Tēnā koutou e te Whānau

We have had an action-packed last couple of weeks at Halswell School. I was delighted to spend the day with Kākā at their Waiunui camp yesterday. It would be fair to say that it was the first time I've had to drive through snow to go coasteering, but as you can see from the photo above, it was well worth the effort! Aruhe headed off this morning for their camp. I know that they will have an awesome time. Thank you to Lisa  Dovey and the Ōtūmatua teachers for all of the hard work they have put into organising this year's Wainui camp. 

Looking ahead to next week, we are eagerly awaiting an announcement from the Government on Monday about a potential shift in the Covid-19 Traffic Light settings. Even if we don't shift to Green, we're hopeful that there will be further relaxation on mask-wearing requirements. If that is the case, we will more than likely move to optional masks for everyone from Tuesday next week. If that is the case, we will send out a separate Hero notification to our parent community. Please keep an eye out for that.

As you will be aware, we have been trialling a closure of the drop-off/pick-up zone from 2.30-3.15 pm each day this term. This trial has proven to be very successful and has made a real difference in reducing traffic congestion and safety issues at this busy time of day. Based on this result, the School Board has made the decision to continue with the closure on a permanent basis. Over the upcoming holidays, retractable bollards will be installed at the entrance and exit points of the drop-off/pick-up zone. Please note that the zone will still be able to be used to drop off students in the mornings. Thank you for your understanding. 

Lastly, I would like to thank our fabulous PTA for organising such a fantastic disco last Thursday night. This was a significant occasion for our school as it was the first time this year we have been able to run a social event like this across learning teams. We had a great turnout at both discos, and I know that the kids had a ball. Our next major event is the PTA Quiz which takes place on Saturday, 17 September. This promises to be a highly competitive and enjoyable event with plenty of bragging points on offer.  I look forward to seeing you there.

Ngā mihi nui 

Stuart Cameron
Principal