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Poutūterangi 2026
Kia ora koutou,
It has been a wonderful and energetic start to the term at Woodlands Park School. Over the past few weeks, our school has been buzzing with activity, learning, and community connection. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the many opportunities our students have embraced and the incredible support of our whānau and wider community.
Opening of the Bee Education Centre & Bee Day
One of the highlights of the past month has been the official opening of our Bee Education Centre. This exciting addition to our learning environment provides a unique opportunity for students to explore sustainability, environmental science, and the important role bees play in our ecosystem. We all loved the opportunity to celebrate 'Bee Day' by engaging students in a range of learning activities focused on pollination, biodiversity, and environmental guardianship.
STEM - Robotics
The Ministry of Inspiration supported our students over the last couple of weeks by helping them design, code, and problem-solve together - watch this space for our students' reports in the next newsletter.
Student Leadership – Peer Mediation
We are proud to see our student leadership continue to grow with Peer Mediation training underway. These students are developing important skills in communication, empathy, and conflict resolution, helping to support positive relationships across our school. Our mediators start next week, kia kaha tuakana!
Student Wellbeing
We recently launched PULSE, a digital wellbeing check-in tool that allows students from years 4-6 to regularly share how they are feeling. Students have been active in checking in, asking for help where needed as well as reaching out to peers and adults to give gratitude. Below are a few snapshots of the past month - our staff will review the data at the end of each week to analyse the overall findings to support our health programmes.
Top 4 things this week that our students are grateful for;
My Family, My Friends, Good Health, My Home
Making Us Proud
Across classrooms, sports fields, cultural groups, and leadership opportunities, our students continue to make us incredibly proud. Their enthusiasm, kindness, determination, and willingness to give things a go truly reflect the values of our school. Our Cross Country event also marked the reintroduction of official record-keeping for our school athletics events. It has been several years since Woodlands Park School last maintained event records, and we are excited to begin building these again. Today’s race, therefore, saw the setting of our first WPS Cross Country records in quite some time. These records will now be maintained annually, giving our students something to aspire to and celebrating outstanding effort and achievement in our school sporting events.
Student Leadership – Peer Mediation
We are proud to see our student leadership continue to grow with Peer Mediation training underway. These students are developing important skills in communication, empathy, and conflict resolution, helping to support positive relationships across our school. Our mediators start next week, kia kaha tuakana!
Student Wellbeing
We recently launched PULSE, a digital wellbeing check-in tool that allows students from years 4-6 to regularly share how they are feeling. Students have been active in checking in, asking for help where needed as well as reaching out to peers and adults to give gratitude. Below are a few snapshots of the past month - our staff will review the data at the end of each week to analyse the overall findings to support our health programmes.
Top 4 things this week that our students are grateful for;
My Family, My Friends, Good Health, My Home
Making Us Proud
Across classrooms, sports fields, cultural groups, and leadership opportunities, our students continue to make us incredibly proud. Their enthusiasm, kindness, determination, and willingness to give things a go truly reflect the values of our school. Our Cross Country event also marked the reintroduction of official record-keeping for our school athletics events. It has been several years since Woodlands Park School last maintained event records, and we are excited to begin building these again. Today’s race, therefore, saw the setting of our first WPS Cross Country records in quite some time. These records will now be maintained annually, giving our students something to aspire to and celebrating outstanding effort and achievement in our school sporting events.
Thank you again to our families and community members for your ongoing support. Your involvement helps create the vibrant learning environment that makes Woodlands Park such a special place.
Ngā mihi nui,
Ngaria (Nardz) Stephenson
Principal
Woodlands Park School
Wātaka | Calendar
Wātaka | Calendar
Term 1
Week 6
Tuesday 10th March Interschool Cricket
Tuesday 10th & Wednesday 11th March Project Jonah Interactive Whale Visit
Friday March 13th Whole School Assembly- Room 16 Hosting
Week 8
Friday 27th March Whole School Assembly- Room 15 Hosting
Week 9
Thursday 2nd April Last day of Term 1, 2pm Finish
CLICK HERE FOR OUR SCHOOL CALENDAR - Also on the Hero App
Inter-School Swimming
A massive shout out to our incredible school Swim Team following their outstanding effort at Inter-School Swimming in Week 5.
Our four school values were on full display, but what truly stood out was the incredible manaakitanga and whanaungatanga our tamariki showed one another. While it’s natural for there to be a few nerves on race day, seeing our students rally around to care for their teammates was genuinely heartwarming. Whether it was offering words of support, stepping up to fill gaps in races, or cheering enthusiastically from the sidelines, their team spirit was wonderful to witness.
