Kia ora! This week we again took part in the National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) an event which is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association. Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools and many other places around Australia and New Zealand and aims to promote the value of reading. I was lucky enough to read this year’s book, Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas by Lucinda Gifford, to the children in the Library at lunchtime. A great book!

We know how important it is for our students to read, and to read a variety of material. Last year we held a very successful book fair where parents chose books from the large Scholastic range here on display at school, for their children to take home. The profits came back into the school, enabling our Library to add to the collection we have. We are going to do the same this year, and will hold a book fair at school in Week 11 of the term, 22-26 June. This is the same week that we are holding parent-teacher meetings, which will be a good opportunity for you to come into the school and see the books.

Thank you for continuing to observe the drop off and pick up routines at the gates. These will remain in place until we are advised by the Ministry that we no longer need to collect contact tracing information on everyone who enters our grounds. Thank you for your support with this.

Next Monday is a public holiday, so no school that day, and I hope you all have a lovely long weekend. Seeing the increased number of children riding bikes or scootering to school now, it seems that more children have enjoyed doing this over the lockdown time, and confidence has grown. I hope the weekend weather allows for more of this too!

Take care!

Ngā mihi nui

Sue Cattell

Principal