Kia ora e te whānau,

Ko ngā pae tawhiti, whaia kia tata. Ko ngā pae tata, whakamaua kia tina; the potential for tomorrow depends on what we do today.

As seems to be the case a lot these days, time has flown by and somehow we are at the end of our third term. The winter term always seems quite long and dark in some ways, but it has also been very busy and full of exciting learning and opportunities. We have had our swimming sports, gymnastics, Tū Mātau Ora traditional Māori games, kapa haka performance at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony, St Brigid’s Kapa Haka Festival, inquiry trips into town, and our speech competition. What a lot has been going on! It is now definitely time for a break for everyone, and a chance to rest, relax and recharge.

Huge thanks as always to our amazing and hard working kaimahi (staff). Without our fabulous crew all of these amazing opportunities and learning programmes would not be able to happen. Thanks also to all of you for your support with trips, events, and activities at school. As the whakatauki above says, what happens today makes a difference for the future. 

Staffing update

In news that is both sad and also exciting, Gina Quintero has accepted a teaching position at St Brigid’s School for next year. Gina has enjoyed her time at Amesbury School and feels very much at home here. We have really valued her as part of our fabulous team, and we will certainly miss her. Thankfully she will still be a part of our kāhui cluster of schools, so we will stay in close touch. Gina is excited to be joining a Catholic school where her faith, a strong aspect of her identity, can be a central part of her teaching.

We are currently advertising several teaching positions for next year, and we will keep you updated early next term with news about appointments.

As we head into the holiday break and families look to make plans for the rest of the year, just a reminder to please book family events and trips in the school holiday breaks wherever possible. If you are looking to book holidays away during term time, it is our school policy for families to please contact me and let me know. Here is the link to our school attendance procedure.

And so we sign off for term three. Have a lovely break and enjoy time with whānau and friends. We look forward to seeing you all back again for our final term of the 2024 school year.

Ngā mihi nui, 

Urs Cunningham