Tokomairiro High School Newsletter...
SCHOOL MISSION: Inspiring Excellence in Education, in Character and in Life.
As we enter the second week of the term, it has been great to see everyone settling quickly back into routines and focusing on the weeks ahead. There’s a lot happening this term, with Reading Week underway, NCEA exams just around the corner, and preparations beginning for our end-of-year events.
NCEA Updates and Study Leave
The results of the Reading Co-requisite were released last week, and we are very pleased with how our students performed. We are still waiting on the Numeracy and Writing results, which will be released next Monday. As time is moving on for our seniors, we are now looking at which students will be granted study leave. To be entitled to study leave, students must have no internal standards outstanding and be on track to attain their qualification. Students will be advised of their study leave status before the exam period begins. We wish all our senior students the very best as they move into this final phase of the year; it’s a time to stay focused and finish well.
Junior Learning and Testing Week
While our senior students prepare for exams, our Year 7–10 students continue with a full learning programme. It’s an important time to consolidate their progress and demonstrate our school values of haepapa, whakaute, and hiranga. Students will be taking part in Testing Week during Week 4, which provides valuable information to help teachers track progress and plan for 2026. We encourage all students to give their best effort and to take pride in showing how much they’ve achieved this year.
Reading Week –“Medieval Days”
This week is Reading Week, and this year’s theme is “Medieval Days.” A range of fun activities are planned, including a Fictional Character Dress-Up Competition (with extra prizes for those who go medieval!), writing competitions for Years 7–13, a historical quiz, and creative lunchtime activities such as making a coat of arms, shield, or medieval pennant. There will even be an outdoor live chess game. Many thanks to Mr Daniels for organising what promises to be an enjoyable week that celebrates reading, creativity, and imagination across all year levels.
Industrial Action
This week there is rostering home in place as part of ongoing industrial action by PPTA members. Then next week, PPTA members will be participating in a mega strike, and as a result, the school will not be open on that day. We will keep caregivers informed with up-to-date information by email and on the school Facebook page as further details are confirmed. We appreciate everyone’s understanding during this time.
Lake to Sea Trail Ride
Planning is well underway for this year’s Lake to Sea Trail Ride, one of our major fundraisers. The event attracts trail riders from across Otago and further afield, and the support from the riding community has always been greatly appreciated. We’re hopeful for good weather this year so the event can go ahead as planned.
112 Union Street, Milton
Ph 417 8223 butcherymilton@gmail.com
Beef Olives
$24.95kg
Lamb Shoulder Chops
$17.95kg
Tasmanian Apple Cider
Sausages
$15.95kg
Book in your Homekill!
Want your meat ready for Christmas?
Secure your spot! Call or email us, or send a pm via Facebook.
Open Saturdays
9am 12pm
Teacher Only Day
A reminder that Thursday 14 November is a Teacher Only Day, granted by the Ministry of Education. The school will be closed for instruction on this day.
BYOD
This year we introduced Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) across the school, and we will be continuing with this in 2026. Students are expected to bring a suitable device for learning, and Noel Leeming has a list of recommended models. Please note that tablets are not suitable for classroom use at this level.
Measles Information
The Ministry of Education has shared important health information about recent measles cases in Te Tai Tokerau and Queenstown. Because measles is highly contagious, it’s important that we all remain alert.
Watch for symptoms: fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes, and a blotchy rash. Keep anyone with symptoms at home and contact your doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116 Vaccination is the best protection – please check that everyone in your whānau is immunised. Anyone exposed to measles who has not received two MMR vaccinations cannot attend school for at least eight days.
More information can be found on the Health New Zealand website: Measles: Locations of Interest in Aotearoa New Zealand – Health New Zealand
Ngā mihi nui
Vicki Wish, Principal | Tumuaki
Genesis
The Genesis is a free publication, delivered weekly to homes and businesses in Milton, and is available on the school website, Facebook or via email. The Genesis office is open Tuesday 8:30am - 3:30pm and Wednesday 8:30-12. If the office is unattended, any articles, advertising or payments can be taken to the school office or left in the secure box in the office door.
Genesis Deadlines: Advertising and Articles - Monday 12 noon. These can be emailed to the Editor at genesis@tokohigh.school.nz.
Genesis is delivered FREE to your letterbox on Wednesday afternoons. Any payments or donations can be made to Tokomairiro High School, account number 03 1736 0009803 000. Please use GENESIS and your name as reference. - Carolyn Shanks, Genesis Editor
Welcoming Our Local Schools to Food Technology
Bible Reading for the Week ‘These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts’ Zechariah 8:16
In Term 3 we had the pleasure of hosting Year 6 students from Waihola, Milton Primary, and Tokoiti Schools into our Food Technology room. Each group had two sessions of two hours learning the basics of health and safety, practising manaakitanga (hospitality and caring for others), and developing their cooking skills. Students had the chance to make a mix of sweet and savoury dishes while getting a taste of what life is like at Tokomairiro High School. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm, teamwork, and creativity in the kitchen! We loved welcoming these young learners into our space and can’t wait to see some familiar faces again soon. come and be part of our school whānau!
