I am delighted and excited to be the new principal of this wonderful school. As we move towards the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018 I feel so fortunate to be part of this community of students, parents, teachers and admin staff, all of whom are united in a desire to provide the very best environment for each individual child. I would like to say "thank you" for all the kind words and best wishes that have come my way throughout the past week. It has meant a lot to me. Read on for more important thanks. 

The results of our recent BOT election have now been sent out via email. We thank those who have stood for election for their ongoing support of our school, and welcome Michael Fielding and Dee Moran onto the BOT.  Our outgoing BOT members are Andrew Cordner (Chair) and Wyndale Yee. Many thanks to Andrew and Wyndale for all they have done for the school during their time on the board. 

School closes at 3pm on Friday 15th December. The first day of school, 2018, is Tuesday 30th January. Children should go straight to their classrooms on that morning. The first school bell rings at 8.50 and students should be in their classrooms ready to start the day by the 8.55 bell. 

Our Year 6's have been having a wonderful time in their end-of-year activities. Last night saw the much anticipated "Dinner Dance", with the children dancing the night away with their parents. A huge thank you to Pippa, Gillian and Dee, who organised the event. Also thank you to the team of helpers who shopped, cooked, decorated the hall, served as waiters and helped clean up. The dinner dance is such a highlight and epitomises the wonderful way that our school community works together. We wish our Y6 students the very best as they move on to their new schools. We have loved working with them! 

We have three special assemblies next week: Year 6 Prizegiving, Whole school Merit Assembly, and Sports Assembly. Please read on for details of times, contents and arrangements.

Our class lists for 2018 are now complete. As you can imagine this is a complex task because we carefully consider each individual child and their friendship and learning needs. The children will be told their new classes on Monday and will then spend the afternoon with their new teacher. Room 13 students (2018) will spend this time with Michael Lawton, and he will be able to tell them a little about their new teacher, Miss Watson. Reports and class placement letters will come home with the children on Monday afternoon. 

Next week we sadly say farewell to Michael Lawton and so I am sure that parents will be eager to hear news of our latest appointment. I am delighted to announce that we have appointed Sarah Watson, a young teacher currently teaching in Scotland. Sarah will teach Y6, along with Andrew Robinson. Barbara Henderson is to move to Year 4/5, working alongside Helen Jaworski and Fiona Webb. Read on for further details about Sarah... 

EPRO8 is a STEM competition that we have entered for the second time, this year. Three teams of four were chosen from the sixty four students who regularly came to lunchtime EPRO8 club. Of the three teams, one consisting of Finn Hoskin, Daniel Twine, Daniel Byrne and Ben Grotrian made it all the way to the grand Auckland final. These boys have been a fine example of the way our students can work collaboratively under pressure. Just to put things into perspective, 260 Auckland teams entered the competition with the top 12 taking part in the final. What an achievement! Well done - we are very proud of you! 

The whole school will walk down to the Trinity Church on the morning of Thursday 14th December for a carol concert/ Christmas assembly during which the Christmas story will be told. Please let the office know if you do not wish your child to attend.