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Newsletter, 8 September 2026
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James Griggs, Principal/Tumuaki
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I think we are all welcoming the warmer spring days and perhaps a chance to leave the bugs and sniffles behind. We have certainly been impacted at school by a significant loss of attendance among both staff and students due to sickness this term.
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Our leadership team are currently conducting class observations as part of our regular staff appraisal cycle. During these sessions, we talk to students about how they are engaging with the learning and also use this as an opportunity to explore a matter of interest in depth. This year, we have chosen to talk to students about their home and school reading habits, and some trends are emerging as we speak with more and more students.
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Trend 1: A significant number of students do not have a regular reading routine at home.
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Reading is often ad hoc, not baked into the daily routine, and as a result is often missed. For those who do have this in place, reading before bed seems to be the most effective way to sustain a routine.
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Trend 2: Girls are reading more than boys.This may not come as a huge surprise to you all, but in the data I have collected thus far, girls are outreading the boys by a factor of two!
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Trend 3: Students for the most part enjoy reading! Most students enjoy the time they get to read at school with a book they choose from the library. They also enjoy being read to by an adult and sharing the reading experience. The trick is to find the right type of reading. Boys, for example, are reporting much higher engagement with Graphic Novels.
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At school, we provide homework in the form of WERO work where students choose what to engage with. Time is tight, and families are busy; however, if you prioritise one thing at home, we ask that it be regular, sustained reading for a minimum of 15- 20 minutes, 4 times a week. Set up a before-bed routine and see your child disconnect, relax and develop the essential skill of reading for pleasure.
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Looking forward to the ski trip this week; let's hope the weather is kind this time!
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James Griggs, Principal/Tumuaki
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Tuesday 10: Year 8 ski trip, Porter Heights
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Tuesday 15: International Cultural Day
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Thursday 17: Rotary Speech Competition preliminaries 9.00 a.m. - 3.00 p.m.
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Thursday 17: Kapa haka Whānau Night
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Friday 18: Non uniform day. Gold coin donation for SPCA
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Monday 21: Rotary Speech Competition finals, 6.30 p.m. Manu Aute/PAC
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Monday 21: Mixx korfball tournament
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Tuesday 22 - 24: Koru Games
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Friday 25: End of Term 3, 3.00 p.m. finish
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Monday 12: Day one, Term 4
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Tuesday 13: CAIMS Volleyball
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Tuesday 13: Intermediate Speech Competition, 6.00 p.m. Manu Aute/PAC
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Friday 16: Year 8 Celebration of Learning
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Wednesday 28: Heaton Athletics
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Thursday 29: Heaton Athletics
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Monday 2: Christchurch Music Festival all week
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Tuesday 3: Year 8 secondary schools Q&A
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Tuesday 17: CAIMS Athletics
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Saturday 28: Tūhona Kapa hapa Competition
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Thursday 3: End of Year Music Concert
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Thursday 10: Launchpad Kōwhai 10am - 12 noon
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Thursday 10: Launchpad Hīnau 12.30 - 2.30 pm
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Thursday 10: Year 8 Leavers' Dance
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Friday 11: Launchpad Raukawa 12.30 - 2.30 p.m.
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Friday 11: Reports to whānau
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Friday 11: Xmas dress up, City Mission, gold coin donation
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Friday 11: Yr7 Big Day Out, Alpine Ice, 10.30 am - 2.30 pm
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Monday 14: Yr8 Prizegiving Assembly 1.30 - 2.30 p.m.
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Monday 14: Year 8 students' last day
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Tuesday 15: Yr7 Prizegiving Assembly 11.00 am - 12.30 pm
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Tuesday 15: Yr7 students finish at 12.30 pm
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Heaton students have been taking part in this year's 40 Hour Challenge, raising money to help people in need. Our school set a fundraising goal of $7,000, and everyone was determined to do their part. Thanks to the generosity and support of our students, staff, whānau, and the wider school community, we didn't just reach our goal. We raised over $13,000, making this one of Heaton's most successful 40 Hour Challenges yet.
