A very special welcome to our new student Lilly McTavish in Room 1. Welcome to Waitohu School.

Today we held our annual stock take of the library and reading resources. Please, please, please take 2 minutes to gather up and return any library books, school readers or journals that may be in children’s bedrooms, on bookshelves ……. please don’t be embarrassed – we’d love all books returned so other students may get to enjoy them. 

In the past, Year 6 students leaving Waitohu School have donated books, or money to purchase books, for the school library. Over the years we have greatly appreciated this generous contribution to our library. Students wishing to do this can drop them into the office before Monday 9 December. 

Please have a check through bags and drawers and return any Waitohu sports uniforms to the office (they don’t need to be cleaned).

If your child has been given a change of clothes from the school (labelled Waitohu), could you please return them to the office tomorrow, as our stocks of spare clothing are running low. Thanks.

Next Friday 5 December, students will receive their school reports. Included with your child's report will be your child’s teacher and room number for 2026, next year’s stationery requirements, swimming opportunities and instructions on how to book your parent teacher interviews for Tuesday 3 February 2026.

 

Class lists will be displayed on the office window on Friday 5 December (after 3.00pm). I thank you in advance for affirming with your child the marvellous year they are going to have with their next year’s teacher and classmates. Your positive attitude goes a long way toward assisting your child to look forward to, and make the best of the opportunities that await them. 

Denise Creasy         Year 1       Room 1    Assistant Principal – Leader Junior Syndicate

Andrea Sturmey      Year 1       Room 2

Adam McCallum     Year 2       Room 8

Natalie Hough         Year 3       Room 10

Ariana Summers     Year 2/3    Room 11         

Delia Glogowski   Year 3/4     Room 5

Kirstin Scott           Year 4/5     Room 6

Alison Tennant     Year 5/6     Room 3 

Annie Spratt          Year 5/6     Room 4

Robyn Browne      Year 5/6     Room 12

Kahura Cameron and Jason Ward will provide teacher release.

YEAR 5/6 BASKETBALL
Monday was the last game of basketball for our Year 5/6 teams in the Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga Schools Miniball league. Well done to our 3 teams who played their hearts out over the 6 week league. Ngā mihi nui to Stew Wimms, Dylan Cook and Marcia Woodroofe for coaching our teams each week. Please return all the basketball singlets to the office tomorrow. (They do not need to be washed).

TENNIS TOURNAMENT

Yesterday, Waitohu School was crowned champion School in the first ever Ōtaki Tennis Interschools Event. Sidney Growcott, Jacob Easton, Scarlett Beauchamp, Darcy Lethbridge Picken, Hunter Lethbridge Picken, Lincoln Graham, Bronzon Richards and Alex Saunders represented Waitohu at the Tennis Tournament.   Our B team winning their grade and our A team coming in 2nd in a grade of mostly Year 7 and 8 students .Ka mau te wehi! A big ngā mihi to Cameron Graham and Rebecca Spiller for supervising our teams for the day. Please return your sports tops to the office tomorrow. (These do not need to be washed).

Waitohu Junior Cross Country was held on Wednesday. What a fantastic occasion this was with all of our juniors shining. Ngā mihi to whānau who were able to come and support. A special congratulations to our place getters outlined below:

5 Year Old Girls: 1st Maia Hoffmeister, 2nd Nevaeh Murphy, 3rd Millie Howatson 

5 Year Old Boys: 1st Kyrie Waara, 2nd Manaia Kimberley, 3rd Odin Inglis

6 Year Old Girls: 1st Fern Fuimaono, 2nd Mia Nicholson Webster, 3rd Lydia Smylie

6 Year Old Boys: 1st Leo Stoddart, 2nd Riko Holter, 3rd Leon Font

7 Year Old Girls: 1st Aria Graham, 2nd Chevy-Lee Lowry, 3rd Sophia Wimms

7 Year Old Boys: 1st Taika Askew, 2nd Kaion Waara, 3rd Tai Te Wiata

8 Year Old Girls: 1st Sofia Hurley, 2nd Maia King, 3rd Gurbani Teja

8 Year Old Boys: 1st Quinn McBeth, 2nd Dominic Scott, 3rd Ezra Doar

Caleb Delaney, current Hurricanes loose forward and lock has very generously gifted Waitohu School with a signed 2024 Hurricanes jersey. We would love this gift to go to a person who loves the Hurricanes, while at the same time being able to support our tamariki at Waitohu. We think a '50 Ticket Raffle' is a win-win way to do this. Tickets are $10 each to support our tamariki and also provide a great chance of winning. Christmas is coming, the time for giving gifts ......... are you someone or do you know someone who would really value having this awesome jersey? Please, through your social media contacts, let others know of this opportunity.
Buy a ticket - it is as simple as emailing office@waitohu.school.nz to let us know you've deposited $$ into our school account for the ticket(s) and we will email you back with your number(s). School Bank Account: 03-1532-0014731-00, Account Name: Waitohu School Board of Trustees Particulars: Your name Code: Raffle. You can of course also just come into the school office, we have eftpos available. This '50 Ticket Raffle' closes on Friday 12 December (or earlier if all the tickets are sold) in time for Christmas wrapping and gifting!!

 

    Term 1      Wednesday 4 February - Thursday 2 April
    Term 2      Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July
    Term 3      Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September
    Term 4      Monday 12 October - Friday 11 December

ABSENCES
Before 9.00am, please phone 364 8272, text 027 545 0530 or email absences@waitohu.school.nz to inform us that us that your child is away and the reason for their absence.

FUNZONE DEC 2025 - FEB 2026 SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMME

Enrolments are open for a fun packed Funzone School Holiday Programme running from Wednesday 17 December - 3 February 2026 (closed for public holidays). They have a variety of on site and trip activities planned. Childcare subsidies and various discounts are available. Contact Funzone on 0800 543 9696, email info@funzone.co.nz for more information. Please see the attached poster for programme details.
OSCAR approved and WINZ subsidies apply.

For those wishing to enrol children at Ōtaki College in 2026, there is an online enrolment form available on the College website, or you can go directly to https://otakicollege.school.kiwi/ to start the enrolment process. If you prefer to fill in a hard copy form, this is not a problem. Forms can be downloaded in pdf form from the College website, or collected from Waitohu School or Ōtaki College offices.

CHRISTMAS THEMED POP UP EATS IN MANAKAU
There is a  Christmas-themed Pop Up Eats at Driscoll Reserve in Manakau on Tuesday 2 December, from 5–8pm.

Settle in for an evening of live music, great kai, and a special visit from Santa himself!

Treat yourself to delicious dishes from your favourite food trucks, including Zaaffran – A Taste of Morocco, Hodoo, Freezing Bay, Las Fridas and ThaiKai Kitchen. While you're there, make sure to explore the new Play Trailer.

For entertainment, enjoy performances from Steve Poulton (drums and guitar), Richard Taylor (violin), and Jessie Murphy (piano, vocals and melodica).

If the weather doesn’t play ball, the event will shift to the Manakau Community Hall. We’ll confirm the final location by 2pm on the day.

Ōtaki Kids Christmas Market – Sunday 7 December, 10am–2pm
The next generation of local entrepreneurs will take centre stage at the Ōtaki Kids Christmas Market. Shoppers can discover a range of handmade gifts, delicious treats, and creative crafts, all made and sold by talented young stallholders. Adding to the fun, families can join in the Elf on the Shelf Competition!

Ōtaki Christmas Market – Sunday 21 December, 10am–2pm

Just in time for those last-minute gifts, the Ōtaki Market will be brimming with festive stalls, local art, food, and crafts. Shoppers can enjoy a cheerful community atmosphere, and, best of all, a free photo with Santa, including Santa's Sleigh. 

Join the Kāpiti Bike Bus in the Christmas on the Coast Parade

If you cycle or want to cycle to school please join the Kāpiti Bike Bus ‘ride-along’ at the Christmas Parade on Saturday 13th December.  It’s a great chance to be a part of the Festival, and for parents to meet up with the Bike Bus team and learn how easy it is to set up your own cycle-to-school Bike Bus. To register please click on this link. 

 There will be some special Christmas treats for all, and it will be a great way of sharing with the Kāpiti community that cycling is a great way of starting every school day.