MBS Paanui Newsletter Term 2 Week 6 2026

MBS PAANUI – NEWS

‘Together we care, we learn, we succeed’

‘Aroha, Ako, Angitu’

Term Two – Week 6 – Issue 5

Pou Tuuhono Inquiry Theme 2026

 ‘Dare to Dream’

Term 2 Curriculum Area Focus:

Technology

Concept: ‘I can design!’

‘Connecting through Curriculum’

Tumuaki/Principal Updates

Welcome to our New MBS Whaanau

On Monday morning we held a poowhiri to warmly welcome our new students, whaanau and staff to Maangere Bridge School. It was a privilege to officially welcome Whaea Te Ana Te Huia, our new Kaiako in Te Ara Puueru. Te Ana was gracefully handed over to our kura by her colleagues from Nga Iwi Primary School and whaanau on this special day. We also  welcome Leauatea Tema known by our tamariki as Mr T and is the new learning assistant in Piiwaiwaka. We would like to thank our new whaanau for starting their journey with us at Maangere Bridge School and look forward to our partnership with you. 

Official Opening and Blessing of the Samoan Unit Name

Maangere Bridge School is proud to celebrate the official opening and blessing of the name for our new Samoan Unit held on Thursday 4th June during Samoan Language Week. This significant milestone is the realisation of the long-held dreams and aspirations of our matua, parents and the wider Samoan Community. Our school advocates for bilingual and biliterate pathways and the proposal to start a Samoan Unit was formally approved by the School Board to ensure our learners achieve success through their cultural identity. This commemorative event will feature a sacred blessing, lotu/service and the blessing of the Unit’s name. To honour our special guests and dignitaries, our students from the Samoan Unit (Room 8) will perform a traditional Ava Ceremony showcasing their cultural capabilities. These formalities will be followed by vibrant performances from the whole school coming together to not only celebrate Samoan Language Week but also an historic event. 

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

As we enter the final weeks of Term 2 we have a vibrant schedule of events. Our Parent Partnership Meetings (Parent Interviews) will include the sharing of your child’s mid-year school reports and learning progress as well as each student leading and presenting their Pou Tuuhono Inquiry learning. This term the focus has been about ‘I can design’ using the Technology Curriculum showcasing their innovative and designed products. The school will also be closed for instruction on Friday 29th May for Teacher Only Day as our staff engage in professional development regarding the New Zealand Curriculum updates, therefore we kindly request parents arrange alternative care for their tamariki on this day. Additionally the school will be closed on Monday 1st June to observe the King’s Birthday Public Holiday. Next week marks our celebration of Samoan Language week, featuring the official launch of our Samoan Immersion Unit on Thursday 4th June . Finally we warmly invite our whole school community to join us for our special annual Matariki Night Market on Thursday 25th June starting at 5.30 pm. This evening will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Maori New Year together with a variety of stalls and performances from our tamariki. 

Welcome to our new students and new staff

Nau mai, Haere mai, Afio Mai!

Official Opening and Blessing of Samoan Unit 

Thursday 4th June 

New Senior Playground

New Senior Playground Update

Our new senior playground, thanks to ‘Playground People Ltd’ is specifically designed for our older students in Years 4 – 6 and is ready to welcome our tamariki into a world of adventure and growth. This was developed through feedback from our senior students who wanted a more physically challenging playground that would be fun and engaging in comparison to the old playground. We are pleased with the features such as the high Octagonal Pole Tower, steel mesh rockwall and the classic monkey bars. This playground is built to extend physical health by developing upper body strength, balance and coordination. The design includes, beyond the physical challenges, a dedicated ‘hangout’ zone and elevated deck to add the social connection and teamwork supporting the Hauora and wellbeing of our senior students. Our Leadership team will finalise the MBS Way’ lesson to share with our students to ensure our tamariki are following our playground rules and the safety guidelines as part of Health and Safety. Some of our staff (Whaea Jenny, Koka Ellina, Matua Selvin, Matua Bo) and students came together for the blessing of the playground led by Matua Haki on Tuesday 26th May. We look forward to seeing our students thrive physically, mentally and socially in this new space very soon.

Attendance Summary

Term 1 

We are pleased to announce the release of our End of Term 1 Final Everyday Matters Report. The data highlights below that 69% of our students are now attending school regularly, a significant improvement compated to our figures from last year.

IMPORTANT REMINDER!

TEACHER ONLY DAY!

Friday 29th May

School will be closed for instruction!

School Board News

Dear Maangere Bridge School Community,

We are writing to share an update regarding recent changes to our Board of Trustees.

We want to formally acknowledge and extend our gratitude to Sarah Mariu and Nicola Owen for their service and hard work on behalf of our school and the Board.

• Sarah Mariu: We thank Sarah for her time, dedication, and contributions to the Board and the wider school community during her tenure.

• Nicola Owen: We recognise Nicola’s significant service over the past couple of years, both as a Board member and in her previous role as Presiding Member. We also want to thank her for her work on the school pool project, which is progressing well and retains the Board’s continued support.

We wish both Sarah and Nicola the absolute best in their future endeavours!

Next Steps

With these changes, we currently have casual vacancies on the Board.

Please be assured that we are working quickly to establish the next steps for correct governance procedure. The Board will provide an update to our school community as soon as possible on how these vacancies will be filled.

Blessings!