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Throughout the fundraiser, the 40 Hour Challenge ambassadors worked hard to organise a range of events for students to enjoy. They spent weeks planning, preparing activities, and encouraging students to get involved. With the support and guidance of Mr Phanpo and Mrs Preston, the ambassadors were able to put together a successful fundraiser that brought the whole school together.
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One of the fundraising events was the Amoka House bake sale. Students lined up to buy a variety of delicious homemade baking, with all of the money raised going towards the 40 Hour Challenge. It was great to see so many people supporting the fundraiser while enjoying a sweet treat.
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Our second fundraiser, a school sausage sizzle, was a massive success. The fantastic idea came from our dedicated 40 Hour Ambassadors, who took the time to plan and expertly cook the sausages. A huge thank you to everyone who bought a sausage to support the 40 Hour Challenge.
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The highlight of the fundraiser was the teacher dunking. This quickly became everyone's favourite event, with students gathering to watch buckets of cold water being poured over some very brave teachers. The students who raised the highest amounts of money for the 40 Hour Challenge were rewarded with the chance to dunk a teacher. There were plenty of laughs and cheers as each bucket of water was poured. At the end of the event, the 40 Hour Challenge ambassadors also had the opportunity to dunk the teachers before taking their own turn under the buckets. It was a fun way to finish the fundraiser and had everyone laughing.
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A very special thank you goes to Mr Phanpo and Ms Preston for all of the time and effort they put into helping the 40 Hour Challenge ambassadors. From planning events and organising activities to supporting the ambassadors throughout the fundraiser, they played a huge part in making everything run smoothly. We would also like to thank all of the teachers who volunteered to take part in the teacher dunking. Their willingness to get soaked made the event even more enjoyable for everyone watching.
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Finally, thank you to every student, staff member, whānau, and community member who donated, raised money, bought baking, or supported the events. Every contribution helped us reach our incredible total. Raising over $13,000 is an amazing achievement and shows what can happen when the Heaton community works together. Every dollar raised will help support people in need, and everyone who took part should be proud of what they achieved.
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In conclusion, this year's 40 Hour Challenge was a huge success. It was a fantastic example of what can be achieved when students, teachers, and the wider school community work together for a great cause. Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's fundraiser one to remember.
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Fundraising: Mr Hastilow's Brave Shave & Scooter Safari
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On May 19, Mr Hastilow made a memorable entrance into the assembly, riding in on his small but loud motorbike! His grand entrance was all to raise awareness and funds for the Cancer Society via the Trans-Alpine Scooter Safari—a challenging ride across Arthur’s Pass to Hokitika.
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During the assembly, Mr Hastilow didn't just show off his bike; he also had his head shaved in solidarity with cancer patients undergoing treatment. Shaving duties were shared by Mr Griggs, Mr Phanpho, Mrs Elliott, and Ethan R1, our Deputy Head Boy. To support his efforts, our kura held a non-uniform day later that week, with students bringing a gold coin donation. We are incredibly proud of Mr Hastilow for his dedication to this cause (even if it meant losing his hair!) and grateful to everyone who contributed.
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Earlier this term, the Student Council tackled the crowded scooter shed. Our Gate Monitors did some investigating and found a major squeeze: we had 280 scooters but only 52 rack slots!
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To solve this problem, we removed the old racks and installed hooks along the walls. This simple change has freed up walking space, created room for more scooters, and made the shed much safer and tidier for everyone.
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Overall, it has been a highly successful and enjoyable term. We look forward to seeing what the next two terms bring!
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On Wednesday August 19, Heaton Intermediate competed at the annual Cantamath Competition at the Wolfbrook Arena. We sent 2 teams, one from Year 7 and one from Year 8. Both teams did exceptionally well.
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Congratulations to our Year 7 team - consisting of Josh, Dabeen, Aiela and Oliver, who placed 2nd out of over 60 teams and secured an amazing 100 points on the day.
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Our year 8 team consisted of Jack, Sam, Kosta and Charlie. They also did an amazing job, placing 6th equal in their grade with a score of 95/100 points.
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Overall, it was an amazing experience and a great day for our school.