The Rebus Club of Milton
It was interesting to listen to Mark Adam at the September meeting. Mark went to school in Milton and left to study automotive engineering but realised it was not for him. After 4 months on the dole he worked on a dairy farm and then at Gorton’s Sawmill before having an interview for the Air Force. (Funny; he hadn’t applied! Mum had done it for him!) There were options he could follow and his choice was to be a fireman. After basic training, a section at Woodbourne and courses at Linton he was based at Blenheim where commercial airlines and Air Force share the airfield. This gave him plenty of opportunity to use his training. During his 9 years with the Force he was posted for a time in East Timor as a fireman/security for helicopters. With concern about what he could do after leaving the Air Force, he went to university to study geology. With no work available in NZ, it was off to Australia to work in the mines near Kalgoorlie. If it wasn’t flies, the problem was the heat. He was 2 to 3 years there before being made redundant then got a job as an iron ore geologist working with potash on a salt lake.
He moved back to NZ and studied computer science for 1 year followed by a contract in Australia for a few months. After that he worked at Blackhead Quarries for 2 years, then with an excavator for 18 months. It was back to Uni to study geological engineering which gave him more scope for work. A move to Invercargill was for a job as a consultant doing Geotech testing for new buildings’ foundations. What a journey!
Mark was thanked by Donald Gordon and given a gift. The next meeting is on Tuesday October 21 at the RSA hall at 10 am.
The speaker is Barbara Lowery, our local librarian. She will show a power point presentation of her recent trip to Mongolia and talk about her experiences riding various animals.
Committee please meet at 9.30 am.
For all your legal requirements, contact our friendly team at (03) 417-8004 or email milton@sumptermoore.co.nz
Contact the Genesis Office for more information about advertising. Just email genesis@tokohigh.school.nz
Quote of the Week: ‘When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice’ -Saul Bellow
From the Art Room
Years 9 and 10 Painting started the term with a study of work by Ngataiharuru Taepa. This work uses traditional imagery in pastel colours. Sophie Greer, Ivy Clarke, Jada-Rose Carr and Ben Scott share their work.
The Joy of Literacy
At Milton Kindergarten we have been fostering the mokopuna’s love of pre literacy skills. This has taken different directions as the term has progressed and we follow the interests of the mokopuna.
Lots of mokopuna have been proud to identify their name and this has led to an interest in writing their own name using a variety of different media, from chalk, to paint, pens and pencils and has been enjoyed both inside and out.
Stories have always been a favourite past time at Milton Kindergarten, we have seen well-loved favourites not only verbally retold, but acted out using props, puppets and masks. Our mokopuna are so creative that they then made their own resources to build on and extend the story. This has then inspired mokopuna to become authors and illustrators themselves as they create their own stories!
We can’t wait to see where the mokopuna interest of pre-literacy takes us next!
To find out follow us on Facebook, just search Milton Kindergarten.
Dates to Remember
Monday 13th - Friday 17th October - Reading Week
Monday 27th October Labour Day - School Closed
Thursday 30th October - Last Day for Senior Students
Tuesday 4th November - NCEA Exams Begin
Saturday 8th November - Lake to Sea Trail Bike Ride
Thursday 13th November - Yr 6 Orientation Morning
Friday 14th November - Teacher Only Day
News from the Trenches...
This report has had to be filled a couple days earlier this week due to being called away on an expedition involving subterfuge and explosive undertakings of the highest level.
Now by the time you read this report, we will be down to the final 2 weeks of the NPC Comp and I can honestly say, the scoring has been phenomenal. I'm doing this report before last week games so if there are no upsets, I'd imagine the winner could be 1 of 14 candidates. As a popular TV catch phrase, The Chase is On!!! Who will be the first to lose their nerve??
Also the Spuds are flying out the door for our Spud Dig Comp and trust me when I say, in planting them, the only advice I can offer is, the deeper you go, you will get better results.
You will have seen forms at RSA on behalf of Toko Rugby Club for ordering cheese rolls to raise funds for Tappy who has a battle on his hands at present. So you haven't got long to put your name on.
Would you believe it, Haggis the Pigeon has already put in for some time off as he is sunning himself on the Canary Islands (see what I did there) and covering himself liberally in oil, hopefully not cooking oil. As a result I don't have all the necessary information this week. I've been told I need to lift my wordsmith skills over the upcoming columns.
