Kia ora koutou. Talofa. Kia Orana. Malo e lelei. Bula Vinaka. Fakaalofa atu. Namaste. Kumusta. Haere mai ki Te Kura Huruhuru Ao o Horomaka. Warm greetings to the Hornby High School community.

The terms rattle by, don’t they. It’s so easy to become engrossed in life, and when we look up we are startled by what has happened while we were engrossed in that ‘other stuff’. This is an important idea to keep in the backs of our minds with our children’s attendance at school. Absences continue to be far too high, well out of proportion to the levels of sickness. Yes you should keep your child at home if they show any sign of colds or flu’s, and of course if they or any member of your household test positive for Covid-19. However it is our feeling that absence rates in general are higher than those circumstances would warrant. There has for example been a significant drop in the number of Covid cases reported to us. I’d like to repeat these words from my last newsletter column:

If you want your children to succeed, it is really important that you do everything you can to get them to school. I’d go as far as to say if you love your children, you will do everything in your power to get them to school.

We look up and suddenly realise how much schooling our children have actually missed.

On the matter of continued protection from Covid-19 for our Hornby High School community, at this week's meeting of the Board of Trustees it was decided to continue the mask mandate until the end of this term. Canterbury and New Zealand case numbers remain stubbornly high, and the science tells us that the best way to reduce the risk of transmission is through the wearing of masks. It is most probably no coincidence that we have seen less staff absence from Covid at Hornby High School than in many of those schools without a mandate. This is how we continue to remain open for instruction for all year levels. The alternative is what we have seen in many other schools, where year levels have had to be rostered home because there are not enough teachers to cover classes. Wearing masks is how we protect ourselves. It is also how we protect the most vulnerable amongst us. The Board will review its decision at its July meeting.  That said, there are no certainties and we may yet need to roster year groups home.

We appreciate your support in this. Keep up the great work.

On a more positive note, we continue to see great examples of creativity from our students and our staff. This shouldn’t be surprising, after all, our vision is ‘he puna auaha - a centre of creative excellence’, and as they say, ‘you get what you focus on’. These are exciting times as we watch creativity unfolding, bursting forth like new leaves in the spring. There are a lot of exciting things happening, and we will continue to tell you about the fantastic projects happening here at Te Huruhuru Ao o Horomaka Hornby High School. Make sure you read the piece on taro growing elsewhere in this newsletter.

Please make sure you follow us on Facebook for the latest and most up to date news https://www.facebook.com/hornbyhighschool/ , and on our website www.hornby.school.nz . You can also follow my thinking our education journey at Hornby High School, and more generally, on my blog at https://whakataukihewakaekenoa.blogspot.co.nz/

Kia tau te mauri

Robin Sutton