Tēnā koutou e te whānau

Thank you to all of our parents for respecting the Covid-19 procedures we have in place at the Orange setting. We are pleased with how our case numbers have been tracking this term with a clear downward trend. Currently, we have 24 students isolating at home (eight of whom have positive cases) and 4 staff members in isolation, two with Covid-19.

Going forward, our plan is to keep the current settings in place for the next two weeks, and if the number of cases continues to remain low, we will look to reduce our current controls further. This will involve some mixing across learning teams to allow groups such as Kapa Haka, Concert Band and the Student Council to start back up again. Parent helpers and volunteers will also be welcomed back into Learning Centres if it is safe to do so. 

We will keep you updated as the situation develops. 

As you will be aware this is Bully-free NZ Week. Throughout the week each T group has been exploring what bullying actually is, how people can respond to it and the role that bystanders can play in preventing it from happening. You can read more about what we've been doing in the Bully-free NZ article in this newsletter. 

All of the learning that has taken place during the week will culminate in our school taking part in Pink Shirt Day. This is an annual global event that is about working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusivity. Pink Shirt Day's originates back to 2007 in Canada when two high school-aged students took a stand against homophobic bullying after a new student was harassed for wearing pink. 

Standing together to show that any kind of bullying is unacceptable is the key to successfully embedding a bully-free culture. To help us do this, we encourage you to send your child to school wearing a pink shirt on Friday to show unity for this important movement. 

On Friday we also have our Years 5-8 Cross Country at the Halswell Quarry. This is the first major event we have been able to hold in 2022 due to Covid-19 restrictions.  We can all appreciate that for some children cross country is not their favourite event but it is a great opportunity to foster resilience and grit. Striving to do the best you can is a great example of manawanuitanga in action. Being active is also one of the key elements of the Five Ways to Wellbeing model. As their website states "Do what you can, enjoy what you do, and move your mood" so let's get moving!

The event begins at 12pm with the Year 5 students. Parents and caregivers are very welcome to come along and support the runners.

Last but certainly not least, the Halswell School PTA has their first face to face meeting of the year at 7 pm next Tuesday (24 May) in the staffroom. If you're new to the school or just interested in finding out what our PTA does, you are most welcome to join us. 

I look forward to seeing you there!

Ngā mihi nui

Stuart Cameron

Principal