Strum, Strike, Blow was a wonderful performance last night with 45 schools involved. We had a group of ukelele and a group of marimba players. Having so many children involved is quite a spectacular experience for them. Special thanks to Natasha Littler and Theresa Pearson for spending so much time teaching and practising the songs for the performance.

Last Thursday we had the Tech Wizards evening where our students shared their learning with parents and whānau. We appreciated the fabulous turnout and support and I am sure many of you learned a few things from your children.

Board Mid-Term Elections: 

 We have been waiting for the confirmation of the dates for this election. The cycle was interrupted by Covid and the dates have to be confirmed by the Secretary of Education. There is a separate article within this newsletter with all the information and dates. If you are interested you are welcome to contact me or an existing board member. There are two positions up for consideration. Helen Jolly has been appointed as the returning officer so you can also ask her about the process.

Rebranding Process: 

As part of our school’s rebuilds, there is also a consideration for rebranding. The board would really value the parent/whānau voice in this process. We are also surveying staff and some student voices as well for the board to consider. Thank you to those who have contributed to the survey. This remains open until 13 September. Please share your thoughts. Click here

Parent/Whānau Session: 

A reminder of the session on Embracing Change: Strategies for Supporting Yourself and Your Child Through Anxious Timeson Tuesday 19 September from 7 to 8 pm. Paula Rule has offered this session and brings a wealth of experience. We sent details out via HERO as a separate post. Please rsvp to helen.jolly@fendalton.school.nz if you would like to attend this event.

Rebuild update: 

The pouring of the foundations for the junior block is Thursday 14 September. This will be a very busy morning. They are going to start at 6 am so there is less complexity for our school day but there will be a steady flow of concrete trucks in the morning so if you are driving your children to school that morning take extra care and be patient if there are delays.

Next week: 

The swimming programme for years 3 to 6 gets underway for weeks 9 and 10 so that is going to add to the excitement for the end of the term. It is amazing the progress so many children make with the daily lessons over 2 weeks. We also have our Waimairi-iri Kāhui Ako Cultural Festival on Friday. A lot of practice time and effort is going into the items we are performing and it will be a fabulous afternoon. We are given a ticket allocation so unfortunately seats are limited.

Lots to look forward to as we approach the last 2 weeks of term 3.

Ngā mihi nui Raewyn