Dear parents, caregivers, students and friends of the school. Tena koutou katoa. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa

We welcome all new students and their families to Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School. We hope you have a happy association with our school and make the most of the many educational activities and opportunities provided.

It is also my pleasure to welcome back our Year 8 students with the expectation that each will continue to participate to the best of their ability while demonstrating independence, good work habits and responsibility for their own behaviour.

This is the first of regular newsletters you will receive about key events and happenings in our school. In addition to the school newsletters, you can expect to receive regular class or team newsletters throughout the year. Please encourage your son or daughter to bring all notices home so you can stay informed about your child’s education at our school. School notices for students are published as Daily Notices in classes every day. Parents can access these through the Daily Notices button on our school website homepage.

Last year was an amazing one for the school with excellent academic results in the key areas of literacy and numeracy. We have published the progress made by last year’s Year 8 students in this newsletter.

We are extremely proud of our school and invite all our families and friends to join us in any capacity you can to assist us in our commitment to making our school a school of excellence in all aspects. Your support will help consolidate our position as one of New Zealand’s top Year 7 and 8 schools.

School Events Coming Up

We invite you as parents and whānau to join us at these upcoming events:

• 16th February 2024 - 9:00 am to 11:00 am - School Duathlon. 
  
  
• 20th February 2024 - 7:30 pm - PTA Information Night followed by an Annual Meeting.
  
  
• 29th February 2024 - 7:30 pm - School Board Meeting. All welcome.
  
  
• 6th/7th March 2024 - Parent/Teacher Hui where you can meet your child’s new teacher.
  
  
• 11th April 2024 - 9:00am to 12:00 pm - School Fun Day Out. School-wide fun activities/tabloids to build a sense of community and student relationships. Students compete/participate in a cycle and run event either as individuals or in teams.

More information about these events will follow.

Property Development Projects 2024

• New Classrooms – we will be receiving four modular classrooms in the first half of the year. These will be located at the front of the school alongside the staff car park.
  
  
• Toilet Refurbishment – we will be refurbishing the students’ toilet block adjacent to the hall. A two bay unisex toilet will be added alongside the entrance to the hall.
  
  
• New playground equipment – we are hoping to have a new playground installed on the top field to complement the existing equipment by the end of Term 1.

Ngā Mihi Nui

Henk Popping
PRINCIPAL