Kia ora whānau. It was really lovely to be invited to listen to our wonderful orchestra this morning play the first piece they have learned together this year. These children, of whom nearly half are new members, played so well and are a credit to our amazing music teacher, Eugenie Middleton.

It was great to see the students wearing so many colours (although mainly green) yesterday, and they really loved it too. With both the gold coin donations and the profit from the pie sales, we raised $1100. This time, the money raised is being used to support some students to be able to take part in activities they otherwise may not be able to.

Our students make me proud on a daily basis. Their conversations, their joy, their commitment to their learning, as well as the way they care about each other and the environment. One student, in particular, is making me feel very proud (and humbled) at the moment. Maddi McCarthy, one of our Year 5 students, is taking part in Shave for a Cure and is bravely shaving off all her gorgeous long hair this weekend. What an incredible thing to do! Maddi has a special Aunty who has Myeloma Cancer and she wanted to find a way to support her so she wouldn’t be alone on her treatment journey. She has decided to raise money for support groups and to date, Maddi has raised $4500 which is amazing! If you would like to support her too, please go to https://shaveforacure.co.nz/maddison-mc-carthy.

Next week our Year 6 students go to camp. In all our years of going to camp, we have only had to cancel it once, 2 years ago. The students (and parents) were devastated and talked a lot about how they missed out. This year, we have spent many hours weighing up whether the camp should go ahead, and, with the teachers' and parents' support, we have decided to go. We have extra risk-mitigation practices in place and the students are very excited! I am preparing myself for going down the flying fox again, always a nerve-wracking experience for me, but worth it!

From time to time staff leave our school, and today our caretaker Paul Jury has his last day. We thank Paul for his work in keeping our school grounds safe and tidy over the past 5 years and do wish him the very best. We have employed a new Property Manager, Brook Davis. Brook is a parent of our school and comes to us with experience as a caretaker at Westlake Girls High School. Welcome Brook!

As of this morning, we currently have 16 students and one staff member with covid-19 isolating at home. Many children have now returned to school after recovering. If your child does test positive at any stage, please let the school know by filling in this form and/or letting the office know. https://forms.gle/kDBJnC9wHf3QzCx79

Have a lovely weekend everyone, and enjoy these last few weeks of daylight saving.

Noho ora mai

Sue