Amesbury Digest - 17th October 2022

Kia ora koutou,

I hope you have all had a wonderful break with your whānau. I managed to get back over to the Gold Coast once again to spend more time with my family. I have taken as many opportunities as possible to do this since the borders opened. My dad was over in Australia from Spain, and it was the first time he had seen us all since before Covid began - a fantastic family reunion. I know lots of our Amesbury families have been busy doing the same thing in the past few months, reconnecting again with loved ones after being apart for so long. My time with family over my recent trips has definitely made me appreciate this whakatauki: Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa - let us keep close together, not far apart.

We have a busy term coming up, with lots of different things happening across the school. There is an article within this digest that lists the events planned so far for the term. Please be aware that other activities and events are likely to pop up as we move through the term, but all events planned thus far are listed. Our big event coming up very soon is our fabulous inquiry showcase. Students and staff have been working hard on this event, which promises to be a fabulous trip around the world, taking a look at different geographical regions around the world through song, dance, languages and art. Come along and share in the learning and excitement. Students and teachers have really enjoyed working in mixed age groups across the school for our showcase, and the school is really buzzy during our inquiry learning blocks. For more details about the showcase, please see this article. Special thanks go to Onaitta and Angela, who have been in charge of planning and organising this event, with help from the wider team of kaiako (teachers). 

Yesterday, a number of people at school had the privilege of being the first group of visitors able to go onsite in our new hub building to have a look around. The hub is now really starting to take shape, and it was exciting to be able to get a strong sense of what the spaces will look like. The building has many of the great features of our current hubs, and it also has some additional features such as many more nooks and quiet spaces, and a range of breakout spaces. The cladding is now being installed on the outside of the building, aiming for weather tightness by the end of October. We know that the build as taken longer than expected, and we are all really keen to have the build finished. However, our beautiful new hub will be worth the wait!

And so, the final term of 2022 begins. A big welcome back to you all, and a very warm Amesbury welcome to our seven new families who join us in the first week this term.

Ngā mihi nui,

Urs Cunningham