Term 1 Week 10 2025
From The Principal
Ngā mihi o te wā – Thank You for a Fantastic Term 1
As we wrap up Term 1, I want to take a moment to say a huge ngā mihi to our amazing kaiako, whānau, and of course, our tamariki. Your mahi, energy and support have made this term a fantastic one. Welbourn truly is a special place to be – a kura filled with kotahitanga (collaboration), manaakitanga (care & support), and a strong sense of belonging.
As we head into the break, I encourage everyone to take time to rest, reset and enjoy some well-deserved downtime. Haere tūpato (take care) if you’re travelling – take care on the roads and look after one another.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back in Term 2, refreshed and ready for more learning and fun.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Bonnie Mils
Kiwi Competitions 2025
The University of Canterbury is delighted to offer the annual Kiwi English, Mathematics and Science competitions for Primary, Intermediate and Secondary schools. The skills based Kiwi competitions are written by New Zealand teachers for New Zealand students and closely align with the New Zealand Curriculum. The competitions take place at school under exam conditions. Parents/caregivers will be provided with an individual student report outlining student performance. All participating students will be awarded a certificate and a prize will be awarded to the top student in each competition. The cost for a student to participate is $9.90 per competition entered.
Registrations will be open from week 1 of term 2.
Social and Emotional Coaching Corner
When we use descriptive commenting to encourage our children, it is important to understand why we are doing this. This week`s sharing is around Self Confidence and Self Esteem.
Both these terms are close in meaning to each other but are different components of a child`s self - concept.
SELF ESTEEM Take the belief you are valuable, worthwhile and capable - it is the emotional component of self concept. Our self esteem is always true to the pictures we hold in our mind.
SELF CONFIDENCE Add in the optimism that comes when you are certain of your abilities, which children ( and adults) build through becoming more competent at something.
This is one of the reasons children doing chores builds confidence (because they are experiencing competence). This is also true of other activities they take part in and build skills in over time.
Connecting this to our health curriculum where our focus is on building learners who are mentally tough, our mana model in our Mitey programme shows us that Mana Tū ( see mana model below) develops when children know:
- they can learn and be successful
- what they are good at
- what areas they need to work on
- they can achieve their goals with hard work, determination and a "can do " attitude.
Whānau Visitors
On Wednesday, the Te Hēnui team invited parents/family members who could make it into the school, so that the children could share their kete. Inside their kete were other treasures to share from their term 1 learning. The sun shone as did the faces of our tamariki (children) as they talked to their whānau about this. There was also some impromptu singing in Room 9.
Whānau Visit
Kaitiakitanga - River Testing
As kaitiaki of the Welbourn Ngahere, the Huatoki team carried out river testing today and will continue this practice each term. As scientists, we shall monitor the health of our awa - the amazing Te Hēnui. Our environment is important to us here at Welbourn and we take our guardianship (kaitiakitanga) of this amazing space, seriously. We are always lucky enough to have our parents helping us in our education outside of the classroom and our thanks go out to all of them.
Career Talk - The Police
In the Huatoki team, we were lucky enough to have Detective Hannah Polutu and Detective Nathan Zieltjes come into Welbourn to share some information about policing and what it is like being a police officer. The children got to try on a police vest and have a look inside a police car. It was well received by the children who were fascinated about this. A huge thank you to the police officers who gave up their time to share with us.
Basketball Taranaki
Looking for some basketball action these school holidays?
Basketball Taranaki is excited to offer a Coaching Clinic & 3x3 Competition for kids from Year 5 to Year 10.
Date: Wednesday, 16 April 2025
Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: TSB Stadium, New Plymouth
Cost: $50 per child
Join us for an action-packed day of skills, drills, and 3x3 competition
Register now: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/350428
Sports News
Thank you to all those who have re-registered for the upcoming winter season! We’re currently awaiting confirmation from some of our sporting associations regarding the official season start dates — we’ll share this information with you as soon as it becomes available.
Uniform & Gear Return
If you still have any sports gear or uniforms from Term 1, please ensure these are cleaned and returned as soon as possible. This allows us to reissue everything in time for the new season.
Coaches Needed
We are still on the lookout for coaches for a few of our winter teams. If you’re able to help, please consider putting your hand up — without coaches, some teams may not be able to take the field.
Players Needed – 7th Grade Football
We are looking for two more boys aged 6–7 years to join our 7th Grade Winter Football Team. If your child (or someone you know) is interested, please fill out the registration – we’d love to have them join the team! Winter Football 2025
Thank you again for your support and time throughout the past term. We’re looking forward to a smooth and fun-filled winter sports season ahead!
Any queries to:
Sam Cresswell Sport Administrator,