Nau mai, haere mai ki te waahanga hou o te kura. It has been a positive and purposeful start, with our tamariki already engaged in their learning and making the most of the many opportunities on offer. We look forward to another term of growth, connection and achievement, as we continue to work in partnership with our whaanau and wider community.

School ANZAC Service

Thank you to all our beautiful tamariki and whānau who attended our special school ANZAC service. It was a meaningful occasion, reflecting the deep respect and care within our community.

A sincere thank you to our Year 8 whaanau who generously provided kai to share with our visitors. Our RSA guests spoke highly of the manaakitanga shown throughout the service, acknowledging the dignity and respect demonstrated by our school.

The class wreaths were thoughtfully created, and our wreath layers carried out their roles with great mana. Our tiipuna would have been proud.

I would also like to acknowledge all of our students who submitted ANZAC writing. These pieces have now been sent away for judging, and we look forward to sharing the outcomes.

Waiuku ANZAC Service

We are incredibly proud of the whakawhanaungatanga and manaakitanga shown by our ākonga and kaiako at the Waiuku ANZAC service. Our whānau leaders represented our school with pride, showing strong leadership in supporting and guiding our tamariki.

A special mention to Kenzie and Honey-Dew for their respectful role as wreath layers, and to Darya as our flag bearer. We also acknowledge our Year 8 students who laid our class wreaths with dignity.

These occasions hold deep significance within our community. As a school, it is important that we honour and actively support them. Thank you all for your care, respect, and ongoing tautoko.

SMART Tool Assessments

This week, our Year 3–8 aakonga completed the Government’s newly designed SMART assessments in Reading, Writing and Mathematics.

SMART is a new online assessment tool for Years 3–10. It is designed to support twice-yearly learning check-ins and provide information about student progress in reading, writing and maths. 

At Glenbrook School, our purpose in completing the assessment at this stage was to explore how the tool works, observe how our students approached the assessment, and better understand the implementation process. The data from this particular assessment will NOT be used to inform mid-year overall teacher judgements or reporting.

This is because schools are still awaiting further clarity about how results will be provided, how they will align with the newly gazetted New Zealand English and Mathematics curricula, and how they will connect with Progress Descriptors. Once we receive further information from the Ministry of Education and have had time to unpack the results carefully, we will update whaanau. Thank you for your support as we work through this new national assessment process.

Internal Assessments:  Weeks 4&5

Due to the current lack of fully aligned Ministry of Education assessment tools, we have developed our own internal assessments in Mathematics, Reading and Writing. These are carefully aligned to the gazetted New Zealand Curriculum for English and Mathematics and have been designed for each year level from Years 1–8, ensuring they are developmentally and age appropriate.

In designing these assessments, we have drawn on what has been taught within each year group, alongside our established programmes such as Maths No Problem, Little Learners Love Literacy (junior reading), The Code (spelling), and other whole-school approaches.

Students will complete internal assessments each term. These assessments provide valuable information for teachers about student progress and achievement, and are used alongside everyday classroom learning to support accurate and informed judgements. They align with the Progress Descriptors, which in turn contribute to our overall teacher judgements for reporting to whaanau.

Junior Maths Challenge: Otago University

Congratulations and well done to all our students who took up the opportunity to experience and sit the Otago University Junior Mathematics Challenge. This week, those students completed Part 2 of the challenge.

These experiences help our ākonga extend their mathematical thinking, problem-solving, reasoning, and perseverance. We are proud of the way they challenged themselves and represented our school.

Could you solve this problem? How many integers between 1 and 100 are divisible by 3 but not divisible by 5?

Board Networking

On Tuesday evening, our Board Chair, Mrs Alex Jones, staff representative Mrs Kristy McCartney, and I joined Board representatives from Sandspit, Patumahoe, Mauku and Waiuku College, alongside NZSBT facilitator Chris France. Together, we engaged in thoughtful discussion and reflection on the role and responsibilities of Boards of Governors.

I would like to sincerely acknowledge and thank our Board for the incredible work they do in supporting our school and community. Board Chair: Ms Alex Jones. Board Members: Kristy McCartney, Luke Edmonds, Simon Taylor, Yonathan Tedjamulia and Luke Boustridge.

A special thank you also to our Board Secretary, Darlene Goodall, for her ongoing hard work and commitment behind the scenes.

Staff Update

We would like to congratulate Ms Greenstock on becoming a parent and welcome baby Greenstock into our whaanau. Both Ms Greenstock and bubs are doing well. 

Chicken Orders

If your child would like to enter a chicken for Calf Club, orders are now open.

• Order deadline: 19 June 2026 (includes a one-week grace period for late orders)
• Delivery date: 24 July 2026 (first Friday of Term 3)

Please ensure orders are placed on time so we can confirm numbers for delivery.

Reminders:

Teacher Only Day
Please note that we have a Teacher Only Day on Tuesday 2 June. School will be closed on this day while our teachers take part in professional learning focused on the new reporting requirements for schools outlined by the government.

Pool Keys
Our school pool is now closed for the season. Pool keys are now due back to the school office. We have a number of pool keys yet to be returned. Please return them. 

Outstanding Accounts

We appreciate your support in keeping school accounts up to date. If you have any outstanding payments, please arrange to have these settled as soon as possible. If you require more time, please contact Mrs Goodall or set up a payment plan. We are happy to work alongside you.

Devices

A reminder that students in years 3-8 are expected to bring their devices to school each day, fully charged and ready for learning. Regular access to devices supports classroom programmes, assessment and ensures students can fully engage in their learning.

As we reflect on the many moments across our school, from ANZAC commemorations, to academic challenges, to everyday classroom learning, we are reminded of what makes our kura special. It is the strength of our people, the care we show one another, and our shared commitment to ensuring every child can realise their potential.

I hope you managed to have some special whaanau time during the long weekend. Good luck to all our tamariki competing or performing this weekend. 

Ms Lysandra Stuart

Tumuaki | Principal Glenbrook SchoolNZPF Executive