April 2026 Edition

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Newsletter Week 2 Term 2

Hastings Christian School

29 April 2026

From the Principal

Term 2 has gotten off to a flying start. In fact, even before the term officially began, the HCS Board met on Saturday at the Reformed Church to work on a new strategic plan for the school. This plan will be shaped by the excellent feedback we received from key stakeholders last year when we sent out surveys to various groups within our school community: parents, teachers, the Board of Proprietors, the HCS Board, and—most importantly—the students we are all here for. I look forward to updating you in the coming weeks on the progress we are making as we develop a strategic vision for our school.

Monday evening was the Annual General Meeting for the Hawke’s Bay Christian School Association. It was encouraging to reflect on God’s goodness to us over the past year. It was also great to hear about all that our proprietors have achieved over the past 12 months. Like the school board, their role is largely behind the scenes, yet we all benefit from the facilities and their passion to maintain the special character of our school.

It was also particularly encouraging to hear about the incredible work of Jonathan Marinus, Head of Primary and our curriculum leader. We hope to share more about his work in upcoming newsletters, but for now I can assure you that we are well served by both boards’ investment in releasing Jonathan to undertake this important work. I would also remind you that your voluntary donation helps fund this work, and I encourage you to invest in your child’s education by supporting the proprietors through this contribution.

Jonathan and the primary team were busy yesterday with the second of the two Ministry of Education–appointed teacher-only days for this year. The aim of these days is to work through the significant curriculum changes recently introduced by the government. I only managed to catch part of the day, but I was greatly encouraged by the excellent presentation Jo Oxley gave on how we can better support neurodiverse students within our kura. It was a timely reminder that God has made us all with different strengths and needs, and that a one-size-fits-all approach to learning does not adequately serve our students.

Last Saturday I attended the annual ANZAC day Dawn Parade with our senior student leaders. The students laid a wreath on behalf of the school. It was good to reflect again on the price paid for the freedom that we all enjoy today. This service always serves to remind me of the greatest sacrifice that was made by our Saviour at Calvary.

Over the next three weeks, the secondary teachers—and then the primary teachers—look forward to meeting with you as parents to discuss your children’s progress and next steps. It was particularly pleasing to see how smoothly these interviews ran, especially with the move to the gym foyer for the secondary meetings.

These meetings are an incredibly important opportunity for home and school not only to celebrate student achievement, but also to ensure we are working in partnership for the good of your children. We hope to share some statistics with you in the coming weeks, but for now it is worth noting that we are the envy of many local schools due to the high percentage of parents who attend these interviews. I would encourage you to keep our teaching staff in your prayers over these weeks, as this work comes in addition to their normal teaching responsibilities.

Gavin Clark

Principal

Welcome

We had a nuber of new students join us this term and we extend a warm welcome to you and your families as you become part of the HCS community.

Secondary Parent-Teacher Interviews

The parent/teacher are underway. A reminder that on Monday, the 4th of May, classes will finish for students at 12:45 pm (lunchtime) to allow enough time for teachers to prepare.

All interviews are being held in the gym foyer. There is also an area in the foyer, set up with refreshments, for parents to wait before or between interiviews.

There are still spaces available should you wish to see your child's teacher.

To make a new booking or check your interviews please click the link below.

Secondary School Parent Teacher Inteviews

Primary Parent Teacher Meetings

Primary parent teacher meetings are now open for booking. Meeting times will be as follows:

Tuesday 12 May

3:30-5:30pm

6:30-8:00pm

Wednesday 13 May

3:30-5:30pm

Click on the link below to open up the booking site so you can choose a suitable time to meet your child’s teacher. Meetings are 10 minutes long and are held in your child’s classroom. Jo Oxley, our SENCO, is also available for learning support meetings.

We look forward to seeing you to discuss your child’s progress.

