instructor. Without enough trained instructors, this invaluable programme cannot go ahead for our Year 6 students next year.

If you are a current or keen new instructor, please complete the Google Form by this Friday, September 15th. Your support is crucial to the future of this programme!

At this time of year, we are beginning to plan ahead for 2026. It is essential that we prepare for the number of students intending to enrol. If you have a preschool child and have not completed an online enrolment FORM, please use the FORM linked here or go to our website for further information. 

If you know of other families with preschool children intending to come to Glamorgan School, please encourage them to enrol now. We can take enrolments well in advance of children turning 5.  Many thanks to those of you who have already done this!

Something a little different this week—and if there’s one video you watch, make it this one. It was six months in the making.
 
For many of us, the idea that our beautiful child could be drawn toward radical views feels absurd—we’re a good home with solid values. But our kids are online… a lot. Even seemingly "harmless" platforms like YouTube can shift a feed after one watch. One edgy clip → the algorithm serves more of it. The feed narrows, the voices get louder, and an echo chamber forms: .....they’re the problem… it’s us versus them.
 
In this video I break down how that drift happens (no panic, just the mechanics)  
 
Here’s the parent playbook to spot it early and steer together.
 
If you attended my talk and received the coupon for our course, there’s a youth version of this video made specifically for 12+ waiting inside your course access.

Our school works with SchoolDocs to provide a website for maintaining, updating, and reviewing our school policies. Different policies are under review each term and our school community can submit feedback. Follow the instructions below to contribute to the review.

Note that you can review any policy that has a “Start your review” button, not just the key policies listed in Current review and review instructions. There will be other related policies in that section of the site open for review.

The current policy review will close on September 19th. 

Our programmes are full of fun and engaging activities, including:

Let imaginations run wild with drama, art & dance:

 

🎬Film Fiesta

Lights, camera, action! Kick off Kids Fest with a thrilling Film Fiesta — team up to star in a mini movie, conquer Mission Impossible-style mazes, and dive into epic movie-themed adventures!

 

🍽️Cook & Create

It’s time to get cooking and creating! Make your own pizza, and foodie art. We will also explore kitchen science experiments. It’s a day of delicious creative foodie fun!

 

🚲Ticket to Ride

Gear up for Ticket to Ride! Bring your wheels—bikes, scooters, skateboards, or skates—for thrilling time trials, wild obstacle courses, cool STEM challenges, and awesome creative fun all day!

 

🎳Tales & Treasures

Leap into Tales & Treasures Day—bring stories to life with Dr. Seuss Truffula Trees, Roald Dahl’s Roly Poly Birds, and loads more fun!

 

🪄Medieval Magic

Become a brave knight or royal queen with awesome cosplay creations, and dive into a day of epic medieval fun, games, and more!

 

🎡Fun Fair Finale

Celebrate the holidays with Fun Fair Finale! Enjoy a makers market, festival games, exciting competitions, and tons of fun to wrap up your holiday break with a bang!

LTS is Torbay Sailing Club’s ‘Learn To Sail’ programme for young sailors aged approximately 9 to 13 years.  Children’s programmes are sailed in plastic Optimist boats which are provided by Torbay Sailing Club. Each course is limited to a very small class of just ten sailors at a time.

Holiday Courses:

​Sessions run 9am - 3pm. Click here to register.

Morning Drop-Off:
Between 8:15 am and 9:15 am, families cannot park in the lane closest to the school. This lane is for through traffic only.
Please ensure last-minute tasks like applying sunscreen, closing backpacks, and sharing reminders are done before entering the drop zone. This helps keep traffic flowing smoothly.

Afternoon Pick-Up:
The drop zone is closed from 2:30 pm to 3:10 pm.

Please ensure all vehicles are parked in designated spots—not on curbs or walkways. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe and running smoothly.