Look up!

I watched a video from a Principal in America the other day who has a 1-minute walk to his school from his house and provides wise advice to his many followers as he heads to school each day. This week’s advice was to “look up”. At a time when the world is trying to find a balance between keeping people healthy and out of the health system while keeping the economy going and debating the issue of civil liberties, it is not always easy to look up and see the positives that are all around you.

The last two weeks I have had the opportunity to spend a day with classes as they make their contribution to the school movie and this has given me the opportunity to look up and see the fun and laughter that the students have been having while making the movie. They are also very quickly learning that making a movie is a very involved process and it is not all glamour and excitement with lots of waiting and having to say their lines many times. I am sure we will end up with many bloopers!

Make sure you find the time to look up and enjoy the little things in your life.

We are exploring every avenue to have a community viewing of the movie which in the past has been the highlight. But in these uncertain times, we may not be able to provide this opportunity as we have in the past. I have included a number of other cancelled events in this newsletter and the traditional end of year disco and leavers assembly may also look very different or may not be held at all.

On other Covid related matters, the Health Order comes into effect on Nov 15 at 11:59pm. After this time, all staff and volunteers must have had at least 1 dose of the vaccine and their second by the first of January. The Board have issued a statement which is included in this newsletter on their position and a link to a form for parents who wish to volunteer for anything that involves children during school time. It is mandatory for all parents who are coming on-site as volunteers to be vaccinated. The Board will be discussing at their next Board meeting on November the 15th if they need to go further than the Ministry minimum advice to keep our staff and students safe. You do not need to fill this form out if you are not vaccinated, not planning on being vaccinated or won’t be on-site volunteering while the students are at school.

Finally, a personal note of congratulations to Beth Downie who has been appointed the new Principal for Kaikorai Primary School starting in 2022. Beth will only be the second female Principal in the 152-year history of Kaikorai and I know she will do a fantastic job and lead the school to a new level.

Kind regards

Simon Clarke