From our Tumuaki / Principal

Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa, warm greetings to you all.

Welcome back to the final term of our school year, and a very warm welcome to families who have joined our school community at the start of the term. We are really pleased to be working and learning alongside you. At the end of last week we held our fourth mihi whakatau (informal welcome) for new ākonga (students) and whānau (families). I always enjoy these occasions as a chance to come together and welcome more people into our community. The whakatauki (Māori proverb) I shared at the start of this editorial is the same one I shared when I spoke in the mihi whakatau - tukua kia tū takitahi ngā whetū o te rangi; let each star in the sky shine its own light.  I love this whakatauki, and I think it perfectly encapsulates what we value here at Amesbury School. It is about every single person having their own light, their own unique contribution and strengths that they bring to the world, and as a community we work together to ensure that every student is able to identify what their light is, and then share it with others. 

While we are on the subject of welcoming people, I would like to introduce our newest kaimahi (member of staff) to you all: Charlene Laing. Charlene has joined our Māwhero team as a teacher aide, working with our new five year old students and supporting their learning. She is originally from South Africa, where she taught for a number of years, and she has settled in really quickly with ākonga and staff. We are really pleased that Charlene has joined our team. 

As some of you may know, to kick our term off in dramatic fashion we had a small fire after school on Thursday last week, at the back of the wetlands. It was quickly dealt with, and no people or buildings were in any danger at all. Unfortunately a small section of harakeke (flax) was charred, and the area has been cordoned off while we take care of it. Huge thanks to Jenny and the team who dealt quickly and calmly to ensure everyone was safe, and big thanks to our Johnsonville fire crew who ensured the fire was quickly put out. 

Despite the drama of the wee fire, it has otherwise been a very positive start to the term. The final term is always a busy and exciting one, with lots of things going on. We’ve already had the Smash Cricket team with us to teach Koru some cricket skills, and they will be returning this week to work with Pōhutukawa. We have the Koru swimming carnival coming up, followed swiftly with Pōhutukawa athletics. Then we move into our trips to Space Place, to support our fabulous inquiry learning about space, our solar system, and beyond. Lots to look forward to!

And finally, a quick reminder that the next two weeks are both short ones, with a staff only day on Friday this week (school is closed for instruction), followed by a public holiday on Monday. 

Kia pai te rā whakatā, have a fabulous weekend and enjoy the (hopefully) beautiful sunshine. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Urs Cunningham