He mihi aroha ki a koutou,

I hope you are all coping as best you can with the changing nature of life at the moment. The government’s extension of Level 4 lockdown and the tight parameters set under Level 3 will see little change for many over the coming weeks but I certainly hope you can make the most of the ease in restrictions.

With that in mind, our Parent Support Group are putting together a directory of businesses that are connected to our community and will be promoting that through their Facebook page. If you would like to be included in this directory click here https://www.facebook.com/MMCPSG/ for more details.

We have been calling around as many families as we can over the last few days to check in with households around their experience with distance learning. This forms an integral part of our internal review framework and helps us to be responsive to the needs of our community. We have been overwhelmed with the messages of support as a result and will continue to make contact with as many of you as possible moving forward. We will continue to work for the best possible outcomes for our students, please do get in contact if you have any concerns.

Tuesday 28 April is a Ministry of Education directed teacher only day. Students are welcome to use the day to continue their studies but I have encouraged staff to use the day to reflect on their learnings of distance teaching and learning so far and to plan and prepare for what is ahead. Some staff will be required on-site to physically prepare the school for those 13 years and younger who are unable to stay at home.

Finally a special thanks to our Head Students Molly Shivnan and Tommy Smith for their contribution to ANZAC day this year. Clips of their speeches will be available on the Tauranga City Council Facebook page on Monday. Missing their opportunity to speak on the day is just one example of the many special opportunities all of our students are missing out on as part of the active and engaged lives that they lead inside the school and out. By following the advice of the Ministry of Health and working together we, as a community, will be doing everything we can to get back to a sense of normality as soon as possible.

Thank you all for your ongoing support.

Ngā mihi nui,

Alastair Sinton
Principal