Week 3, Term 4 Newsletter

Week 3 – Friday 30th October, 2026

In this newsletter:

1. A message from the Principal
2. Welcome to new whānau and ākonga
3. Important Dates and Reminders
4. Fundraising Committee
5. School Events
6. Sport at DSS
7. From the classrooms – Rooms 5 and 11
8. Community Noticeboard

Kia ora e te whānau,

It has been a flying start to Term 4, with lots going on around our kura with Interschool Athletics,  Science experiments, the DSS quiz night and Room 10 settling into their new space in the library. We’ve reinstated Whānau Fun Fridays, which helps to build the sense of community at our kura. A huge thanks to the mega turnout last week. This Friday, we celebrate Diwali from 3 pm onwards in the hall and look forward to seeing a decent turnout once again. 

Over this past year, I have had the privilege of participating in the Springboard Trust Leadership Programme for principals. Working alongside a capacity partner from another organisation has been a fantastic learning experience as we craft our school’s new strategic plan and vision.

While the draft still needs a few final tweaks, we are nearly ready to share the finished plan. Our focus centres on three key goals:

• Creating an inclusive environment

• Enhancing teaching and learning

• Strengthening culture and identity

The strategic initiatives supporting these goals directly reflect the voice of our community—captured through whānau surveys, input from our Board of Trustees and staff, and most importantly, the perspectives of our tamariki. Our core vision will remain unchanged: “Enhancing the mana of all learners.” This statement continues to resonate deeply across all our stakeholders. I look forward to sharing more details about our future direction in the coming weeks. 

On Friday, 13 November, we look forward to hosting our annual sports exchange with our friends from down the road at Boulcott School! Our Year 5 and 6 students will be competing across a range of events: Touch Rugby, Netball, Basketball, Football, Chess. We warmly welcome our whānau to come along, show your support, and cheer on all the tamariki from both schools. 

A final reminder to whānau about enrolments for 2027, we are currently finalising class placements at the moment so if you are intending to enrol, please go to our school website or grab a hard copy from the office. On the flip side, if you are intending to leave, please let us know officially as sometimes we do hear word of mouth but no confirmation. This sort of communication will help us best prepare for 2027. 

Have a great week ahead.

Ngā mihi, 

Lee Ewington.

He tumuaki no kura o Dyer Street

Week 2 Principal Award Recipients

Welcome to our new students:

Room 1 – Harjas, Escanor

Room 7 – Leo

We are so happy to have you join our school community.

From the School Office

If for any reason your child is unable to attend school, please let the office know before 9:15 am using one of the following options:

• Hero App

• Text: 027 697 3801

• Phone: 04 567 8016 (please leave a message on the answerphone)

If you are planning a holiday or your child will be away for more than three consecutive school days during term time, please email the Principal at lee@dyerstreet.school.nz, as per Ministry of Education policy.

Contact Details:

Please keep us up to date with any changes to your contact details, including email addresses, home addresses, and phone numbers. Updates can be emailed to office@dyerstreet.school.nz.

Outstanding Sports & Stationery invoices 

If you have any outstanding balances on your account, please pay these by 20 November. You can view these on your Hero app under ‘Account’. If required, payment plans can be arranged through the office.

Thank you

Term 4

Week 4

• Bee Healthy Mobile Clinic on site. 2/11-11/11
• Athletics Zone – Tuesday 3/11 (Pp date Thursday 5/11)
  
• Hearing and Vision testing – Tuesday 3/11
• Assembly – Rm4 hosting, Rm10 sharing – Wednesday 4/11
• Diwali Celebrations – Friday 6/11 3:15pm (shared kai and activities)

Week 5 

• Road Patrol training – Tuesday 10/11
• Boulcott School Exchange – Friday 13/11
• Whānau Fun Friday – 13/11 3:15pm

Week 6 

• Interzone Athletics – Tuesday 17/11
• Assembly – Rm3 hosting, Rm 9 sharing – Wednesday 18/11
• Whānau Fun Friday – 20/11 3:15pm
• DSS Fundaraising Committee Book Fair – Saturday 21/11

Week 7 

• Parent Helpers Afternoon – Wednesday 25/11 – 3:15pm
• Ako Nui Pool Party – Friday 27/11
  
• Whole school learning showcase/Whānau Fun Friday – 3:15pm

Week 8 

• Regional Athletics – Tuesday 1/12
• Assembly – Rm 2 hosting, Rm6 Sharing – Wednesday 2/12
• Teachers vs. Students Football game – Thursday lunchtime 3/12

Week 9

• Meet the teacher 2027 – Monday 7/12
• Road Patrol Pool Party – Tuesday 8/12
• Year 6 Graduation Dinner – Wednesday 9/12
• Final Assembly 2pm – Thursday 10/12
• Last Day of School Year – Friday 11/12 – 12pm finish

The Annual DSS Quiz Night

What a fantastic night filled with fun, laughter and a little friendly competition!

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the evening such a success. From planning and preparing, collecting prizes and helping on the night, to our generous sponsors and everyone who came along to take part.

Congratulations to all our winners, and a special shout-out to our winning team!

We appreciate everyone who contributed to making it such a great night. Already looking forward to next year!

Touch Teams Games have started – Good luck to all our tamriki representing our kura on the touch fields!

Netball Teams Games start this weekend – Good luck to all our teams on the courts!

Weet-Bix Kids TRY-athalon registrations are now open for 2027. We had a few students attend individually this year. Next year, it would be a nice opportunity to have enter a school team.  We will have the marquee set up for all the children to hang out and recover in during the event. For more information and to join the team – click on the link below. Enter as ‘Dyer Street School Team’ and select ‘Wellington’ for the location. Students aged 6 and up are eligible to enter. 

Dyer Street School team

Room 2

A message from Littleriver Equestrian

Hi there,

I run Littleriver Equestrian in Wainuiomata, and I wanted to let you know about a new program launching Term 4 that might be a great fit for your students.

The Confidence Course is a fortnightly ground-based group (no riding involved) for kids aged 7 to 12, focused on building confidence and emotional regulation. Horses are honest but never judgmental, which makes them one of the best teachers of confidence there is. You can sit a group of kids in a circle and talk about confidence for an hour and get nowhere. Put them with a horse, and they discover more about themselves than they even realized.

Kids will work on:
– Speaking up and being heard
– Reading and managing their emotions
– Staying calm under pressure
– Trusting their own judgement

No riding experience needed, and no horsey background needed.

Details:
Term Four, fortnightly Saturdays, 1 to 2pm
Ages 7 to 12
$100 for the term

As a thank you for passing this on, students from your school get 10% off when they mention your school at booking.
Would you be happy to share this with your families, whether through your newsletter or notice board? I’m happy to send over a flyer or answer any questions.

Thanks so much,
Tayla
Littleriver Equestrian