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KidsLit Quiz
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The Heaton Kids’ Lit Team Reflects on an Exciting Competition
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By Clara, Pearse, Ben and Julia
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We woke up on the morning of the Kids’ Lit Quiz National Finals brimming with excitement and speckled with nerves! We were off to Wellington! In our enthusiasm we all arrived early at Christchurch Airport, so we burnt time in the domestic lounge by having random conversations, talking over each other, and making jokes (our coach, Mrs Boniface, says this is exactly what we do in our coaching sessions so she was not at all surprised by this behaviour).
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Having arrived in Wellington, the Airport Express bus lived up to its name and speedily delivered us to our stop conveniently just around the corner from the National Library on Cuba Street.
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Inside the library we found our assigned table and we were able to eye up our competition - 17 other teams from around Aotearoa. When we won the Canterbury Regionals back in April we were up against 44 other teams, so this was a smaller crowd… but these were the top teams from around NZ, so they were more intimidating!
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The format of the Nationals is different from the Regionals, instead of writing answers down, teams use buzzers. The team that hits their buzzer first says their answer into a microphone. Exciting!
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There were to be 5 rounds with 15 questions in each round. Every team starts with 10 points. The questions were the "slow reveal" type and teams buzzed in when they thought they knew the answer. If correct, they win 2 points, but - if they are wrong they lose a point, the question continues and the team that answered incorrectly cannot hit the buzzer again for that question. The stakes were high!
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Wayne the Quizmaster announced the first round category was Animal Symbols, and we were off! Buzzers were buzzing all over the place with lots of teams answering questions before Wayne had even finished his first sentence. At the end of the first round it seemed every other team had pressed the buzzer except us! The scoreboard confirmed it, we were near the bottom. Then by the end of the second round, we had only managed to press our buzzer once - but the answer was wrong so we lost a point. We were going backwards! But at least we knew our buzzer was working ...
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Round 3, the category was “Bullies”, and Ben optimistically proclaimed “we could still win it! We just have to concentrate.”
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The Quizmaster started to read the first question and unbelievably we realised it was the same as a practice question we had just done on the Airport bus! As soon as he heard ‘Castle windows.’ Ben pressed the buzzer.
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“The Wicked Witch of the West,” he said.
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“That is...Correct!” We all celebrated, but we knew we had a long way to go.
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The next question began. Ben buzzed again.
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“Miss Trunchbull,” he said.
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“Correct!” We celebrated again, and wondered if maybe we had a chance.
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A few questions later, it was the Heaton buzzer once more.
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“Out of My Mind,” said Clara.
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“Correct again!” said Wayne.
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We were gaining confidence now and on a roll!
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Pearse buzzed in for the next question -
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“Amazingly, that is correct again!” said Wayne.
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We were all absolutely elated by this point and more so when we saw the scoreboard at the end of Round 3. Incredibly we had shot up to second-equal place!
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Then it was time for a break. We were sparking with electricity!
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Round 4 and the category was Fictional Creatures.
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We only managed to buzz in for one of the 15 questions but Clara made it count.
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“Gollum,” was her response.
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“Correct,” said Quizmaster Wayne. We all high-fived in celebration.
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At the end of the round, we were second only to Puketapu school, from Hawke’s Bay.
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This was it, the final round, the category was “Titles”. We knew if we did well here, we might just actually win. Maybe Ben was right after all!!
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For the first few questions we hung back, we were all very jittery by then. But we knew we needed to answer - and answer correctly!
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Then, there was a question that nobody seemed to know the answer to. For one of the few times in the entire quiz of 75 questions, Wayne had managed to read out the complete question without being interrupted by buzzers. He was now dropping clues like crazy - he told us the first word of the title was ‘Fish’ and that the second word started with ‘B.’ With nerves of steel Julia chose to make an educated guess, hit the buzzer and offered “Fish Boy”? (a book title she had never heard of).
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“That is correct!” said Wayne. We were jubilant - but knew that we needed at least one more.
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We couldn’t answer any of the remaining questions, until the very last one. It was now or never!
