What has been happening around KNS in the last fortnight?
It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through the term—time is flying! We've been fortunate to see the weather improving recently, giving us beautiful sunny days to enjoy all the outdoor activities on offer. Lots of planning is happening already for 2026, which is very exciting! It’s shaping up to be a busy and productive second half of the term! This newsletter includes a brief summary of some of the exciting things that have been happening in the last few weeks.
Staffing Update
It is with mixed emotions that we share the news that one of our wonderful teachers, Colin Lambie, will be leaving us at the end of this year.
Colin has been a valued member of our staff for a number of years, and during his time with us, his hard work and dedication have made a lasting impact. His commitment to his students and his passion for teaching have been a true asset to our kura (school).
He will be greatly missed by students, staff, and our whole community.
He Hui Whakanui
It was fantastic to hold another wonderful He Hui Whakanui today! Our Rōpū Tūī and Tauhou students shone brightly as they shared and celebrated their recent learning and achievements. These special gatherings are a beautiful way to honour the hard work and progress of our students, and we thank all the whānau who joined us, (and even getting up and dancing) and all the staff who prepared our tamariki for the hui.
Don't forget! Our next He Hui Whakanui will be held next Friday for our Rōpū Kākāriki and Kākā teams. We look forward to another fun session!
Musical Showcase
Our annual Music Showcase was a huge success and a wonderful celebration of the incredible musical talents we have across the school! The audience was treated to fantastic performances from our school orchestra, our numerous bands, our enthusiastic Ukulele groups, and a wide range of captivating individual performances.
We are so proud of our talented students! A huge thank you must also go to Joy, Liam, and Dave for their dedication and hard work preparing the students, and special acknowledgement to Kane for his passion, expert organization, and facilitation of both the event and all the musical groups throughout the year. What a memorable evening!
Walking Wednesdays
What a wonderful initiative the senior school is continuing with - Walking Wednesdays! This is a fabulous opportunity for our students to get out and explore their surrounding areas, starting with a fun 7km walk and steadily building up to a challenging 18km finale. It's fantastic to see our children enjoying the outdoors, appreciating our local area, and building resilience. By pushing themselves out of their comfort zones with these physical and mental challenges, they are developing skills that will benefit them far beyond the school grounds!
WZ Athletics
What a truly beautiful day we had for the Western Zone Athletics competition! Our strong team of dedicated athletes represented the school so well, displaying excellent sportsmanship and determination throughout the day. We are incredibly proud of all their efforts and hard work, which resulted in some excellent achievements and results across many different track and field events. Congratulations to every student who took part!
Senior (Intermediate) Legacy Programme
It's been wonderful seeing the spirit of Tuakana Teina flourishing across our school! Our senior students (Years 7 and 8) have demonstrated outstanding leadership and initiative by planning and preparing engaging sessions for our younger classes. From leading exciting science lessons and energetic P.E. activities to guiding creative arts and crafts projects, they have embraced the role of tuakana (older sibling/expert) with enthusiasm. The connections and sheer joy shared between the children—with the younger students looking up to their mentors, and the seniors developing invaluable teaching and organisational skills—is a beautiful, living example of our school values in action!
Karori Kōrero Cup - speeches
Oral Language Focus: Over the past few weeks, our Year 4-8 students have been bravely taking the metaphorical stage and delivering some fantastic speeches during their in-class competitions. We've been so impressed by the creativity, passion, and confidence shown by our tamariki..
A huge congratulations to the students who have been selected to represent our school!
They will be competing in the very first Inter-Karori Speech Competition (known as the Karori Kōrero Cup) next Wednesday here at KNS.
We wish our representatives the very best of luck as they prepare to share their insightful and engaging speeches with the wider Karori community. Go team KNS!
Gala
We had a fantastic turnout for our annual School Gala. We are hugely grateful for everyone who had a hand in making it such a successful and wonderful day. We raised a whopping (almost) $35k, which will be going towards our new landscaping and playspaces once the building works are done.
A huge thank you must go to our dedicated volunteers. From planning and setup to running stalls and packing down, your time and energy are appreciated.
And to everyone who attended – thank you! Your support, generosity, and enthusiasm make all the hard work worthwhile. It was truly wonderful to see our community come together.
Seeking a Volunteer parent to run the pen recycling at KNS in 2026
Pen recycling started in the school 5 years ago. It’s now time for me to leave the KNS community and handover to another parent to run.
