Kia ora koutou. A warm welcome back to our students and their families.

We are looking forward to a busy term filled with learning and fun!

We begin the term with another new class of 5-year-olds. I had the pleasure of meeting these students and their parents over the last few months during enrolment interviews. The opportunity to welcome our new students has to be one of the most enjoyable parts of my week.  

Sometimes these are children who have siblings at Sherwood already. While the families know the school well, it is always nice to meet the younger family members as they join us. 

However, other times there are families who are new to Sherwood, new to having a child at school, and maybe even new to New Zealand. I have been thinking about ways we might make our new families feel welcome. At my previous school, we hosted a "new parents morning tea" once a term. But I'd love to hear other ideas. Maybe you know of things that other schools do. Maybe you are a new parent and have suggestions of how we could help you settle into our community. So if you have ideas that you could share, please email me to carolync@sherwoodprimary.school.nz 

We are also looking ahead to farewelling some students, with our Year 6s moving from Sherwood to intermediate school next year. If you feel your child needs extra support with this transition, please let us know. Change can be harder for some students and we are happy to help. We know there are some students who also find changing classes creates anxiety. We are also able to put in transition plans for these children that help to reassure them.

We look forward to a successful and enjoyable term for all.

Nga mihi

Carolyn Crow