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Wayne said “this story was about a war between two gods”.
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Two teams got to the buzzer before us, saying “Heroes of Olympus”, then “Percy Jackson” - answers that seemed good to us, but both were wrong.
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Then Julia pressed the buzzer.
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The other three of us had no idea what she was going to say.
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“That is…” we waited in agonizing suspense “…Correct!” Wayne exclaimed.
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We enthusiastically congratulated Julia and then nervously waited for the results.
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The scoreboard display had been turned off so we didn’t know where we had placed.
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First they announced there had to be a tie-breaker question for 3rd and 4th place. We braced ourselves to hear our name, but it was between Puketapu and Awakeri schools.
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Then “In 2nd place is..” in the pause we held our breath, crossed our fingers that it wasn’t us…
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“Dunedin North School!” As Dunedin North collected their certificates and medals we stared at each other in utter disbelief. Have we actually won?
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“And in First Place, and the first time this school has ever been represented at the National finals, it is … Heaton Intermediate!” exclaimed Wayne.
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We HAD won. And by ONE point! It felt surreal.
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But by the time we received our trophy and medals and had our photos taken it was beginning to sink in. We had now qualified for the World Finals being held in the Bay of Islands in the July school holidays. This time we would be competing against teams from as far away as Canada and the USA. As we walked out of the National Library with completely different mindsets than we had walked in with, all we could think about was the competition ahead, and all the reading we had to do to prepare for it.
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The world finals were held in Paihia, a small town in the Bay of Islands. Along with our flights our WHOLE 5-DAY experience was paid for by the Kid’s Lit Quiz, this included a tour around the Waitangi Treaty grounds, a movie night, and a boat trip to see the whole bay.
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But we weren’t there just to trip around, and all too soon the day of the World Finals Kids’ Lit Quiz arrived: Friday 10th July - an auspicious date as it was Matariki. We were competing against teams from the USA, Canada, Thailand, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, and Indonesia.
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The quiz began and we were off with a bang, every team answering something over the 90 minutes it took to get through 77 questions. Our Heaton team, representing New Zealand came second! We were World Runner-ups! The USA came first and Hong Kong 3rd. We were each given a trophy and $500 prize money before a gala dinner later that night where every team was celebrated for their success in making it to the World Finals.
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On the 17th of August, Heaton took five amazing rock bands to the inter-school band competition, Band Quest. Competition was tight, but all our bands performed well and we came away with some prizes, including first place! Congratulations to all of the bands for their performance on the night, and a special ‘well done’ to these prize winners:
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The Rookies (Josh, Sean, George, Ruah and Hunter) - First Place
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Here is a recount of the night from two members of the winning band:
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As soon as we left school we were already pumped up for the night and ready to rock. When we got to the town hall we entered into the James Hay Theatre and were shocked by the size of the stage and capacity of this amazing theatre.
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We were very nervous as we were the first band to perform out of 16 other bands. The backstage was very posh with everything looking expensive and we didn’t want to break any gear or items. Before we went on stage we got our lollies ready in our hats to throw out to our mosh pit. We got all of our instruments tuned up by the amazing people from the rockshop. After we finished tuning we walked out the big doors to get ourselves ready for the big performance.
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The stage crew were amazing because they got us all set up with mics and everything. Once we got on stage the MC shortly introduced us to the audience while we were getting set up. Sean told the audience what songs we were playing and he also invited them up to the front to be our mosh pit and said there will be a little surprise for them later on. We then started the biggest performance of the band's career.
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We put on an amazing show with our first song, "Say it Ain’t So". George and Ruah had a solo in it. Before we played our next song we gave the mosh pit the first surprise of the night which was some of our many fruit bursts. We then played "Teenage Dirtbag" which was amazing with our drummer (Josh) singing the whole song and doing an amazing job. We threw out the rest of our fruit bursts and walked off the stage extremely proud of ourselves with that performance.
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After that performance we all had lost our voices from all of that jumping and screaming that we did while playing. When we were watching the other bands including the other amazing Heaton bands the MC threw out some free t-shirts and Hunter ended up getting one in his size which was amazing.
