Tēnā koutou e te whānau,

Last week I attended the Auckland Primary Principals’ Conference in Taupō, where the Minister of Education shared some important updates that will directly affect schools like Glenbrook. A key focus was on improving learning support, including increased funding for early intervention and teacher aide hours. This means more support for our tamariki who need it most, and a reduction in wait times for specialist services. The Government is also developing new curriculum resources in science, maths, and literacy, which will support our teachers as we continue to strengthen learning across the school.

There was also a strong emphasis on growing leadership within schools. Glenbrook will have the opportunity to nominate aspiring leaders for new Ministry-funded development programmes. Additionally, we were encouraged to provide feedback on teacher training providers, which helps shape the quality of future kaiako. These initiatives align well with our school’s focus on quality teaching and learning, and I look forward to exploring how we can make the most of them. Like all government announcements, the devil is in the detail, and we look forward to sharing those details as soon as they are made available.

Sports Camp
Forty of our students had the opportunity to represent our school at Sports Camp held at Camp Adair. They competed in a wide range of sports including kiwi-tag, orienteering, chess, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, mountain biking, netball, t-ball, air rifles, hungerball games, archery, flag football, gaga-ball, tig-o-war, tennis, ki-o-rahi, cross country, pickleball, and dodgeball. Check out our Facebook page to see our students in action! A huge congratulations to those who won medals and to our team for winning Best and Fairest Overall. Thank you to Mr Green, Mrs Howell, Craig Buckingham, and Kenneth Tuaiti—our super team who supported and cared for our students throughout the week.

Theatre
Our Years 2 and 3 students recently attended a pantomime in Waiuku. It was a wonderful opportunity for our tamariki to experience the magic of live theatre and deepen their appreciation for the performing arts.

Speech Finals
Tomorrow we are holding our annual Speech Competition. It starts promptly at 5.30pm. We invite all whānau and friends to attend. Please be seated by 5.15pm for the Years 4–6 competition. The Years 7–8 competition will follow, usually beginning around 6.30pm. The winner of the Year 7–8 event will go on to represent Glenbrook at the Waiuku Speech Finals on Wednesday, and at the Franklin Speech Finals on June 24th. The winner of the Years 5–6 event will represent Glenbrook at the Franklin Finals on June 25th.

Matariki Concert: Thursday 19 June
Our tamariki are working hard in preparation for our Matariki celebration. The concert will take place on Thursday 19th June at 11.00am, with doors opening at 10.30am. All students will be performing as part of our Arts Curriculum.
A sausage sizzle will be available for purchase for $2. Orders will be taken by classroom teachers on Thursday morning. If you are able to support your child’s class in any way, please reach out to your child’s teacher. We greatly value your involvement.

At Glenbrook School, we are proud of the rich and varied opportunities we offer our learners—from sports and theatre to leadership and cultural celebrations. These experiences help shape confident, connected, and curious young people. We love seeing our tamariki shine and thrive in all aspects of their learning journey.

Ngā mihi mahana,
Lysandra Stuart