Tēnā koutou katoa, Malo e lelei, Talofa lava, Bula vinaka.

It is hard to believe we are 4 weeks from the end of term. It does feel like yesterday that we were sitting in the hall welcoming our new Year 7 students. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our students at O.I.S who have stepped up this term. It has been a really busy term with James Hargest Interschool, Open Days/Night, camp organisation, winter sports, Cross Country, Youthtown, St John's, technology and others I'm sure I have missed.

A special thanks to everyone who supported our Open Days/Night events. Our open morning and afternoon tours were well attended and we have received very positive feedback from many. Having the school open during the school day allowed for people to see the normal programmes in action as well as providing our student leaders with the opportunity to act as tour guides and share their actual O.I.S experiences.

This week we have seen higher numbers of both staff and students away unwell but have managed to maintain consistency with our teaching programme. With Y8 camps around the corner we may not be able to continue to cover each other, which may result in students learning from home. This is something we do as a last resort so we do appreciate your ongoing support. I am hoping with the weather warming up we may see a drop in sickness from both staff and students.

We are excited to see our building project starting in the Administration and Library areas. Our Room 7 and 8 classrooms are well on track to being completed and we are hoping to have access to these before the end of the term.

Please remind your child about taking care when travelling to and from school. Take the opportunity to discuss with your child about being particularly careful when crossing roads. As we know, the roads around Intermediate are busy, so if your child scooters, walks or bikes, please encourage them to use a pedestrian crossing when available. Heading straight home after school with friends always helps to keep students safe. Please reinforce this message at home.

Board news

This week we had our first Board Meeting with our new team. A warm welcome to Isabelle Raukete (Staff Representative) and Ben Strafford (Parent Delegate). They will join our existing members Jane Taafaki, Tessa Fifita, Ian Cathcart and Bec O’Sullivan who has been co-opted back on the board as a Presiding Member. A special thank you to Anneke Catto who has given her time over the last few years as the Staff Representative.

Uniforms

Our school uniform fosters a sense of identity, belonging and pride in our students. It ensures a consistently high standard of dress is worn throughout the day and provides a cost effective and practical dress code. Please check your child’s uniform and ensure that it is clean, tidy and named. Also, take this opportunity to check your child's shoes as we have noticed that students’ shoes are not looking their best. Remember no canvas shoes! We have also noticed that non-regulation uniform items have started to appear. At O.I.S our rules regarding jewellery are

a watch
and a small plain stud in each ear.
nail polish, makeup and dyed hair are not permitted

Students are expected to have their PE gear each day at school, they must come to school in uniform. With the weather warming up, girls can start wearing white ankle socks rather than blue tights.

Rebecca Meek

Principal

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