A few words from the Principal

The last fortnight has seen the typical levels of action and adventure that you would expect from Hukanui despite the fickle and unpredictable winter weather. On most occasions we have managed to be able to get children outside for play breaks, physical education and some much needed fresh air.

Some of the more exciting moments over recent days have included Jump Jam trials and practices (which are always popular), our first experiences of the Scooter in Schools programme run by the Hamilton City Council, the arrival of our awesome Singapore teacher trainees and the very well supported Pink Shirt day on Friday. 

Pink Shirt or Bullying Awareness Day is always a great time to get children to explore what bullying is, what it isn't and most importantly, how to best address behaviours they do not like. As you can appreciate this is not as easy as it sounds. We do try and get children to understand the difference between being mean, making bad choices, being unkind and what bullying is. It is important to note that in our annual wellness@school survey for senior students, 90% of all respondents highlight that they have never been or were rarely bullied. That said, we did have a bigger group of respondents who did worry that not everyone knew what to do in the event they are bullied. Something we find fascinating but also important to address regularly.

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the sports coaching sessions being facilitated onsite over the course of the last few days. I have watched Hockey, Basketball, Rippa Rugby, Jump Jam and Netball and I have to applaud the skill, patience and energy of our coaching volunteers. I love seeing the excitement on the players faces and the joy playing a sport with their peers brings. We are pretty lucky here at Hukanui to have a large number of great people who commit at this level every season. I'd also like to acknowledge Deidre Bartels from our Office Admin team who spends countless hours organising sports on behalf of our families. It is important to note, that without Deidre, much of this would not occur as we are not a sports club. She is a true Hukanui Hero.

In closing this week I would like to remind parents that at 3.10 pm every afternoon we close and lock our school gates and that children are required to go home at this time. We do this for several reasons including:

• Cleaners require uninterrupted time to come in and clean facilities and prepare for the day to come.
• Teachers hold meetings after school and need time to plan and prepare. They need quiet time to do so.
• The YMCA and associated families pay for the use of our facilities. It is important that they can ensure the safety of all children on site and have a consistent awareness of who is under their supervision.
• Sport training sessions need to have clear uninterrupted access to all spaces.
• We cannot have children playing on playground apparatus without teacher supervision or playing on apparatus not appropriate for their age group. 

A good reminder for all parents and children that once the bell has gone, they need go home unless they are watching a coaching session or their children are registered with the YMCA for the day.