Look at these gorgeous students - winners every one of them!

Here we are again at the end of another busy term.  During Term 2 we have moved back into our refurbished classrooms which are looking fantastic and everyone is enjoying working in them.  I am so proud of all our children and teachers for their patience during the building process.  Once again thank you so much to all those who came to the opening, this was definitely a highlight of Term 2.

Strike Action

You will all be aware that teachers are planning strike action in Term 3 and I have attached a piece about this below from Whetu Cormick who is the President of the NZPF (New Zealand Principals Federation).

"In my view, there are three main parts to this discussion. 

The first is about support, PLD and special needs. It is well acknowledged across our sector and in parliamentary circles that our special education services no longer meet the needs of the growing number of severely challenged young people in our schools. The Minister himself and Associate Minister Martin are each on public record as saying special education does not need a review, it requires an action plan. We do not have sufficient specialists such as psychologists, speech therapists and the like, nor do we have a mechanism to allow teachers to specialise in special needs education. This area, without doubt, needs an injection of both funds and strategic future planning.

The second is about time. The offer of 12.5 minutes a week additional time for teachers to plan, assess and work individually with children is totally inadequate. Our teachers are some of the best in the world and to maintain high quality teaching they need more time to reflect, research and refresh.

The third issue is pay. We know that pay rates are an important factor in recruiting school graduates into teaching, and we know that the profession has not had any significant pay rise in a decade. This translates as under-valuing our profession at a time when we need a commitment to raising the status of the profession."

I'm sure many of our community members have heard the recent media coverage of our Union meetings and contract talks with the Government.

It is important that you are informed about what we are asking for. Approach our Union Rep Hamish Morgan if you want to learn more.  See information below.

Thank you to all our amazing families for your contributions this term.  Good luck to those families leaving us on your new adventures, we look forward to seeing you all on Monday 23rd July at 8.55am.  

Have a safe and happy break

Arohanui 

Jo