Our Year 6 children having fun on their Rainbows End trip 😄

Coming Up

• BOT Morning Tea - 02 December - 10.30am (School Hall)

• Jingle - Tuesday 09 December - (Save Day Thursday 11 December)

• FOTS Pie Day - Thursday 11 December *Orders on Kindo

• Sports Assembly - Friday 12 December - 9.45am

• Y6 Graduation - Tuesday 16 December - 6pm (School Hall)

• Y0-2 Assembly - Wednesday 17 December - 9.30am

• Y3-6 Assembly - Wednesday 17 December - 11.30am

• Term 4 Ends - Wednesday 17 December - 1pm

• Term 1 2026 Starts - Monday 09 February

Contents

Principal News

• End of Year Updates

• Attendance in eTAP

• School Pool

School Notices

• Browns Bay School Sailing Programme

• Board of Trustees Parent Helpers Morning Tea

• Library Book Return

Friends of the School/P.T.A

• Helpers Needed For Jingle

• Jingle Jars

• FOTS 60-second Grocery Grab

School Events

• Auckland FC Stars Visit Browns Bay School!

Principal News

End of Year Updates

We always look forward to the end of the year with mixed emotions. We are incredibly proud of our Year 6 students and all they have achieved. It will be lovely to celebrate that at the upcoming Graduation. Many of them have been part of the BBS whānau for many years. We already know how much we will miss them.

We are making some changes to our communication platform in 2026. As part of the curriculum changes, our school reports will need to look different in 2026, so we have taken this opportunity to review our school systems.

eTAP has not offered the functionality we hoped it would deliver. In 2026, we will be moving to Hero. I know this is a system that many of you are familiar with as it is used widely at other schools, including our local Intermediate school.

As we begin the transition, those of you with students at other schools may have seen Browns Bay School appear on the app. Hero are also running thorough testing so it is possible that you will receive emails asking you to sign up.

Hero will be a web based and app system. It will also email parents directly if that is your preference, or if you have not signed into the app.

If you have been invited to join, you are welcome to do so, but all communication will continue on eTAP until the end of the year. At the end of the year, school reports will be emailed to you directly so we can ensure that the correct information comes to you and you are able to download and save your child's school report.

Attendance in eTAP

As we have been preparing for the introduction of Hero we have begun taking the school roll in Hero. This means that your eTAP information is showing no attendance for Term 4. We have asked a number of times for this to be removed and will ensure that this is up to date before the end of the year.

You will be able to see your child's attendance in Hero at the start of 2026.

School Pool

We have been working on a plan to keep the school pool open for the community over the summer. I understand that the plan was cost prohibative for many families.

There may be the opportunity to hire a pool key at a reduced cost for a shorter season, with the possibility of some after school swimming times during Term 1. If this is something you would be keen to take up, please complete this form and I will get back to you with some more details.

School Notices

Browns Bay School Sailing Programme

We have a very established Sailing and Water Safety Programme at Waiake Beach on Wednesdays, during Term 1 and Term 4. This programme is available for all Year 5 and 6 students who have reached Level 5 of our Waterwise Programme.

We would be unable to run this very successful programme without our parent/caregivers' help.

We are especially looking for parents/caregivers/family members to train as a Waterwise Instructor, as our programme is dependent on a significant number of qualified instructors being available.

The next Instructor training dates are:

Waterwise Instructor Training Dates - February 2026

Theory (Awatuna Scout Hall)

• Monday 02 February 6.30pm & Monday 09 February 6.30pm

Practical (Waiake Beach)

• Tuesday 03 February - 3.30pm - 7.00pm

• Wednesday 04 February - 3.30pm - 7.00pm

• Tuesday 10 February - 3.30pm - 7.00pm

• Wednesday 11 February - 3.30pm - 7.30pm

Exam date - Thursday 12 February - 3.30pm (tbc)

If you are interested in training to be an Instructor to support this programme please email Jo Hewitt - joh@brownsbay.school.nz - by Friday 05 December.

Board of Trustees Parent Helpers Morning Tea
On Tuesday 02 December at 10.30am, the Board of Trustees is hosting a morning tea in the school hall to acknowledge and thank the wonderful parents, caregivers, grandparents and friends that have contributed to our school over the year. If you have been involved in a sports team through coaching or managing, a regular classroom helper, supported our school library, been involved in FOTs etc, please join us in the hall. To those who are unable to make it, please accept our thanks for your valuable contribution to the success of our school. 

Library Book Return

Friends of the School/P.T.A

Helpers Needed For Jingle

The Browns Bay School Friends of the School Parent Association needs your help!

We need volunteers to spare some time between 1.30pm - 3pm or 4pm - 6pm on the evening of Jingle.

• Setup

• Raffles

• Food stalls

• Uniform Sales

• Games

Please note that we finish before the Jingle performance starts at 6pm so you won't miss anything!

Please complete this Google form if you can help out.

Thank you.

Jingle Jars

Bring your Jingle Jars to your classroom before 03 December to be in to win a prize for the classroom that has donated the most jars and for best jar!

FOTS 60-second Grocery Grab

Terms & Conditions can be found at the school office.

The FOTS Team.

School Events

Auckland FC Stars Visit Browns Bay School!

"What an exciting way to finish the week for Browns Bay School! We had a special visit from the new A-League team, Auckland FC, and two of their professional players, Marlee Francois and Finn McKenlay, who came to help unveil the club's brand-new masot on Friday 21 November. The energy was electric as the Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students gathered to meet the players and the new mascot, Tāma the Kingfisher.

Last week’s visit was especially meaningful because I was the one who designed the mascot! I felt excited — and a little nervous — seeing my creation come to life, but the reaction from everyone made it an unforgettable moment. Tāma the Kingfisher was officially introduced to the school, much to the delight of the crowd. Tāma of course, had to make a cheeky entrance. There were many giggles as Tāma showed his feathery rear end!

As part of the fun, we ran a header competition featuring our very own Toprak, Marlee, and Finn. With Marlee, Toprak got an amazing 11 headers! With Finn, they got around the 7-9 mark.  It was amazing to see so many of our tamariki giving it their best go and cheering each other on. 

The players were great sports and spent time engaging with students throughout their visit. The event wrapped up with an autograph session, where we were able to collect signatures from Marlee, Finn, and even the mascot (as much as a mascot can sign ). It was a brilliant chance for everyone to meet real professional players up close.

Many were elated at the sight of the brand new A-League trophy – the Premier Plate.

This visit was a fantastic example of our motto and school values – effort bringing reward, teamwork, and community spirit.

Congratulations to everyone involved, and a huge thank-you to the AUKFC crew for bringing such excitement to Browns Bay School!"

By Agnes Rm 26

Community Notices

SKids is open on Wednesday 17th December from 1-6pm.

Please click HERE to secure bookings for Term 4 and Christmas holiday programme.