Some of our Year 6 students agreed to pose for the newspaper story. Here's a sneak peek at the story that will appear in the paper, distributed on Thursday.

The red brick school blocks that housed the first Oaklands Te Kura o Ōwaka students have been totally modernized and current pupils have moved in for Term 4.

The modernization of the two 1960s-era brick blocks is one of the final parts of the multi-million-dollar Ministry of Education-funded redevelopment. Redevelopment of the Halswell-based school began in 2018 and is scheduled to finish at the end of 2020.

Principal Margaret Trotter said it was fantastic the school was able to retain some of its history in the form of the original ‘Canterbury’ brick blocks.

“It’s great to see students in the modernised blocks that have already housed at least two generations of past pupils. Many parents of our current students will have learnt in these red brick blocks’.”

Mrs Trotter said she and her staff appreciated the patience of the school community during the redevelopment.

“We are now getting to enjoy our new or completely modernized facilities. This includes a new administration block, two completely new learning spaces, and refurbishment of the original blocks,’’ she said.

During Term 4 the final stage of the Ministry-funded redevelopment will happen, Mrs Trotter said. This involved refurbishment of the hall, the development of a new sports court, and creation of a central courtyard where the whole school can gather outdoors.

“The Ministry has given us some funds for landscaping, and to compliment this our Board of Trustees is developing a school-wide landscaping plan that will incorporate korokio, the native plant identified by Te Taumutu Rūnanga as part of our ongoing partnership with them as significant for our school and local area. Recognising the importance of our swimming pool, the Board has replaced the paving around it so it is ready for our Term 4 swimming programme.”

Once complete, the redevelopment will be celebrated in an official opening in 2021.