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Nga mihi nui ki a koutou. Greetings parents, students and members of the Berkley Normal Middle School Community.
Welcome to term four!
I have recently returned from Japan, where I was lucky enough to travel to with a group of our Berkley students for our annual exchange trip with our sister school (Makuhari International Junior High). This trip is a cultural exchange and allows our students the opportunity to be hosted by a Japanese family and experience the schooling environments along with varied cultural and tourist activities. The students had an amazing few weeks, showing maturity and independence along with suberb Berkley values. We are excited to farewell our next international contingent in a few weeks, when a group of our students head to Noumea for a week of French Polynesian culture.
As we begin term four, we look forward to another busy term to round out the year. We have the last of our WIMS events, students heading to Hillary Outdoors Adventure in Coromandel, our Teams 'Super 5' competition starting, Berkley athletics events and much more! We will conclude the term with our end of year Team huis, school awards assemblies and a formal dance for the school to farewell our Year 8 and 9 students. All our key event dates are on our school website and have been emailed to parents this week.
We are now finalising enrolments for 2026 and looking ahead to planning for next year. If you have a current year 8 student, it is important that you ensure their enrolment for next year is completed. If you would like your child to continue their journey at Berkley for Year 9, please talk to our office staff about an enrolment application. If your child has made the decision to move onto a high school, please ensure you have completed the enrolment processes directly with your chosen high school. Please note that re-enrolment for Year 7's going to Year 8 is automatic, so nothing is required from parents unless your student is not returning to Berkley next year, in which case we would appreciate you letting our office know that you do not require a place for Year 8 in 2026. Please talk to our office team if you have any queries.
Ngā mihi nui,
Nathan Leith
Principal
Our tri-annual board election was run during term three and we are pleased to announce our new Berkley Board of Trustees as per the results below from our returning officer.
Thank you very much to all the candidates, we appreciate your willingness to stand for election. The elected board has officially started and will be in place until our next election which will be run in 2028.
I can also confirm that Jason Hanson, was elected to the position of Berkley staff representative. Thank you Jason for your ongoing committment to this role and supporting the Berkley staff.
Nathan Leith
Berkley School Principal
From 30 August to 5 September AIMS Games 2025 was held in Tauranga. This annual event sees over 13,000 intermediate aged athletes from all around New Zealand and the Pacific. It is a massive week and our Berkley representatives trial, train and prepare for months in advance. We are incredibly proud of all our students who attended AIMS games and we hope you had an amazing week.
Special thanks also to our teachers and parents who did an amazing job coaching, managing and supporting our athletes - we appreciate your support so much!
In August, a number of Berkley students proudly represented our school at the Waikato Regional Science Fair, showcasing a wide range of creative and thoughtful projects. Isabella tested the strength of different types of super glue, Ammar investigated how video games affect the brain, and our budding food scientist, Finlay, experimented with proofing times, temperatures, and yeast types to discover what makes the best pizza dough. Margaret and Jayda explored the effectiveness of eco-friendly face masks compared to commercial ones, while Riley and Kayden tested how yeast impacts the foam in the classic elephant toothpaste experiment.
We also had some incredible invention projects. Xavier designed a tidal pump system to support mudskippers in captivity, and Kodi created a mechanical leg to assist people with mobility challenges. Ayzah and Emily produced informative wall charts about climate change and renewable energy, and Selina impressed with her detailed observational drawing of a Pelican.
The results were outstanding! Selina Xia, Ammar Hussain, and Finlay Opie all received Highly Commended awards for their projects — a fantastic recognition of their effort and scientific thinking.
A special congratulations goes to Xavier Lane, who not only won the Year 8 Inventions and Innovations category but also the overall Inventions category for Year 7–13, and was named the Supreme Winner of the entire Science Fair. An incredible achievement that makes the whole school community proud!
A huge congratulations to all of our Berkley scientists who embraced the challenge, put in the hard work, and proudly entered their projects into the fair. Your curiosity, creativity, and commitment to science are something to celebrate — ka pai!
We are very proud to announce that Cornelius Elisara, Year 8, has been awarded the 2025 Yound Citizen Altrusa Award for Berkley. To be selected for this award is a great honour and recognises the many fine qualities Cornelius demonstrates as a citizen in our school. Cornelius was presented this award in our schoolwide assembly today and he will attend a special ceremony later this month, where Cornelius and other Waikato award recipients will be recgonised.
Award Citation - Cornelius exemplifies kindness, humility, and unwavering support for others in every aspect of school life. His respectful and empathetic nature has made him a trusted friend and leader, always placing the needs of those around him first. Cornelius’ enthusiasm for learning, willingness to take initiative, and ability to encourage others ensure he stands out as both a role model and motivator. His outstanding sporting achievements, cultural contributions, and service to the school community reflect his commitment to excellence while remaining humble and inclusive. Cornelius’ generosity of spirit and dedication have left a lasting impression on Berkley, making him a most deserving recipient of the Altrusa Award.
| Formal Speech | Entertaining Speech | Poetry Slam/Spoken Word | Singers | Songwriters |
| 1st - Hazel Heslop | 1st - Liam Oliver | 1st: Kamsi Okpaleke | 1st: Ruanna Diwaniyan | 1st: Raeha Parekh |
| 2nd - Corvan Freeman | 2nd - Sophia Ulyatt | 2nd = : Neve McBeth-Isles and Gene Staughton | 2nd: Jasmine Collins | 2nd: Rebekah Lawrence |
In the last week of Term 3, a team of keen Kī-o-Rahi players set off for Matamata Intermediate to compete in the WIMS competition. Throughout the day, we competed in 4 games against Morrinsville, Te Awamutu, Rototuna Junior High School and Tokoroa Intermediate.
We learned a few lessons in our first 2 games, which paid off against RJHS, where we secured our first victory. Out final game was against Tokoroa Intermediate, who had not lost a game (winning by large margins, too). The team held their own and were tied 10 points with only 5 minutes to go. Unfortunately for us, Tokoroa scored a couple of last-minute points, which meath they won the game and went on to win the competition. Matua Ethan was proud of the teams's performance and peserverance nonetheless. Overall, a great day, filled with excitement and valuable learning.
Congratulations to the team - Leon N, Sacha B, Connor G, Brooklyn N, Maia G, Nicole G, Georgi T, Zaker K, Jayla T, Caiden B, Jovaan T, Hamiora K. Special thanks to Whaea Awatea and Matua Ethan.
