We have special visitors from China to our school this term - this week we have a group of 9 Year 7/8 students and school leaders joining us from Lin'an Pacican Elementary School, and 5 other students throughout our school. Ni hao, haere mai - welcome to KNS.

Kia Ora everyone

Welcome to term 3! It will be another busy term full of learning opportunities for your children and opportunities for them to participate in and shine! Our end of term 2 performing arts event was a Jump Jam Showdown with each hub providing a Jump Jam item. This was a lot of fun for the children and proved to be very enjoyable for everyone who got on stage. A big thank you to Mrs McCarthy for organising this event!

We welcome to our staff Mr Dave Ermerins (Room 19) in Year 7/8 and Ms Emma Betts (Room 4) who has started our third new entrant room for 2019. Welcome also to the new families and 8 new children who have joined KNS for the first time this week in term 3. Our school roll is now at 546.

We are very proud of our 4 Year 7/8 KNS Basketball teams that went to Oamaru in the holidays to compete in the Waitaki Year 7&8 South Island Basketball Tournament. This trip involved 39 students after weeks of fundraising and intense training. The teams competed in three of the four grades; Boys A Grade, Boys Development Grade and Girls A grade, Girls Development Grade. Thank you to everyone involved - please see the report from Megan Gilmore in this newsletter for further details. To have this opportunity running now for the past 15 years is a testament to the drive and organisation of our KNS basketball lead teacher Mrs Megan Gilmore - thank you Megan for all that you do!

This success was then followed up by success at the Canterbury School competition where our Year 7/8 girls team won their competition and the boys got second! To finish 1st and 2nd in Canterbury is an amazing achievement by our teams - very proud!!

Please note that our whole school assembly on Friday morning this week will be a mihi whakatau to welcome the NZ Principals Federation executive to our school. The executive (of which I am a part) usually meet in Wellington twice a term, however once a year visits a school and holds the meeting there - very proud that the NZPF executive have chosen to meet here as they are interested in the wonderful things that happen at our school! Parents are welcome to be at the mihi whakatau, class certificate presentations will follow. Also note that there will be no assembly in week 3 as teams will be rehearsing in the hall for the Wearable Arts celebration in week 4 on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th August. 

For a full list of major term events remember to check our School App or website www.kaiapoinorth.school.nz

Community support and assistance is so important in educating and growing positive learners – let us continue to work together to achieve this.