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After the other bands finished there was a duo of some older kids who performed while the judges finished deciding the place getters and the solo awards. When the judges came out we all got invited up onto the stage to see who got the awards. The solo awards were first and two people from Heaton got an award. Eddie from the Smoky B’s got the best singer and our amazing drummer, Josh, got the best drummer award. After we heard that Josh had gotten the best drummer, our hopes of getting first sky-rocketed and we thought we had an even bigger chance of winning but we still weren't 100% sure.
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When they were announcing 3rd and 2nd place we were like “please, please be us” and then we heard “Heaton Intermediate” and we were nervous then they said “THE ROOKIES!” We were so happy we were jumping around like crazy. After we calmed down we had to have an interview with the press but we still couldn’t hold our excitement. We were so happy.
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Jump Jam Freshman Competition
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Jump Jam this year was a blast. From the start of term two, when the teams were picked for the competition, it was all go, with practices every week on Monday lunchtime. Then, in the last two weeks leading up to the competition, we went to two practices a week, practising the routine nonstop. Then on the last Thursday before the competition, Brett Fairweather came in and gave us some last-minute tips. On the 22nd of August, which was the competition day, there were butterflies but also lots of excitement.
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Waiting backstage felt so exciting, knowing we were about to perform what we had been practising for weeks. Finally, our turn came; we walked onto the stage, feeling so excited. The music started, and we burst into action. As soon as our music started, all the tiny little nerves and doubts that we had before the competition went away. It felt so cool to be out on that stage. After we finished our routine, we all felt really good and happy about how we had done. It was also really cool to see all the other routines from the different schools.
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Then prize giving came; we headed up on stage feeling nervous. The merit certificates were handed out, and we ended up getting two. Then it was time for the placings to be announced. It felt awesome when they announced Heatons Money Movers as 3rd place; we all went up and got handed our trophy, feeling pretty pleased with ourselves. After prize giving, walking out to meet our parents, the group was fizzing with excitement. Big Thank You To Miss Walsh and Miss Pearce for giving up your time to help us practice.
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Jump Jam Open Competition
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Everyone who wanted to be on the Jump Jam team signed up through the daily notices and showed up for 2 trials, trying our best to make it into the freshman or the open team. This made it hard for Ms Walsh and Ms Pearse, as there were 80 people and only 40 spots. Throughout our time in Jump Jam, we have put our time and effort into contributing through lunchtime and extra practices.
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Every Monday lunchtime, we had our practices; both teams would meet in the hall. At the start of our Jump Jam experience, we were learning the basics of the dance and cleaning it up along the way. Closer to the time, we started to learn our chants and the singing parts; these were challenging for our group to all learn while also keeping in time with our music.
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As the competition was coming to an end for the freshman team, we came ready to perform at 7:30 sharp, our hair teased, all ready to go. Waiting around for the other groups, we were so amazed by this new experience for some of us; there were 13 groups in our category, from Cobham to Woodend, and even Breen's. Crawling onto the stage with freaky, angry energy that we had trained for months, this was the time to perfect everything. We had nothing to lose. The scary faces were one of the things we needed to nail for this routine; the choreography needed to be on point. We performed our best and nailed the routine.
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Prize giving was after a long time of watching performances. They started by giving everyone their certificates for merit, excellence, and distinction. We got excellence for both certificates. This made us have great hopes for getting on the podium in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. They started with 3rd, not us. Then 2nd place, Heatons Frequency! The crowd roared with excitement while we got our trophy and our picture taken.
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While the competition ended late, we were pleased with the final result, which showed all of our hard work paid off in the end.
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Canterbury Water Polo WinterFest
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In June, our water polo team competed in the Canterbury Water Polo WinterFest tournament held at Parakiore, which hosted teams from all across the South Island. Our team improved with every match and fought hard through some incredibly close games.
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A special thank you to our coach, Fred, for his commitment, wisdom, and support throughout the weekend. Well done to all our players—you represented our school with pride!