The set up of this recycling initiative is already in place so this role requires you to maintain it. This initiative is well supported by staff and our tamariki at KNS.
What tasks are involved in this role?
Emptying the boxes across this school in term 1 and at the end of term 4.
Checking the boxes a couple of times throughout the year and empty accordingly.
Liaising with Finance Officer (1-2 times per year) when the purchase of a new prepaid recycling box is needed.
If you’re interested in taking up the role or have any questions first, please contact me on zofiasays@gmail.com or 027 6677246
Zofia Skrzynski
Project Coordinator
Thank you to all of our whānau and community for their ongoing support of our Kura. As always, please don’t hesitate to pop in for a chat anytime!
Arohanui
Caro, Laura and Phil
Update from the PTA
Update from the PTA
PTA MOVIE FUNDRAISER - ZOOTOPIA 2 - 30 NOV 2 PM
Yummy Sticker - Thank you
A high thank you to everyone who collected Yummy stickers for KNS. The school has been able to acquire a significant amount of new sports gear as a result.
Follow KNS on Facebook - www.facebook.com/karorinormalschool
A massive thanks to everyone for making the Karori Normal School Gala another memorable community event.
Here’s some photos (which also include the total amount raised for the school – which will be set aside for landscaping once the building work is complete.)
Special mentions to:
Will Calder – Ray White and Karori New World for sponsoring the event (again)
Gipps Street Butchery for the burgers and Hellers for the Sausages
Bakery items from Puku
Karori Cricket Club and Karori Waterside Football (and Wellington Phoenix FC’s Nixie)
Ashraf the Bubble Guy
Coffee donated by L'affare
Live music from Anna van der Zee, Nick Tipping and Karel van Halden
Marsden books (who donated some new books for sale)
And to these wonderful businesses who donated prizes for our raffle (which was won by the Skinner family): Physique studio, YL Photography, Gamboni's Deli, Cameron Lawyers, Gipps St Deli & Café, Hell Pizza, Florence Boutique, Sparkle Fitness
Important Dates
Upcoming Dates
18th November - NE school experience visit
18th November - Interzone Athletics
19th November - Interschool Speech Competition
20th November - WGC Induction Day
25th November - Regional Athletics
26th November - Year 7 and 8 Walk (Mākara or Karori Cemetery)
2nd December - KNS Performing Arts Concert (time TBC)
3rd December - WC Induction Day
4th December - Year 7 and 8 to Akau Tangi
10th December - Year 7 and 8 Dance
11th December - Year 8 Day Out
12th December - He Rā Ahurea (Cultural Day)
15th December - Year 8 Leavers Function
17th December - School finishes at 12.30pm
Community Notices
After School and Saturday Computer Classes
Our term time classes are smaller just 3 to 6 children. Classes are focused on what you want to learn. Class runs from 3:30 to 5:30 pm class fee $180 for 4 sessions (doors open from 3:15). Saturday 1:30 - 4:30 pm. class fee $260 for 4 sessions. Learn to Code Scratch, Python, or Learn to Code & Create 3D Games, Minecraft and A Discovery Course in Computing (suitable for younger children), Build Your Own Computer, Typing.
St. Anne’s Community Christmas Market St. Anne’s Christmas Market will be held at the Church hall, 69 Northland Rd., (corner Northland and Randwick Roads) on Nov 29 th 2025 , 9.30 am – 1.00pm. Get your early Christmas presents from our stalls featuring books, plants, deli (baking, preserves) crafts, children’s toys, books, pre- loved household items. Eat our great BBQ fare , our waffles, Enjoy meeting friends at our popup CAFÉ. Try your luck buying a ticket in our magnificent Christmas raffle. Any contributions may be left at the back of the church or contact Tony Dawbin 027 2792856.
Dear Music Lovers,
You are in for a treat! We are excited to present our upcoming concert on Friday November 14th. Duo Takirua, comprising marimbist Thomas Guldborg and double bassist Alexander Gunchenko, will be performing some well-known classics and some thrilling newer works, and are set to put their own spin on both. A unique combination of timbres and musical styles, Duo Takirua will guide you through their own arrangements with effortless virtuosity.
When: Friday, November 14, 7pm.
What: Works by Astor Piazzolla, Gioachino Rossini, Myroslav Skoryk, Frank Proto and Chick Corea, arranged by Duo Takirua
Who: Duo Takirua (Oleksandr Gunchenko, Double Bass and Thomas Guldborg, Marimba.)
