Kia ora koutou

· Strike action 29 May

· Board Elections – nominations due by midday 24 May

· Caitlyn and Matilda’s Our Time project

· Korean cooking lesson

The cold is definitely settling in. When I start wearing boots and scarves, you definitely know winter is here!

It is important to let you know that the Board of Trustees has been given official notice of the strike action that is planned for Wednesday, 29th May. It is being called a mega strike because both secondary and primary teachers are planning to strike on the same day which is the first time this has happened. At its meeting on Wednesday, the Board will discuss whether it is able to keep the school open on the day of the strike action or whether the school will need to close for safety reasons i.e. insufficient staff available to ensure the safety of students. Board Chair, John Bunting, will email you all following the Board meeting to confirm the action being taken. We are sorry to disrupt families yet again, but we feel very strongly that the government is not taking our concerns seriously enough.

Please remember that our Triennial Board of Trustees elections are fast approaching. You will have received nomination forms in the mail. Please think about whether you are interested in standing or whether you have a friend you could tap on the shoulder and suggest they stand. Being on the Board is a great way to become an education “insider” and gain insights into education in NZ and the running of a school – insights that you otherwise might not gain. Anyway, we look forward to receiving your nomination forms in by the end of next week. Remember, nominations close 12midday, Friday 24 May. The list of nominations is on the wall in the parent reception area near the coffee machine. This is updated as new nominations come in.

I would like to give a BIG shout out to a couple of young ladies in Harakeke Hub who made all the staff a huge chocolate cake for morning tea this week. This was related to their ourTime project in which they decided to provide staff with morning tea as a way of contributing positively to the school community. Matilda and Caitlyn began by surveying teachers about what they like to eat and collected information about any special dietary requirements and then they baked the most delicious chocolate cake. It was truly one of the best cakes I have eaten – moist and fudgy! Yummmm! It really made my day. Thank you Matilda and Caitlyn.

Speaking of food....we have had a wonderful opportunity offered to us by one of our Korean parents. Seonghye, who is Seongbin’s mum, has offered to do a Korean cooking class in which we would learn to cook Japchae (noodles with meat and vegetables) and Bulgogi (stir-fry marinated beef in Korean soy sauce). This cooking class would take place at 11am, Thursday, 30 May at her house. The cost is $15.00 for ingredients and the food will serve as lunch. There are only a few places, so if you are interested, please email me at principal@amesbury.school.nz and I will give you the address. I am definitely interested in going.

Nga mihi nui ki a koutou

Lesley

Mihi Whakatau - 14 May