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Heaton Book Week brings the Reading Buzz
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Week 4 of Term 3 brought plenty of literary excitement to He Tīwai Mātauranga as we celebrated Heaton Book Week alongside Aotearoa School Libraries Week. Beyond the fun, the week was a wonderful reminder of the power of reading for pleasure—a habit global research consistently highlights as the single biggest predictor of a child’s academic success!
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Classroom Kahoot Showdowns
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Every class visited Te Kāmata to tackle the Kahoot Class Challenge, testing their knowledge on all things library-related. Room 16 took out the Year 7 title, while Room 2 emerged as the ultimate Year 8 champions after a high-stakes tiebreaker against Room 1. Both winning classes earned a $20 Whitcoulls voucher to buy a book for their classroom collection.
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Blurred Books & Parent Connections
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Students put their visual detective skills to work in the "Blurred Books" competition, deciphering six pixelated book covers. Three lucky eagle-eyed readers names were drawn out of the hat to each win a $20 Whitcoulls voucher.
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Parents also joined the fun in the BookChat FaceSnap competition. We loved seeing families connect over what their children were reading—one of the simplest and most impactful ways to foster a lifelong love of books. Congratulations to the five lucky families who took home $50 Whitcoulls vouchers.
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Lunchtime Activities & The Grand Finale
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Lunchtimes in Te Kāmata were filled with bookish crosswords, word finds, and chatterboxes.
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The week wrapped up with a fabulous Book Character Day. Students brought their favorite stories to life, stepping off the page and onto the catwalk with creative, fantastical costumes that made for an unforgettable grand finale.
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Thank you to all our staff, students, and whānau for making this year's Book Week such a brilliant celebration of books and reading!
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Heaton Policies and Procedures
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The policies are reviewed on a three-yearly cycle. However, feedback on policies can be sent at any time.
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Term 3 - Kura Community Engagement Policy
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Kura Community Engagement Policy
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- Ākonga Uniform/Ākonga Dress Expectations
- Concerns and Complaints Policy
How to access the schooldocs policy website
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Enter the username (heaton) and password (8542).
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Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
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Click the Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page to contribute comments and ratings about the policy.
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Select the reviewer type "Parent".
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Enter your name (optional).
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Submit your ratings and comments.
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Alternatively you can access schooldocs through our school website Heaton School Policies and Procedures. If you don't have internet access, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy you require and a review form.
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Cobham and Wharenui Basketball
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Over the last two terms, our basketball teams have been competing fiercely on Friday nights in their respective competitions. Over the past few weeks, our teams competing in the Cobham and Wharenui competitions have finished their seasons.
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Well done to all of our players for their hard work, consistency, and determination. You have represented our school with pride, and thank you for your commitment. Seeing our teams improve over the season has been incredibly rewarding, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful coaches for their time, energy, and ongoing support.
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A massive thank you to Abe, Randall, Ben, Michelle and Nigel, and Raghav for your enthusiasm, organisation, knowledge, and coaching skills throughout the season. We are so grateful for everything you do for our basketballers!
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Flying High: Introducing Our New Kaupeka Flags!
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We are thrilled to officially unveil our stunning new kaupeka flags, which were proudly presented in assembly by our kaupeka leaders. Ollie and Mason did a fantastic job introducing each flag and explaining the meaningful stylised logos and backgrounds.
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Designed by the talented Christine Harvey, who also created our school logo.
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Features artwork based on the unique plant or tree that each kaupeka is named after.
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Displays individual kaupeka colours, names, and logos.
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Bringing Our Spirit to Life
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These flags and logos will deeply enhance our school spirit. Moving forward, kaimahi (staff) and ākonga (students) will use these special designs in classrooms, emails, artwork, and all around the kura.
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Look out for them representing our teams at upcoming events, including:
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Athletics Day and Cross-country
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Off-site community events
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Our annual, highly anticipated ‘Haka Off’
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A huge mihi and thank you goes out to the Board of Trustees for funding this incredibly special project. We encourage you to take a look at these beautiful additions next time you are visiting the school!
