Amesbury School


Kia ora koutou,

It is fabulous to see so many of our tamariki (children) biking, scootering or walking to school - ka mau te wehi (awesome)! Movin’ March is a great initiative, and always useful in helping to get tamariki into the habit of travelling to school in a healthy, sustainable way, where possible. We had lots of amazing dressed up bikes and scooters today, and our courts looked amazing with all of them riding around. We are also looking at ways to keep this habit going once Movin’ March ends.

During car park duty recently I have noticed a growing number of tamariki not safely seated and appropriately restrained in cars when leaving the car park, and this has also been commented on by a number of parents and staff members. It is very important that children are safely seated before their vehicle moves away. All tamariki under the age of seven must be in an approved child restraint (car seat). Between the age of 7 and 8 children must either be in a suitable child restraint, if available, and if not, in any child restraint or seat belt that is available. Between the ages of 8 and 14 children must use safety belts if available. Please ensure that your child is sitting in their child restraint or safely in their seat, and that they have their restraint and/or belt safely fastened before driving away. Here is a link to further information about requirements around children restraints in vehicles in New Zealand.

PE and Health Consultation Session

We have a parent consultation session on Tuesday this week (23rd March) from 6 - 7:15pm. The session will consist of a short overview for everyone of our PE Health Curriculum, and the different areas and content we are required to cover. We will then split into four groups and rotate around the four key areas:

  • Growing and changing, nutrition, hygiene
  • Identity and good mental health
  • Relationships, and keeping yourself safe (physically and online)
  • PE and fitness

In each area a teacher / leader will briefly talk through an overview of the aspects we will cover in that area, and we will then have a group discussion about this - answer any questions, get feedback about any areas not covered, etc. Here is a summary of the four key learning areas, the curriculum content we need to cover, and the different topics we look at to complete this coverage.

At the start of each term for the rest of this year we will communicate about the health areas being covered in each team for the term. If there are any areas of Health learning you do not want your child to be involved with during the term, you can let their whānau teacher know and your child can be involved in a different learning activity.

We also have an open morning from 9:10-11am on Tuesday this week. This is a good opportunity to see learning in action in the different hubs. We will begin at 9:10am in the commons (upstairs in the staff area) with a brief talk about how to be in different learning spaces as normal learning is carrying on. We will then have time in the different hubs, and we can meet together at the end of the session to talk through any questions you may have. In order for us to manage numbers in each hub during this time, please fill in this short form if you will be attending the open morning.

Ka pai tō wiki - have a great week.

Ngā mihi nui,

Urs Cunningham  


  1. Amesbury Notices - 22 March 2021

    This Tuesday we have the Open Morning & the PE & Health Consultation sessions. Please check below for more details. Read more…
  2. Upcoming Art Trip

    As part of our focus on visual art in Terms 1 & 2, all hubs will have the opportunity to view artworks as well as engage in workshops ... Read more…
  3. Northern Zone Football Tournament

    We entered two teams for the year 5&6 football tournament that took place on Thursday 18 March at Alex Moore Park. Read more…
  4. Movin' March Madness

    What have we been doing for Movin' March? Read more…
  5. Parent consultation session: PE and Health

    On Tuesday 23rd March we will be holding a parent consultation / discussion session around our PE and Health programmes. Read more…
  6. Kelly Club Amesbury Holiday Programme - 6 & 7 April

    Kelly Club Amesbury is considering running a holiday programme on 6 April (Easter Tuesday-school closed) and the teacher only day 7 ... Read more…