The Conservation and Earthcare crew pictured above, helped Coast Road Dawn Chorus set up an AT220 trap up at the Dolomite Point Trapline in Punakaiki.

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou

I remember at the end of Term 1 saying to anyone who would listen that I was really looking forward to getting back to “some kind of normal” in Term 2. It didn’t quite end this way with rostering and then a hybrid learning week due to staff shortages. However, please be rest assured that we have all worked really hard to ensure that our students are getting a great education, as well as trying to offer other opportunities to develop them in a holistic way. We thank you for your continued support and encouragement.

I would also like to publicly thank all of our staff for their work this term. It has not been easy and we have asked them to go above and beyond many times - so thank you from me.

I hope Term 3 is more settled!

High School the Musical

What an amazing achievement for the Arts department and our rangatahi! I can’t say much more other than ka pai!

Staff updates

Jason Johnson is moving on to work with the Ministry of Education to work with schools across the Coast with PB4L. We especially appreciate him stepping up, often at a moment’s notice, to support us. We would also like to thank him for taking on the Year 9 Dean role for Term 2 covering for Whaea Kylie who will be returning in Term 3.

Congratulations to Tealy Lynch who is going on parental leave for a year starting in Term 3. We are very happy and excited for her and we are looking forward to meeting her new arrival!

Susan Smith will be covering Tealy’s position starting from Week 5 for the year and we welcome her on board!

We are also looking forward to Johan Oliver joining the Technology department as a Hard Materials teacher - fingers crossed for the beginning of Term 3. Johan and his family (wife and two young children) are from South Africa but currently living in Japan. They are looking for accommodation so if you know anyone with a house to rent please contact the office.

On a sad note for us, Bob McAuliffe is retiring from Greymouth High School. Bob has been an amazing asset to our school but he decided after recently turning 80 that it may be time to retire! He definitely deserves the rest and we are looking forward to seeing more of his photos from around Māwhera and beyond!

COVID-19 reinfection advice

You are more likely to become reinfected as your immune response from the vaccine or your previous COVID-19 infection decreases over time.

• If it is 28 days or fewer since the last infection, there’s no need to test.

• Within 28 days, symptoms are most likely due to lasting effects of the initial infection or a different new respiratory infection. A new COVID-19 infection is difficult to diagnose within 28 days because symptoms, viral levels and test positivity may fluctuate during this time.

• COVID-19-like symptoms may well be caused by other infections like the common cold, flu or a chest infection.

• If a person develops new COVID-19 symptoms, and it’s 29 days or more since their previous infection, it’s possible that it’s a reinfection with COVID-19 and they should take a rapid antigen test. If that test is positive, they will need to isolate for a second time for seven days.

• For most people, illness caused by reinfection is likely to be no more severe than a first infection, but they can experience different symptoms.

• If a person is not getting better, or becoming increasingly unwell, they should call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 or their doctor/healthcare provider.

Catching COVID-19 again – Ministry of Health

COVID positive cases

Please continue to email the school office@greyhigh.school.nz or phone and leave a message if your children have had a positive covid test so we can monitor the number of cases.

We thank you for all of your support and understanding.

If you have any comments please feel free to email the office at office@greyhigh.school.nz

“Whāea te iti kahurangi - strive for success”

Ngā mihi nui

Samantha Mortimer

Principal