- Private Spike Pike
School
Contact Details
School Office: 03 417 8620
School Cellphone: 027 268 3362
Office email: office@tokohigh.school.nz
Tokomairiro High School HORT SHOP
Openifsignsareout
Wednesdayafternoons
Waihola/Clarendon Women`s Institute
Our September meeting had a lot of business to get through. We have received invitations to two 90th birthday celebrations and another group is to celebrate their 100 years of age. Another group celebrated their 94th birthday. Competition Day had four members attending. The motto given was "A closed mouth gathers no feet". Our president then conducted two quizzes. The first one was to compare our handbags contents with hers. Only one member managed to match her 19 items. The other was a pantry item quiz. A bottle auction was then held which raised $273, the stipulation being the bottle was to be of glass. Members bought along a book they had read and was swapped with another.
Milton Bridge Club
Milton Pairs - 2 October
A Phillips R Devlin. 66.67% J Scott. A Broome. 62.5%
K Powell. D Macauley. 54.17% J Turnbull K Roughan. 45.83%
T Morland P Bloxham. 44.44% L Clark. L Day. 41.67% V Crawford M da Silva. 34.72%
Toko Champs - 10 October
J Scott. J Turnbull. 66.25% G Dale. J Whitmore. 62.5%
T Peterson L Clark. 56.25% A Broome. R Devlin. 46.25%
K Powell T Morland. 38.75% K Roughan P Bloxham. 30.00%
Genesis Classifieds ...
Toko Golf
LGU and Putting - 7th October 2025
0 - 26.4
1st Lisa Day 89 - 15 -74
26.5 - 40.4
2nd Deanna Matsopoulos 113 - 29 - 84 3rd Helen Vollweiler 118 - 32 - 86
Longest Putt - Pam Keddell
Jo Hitchon Button - Suzie Bearman 69 Nett
Anna Burnett - LGU Day - Lisa Day 89 - 17 - 74
E Kennard Putting - Raewyn Devlin 31 Putts
May Murdoch Tee - Jayne Greene 36 Stableford
Milton Op Shop+ AGM
Milton Opportunities Charitable Trust AGM
Wednesday 29 October 44 Union Street at 7.00pm New board members Welcome
- Transformation
Whetheryou’ reinearlyrecovery,supportingalovedone,or simplycurious,RecoveryChurchinvitesyoutocomeasyouare.
Official Opening 2nd November 2025 at 5pm then on the first Sunday of each month at 2:30pm. Phone 027 959 8570 for more information
Genesis Advertising
Contact the Genesis Office for more information about advertising.
Advertisements start at just $12, and can be run weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Email genesis@tokohigh.school.nz
Tokomairiro Waiora Inc.
4 Shakespeare St Milton Free Nurse Clinics 2025
The Nurse Clinics provide a range of services including:
• Rangatahi checks
• CERVICAL SCREENING SELF TEST available
• Sexual health checks and contraception advice including emergency contraception
• Pregnancy testing
• Weight monitoring
• Blood sugar and blood pressure checks
• Heart, diabetes and breathing checks to identify risk of illness
• Chronic disease maintenance
• Access to Podiatrists
• Access to Dietitians
• Helping develop health plans to meet health goals
• Advice on who and what is available to meet people’s health needs.
Next clinic Tuesday 21st October, 10am - 2pm
Open to all community members. For appointment contact: Ph 03 417 7430 or 027 232 3769 or office@tokowaiora.co.nz
Trees of the World SPRING SALE
Starts Saturday 18th October Ends Monday 27th October
- LABOUR DAY
- All Conifers in bags - ½ price Huge selection
- Ornamental Chestnuts - ½ price
- Weeping Maples - 40% off
- Flowering Cherries - 40% off
- Fruit Trees - 30% off
- 25% off remaining trees
SH1, 6kms south of Mosgiel
Open 9am - 5pm | 7 days | 027 273 8707
Keep Moving Tuesdays at 2:30pm, $3
Mums with Bubs welcome 10am-2pm
Body Composition - find out what’s underneath $18 each or $150 for 10 concession
Contact the Genesis Office for more information about advertising. Just email genesis@tokohigh.school.nz
Tokomairiro High School HORT SHOP OPEN
WEDNESDAYS1:30pm-4pm. Variety of Plants & Shrubs Ready for Planting Now!
Genesis Office Hours Tuesdays 8:30-3:30 Wednesdays 8:30-12 noon
Hire a Millenial! Not good with technology? No worries! With a wealth of tech and marketing experience give Olivia a call for all your computer/ phone needs. Phone: 021 035 5861
• Asphalting
• Driveways
• Paving
• CobbleStoning
• Tennis Courts
• FloorSlabs
Genesis Advertising
CALTEX MILTON
