One of the amazing benefits of being in our Kāhui Ako (Community of Learning) are the connections we make with other schools, and it is even more special when we can come together with shared music. On Tuesday night, we were part of the Pupuke Kāhui Ako Music Gala Evening at WBHS. Our orchestra, led by our amazingly talented Eugenie Middleton, took to the stage and certainly did us proud. They were great ambassadors for our school and I was very proud to be there as their Principal. The videos taken of their performance are at the end of this section. A big thank you to Eugenie and to the Orchestra!!

This week I have had a few emails sharing great stories of success and sportsmanship by our students. The first I want to share is about the Milford Ballers (our Year 5 and 6 basketball team) who turned up to their game with a full team only to find that their opposition only had 3 players. Without hesitation, our team shuffled around and two of our players played for the other team, which meant that both teams could play a fair game. They played their best no matter which team they were in and were a true credit to Milford School, displaying amazing character and sportsmanship. Thank you Milford Ballers!

Another student who has been excelling is Piper Davis. Last weekend Piper competed in the North Harbour Gymnastics Club Champs and in her age group (7/8 year girls) she received podium placings for Beam (1st), Bars (1st), Vault (2nd), and Floor (3rd). This resulted in her being placed 1st overall. Well done Piper!

Another talented student is Emily Gan. Emily was due to compete in a major chess tournament in Australia, but due to current restrictions was unable to travel. This week, however, she competed in the North Harbour Chess Tournament and won 6/6 games for Milford A. She will be awarded her medal in the coming weeks. Well done Emily!

As you will know, we are in a time of Matariki. We have come across a lovely site that has a kaikōhau (expression of hope) for you to learn and use should you choose. As the site says, “Kaikōhau means to express your hopes and desires. When you say it, you are welcoming all things that are good and wishing for them to be plentiful in times to come.” You can access the site here.

If you go on our school website, you will notice that it has had a rebrand. We are no longer using WordPress to host it, but another company Cabu. Many other North Shore schools also use Cabu and we prefer the interface for its look and ease of use. If you have any feedback, please do let me know. We discovered the absence form was missing so are having this re-added, but in the meantime, you can also record a student's absence through the school app or via the phone.

Next week is the last week of this term and a reminder that parent/teacher/student meetings will be held on Wednesday 7 July. School sessions finish at 12.30 pm that day, so please ensure your child is picked up at that time. On Friday 9 July school finishes at the usual time of 3.00 pm. That afternoon the whole-school assembly, led by the Year 6 team, will be held at 2.15 pm in the school hall.

Have a lovely, and hopefully not too cold, weekend!

Ngā manaakitanga

Sue Cattell

Principal