Our second to last newsletter of the year, and we have got heaps to share. Grab yourself a cuppa before you read the newsletter this week - there is a lot of information to take in.

Busy Times

We've had a busy two weeks since the last newsletter. Check out the awesome pictures of our recent book week activities. Thank you for supporting this.

One of the clear messages from our community consultation meeting recently was the need for more clear communication from school. We have a few new ideas around this, and you can expect some subtle changes next year. In the meantime, our school Facebook page has the most up to date information. If you are not a Facebook user, then the class newsletters are emailed out regularly. Our website is still not 100% rebuilt yet, but it does have links to SchoolDocs which has all our school procedures and policies available. It also has access to our school calendar which is very up to date. You are always welcome to contact your child's teacher, or the school office, if you need clarification on events or dates coming up.

2017 Teaching Team

It's been a productive few weeks as we finalise staffing and classes for 2017. As mentioned in an email to families last week, we have been appointing teachers to fill the fixed term and permanent teaching positions here at Amberley School. We are delighted to report that we had an exceptionally high calibre of applicants applying for jobs here. This is an exciting time for our place, and it's clear people want to be part of this journey.  Here are the Hubs and their teachers for next year.

Maungatere Hub

Stacey Ward (Junior Hub Leader)

Nicky Lotz

Te Ngahere Hub

Amber Douglas

Liz Dean/Juliet van den Huevel

Anna McBreen

Kowai Hub

Yvette Drewery

Debbie Bennetto

Moana Hub

Mark Taylor

Trina Shepherd/Suzi Moore (Trina is DP and Senior Hub Leader)

Mike Clemens

We are delighted to offer Anna McBreen and Amber Douglas fixed term positions for next year. We are also please to welcome two new teachers to the team. Stacey Ward will teach New Entrants and lead our junior hub. Stacey is a skilled and experienced New Entrant teacher from Rangiora. Mark Taylor lives in Amberley and comes to us from Pegasus School. Mark will teach Year 6 and 7 students in the Moana Hub. You can see photos of Stacey and Mark below.

It is with a great deal of sadness that we farewell Heather Pearson at the end of the year as her family move to Christchurch. We also wish Anna Evans all the best for motherhood as she goes on maternity leave in 2017. We have had two part time teachers working with our Te Ngahere tamariki this year, and they will finish at the end of 2016. Kathy Menzies has been supporting Room 4 and done an incredible job. She has worked very hard for our children and her passion for Amberley School has been appreciated. Chris Toki has been supporting Room 5. Chris has strengthened our tikanga and been a very popular teacher and member of the team. We wish Chris all the best for his new job at Hurunui College next year.

I would like to acknowledge the considerable work Nicky Lotz has done as our relieving Junior Hub Leader this year. This has been a big responsibility and she has embraced this challenge. It's been a busy year for Nicky in that she also completed her Masters Degree in Education receiving first class honours (including an invitation to the prestigious Golden Key International Honour Society at Canterbury University). We are fortunate to have someone of Nicky's calibre on our team. 

Building Developments in 2017

Exciting changes are ahead. As some of you saw at our consultation evening, we have significant building work starting next year. Plans are still being tweaked and we will share these as soon as they are finalised. On day one of term one, Te Ngahere Hub will be in the building now known as Arahura. Amber, Liz and Anna will be teaching their home rooms in this amazing learning space. It's fair to say they are very excited about what this space will look like. 

Our library will be temporarily relocated while the major classroom block is refurbished. It will in the space between Room 10 and 11 and then once the major classroom block is finished it will be situated along the back of this building. This major work will take place in term two next year. The plan is to have it finished ready for Term 3. 

This means that the Kowai hub (Yvette and Debbie) will start the year in the classrooms now known as Room 7 and 8. They will be relocated for a term while their classes are refurbished. Three of the classroom spaces in the main block will be turned into one big area - our 'new' Arahura hall space. This will be much bigger than our current space for assemblies. We also aim to have a large deck along the front of this block. There are still a few challenges to embrace along the way (as with all big projects) but we can assure you it will look amazing!

Support Helene

Year 7 student, Helene Va'aelua is bravely raising awareness of Child Cancer this week. She is holding a mufti day / crazy hair day on Friday. As always, it is optional for your child to take part as we understand and appreciate there are so many great causes to support at the moment.

You can donate a gold coin on Friday, or if you would like to visit Helene's site below, you are welcome to donate there.

https://canterburywestcoastevents.everydayhero.com/nz/helene

Helene would like you to know that three families a week in NZ are told that their child has some form of cancer which is a pretty scary thought and process for these families.

Kapa Haka Celebrations 

On Wednesday at 10 a.m our senior students are performing our waiata, poi and haka in the Sefton Hall. Anyone is welcome to come and support our students, and parents of students involved have been sent an email regarding transport.

Class Lists for 2017

These are being finalised with the teachers over the next few days and will be published to families next week. I am aware that class lists are often a hot topic in the school community, and we can assure you that a considerable amount of time, effort and thought go into preparing these. We have a professional team of teachers at Amberley School that have the best knowledge and interests of your children at heart when putting these lists together. Thank you to the parents that have contacted me already regarding your child's placement for next year. There is no expectation that we can meet every request (we would love to keep everyone happy, but this is not always possible unfortunately!) and I appreciate the professional and respectful manner in which this is done. As always, your child's teacher is the first port of call for any concerns you have about our child. 

Thank you for your continued support.

Simon