Kia ora whānau

Teachers have completed writing mid year reports and they will go home with students on Friday. We encourage all parents/whanau to have an interview to discuss your child’s learning progress with their class teacher. You may also wish to have an interview with a specialist teacher as all areas of the curriculum are important in your child’s learning. I have been reading all the student reflections and engagement and learning in specialist teacher subjects: science, PE, food technology, hard materials technology, digitech, visual arts and performing arts are a strong feature of what our students enjoy and value.

Well done to Jane Boniface, our Learning Resource Centre coordinator, staff and students for another very successful Book Fair. Many thanks to members of the PTA for supplying hot chocolate drinks and biscuits for the Book Fair evening “Reading with the stars” on 14 June. It was a very cold evening so support from parents and students was particularly appreciated. This is an event that occurs every two years at Heaton, and is a great way of keeping to the forefront the importance of recreational reading as an enjoyable and important part of ongoing learning.

The 14 June was Support Staff Day in which we particularly acknowledge and show our appreciation for the wonderful contribution our support team makes to the smooth and positive organisation of our school. Quite frankly, we could not function without our amazing administration team, property team, teacher aides, LRC coordinator and canteen manager.

Congratulations again to our dedicated kapa haka who performed and contributed to the very moving and heartfelt mihi whakatau that was held to welcome members of the ERO review team in Week 7. It was another event that really demonstrated the strength of the Heaton spirit.

This has been a term of considerable sickness from both staff and students. We ask that students (and staff) stay at home if they are unwell. There is a particularly nasty virus going around that is clearly highly contagious as few have escaped the impact of it. Hopefully, having a relaxing break in two weeks time will ensure all the bugs disappear and we start the new term in a much healthier state as we move towards spring,

Nga mihi