Kia ora koutou, and a warm welcome to the 2026 school year. A special welcome to our new Primary students and their whānau.  

The first day of school for Marsden Primary is Tuesday 27 January 2026. The school day for Year 1-6 students begins at 8.45am and finishes at 3.15pm. 

Primary Meet the Teacher Evening

All Primary School parents/caregivers are invited to our Meet the Teacher Evening, 5.30–6.30pm, Thursday 29 January 2026 to meet their child’s classroom teacher and hear about the learning programme and expectations for the year. 

If you are unable to attend, please contact your child’s teacher and check Seesaw for handouts or presentation materials shared from the event. 

Preschool and Primary Whānau Picnic

Whānau of Primary and Preschool students are warmly invited to our Whānau Picnic, 5.00–7.00pm, Wednesday 4 February 2026 in the Primary Playground. 

Bring along your picnic blankets, pack a picnic dinner or grab your favourite takeaways and join us for a relaxed evening to start the year socialising with other families, students and staff.

Marsden Primary Handbook

This handbook contains an outline of the values, goals and organisation of Marsden Primary. It highlights relevant aspects of the curriculum and also provides general information that you will require. We ask all Primary School families to read this.

Marsden Primary Handbook 2026

Stationery and Digital Devices

Primary students are not required to bring stationery except for a pencil case. In Years 4-6, we recommend students bring a digital device. Please see the Primary Handbook for more information.

After School Care

Marsden families with students in Years 1–8 have access to our on-site after school care programme, Manaaki at Marsden. The programme runs daily from 3.15pm to 5.30pm, is based in the Manaaki Room in Primary and provides a calm, caring space for students to relax, play, and recharge at the end of the school day.

Children enjoy afternoon tea, free play, quiet time, homework support, and a range of activities both indoors and outdoors. The programme is designed to be flexible so students can unwind in the way that suits them best.

Spaces are limited and bookings can be made and managed right up until one hour before the session begins using our booking system. Fees apply from 3.30pm, and children not collected by this time will move into after school care automatically, subject to space. 

For full details and booking information, please visit our Manaaki at Marsden page.

Sports

Sport & Active Recreation Coordinator Jessica Gill (jessica.gill@marsden.school.nz) organises all registrations, teams and sporting opportunities for Primary students.

Marsden Sports Website

The Marsden sports website is the best place to find all information about sport at Marsden. This site is dedicated to Marsden sport draws, registration information, news, results etc. Please refer to it throughout the year.

Sports Registrations

There are a number of sports available for students to participate in. Athletics, Cross Country, and Swimming are part of the New Zealand Physical Education curriculum. All students participate in these events; they do not need to be registered.
 
There are also chosen sports that students can register to participate in. Chosen sports include: futsal, water polo, badminton, volleyball, hockey and netball where teams are entered into weekly competitions, students also have the opportunity to participate in private or small group tennis coaching sessions, there are also many additional opportunities offered throughout the year including one-off events such as the Mud Run Challenge, and lunchtime have-a-go sessions - cricket and football.

• Registrations for summer sport (Term 1) in 2026 close on Wednesday 28 January 2026. A list of all sports available at Marsden can be found on the Marsden sports website. You can click on each sport for information about important dates, uniform and cost. You are then able to register for each sport via a link on the right-hand side of the individual sports page. 
• Registrations for winter sport (Terms 2 and 3) in 2026 close on Wednesday 3 February 2026.

Once your daughter has been placed into a team for the 2026 season, all draws for sports can be found here on the Marsden sports website.

Private Music Tuition

Private music lessons are available for students in Years 3-13. Please see here for details and the registration form. Registrations are due by Friday 30 January 2026 if requiring lessons in Term 1.

Speech and Drama

Speech and Drama classes are available for students in Years 3-6. Classes are available at lunchtime or after school. There are no Speech and Drama classes in Term 4. For registration details and further information please visit our Speech and Drama page.

Please note: we encourage families to enrol in no more than two extra-curricular activities, for example: speech and drama and itinerant music or two music lessons. This has less impact on classroom teaching time. Where possible please work with your classroom teacher when planning lesson times.