Justis Kamu, Presiding Member

Term 2 Calendar Dates

Monday 25th May – Poowhiri 9 am 

Thursday 28th May – Whole School Assembly 2 pm – Room 5  

Friday 29th May – TEACHER ONLY DAY (School Closed) 

Monday 1st June – King’s Birthday Public Holiday (School Closed) 

Tuesday 2nd June – Netball Zones MOSA

31st May – 5th June – Samoa Language Week 

Thursday 4th June –  SAMOAN UNIT OFFICIAL LAUNCH AND BLESSING OF NAME

Whole School Assembly  2 pm – Room 8 

8th – 12th June – International Languages Week 

Tuesday 9th June – International Languages Parade 11.30 am 

Friday 12th June – Whole School Assembly 2 pm – Room 14

Friday 12th June – WEAR YOUR PJ’S DAY! – Gold Coin Donation (Kindness Collective)

15th – 19th June – Scholastic Book Fair 

Monday 15th June – Hockey Zones Boys MOSA

Wednesday 17th June – Hockey Zones Boys MOSA – Save Date

Thursday 18th June – Te Hiaroa Parent Partnership 3.15 – 6.00 pm (NEW TIMES)

Friday 19th June – Te Hiaora Parent Partnership 3.15 – 5.00 pm (NEW TIMES)

Monday 22nd June – Hockey Zones Girls MOSA

Wednesday 24th June – Hockey Zones Girls MOSA – Save Date

Thursday 25th June – New Entrant Visits and New Entrant Induction  9 – 10 am 

Thursday 25th June – MATARIKI NIGHT MARKET  5.30 pm 

Friday 26th June – Whole School Assembly 2 pm –  Room 4 

Monday 29th June – Mid-Year Reports GO LIVE on HERO 

Wednesday 1st July – Parent Partnership Meeting 1.15 – 6.15 pm

Wednesday 1st July – WHOLE SCHOOL FINISHES 1 PM 

Thursday 2nd July – Parent Partnership Meeting 3.15 – 6.00 pm 

Thursday 2nd July – Battle of the Bridges (Venue to be confirmed) 

Friday 3rd July – Last day of Term 2 School Finishes 3 pm

End of Term 2 Newsletter 

Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa

Samoa Language Week 2026

OUR WHY?

Why do we celebrate Samoa Language Week at Maangere Bridge School?

There are 22% (74 out of 328 students) who identify first ethnicity as Samoan at MBS. 

There are 39.9% (131 out of 328 students) who identify themselves as Pacific Island at MBS.

There are 8 staff members who are of Samoan Heritage at MBS. 

The Samoan Language is the third most spoken language in Aotearoa New Zealand.

To rasie awareness of the Samoan language as a language spoken by a significant amount of people in Aotearoa New Zealand

To involve and encourage our Samoan Parents, children and staff to take part in our learning programmes. 

To promote initiatives to maintain and grow the recognition, learning and use of the Samoan language in the home, in education, work, government, media, sports, arts and the community. 

(The ethnicity data collected above is gathered through Etap an SMS system when whaanau and families enrol their child at MBS)

Parent Partnership Meetings

(Parent Interviews)

Save the Dates!

Wednesday 1st July 1.15 – 6.15 pm 

(Whole School will finish early on Wednesday at 1 pm)

Thursday 2nd July 3.15 – 6.00 pm 

Te Hiaroa Dates

Thursday 18th June 3.15 – 6.00 pm 

Friday 19th June 3.15 – 5.00 pm 

We will be celebrating our Annual School event ‘Matariki Night Market’ on Thursday 25th June which starts at 5.30 pm. We will have a range of kai, food stalls, arts and crafts, kapahaka and other cultural performances. Please come along and support this amazing evening and understanding more about Matariki. There will be more information coming out soon.

Sports News/Paanui

Matua Peter – Sports Coordinator

Nga Mihi nga Whanau, 

Thank You for your support in Term 1, 2026 with our MBS Cricket, Softball and Rippa Rugby Teams. We are really proud of our students with their dedication and sportsmanship. 

A big tautoko goes towards our MBS Netball Teams who have been training in Term 1 and started their season. Kia Kaha Kotiro. Nga Mihi to Whaea Krista and Team. 

MBS will participate in the following sports in Term 2. 

MOSA SPORTS Term 2 Events

Netball  Auckland Netball Centre                  Tuesday 2nd June, 2026

Battle of the Bridges Thursday 2nd July

(Venue to be confirmed)

Students are reminded that if their behavior or attitude is not satisfactory and does not align with our school values it is highly likely they will not attend our MBS sports teams as part of health and safety. 

‘Leading the way to success’

Matua Peter and Matua Paul

Congratulations!

MBS Rugby League Girls Team who came 1st Equal!

Congratulations to our MBS Rugby League Girls Team who finished 1st equal alongside Viscount School after an undefeated tournament effort. We topped our pool against Southern Cross, Mary Mackillop and Favona School. We won against Robertson Road 4-3 and drew with Viscount School in an exciting 5-5.  Thank you to Matua Jesse for your support and preparation on the day. We also acknowledge Whaea Winona for leading our girls team at the MOSA Zones. We are very proud of our tamariki and according to Whaea Winona it was a full team effort with every player supporting each other. Ka mau te wehi!

PTA Paanui/Notices

Mother’s Day Raffle Prizes 

Congratulations to all our winners

We would like to say a big thank you to ‘Kindness Collective’ who donated a range of treats and essentials for our staff along with some seeds for our garden projects in the school. 

Community Notices!