Kia ora whanau Welcome back to an action packed Term 3. It was really lovely to see all our children smiling and excited to share their holiday stories.

Our Staff Professional meeting this week was held at the Carter Observatory in Kelburn, this was a great opportunity to upskill our Curriculum knowledge in the Science strand of Planet,Earth and Beyond. Kowhai and Matai will certainly enjoy their trip there in week 3.

We are all looking forward to seeing everyone at our Stargazing evening next week too.A big thank you to our Home and School parents helping us with food stalls that evening too.

I was lucky enough to be part of the Year 5 & 6 Zoo Trip on Wednesday, although a cold southerly wind was blowing, the rain stayed away and the animals ventured out of their cages for us all to see really up close. This was a great opportunity for children to build on their understanding of animal adaptations and investigate more about their animal enclosures. I was particularly impressed at how much they had learnt over the last few months and that they were keen to share with me their new learning about their favourite animal.

Next Monday is our School Cross Country, fingers crossed we have some great weather. Today children had their last full school practise in sunshine and are feeling more confident with the course. They are excited to be dressing up in their new house colours this year and earning points for their house.

Our swimming programme started this week too, the new bright coloured swimming bags are a great success.

All our Year 6’s will be attending Raroa Normal Intermediate on Thursday July 30th to experience the Design Production Education programmes and students learning spaces. The 2021 online enrolment can be found on their website.

We are looking forward to having more school community events this term and welcoming new families to our school.