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HPV and Boostrix Immunisations Year 8 Students
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During Term 3 & 4 2026 the Public Health Nursing Service will be returning to school to offer HPV and Boostrix immunisations to Year 8 students. If you receive a consent form, please complete this form either YES or NO and return to school immediately. Any queries: CA-NPHS-Immunisationphn@tewhatuora.govt.nz
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CAIMS Basketball Tournament
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On Tuesday, 18 August, three of our basketball teams competed in the CAIMS Basketball Tournament. Held on the wonderful courts at Parakiore, our players went head-to-head with intermediate and middle schools from all across Christchurch. It was a massive day of action, with many of our teams playing back-to-back games!
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Well done to all our players, who consistently demonstrated integrity, respect, and outstanding sportsmanship throughout the day.
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A special thank you to Hannah, Bojan, and Randall for giving up their time to coach our teams. We would also like to extend our thanks to CAIMS Sport and Canterbury Basketball for organising such a fantastic tournament and experience for our athletes.
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Hawks: The Hawks faced a tough pool and strong competition right out of the gate! After two hard-fought losses early on, they rallied brilliantly to win all of their remaining games, finishing 13th overall—a fantastic effort.
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Harriers: The Harriers had a great day out, enjoying competitive matchups from start to finish. They fought hard all the way to the final, ultimately taking second place after a tough battle against a strong team from Wairarapa Cobham Intermediate.
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Huskies: The Huskies dominated their pool games to finish right at the top. They advanced to the grand final against a talented side from Christchurch South Karamata Intermediate School, putting in a performance to be proud of and securing an impressive 2nd place overall!
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Free U14 Online GP Care
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Online GP care now free for all under-14s
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With lots of winter illnesses about right now, health services are experiencing very high demand. If you need to speak to a GP and can’t get in to your usual doctor or its after hours, Online GP provides a great option for accessing safe and quick care. The service is available from anywhere in the country, anytime day or night, and is now free for all under-14s.
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Appointments usually take place through a video app or a phone call, and the service can prescribe medicine and send prescriptions to your nearest pharmacy.
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It also provides another care option for rural communities, reducing the need to travel.
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Online GP costs for young people
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With Community Services Card
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With no Community Services Card
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On 4 June, we took a team of 40 students to compete at the CAIMS Cross Country Championships at Ascot Park (QEII). The team was buzzing with excitement, especially as this was the first time the event was held at this venue, complete with rumours of hurdles on the track!
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During our course walk, the team discovered a challenging course that was sandy, hilly, and featuring not one, but two hurdles! Our runners warmed up, practised their hurdle technique, and prepared for a tough race.
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The 3km course consisted of three 1km laps, which made for fantastic spectating. Well done to all of our competitors—we are incredibly proud of the grit, determination, and resilience you displayed.
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Special congratulations to the following athletes who placed in the top 10:
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Year 7 Girls: Hazel C (3rd), Alex P (9th), Willow B (10th)
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Year 7 Boys: Josh K (1st), Leo S (4th), Beckett S (6th), Flynn M (8th)
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Year 8 Girls: Alice C (5th)
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Year 8 Boys: Arlo D (7th)
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Winter Sport
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Our winter sports programme took place over 10 weeks across Terms 2 and 3. We offered a wide range of competitive and non-competitive options that took place both on-site and off-sit. We truly hope everyone found an activity they enjoyed!
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Our in-school sports programme offered a variety of opportunities this year. We were fortunate to have Proteus Sport provide coaches to develop skills in netball, basketball, football, and volleyball. Students also enjoyed Mrs Taylor's art programme, a winter sport rotation, dance with Mrs Hill, yoga and Pilates with Dee, and padder tennis. Thank you to all our teachers and external providers for offering such a brilliant range of options. A special thanks to Ms Green, who coordinated and led a group of Year 8 students rock climbing each week—we know this was a huge highlight!
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We would also like to extend a massive thank you to our phenomenal parent coaches who supported our off-site winter sports teams this season: Michael, Tim, Matt, Carlos, and Walt. Without your generous time and commitment, we could not offer so many of our students the opportunity to play off-site sport. To our teachers who coordinate, organise, support, and train our teams during lunch breaks—thank you for your mahi. We all appreciate you!