Book Parent Teacher Meeting

Primary Uniform Reminders

We have noticed a lot of students wearing incorrect uniform items. Please take note of the following:

SHOES SHOULD BE PLAIN BLACK (No logos or white/coloured soles)
TRACKPANTS & POLAR FLEECES MUST BE THE PROPER SCHOOL NAMED ONES
IF WEARING LAYERS UNDERNEATH THAT ARE VISIBLE, THEY NEED TO BE NAVY
OPTIONAL JACKETS ARE AVAILABLE

Non school JACKETS AND SCARFS are not to be worn in the classroom
Hair ties should be black, brown or navy & hair clips black/brown or gold/silver
Rings, bracelets, necklaces and nailpolish should not be worn at school
Earrings should be plain and smaller than a hole punch

House Event

Kia ora whānau, We are excited to share details of our upcoming whole school house event, Medieval Mayhem, taking place on:

Tuesday 26 May at 1:00pm

This is a high energy, rotation style event involving students from Year 1 to 13, where they will compete in mixed year level house teams across a range of fun, medieval themed challenges.

What students can expect:
Students will rotate through activities such as Dungeon Crawl, Joust a Plaisance, Capture the King, Trebuchet Target, Robin Hood, Castle Building, and more. The focus is on participation, teamwork, and building house spirit.

What students need to do:

Dress up in a medieval or renaissance costume or wear their house colours
Come ready to participate, encourage others, and represent their house with pride

House colours:

Mako – Blue
Kahu – Yellow
Maunga – Black
Harakeke – Red
Toki – Green

House events are always a highlight of the term, and we are looking forward to seeing strong participation and great house spirit across the school.

Primary Disco

The student council will be hosting a disco for primary students on Friday 22nd of May. More detials to follow!

Ryda Driving Programme

Last Friday, our year 12 students had the opportunity to attend a Ryda driving safety course.

Ryda is more than a program, it’s partnership which supports teachers on the journey as they provide their students with the tools and understanding they need to see themselves as active, responsible road citizens. Beyond that, Ryda provides students with the tools, habits and motivation to take action and stay safe on our roads as both drivers and passengers throughout their lives.

Ryda features a highly engaging and memorable one-day workshop which front-loads students’ understanding of road safety. The workshop sessions are led by a team of trained facilitators including Police, driving instructors and other community sector specialists.

From the Library

Please return all term 1 HCS library books

All books borrowed from the HCS library are now due back. Books can be returned during primary class visits (Wed: A3;B3;B2;E2;E1 / Thurs:B4;B1 / Friday: A2), left at the school office or returned to the book returns bin in the E-Block workroom.

Help! My drink bottle leaked on library books!

Recently there have been a number of library books returned wet - probably as a result of drink bottles leaking (it happens to us all)
If possible, please put library books in a plastic or book bag when returning in student bags.If books do get wet, Mrs Gardiner would appreciate knowing as she can make sure the book gets dried before returning it to the shelf. You are welcome to also dry the book yourself (tissue paper between the pages works well)

Book Club Issue 3 now open

Issue 3 of the Scholastic Book Club is now available. Physical catalogues can be picked up from the school office, E-block foyer or H1.You can also browse the issue at https://www.scholastic.co.nz/parents/book-club-latest-issue/.Order and pay using the Loop app and you receive $5 to use on the next issue. HCS also gets 15% of the order as book credit for the school library.

Vietnam Tour

Teacher Only Day

There will be a whole school teacher only day on:

Tuesday 2nd June (Tuesday after King's Birthday)

This will be a day where staff will focus on the Special Character of the school.

Pizza Lunches

Available every Friday - order outside the staffroom before school.

Community Events

Onekawa Bible Church - Legacy Fundraiser

OBC are getting really excited about what’s shaping up to be a fantastic auction evening on Saturday 16th May - held in the HCS gym. It’s lining up to be a great night out, with a wide range of family-focused auction items—everything from holiday homes and adventure experiences to dinners out, as well as really practical packages like childcare, cleaning, and home/garden services. Click the link below for more info!

Tickets and Information