Update from Mr Sim

Kia ora koutou

Welcome back to the start of term 3. It is hard to believe that we are already over halfway through the school year. It has certainly been a disrupted two terms so far so let's hope that the rest of the year runs a little more smoothly.

Next Wednesday and Thursday we have our Parent Interviews / Student Led Conferences. The purpose of these conferences is to give you an opportunity to talk to your child’s teacher about your child’s progress and achievement across the first half of the year. We would also like you to spend some time in the space with your child to celebrate and talk to them about their learning. Please make a booking through the School Interviews website https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz using the code 76v72. As always we will have a lucky prize draw for each of the spaces for a $50 Palms voucher for a family who attends the interviews.

We are excited to welcome back Mrs Glenda Emile who has taken over the role held by Mrs Metcalfe in M1. We are also excited to welcome onto our staff Miss Laura Fifield who will be working with Mrs Larkins in Kakano. Miss O’Neill will now be working in KRua.

Congratulations to Grace Beaumont, Kate Chamberlain-Holyoake, Quade Dyer, Levi Hagger, Travis McLachlan, Bella Genefaas, Asha Taukamo, Elaisha Salamoding, Melody Sheen, Shayna Osai, Kellen Patchett, Oscar van Onselen and Calais Matenga who participated in the Zone Cross Country on Tuesday at Queenspark School. I was fortunate enough to be able to go along and watch and I was impressed with the resilience shown by all of the Shirley Primary School competitors. A special congratulations to Grace who finished 6th and has qualified for the Canterbury Championships.

Good luck to those Year 5/6 children who are participating in the wInter sport competition at Hagley Park starting this Thursday. I am sure those children involved will enjoy the experience.

Attendance letters will be coming home next week for those children whose attendance or lateness is of concern. Those of particular concern are those where the absences are listed as truant which means no information has been provided as to the reason for the absence. Attendance at school is a legal requirement and if a pattern of non attendance continues as a school we must involve School Attendance Services. For those children who receive Ministry of Education funding around learning, one of the criteria for this is consistent attendance. If attendance is not deemed to be high enough then this funding is removed by the Ministry of Education.

The coffee machine will be operating tomorrow morning from 8.30-8.55am. Parents and community are welcome to come and buy a barista coffee for $2. Coffees and hot chocolates are available from the window inside our school hall (Te Whare Putahi). Feel free to stay and attend our assembly at 9.10am. Our assembly tomorrow will be a Celebration one run by the House Leaders. 

Ngā mihi nui Alistair Sim (Principal / Tumuaki)