Auckland Transport ran a very successful Play Streets afternoon on Wednesday this week, blocking off Otakau Road from 2.00-4.00pm so cars couldn’t enter or exit the street. The children and parents who came through after school were really excited to use the chalk on the road, ride over the ramps and through the obstacles as well as devour a sausage! They will do this again next Wednesday afternoon, feel free to come this way home.

I always try and support causes that our students are passionate about, such as Grace Young’s Give a Kid a Blanket which we were involved with earlier this year. Mischa Moreton and Carter Howarth (both Year 5 students) have become passionate about helping the City Mission to help those who struggle to feed their families and provide toys for their children. They have put together a flyer which is attached to this newsletter, that outlines what things you can donate. If you bring them to the school office, they will be collected daily. Thank you Mischa and Carter, for displaying the learner profile of caring.

We have had a few children come to school after vomiting during the night. Please follow the Ministry of Health’s guidelines that say children should not be at school until 48 hours after they last vomited or had diarrhea. This helps stop the spread of illness. The poster which outlines this is found on our website by following this link.

Next Friday, 13 December, your child will bring home their end of year report. Along with this report will be a slip of paper letting you know which class your child will be in next year. The following Monday, all children spend an hour with their new classmates and teacher, which usually takes away some of the nervousness of what it might be like. We know from experience that your reaction, as parents, to their new class and teacher is crucial. Even if the placement is not one you would have chosen, please trust that our teachers know your child and spend many, many hours preparing the class lists, ensuring a range and balance within each class. Many factors have been taken into consideration, and we are not able to accommodate any parent requests to move a child to a different class as this has ramifications on numbers, the balance of abilities, ethnicity, student dynamics etc. If you have a child currently in Years 0-5, and know that they are not returning to Milford School next year, please let the office know as soon as possible, as again this affects class lists.

I hope you have put the Christmas Festival of Song in your calendars and I look forward to seeing you here next Friday from 5pm.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Ngā mihi nui

Sue Cattell