The journey for these tamariki started well before race day. Following the initial try-outs and the excitement of being selected for the squad, the real hard work began. Day after day, they chose to show up for training in the pool, sacrificing their play times and lunch breaks. This level of consistency requires dedication and determination, particularly when the playground is calling! They put in the hard yards to focus on their strokes and build their stamina, committed to improving together as a cohesive team.
While we might not be walking away with a trophy this time, our tamariki can hold their heads high knowing they were an awesome team out there. We are so incredibly proud of them. Kei runga noa atu – an outstanding effort!
The World-Famous WPS Triathlon! (sponsored this year by Reuben's Aussie Butcher)
What an absolutely spectacular afternoon we had on Friday of Week 4! The sun was shining, the weather was beautiful, and the atmosphere was absolutely electric for our annual School Triathlon. It is always a highlight of the school calendar, and this year was certainly no exception.
The action kicked off at 5pm with our youngest competitors taking on the kindy wheels and sack race. It was fantastic to see these little ones testing out their skills and getting a taste of the action - we can't wait for them to officially join our kura in the future! Following the kindy events, our individual triathlon races got underway. It was incredibly heartwarming to see so many wide smiles at the start line before the serious focus kicked in! Whether biking, swimming, or running, all of our tamariki raced with incredible enthusiasm and determination. Every single student who gave it a go should be incredibly proud of themselves. The evening concluded with our highly anticipated team races along with some very special guests! Erin flew past the crowds on her speedy bike, Stephanie showed off her skilled strokes in the pool and Lauren showcased some phenomenal sprinting skills, tearing up the race track!
What truly makes this event so special is the unbeatable community spirit. It is always so wonderful to see whānau coming together and enjoying the atmosphere, cheering on all the children out there on the course as if they were their own. That kind of support is exactly what defines our school community culture. A massive thank you to our wonderful PTA for keeping everyone fuelled up and cooking the best sausages in the West! Finally, thank you to everyone who came along, cheered from the sidelines and contributed to making it such an unforgettable evening.
Congratulations
Congratulations to our Principal, Nardz Stephenson, who was awarded a Fellowship by the Auckland Primary Principals’ Association at the end of 2025 in recognition of her significant contribution to education and leadership in the sector. Nardz has served for six years as a cluster President and Vice President, and for the past two years as President of the Waitākere Area Principals’ Association, advocating for young people across 106 schools, particularly in areas of learning support, equity, resourcing for mental health concerns for young people, and addressing principal workload and ensuring legislative and regulatory outcomes are workable and fit for purpose.
As she steps down from the presidency this year, Nardz has been elected Vice President for the Tāmaki Makaurau region, representing 435 primary schools. Last year, she led the Workforce Working Action Group, and this year, she will lead advocacy on assessment. We wish her well as she travels to Wellington next week to meet with Ministers and Deputy Secretaries at the Ministry of Education to discuss curriculum, assessment, staffing, and leadership pathways for our sector.
Important - Communication via Hero
Important - Communication via Hero
Hero allows our school to build an online environment that reflects our unique context. It enables teachers, students, and families to view and share content anytime, anywhere on any device. The software is secure, easy to use and will eventually bring together all school-related information in one place.
Please ensure that you download this app (follow the QR Code below) on your phone or log in on a personal laptop or computer. This system replaces the use of Seesaw and other communication avenues and will enable us to have all of our communication in one place.
Please ensure you have notifications enabled for the Hero app
We are excited about the features that Hero has to offer families. These include the ability for parents and caregivers to:
● read your childs report
● read posts relating to classroom activities, learning and whole school events
● read school notices sent to the class or groups your child is connected to
● respond to school notices such as surveys and trip permission requests
● notify the school if your child is absent or late
● easy access to the school calendar and term dates
Over the upcoming year, staff will be learning how to optimise the use of our Hero software and we are looking forward to sharing this with you to include you more in your child’s learning journey.
For information about Hero including how to log in, go to Hero which will guide you through the set-up phase.
2026 Dates
2026 Dates
Term 1 2026
Monday 2nd February - Thursday 2nd April
Public holiday: Waitangi Day – Friday 6th February
Term 1 2026
Monday 2nd February - Thursday 2nd April
Public holiday: Waitangi Day – Friday 6th February
Term 2 2026
Monday 20 April to Friday 3rd July 2026
*Friday 8th May Teacher Only Day
Public holidays: Anzac Day observed on Monday 27th April and King’s Birthday – Monday 1st June
Term 3 2026
Monday 20th July to Friday 25th September 2026
*Monday 20th July Teacher Only Day
Term 4 2026
Monday 12th October to Friday 11th December
Public holiday: Labour Day – Monday 26th October
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