Today we farewell a staff member who has been an integral part of Queenstown Primary School for the past 15 years. Toni McIntyre has had a massive impact on the school covering various roles from her early days as a teacher across most year groups to leading the junior team. Her contributions have been exceptional, nurturing budding talents, supporting new staff and fostering a sense of belonging among all students in our school. We wish Toni well on the next part of her journey and know her new school will benefit from all she has to offer.

We welcome Sean McKenzie to Queenstown Primary School who will be taking over as the new teacher of Room 1 and team leader of the junior school. Sean is an experienced leader who is transferring from Mount Eden Normal School in Auckland. We are so lucky to have such an experienced practitioner join the school. Sean describes his classroom as a vibrant and joyful space where students are enthusiastic to return each day to continue on their new journey of learning. I’m sure he is going to fit right in.

On Monday five student teachers join us from Elon College in the States. They will be working in the school for the next month as part of an overseas school placement. I’m sure that they will have a positive experience and gather lots of ideas to set themselves up on their educational journey.

The new play spaces at school are open and it has been a very, very busy week as these new pieces of play equipment have definitely undergone the stress test. We are finding sand popping up in all areas of the school as I’m sure it will be coming out of your children’s shoes and pockets at home.

A huge thank you to Scott Crawford from Alpine Machining & Engineering who kindly refurbished our basketball poles to fit the new Astro courts. This was such a kind offer and the netball teams have been loving the new Astro courts to practice on.

Good luck to all the Netball, Rugby and Hockey players who start their winter codes this week. Play hard, play fair and most importantly, have some fun.

Kia Kaha

Matt Leach  

Deputy Principal