Week 4, Term 4
Kia ora koutou,
The last week for our senior students, and the last week of schooling for our Year 13s, always triggers a moment of reflection for me. A milestone in life, a stepping stone into the big wide world. We wish all school leavers the best for their bright futures - we believe in you. You are braver than you believe; stronger than you seem; and smarter than you think - A. A. Milne. All the best for the upcoming external examinations, we know our students have put in the hard work to prepare for them.
We are certainly living in interesting times at the moment. The COVID strategy is making many changes. This, coupled with the normal fatigue our students feel in November, means it is important right now that we keep up the positivity, and relentlessly remain caring. I really appreciate the understanding of our community around those changes we have had to implement. I encourage those with queries to come in and have a chat. One of those changes is the Public Health (Vaccinations) Order 2021. This, I mentioned in previous newsletters, means that school "workers" need to be vaccinated (one dose by the 15th November 2021, and two doses by the 1st January 2022) to be able to work on-site while students are present and/or work off-site in close contact with students - camps, trips etc. This does extend to parent volunteers. Our staff are aware of the process, which is currently underway with parent volunteers going on the Year 4-6 camps. Please note the Order does not require a parent carrying out parent duties to be vaccinated - picking up, dropping off, attending parent-teacher meetings etc.
Enjoy the long weekend as we head into Week 5 of the term.
Ngā mihi nui,
Mike Hart
Tumuaki | Principal