Picture: Hone Wetere Church, Orariki, Taumutu.

Tēnā koutou e te whānau

Welcome back to the last term for the 2020 school year. I hope you had a safe and relaxing holiday with your whānau and are looking forward to the exciting term ahead. This week is starting with a bang with Years 1&2 swimming lessons, NZ Shakeout Day, Years 7&8 marae visits, and our school Athletics Sports. Thank you once again to all of the teachers and parents who have helped organise these activities and events. Without this level of support, we simply wouldn't be able to offer the tremendous range of opportunities we do for our tamariki. 

Please remember that the wearing of either a wide-brimmed or bucket hat is compulsory for all children in Term 4 whenever they are outside. Hats are part of the uniform and are available from the office on request. Sunscreen is available in every learning centre but it is always a good idea to send your child to school with their own sunscreen if possible.

As we are back at Alert Level 1, please remember that although the school app is no longer required for contract tracing purposes, all visitors still need to sign in at the office between 9am-3pm. NZ COVID-19 QR codes are placed around the entrances to the school and we would also encourage you to use these for tracing your own movements. 

On Tuesday, I had the privilege of visiting Taumutu Marae with the Years 7&8 Team. This visit directly ties into this year's focus on the concept of Tūrangawaewae (the place where I stand). Through this concept, the children have been learning about our cultural narrative and the wider community. The visit to Taumutu allowed our senior students to learn about the stories associated with local iwi. As a culmination of this learning, we hope to write a unique waiata for our school. Watch this space for developments!

Finally, I would like to extend an open invitation to join us for a special Mihi Whakatau at 9.15am tomorrow to help welcome all of the new students and families who have joined our school recently.  

Ngā mihi nui

Stuart Cameron

Principal