Kia ora Koutou

It has been a whirlwind start to 2023 and the overall feeling here at school this week is one of gratitude as we see the first stage of our redevelopment come to fruition and the hard work of so many becoming a reality. The new classes are simply wonderful and we are really looking forward to seeing students using these spaces from Monday morning. Demolition and asbestos removal on the old 1-10 block starts next week as we launch into the second and much bigger phase of the rebuild. I would like to thank you for your understanding with the early closing this week as the logistics of a mid-term move and a very tight timeframe have been rather intimidating for us all here and the extra couple of hours with staff and labour onsite will be invaluable.

As a staff team we started the year with whole staff development in the teaching of mathematics from Dr Audrey Tan and received the full training course to deliver the Pause Breath Smile Wellbeing programme for our students. We continue to work on our maths provision with Dr Tan throughout this year and are taking a lead school role with the University of Otago maths cluster that involves 17 other schools in the South Island with a focus on the new curriculum refresh for mathematics.

It was also great to welcome back Kelsey Knipshild as school counsellor this year. This is such a critical resource for students in this age group and is sadly overlooked under the current funding model for schools. Our Board has recognised this need and made this a priority for funding and for provision from our local resources.

It was so positive for us all here to have so many families engaging in our meet the teacher evening and our mihi whakatau this year and appointments for our upcoming parent-teacher conferences are already looking strong. It is true that COVID has placed a barrier between schools and families and we are working to ensure that 2023 is the year where we reverse that trend and once again make the most of our shared responsibility to achieve the very best outcomes for our tamariki. Our kura is your kura and you are welcome here.

Coming up this term we have a free workshop for parents to help you to navigate the world of social media with your child. This is something we are ALL challenged with and an area we all need to be aware of. This presentation by Linewise was very well received last year with all parents attending saying how helpful it was. Booking information is included in the cyber safety article below in this newsletter and will be held on Wednesday 15th March at 6.30pm in the Performing Arts Centre.

For the next year, parking on school grounds will be VERY tight with allocated parking for all staff members. We ask you please do not come down the driveway with your vehicle unless it is to collect a sick child. Next week we will have some older desks and chairs to give away so if you would like a desk and chair for home, please pop in and grab one free of charge.

Once again welcome back to 2023 and we look forward to working together with you into the future.

Ngā mihi nui 

James Griggs, Tumuaki/Principal