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We achieved some exceptional results across our winter sports teams, and every athlete developed new skills and made lifelong memories. Unfortunately, rain and snow meant that many finals and playoff games were unable to be played, but our teams should be immensely proud of their achievements.
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Congratulations to the following teams who finished in the top three of their respective A-grade competitions:
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Reporting student absence through the Hero App
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Please report your child's absence through Hero. You will notice icons to access information about the school term dates, calendar, school policies and procedures, and lunches. The attached slides outline more detailed information about Hero's functionality.
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A couple of things to note for reporting absence;
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If your child is going to be absent or late, please explain in the further comments section.
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If you want to report a future absence, please notify your class teacher and office administration by email (admin@heaton.school.nz)
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Student Future Absence/Appointments
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To assist us with ensuring the safety of our students during the school day, please remember the following procedures on student absence/appointments.
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If your child is going to be absent or late to school, please contact school via the Hero App before 9.00 a.m. on each day of absence or lateness. Students arriving late to school must report to the student reception desk on arrival in order to sign in.
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If your child has an appointment and you wish to collect your child from school during the day, please email the class teacher or write a note with the time you would like to collect your child from the school office. Your child will meet you at the school office and must sign out at the student reception desk. We ask that you collect your child from the school office. If returning during the school day, students must sign back in at the student reception desk.
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Future absences information can be emailed to the class teacher and admin@heaton.school.nz
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Term 1: Monday 2 February to Thursday 2 April
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Term 2: Monday 20 April to Friday 3 July
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Term 3: Monday 20 July to Friday 25 September
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Term 4: Monday 12 October to Tuesday 15 December
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Additional Dates in Term Time:
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Waitangi Day: Friday 6 February
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Good Friday: Friday 3 April
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Anzac Day: Monday 27 April
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King's Birthday: Monday 1 June
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MOE allocated teacher only day: Friday 26 June
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MOE allocated teacher only day: Monday 7 September
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Labour Day: Monday 26 October
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Canterbury Anniversary Day: Friday 13 November
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Term 1: Monday 1 February - Friday 9 April
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Term 2: Tuesday 27 April - Friday 2 July
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Term 3: Monday 19 July - Friday 24 September
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Term 4: Monday 11 October Thursday 16 December
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Additional Dates in Term Time:
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Waitangi Day: Monday 8 February
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Good Friday: Friday 26 March
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Easter Monday: Monday 29 March
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Easter Tuesday: Tuesday 30 March
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Anzac Day: Monday 26 April
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MOE Teacher Only Day: Friday 4 June
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King's Birthday: Monday 7 June
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MOE Teacher Only Day: Monday 23 August
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Labour Day: Monday 25 October
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Canterbury Anniversary Day: Friday 12 November
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CHRISTCHURCH AVON ATHLETICS CLUB – Junior Section We are a well organised, friendly Junior Athletics Club – Catering for children of all abilities in the 5-14yr age groups.Club nights are Wednesdays 5pm - 6.45pm (5/6yrs finish by 6.30pm) – at Burnside High School.First Club night for the 2026/2027 season is Wednesday 14th October.Saturday Inter-Club Competition is available with top-quality coaching provided for grades 10-14yrs
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- REGISTRATION DAYS – FOR ALL NEW MEMBERS:
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DATE: Monday 12th October TIME: 5.00-6.15pm PLACE: Christchurch Avon Club Rooms – Burnside High School (access from Greers Rd beside tennis courts) FEES: $126 per child ($106 for the 2nd and subsequent children in the same family)$77 for children in the Kiwisport Group – 5/6 yrs oldFees are payable following registration by internet bankingNote - Until payment has been received, the child’s registration is incomplete.Our very popular Junior club fills up quickly – so it is essential that all new members attend registration night on Monday 12th October to secure a place. Please note that Kiwisport numbers will be restricted to 32 in the group.For any other information contact Marilyn Morrison (Junior Club Captain) by email at marilynmorrison52@gmail.com
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125-133 Heaton Street Merivale 8052
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