Highlights from this week and Heads Ups for the weeks ahead...sharing teacher practise, preparing to perform, celebrating learning and really looking forward to daylight savings and a spring break!

Kia Ora Whanau

Isn't the spring sunshine just the tonic for getting to the end of the first full length term of the year. A big thank you to the parents who joined us for today's first full school assembly since the start of August. You forget how big a group we have become since the start of the year. We have grown from 230 students to 277 just like that. 

This week I joined other members of the senior leadership team as classroom teachers shared video snippets of them working with small groups of students on target learning intentions and then had opportunity to unpack what we saw, offering positive feedback, suggestion/challenge for building on existing practice and thinking ahead for learners next steps. We call this process Practise Analysis Conversations. It is an important part of growing great teachers and helping our students be the best they can be as they progress and reach achievement milestones.

I hope you all got to hear more about and see examples of your child's progress and achievement at Learning Conversations this week. I welcome your feedback on the process (principal@addington.school.nz). After all the disruption it was great to finally be able to hold them on site. I thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to navigate the impacts of Covid19.

Ash, Tango and the teaching team have been working tirelessly at rehearsals and behind the scenes preparing our Kapakaha students for their first big full repertoire performance in Week 3 of Term 4. All those children performing were given a notice this week with the Horncastle Arena event details. It's all pretty exciting. We have purchased performance poi, 'sashes' for the boys and will be having a bit of a sewing bee to swap out the light blue wool from our old uniform to the green. I am so very proud of how all this has come together under such testing circumstances.

And so here we are - the end of the term - 10 whole weeks. I wish you all a relaxing break from the routine from school. Find happiness in the simple pleasures as a family. And we will see you back at school on Monday 12th October. And remember to put your clocks forward when you go to bed on Sunday night.

Rākau whakapupū, the branches of a tree are stronger together.

Whaea Donna