From the Tumuaki/Principal
Kia ora koutou,
A warm welcome back to Term 4, and a special welcome to all of our new families and tamariki joining the Maraetai Beach School community! Last week, we held a mihi whakatau (welcome) for the new students, their families and staff and I wanted to acknowledge their positive feedback in our journey to honour matauranga Māori. We have a busy and exciting term ahead, so please keep an eye out for regular term updates from our teaching teams.
A Huge Thank You to Our PTA
A special thank you to our PTA committee Felicity, Jenna, Katharina, Sarah, Mel, Charlotte, Dan & Kylie, Eileen and many others who help out with our amazing PTA. I want to personally thank the PTA for contributing towards the school’s resources and this year our field upgrade project to improve the safety and drainage issues with our field. In recent years, the PTA has also provided vital funding for this project, along with transport for school camps, EOTC trips, outdoor equipment/furniture and teaching resources for our tamariki.
We know these are financially challenging times for many families and businesses across the country, so I want to sincerely thank all of our parents, teachers and caregivers involved in helping keep our school thriving through your fundraising efforts, time, and support.
Twilight Fun Night – Friday, 27th November 2026
A special highlight of Term 4 that our new families won't want to miss!
TAI Dollars: Be sure to buy your TAI (our event currency) to spend on games and food!
Get Involved: The Twilight Fun Night Committee is working hard to secure sponsors and organize games. If you would like to help out or offer sponsorship, please contact the PTA team - mbspta@maraetaibeach.school.nz
Raffle Donations: Each class is being asked to make a small contribution towards prizes and raffles—look out for further info from the PTA team.
Property updates:
Over the school holidays, several property projects got underway. I am proud to share that Stage 1 of our field upgrades went extremely smoothly. Key work completed includes:
Field Project (Stage 1) completed with installation of a new channel drain in front of Rooms 9 to 11, concreted area beside the sports shed.
New novacoil drainage installed along the edges of the field, topped with fresh soil and grass seed on the field and connections made to drains in front of rooms 7 and 8
Water blasting and cleaning of exteriors - thanks to NOMOSS
Pest Control works completed - thanks to Brandon Pickering (Pest Control Company)
Electrical safety upgrades on the exterior of buildings
Bore replacement project scoping working - with MOE team
5YA MOE property team started their building conditional assessment over the holidays too
This work will mean significantly better drainage and fewer holes across our school field for our students to enjoy.
Upcoming Events & Key Dates
Year 4 to 8 Athletics Day – Tuesday, 27th October
Held at Te Puru. Families are very welcome to come along and cheer on our tamariki!Year 8 Ball – Friday, 30th October
Please keep an eye out for communications from Mrs Smit regarding this awesome event. A special thank you to Phase 3, the Ball Parents Committee, and the Maraetai Boat Club for supporting our Year 8 students.Voting at MBS Hall – Saturday, 7th November (9:00 am – 7:00 pm)
Our school hall will serve as a polling place.MBS Cultural Celebration Day – Wednesday, 11th November 2026
A wonderful day celebrating the diversity and cultures within our school community.Hunua Principals' Association Cultural Festival – Friday, 13th November 2026
We are honoured to be hosting this event, welcoming eight visiting schools to our kura! Please note that there will be increased traffic around the school on this day. Detailed information regarding site access will be shared closer to the date. Thank you in advance for your patience and support as we embrace this fantastic opportunity to connect as a wider community and grow empowered, curious, lifelong learners.End of School year is on 16th December at 1pm.
2026 Yearbooks – Reduced Price!
Please make sure to place your orders for this year's yearbook! Thanks to our kids for entering the cover and back page design competition. I want to announce that through the generous sponsorship from Toshiba, we have been able to reduce the price to $25 per yearbook. Parents who have already paid for the original price, will have a credit applied to their kindo accounts for any overpayment.
Thank you all for your ongoing support, and please do reach out to me or my leadership team if you have any compliments or concerns, as we are here to support our tamariki. I hope you all have a happy Labour Weekend - and see you all back on Tuesday next week.
Ngā mihi nui,
Lou
Tumuaki/Principal
School Notices
Donation and Activity Costs
As a school, we endeavour to provide an exceptional programme whilst keeping the costs as low as possible. If you have any questions with regards to paying these school costs, please contact accounts@maraetaibeach.school.nz; or in regard to the event itself please contact your classroom teacher.
Donation and Activity Costs have been uploaded onto your Kindo accounts. If you are as yet to set up an account on Kindo, please go to the Parents tab on our website and select the School Shop. Please ensure that you register with the same email address that we have on record for you at school.
Thank you to those parents who have paid their school costs for the year already. If you did not receive a tax receipt for your donation and you would like one, please contact accounts@maraetaibeach.school.nz
Community and Fundraising
Sponsorship - Partner with Maraetai Beach School
We are offering the sponsorship package options to be made available for 1 year from the date of signing and payment for our new sponsors this year.
Sponsorship funds will go directly to supporting the key strategic goals of the school, such as developing existing programmes and implementing a range of new initiatives to empower our student learning and development.
Through our school values - Manawaroa (Resilience), Whakaute (Respect), Rawe (Excellence) and Ngākau Tapatahi (Integrity), our students are given the opportunity to reach their full potential academically, culturally and within the sports arena.
