Tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou

Thank you for all of your support following Friday afternoon’s lockdown. It was a challenging situation for our staff but I am very proud of how professionally they dealt with it. We are also grateful for the support we have received from the Ministry of Education, Mana Ake team and from a number of schools across the country. 

Having the children back at school on Monday morning was a welcome return to routines for everyone after what was a very unsettling weekend. Our children are doing well but the teachers will continue to keep a close eye on them over the coming days/weeks and will contact you directly if we notice any changes of behaviour that may be of concern.

Please note that NZEI (Primary Teachers' Union) have postponed the paid union meetings in Canterbury this week. We will keep you posted about the rescheduling of these meetings but once again will be putting plans in place to ensure that there is little to no disruption for our students.

As you will be aware, the major concept our students are learning about this term is “Our Place in the World”. Part of this learning involves celebrating and embracing the rich tapestry of cultures we are fortunate to have in our local and wider community. Something that seems even more poignant following Friday’s tragic events.

To help celebrate our rich cultural diversity, we will be joining many Canterbury schools by taking part in the “Colour Your Day” mufti day on Friday (22 March). Our students are asked to wear colourful and vibrant colours to school on Friday and bring at least a gold coin donation along with them. The money collected will be donated to a special Mayoral fund called "Our People, Our City” that has been set-up to help support families and the Muslim community impacted by the tragic events of Friday 15 March. 

Finally, I would like to leave you with what is a very appropriate quote from Martin Luther King Jr and one that will no doubt resonate with many of you "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."  

Kia kaha 

Stuart Cameron

Principal