Kia ora koutou,

This is our final digest of the 2021 school year and I would like to take this opportunity to thank people:

- To our ākonga: you are absolutely amazing. You never fail to amaze me in your capacity for compassion, understanding, curiosity and wonder. Listening to some of the Year 6 speeches at our graduation event reminded me how incredible our tamariki are, and how much of a taonga (treasure) you are now and for our future.

- To our staff: this has been a hard year in many ways, and as I said at the start of our planning day on Wednesday, your sense of teamness, collaboration and compassion has seen us all through this. The way you support and challenge each other is wonderful to see, and I appreciate it so much. Thanks particularly to our support staff team of Navy, Brian, John, Gail, Jenny, Caro, Rachel, and Kirsty. A lot of what you do is done quietly in the background, keeping everything going and running so smoothly. You look after us all so well, and we really appreciate it. 

- To our parents and whānau: I want to once again say thank you for supporting us through the ups and downs this year. The uncertainty of Covid, periods of lockdowns, and separation from family and friends for many of us makes things really difficult, and we know that many of you have had really tough times. Through all of this you have shown your support for the school in different ways, and we would like to say thank you so much from us all.

- To our Board of Trustees: You constantly support us as a staff, and through everything your key question has always been “How can we support you?”. We can clearly see your passion for education and for our school as a Board, and we thank you for all of the hard work and time you put into the role.

- To Lesley: You have been the driving force of our school vision, focus and direction. You have been pivotal in establishing the culture and philosophy of our school, and your vision and passion for education have been key forces in this. As a staff, past and present, we have all learned so much from you, and we are really excited for you as you continue your journey in the Ministry of Education.

- To Elena, Zelda, Jenny, Yeping, and Zoe: We have loved working with you, whether it was for two terms, two years or more. You each brought your own unique skills, strengths and passions, and you willingly shared them with us, enabling us to learn so much from you all. We wish you all best with your future endeavours.

We hope you all have a wonderful time with your family over the holiday break. After a tough year, take some time to relax with your family and friends. We look forward to seeing many of you back with us next year. To those of you not returning in 2022, all the very best and we have loved having you as part of our Amesbury whānau.

Kia pai ngā hararei - enjoy the holiday.

Urs Cunningham