Don't miss the opportunity to hear this fascinating pair of musicians. See you there!
Kind regards,
Anna and the Karori Classics team
Postpartum & Women’s Fitness Classes in Karori – Term 4
Sparkle Fitness classes are designed specifically for mums, with a focus on safe, effective exercise for the postpartum body. Designed by Sierra Ryland, a MumSafe™ accredited trainer, classes are small and supportive, giving each participant individual attention.
Term 4 Timetable: Sparkle Together – 30 min express HIIT, Mon/Wed/Fri 6:15am (Fri FULL, spots on Mon and Wed) Strong Mums Strength – 45 min strength-based class, Thu 7pm (FULL)
These classes are ideal for mums looking to return to exercise, improve strength, and build confidence in a safe and supportive environment. LIMITED trial spots are available for $10 to come and try out one class. For more details or to book a trial, click here.
Capital Gymnastics Club
Capital Gymnastics Club offers exciting opportunities for children to excel in gymnastics! Our programmes cater to all skill levels, from preschoolers to national-level athletes, covering gymnastics and tumbling. Led by experienced coaches, our structured approach fosters skill development and confidence in a fun, supportive environment.
The brand new WHO WHAT WHERE Drama Workshop program is offering a fantastic special to Wellington students next weekend!
We'd really appreciate it if you could please spread the word at your school.
And great to e-meet you! I'm Bel, a theatre maker with loads of experience directing, acting, playwriting and teaching drama. My children's outreach program in Melbourne - Wit Kids - is thriving in its 10th year, and now that I've returned to Aotearoa, I'm setting up another program in Te Whanganui-a-Tara for kids and teens. You can find out more about me here.
Our first weekend went WONDERFULLY! But we're keen to further fill our classes (and to make them as accessible as possible), so for one weekend only, we're offering TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE attendance to all workshops!
Who's who and what's what:
WHO: Workshops available for ages 5+ and suitable for all levels of experience.
WHAT: Join us for improv, games, short scripts, directing, improvisation and more!
BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE offer valid for Nov 15th and 16th. Pilot runs from 8th to 23rd of November.
Sessions are standalone but kids are encouraged to repeat them for extra fun.
This is a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes at the Tākina exhibition space which has housed the likes of Jurassic Lego, Marvel and Disney Exhibitions!
We're a pilot program - Launching a new series of classes in 2026
Cost $12 to $15 per student per workshop
WHERE: Tākina Exhibition & Convention Centre (50 Cable St, Te Aro, Wellington)
WHY: Drama classes provide young people with a space to develop quick thinking and problem solving skills, improve communication and social understanding, build empathy, strengthen reading and comprehension, and much more. Run by an experienced actor, director and published playwright, these workshops run three weekends only with limited spaces so don't miss out!
Experienced piano teacher, city end Karori Term 4 special: Half-price lessons for new pupils - $14 per half-hour. I have a few awkward gaps in my schedule I’d like to fill. 3:15 Wednesdays, a few spots 4:30 and later, Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you would like to try out piano lessons, please be in touch! Raewyn Brockway (04) 938-7027 or brockway.murray@internet.co.nz
PRIDE LANDS FUN HOLIDAY ADVENTURES
SPRING SCHOOL HOLIDAYSAT SOUTHERN PRIDE: SOUTH WELLINGTON INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL (SWIS) HALL, NEWTOWN
22nd DEC – 30th JAN 2025 from 7.00am-6pm daily. Age range is 4 – 17 years with overnight sleepover activities provided with Interactive Activities and NO TV or Video Games. Kai Cubs Cooking, and Life Skills Programme creating healthy Breakfast, Lunch and Afternoon Teas. One-on-one care and shuttle services available. Daily $84.04/cub per session or $142.87 for two siblings per session; Weekly: $336.16 per cub/week or $571.47 for two siblings/week . MSD Approved & WINZ subsidies are available for eligible families. Qualified 1st Aid Trained Activities Coordinators and Youth Mentors One-on-One Care: Available for cub(s) if extra support is needed at $14/hr ACTION (Home support 1-on-1) Mentors is also available if needed at $37/hr per mentor.
Here To Support All Tamariki & Rangatahi (Neurotypical and Neurodivergent)
At Pride Lands, we welcome neurotypical and neurodivergent children and youths with on-on-one support available to those that need it in our communities.
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