Tena koutou nga whanau, nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa,

It was lovely to see the children, and many families, at athletics this week. We were lucky to have two beautiful days for these events. Thank you to Lizzy and the teachers for their organisation of these events and a massive thank you to the parents who helped out. Some of our parent helpers are regulars at our events, and we do really appreciate this support of our school.

Another group of people who support the school is the Diamond Harbour School Board. John Craw has been on the board for a number of years and much of this time as Board Chair. Due to other commitments John has recently stood down from the board. We would like to thank him for his contribution. Davinia Hitchings is currently Acting Chair.

This week we also heard the news that one of our long serving teachers is moving on. We would like to thank Muriel Haines, who is moving on from Diamond Harbour, and looking forward to the next chapter in her life. We will be hosting a morning tea for Muriel nearer the end of the term. This will give an opportunity for the many families that Muriel has worked with over her time at Diamond Harbour School to thank her for her contribution to their children’s development.

There are a few events coming up. Tomorrow is Gumboot Friday, fundraising for children’s mental health support. Children are welcome to bring a gold coin donation, wear gumboots and purchase gumboots cookies (which are smelling delicious as they cook in the school oven) for the bargain price of $1.

Next week, on Wednesday after school we have two sessions where the teams will share information about what will be covered in the health curriculum in term 4. There are two sessions being run after each other so if you have children in two learning areas you will be able to attend both sessions.

On Thursday next week is Pet Day. Children are welcome to bring pets, and for children who may not have ‘live’ pets they are welcome to bring an alternative version such as a soft toy or pet rock! We traditionally have our Pet Day the day before Show Day and as there has not been a Christchurch Show for the last couple of years we will do our best to provide an alternative ‘Grand Parade’. Both Gumboot Friday and Pet Day are organised by our Diamond Harbour Student Council who do a fabulous job of these events, and gain valuable leadership experience in the process.

The following week our Year 8 students are off to camp at Akaroa. The last few weeks at primary school are an exciting time for students, and having such a fabulous camp is an excellent opportunity for them to celebrate their time together before they move off to high school. We wish them all the best on this camp.

Have a fabulous couple of weeks …

Ngā mihi nui,

Jill.