Gold Sponsorship | $600–$1,000 PA
Perfect for consistent, multi-channel local reach.
Digital Presence: Dedicated features on our school website and Facebook page.
Print & Media: Fortnightly newsletter advertising and a prominent spot in the school yearbook.
Events & Perks: Free entry and advertising slots at all major school events.
Community Pride: A Certificate of Appreciation to proudly display at your workplace.
Platinum Sponsorship | $1,000+ PA
The ultimate spot for unmatched, daily local visibility.
Includes all Gold benefits listed above.
Prime Physical Signage: High-traffic, year-round advertising signage placed right on our front fence by the bus bay-putting your brand front and center for commuting locals every single day.
Ready to Join Us as a Sponsor?
We invite you to check out our proposal to learn more. If you would love to become a valued sponsor or want to discuss which option fits your business best, please reach out to us at:
Learning Spotlight
Phase 1b
Room 10 loved learning about their ears from the “Hear This Education” program and how important it is to protect your ears from excessive loud noise. They also learnt about how we hear, and the vibrations in our ears.
Room 12 has loved exploring time this week! They learnt about what it means to go clockwise and anti clockwise, left and right and how long a minute is. They had fun estimating and testing how many times they could do particular things in a minute, such as bouncing a ball or doing star jumps. To end the week, they learnt about all the parts of a clock and how to tell the time to the hour.
Room 11
We loved writing about our holidays and reflecting on how much fun we had! Here are some awesome examples.
Room 14 Gets Planting!
Room 14 had a blast planting some of the 1,000 seedlings with our Hub 8 buddy class! It was such a cool experience getting stuck in, getting our hands dirty and doing something good for our environment.
A big thank you to Mrs Smit and Sarah Franklin- Browne from Trees for Survival. We loved being part of it!
Room 13
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Room 13 explored the theme Belonging Matters, Ko au ko koe, ko koe ko au, linking to our Term 4 learning about Hauora. We created Hauora chatterboxes designed to encourage tamariki to have a kōrero about the things that make them feel good, using question prompts inspired by the four dimensions of Te Whare Tapa Whā. This provided a fun way to share ideas, strengthen connections and reflect on what supports our wellbeing and helps us feel a sense of belonging.
Room 15
When we returned from our holidays we discovered that the Toys in our classroom had been out and about exploring! We have enjoyed writing about their adventures…
Gardening Club
Things were a bit different at Garden Club today! We took a short break from planting and weeding to lend our creative talents to the outdoor play area.
Armed with brushes and paint, club members painted brand-new road segments to be used in our sand pits. It was fantastic to see everyone bring their artistic flair to a project that all the students will get to enjoy during break times. Thank you to everyone who joined in and helped build brighter, more creative play spaces for our school!
Staff Profiles
Mrs Megan deBeer - Room 10
Kia ora koutou!
My name is Megan de Beer, and I am a yr 3 teacher and Team Leader for Year 2 and 3. Originally from South Africa, I have been fortunate to call New Zealand home for the past eight years with my little family. We love spending time outdoors and exploring our beautiful coastline, making the most of everything this wonderful country has to offer. I feel incredibly grateful to be part of the Maraetai Beach School community and to live in such a special place. I look forward to continuing to support our tamariki and whānau as we learn, grow and thrive together.
Mrs Nicci Hales - Room 15
Kia ora,
My name is Nicci Hales. I am a Year 2 teacher, teaching in Room 15. I have been part of the MBS whānau for two years, and it is an absolute privilege to teach within the community I call home.
This year I have been very lucky to have my whole family at MBS! I am married to Rob (Mr Rob), and together we have Jonno, who is a House Leader for Waiheke and in his final term at MBS, and Annabelle, who is in Year 6.
I have a lot of love for sports. Although now you’ll find me more on the sideline cheering on my children’s netball, soccer, basketball, touch games and dance shows. In my spare time, I love getting outside for a walk in our local area - or discovering somewhere a little further away. I often combine this with catching up with friends or spending time with my family. I also enjoy reading, and trying to grow pretty and/or edible things in the garden.
I do love a friendly chat, so feel free to say Hi if you see me out and about.
Community Notices
Imaginaire Speech & Drama at Maraetai Beach School
Give your child the opportunity to build confidence, creativity, and communication skills through our fun, engaging and dynamic Speech & Drama programme at Maraetai Beach School.
At Imaginaire, we love inspiring the next generation of young performers while also supporting students to overcome shyness and express themselves with confidence.
Each lesson includes:
• Public Speaking skills
• Drama and Acting skills
• Improvisation and Impromptu Speaking
• Communication, Conversation, Listening, and Teamwork skills.
Students from Year 4+ also have the option to work towards nationally recognised Speech & Drama exams through Speech NZ.
Class details:
Small group sessions (max 6 students)
30-minute lessons on Thursdays (during school hours)
No-obligation Trial lesson available
Limited spaces available
Secure your child’s place today:
Please contact Nicole at nicole@imaginaire.co.nz for more information.
Or complete our enrolment form here: https://www.imaginaire.co.nz/speech-and-drama/enrolmentform/
Music Lessons
Musiqhub offers guitar, keyboard and drum lessons onsite during school hours.
Sponsors
Thank you so much to our sponsors! We appreciate the support to enhance the learning of our children.
