Kia ora whānau

We have not had a great start to Term 4 with the very fickle weather. Fortunately, the Year 8 Athletics was able to go ahead in week 1 but the Year 7 day has now been postponed for the second time. You will be notified about alternative arrangements for Year 7 students.

Thank you very much to parents/whānau/friends/grandparents who came along and supported their children at the Celebrations of Learning that have been held either at the end of last term of early this term. Our students love talking to people about their learning.

Thank you also to parents/whānau who are supporting us by helping out on camps and activity days. We could not provide these activities for our students if we did not get your support.

As we near the end of the school year, we work hard to ensure all our students have a safe and happy end of year. We talk a lot about finishing the year well and that we are all responsible in ensuring we all have a great finish to a busy and successful year. Respecting others here at school and in our community at all times is a major focus. Continuing to wear the Heaton uniform with pride till the very last day is part of being part of a positive and respectful community.

I do want to clarify the use of cell phones at school. As you are aware, managing the safe and appropriate use of devices is now a major issue in all schools as it is at home. Our students need very clear and consistent boundaries in order for us to be able to keep safe. Hence, we have made the decision that students must turn their cell phones off when they go through the school gate in the morning and can turn them back on at 3.00 pm at the school gate. If you need to contact your child through the school day please call the school office. Students can only use their cell phones for learning in the school day under the supervision of a staff member.

An activity we always hold in Term 4, which is very popular with our students, is Careers Morning. This will be held on Thursday, 21 November from 9.30 to 10.15 am. It is a great opportunity for our students to hear about a range of careers from you, our community. We want to expose our students to a wide range of possible careers for the future so they start thinking about goals moving forward. In the past, we have had accountants, nurses, electricians, IT professionals, community workers, hairdressers, lawyers, secondary teachers, make-up artists etc. Whatever your occupation, our students would love to hear about it. For this morning to be successful, we need about 25 speakers talking about their career journey. More information about the Careers morning will be sent to you today, separate to this newsletter.

The weather is looking good as I gaze out of my window, so I am hopeful of a lovely long weekend weatherwise. My best wishes to you all you all for a very relaxing and enjoyable time with your friends and family.

Ngā mihi

Andrea Knight, Principal