He mihi mahana kia koutou katoa - Warm greetings to all

I hope you managed to have some time with your tamariki through the holiday break and that you managed to find somewhere warm and dry.

We were very busy at school with the landscaping and other projects such as increased security and repairs to heat pumps.

Anyone who has been involved in a building project knows it is ongoing and we are still working to get our new spaces right!

The start of the term got off with much excitement with children arriving to see the new play areas developing. We opened our junior playground outside Mokihi on Wednesday. Those who have seen it will agree it is great!! Thank you to Tina Dyer from Park Central for working on the design with our children on this playground and the forest. A huge thank you to Pete, Phil and the team from Playworks for completing both projects to such a high standard. We have now got our fingers crossed that the weather will allow for the quick completion of the bike track. We are hoping to open later next week.

Monday also saw a visit from two Education Review Officers to work with a group of our parents. ERO is currently working on a new operation model. I'm fortunate enough to sit on the national reference group for this design work. To help our reference group we have been running some parent focus groups throughout New Zealand to find out what parents, as stakeholders, would like to see in the national reports. Our team of parents did us proud in contributing to this national conversation - they even did their homework!!

Our new report format went out at the end of the term and thanks to those who have given us some constructive feedback. We have a focus group of parents who are working on a review with staff between now and the end of the year.

A few really important reminders

• Attendance- please ensure you contact us before 8:30am if your child is going to be absent. It is your legal responsibility to ensure children attend school unless sick. As I've said before shopping, haircuts and birthdays are not reasons for having "a day off". It is also important children are on time for school. In our vast experience this reduces anxiety in children as they are set up for the day instead of playing catch up.
• Learning Journeys: If you have booked a 10 minute time slot to see the teacher in the last hour of the day please be mindful the sessions end at 5:10pm and 7:40/7:45pm.  If your interview is towards the end of these session times you must have undertaken your child's Learning Journey prior to your interview starting. Staff have tea at 5:10pm and pack up at 7:45pm.
  
• Book your Learning Journeys - see separate article
• Please update your contact details.
• Children will be asked to wait at the gate if they arrive at school before 8:30am.
• All children are to go home at the 3:10pm bell unless with a parent- parents to supervise
• Teachers are parents, wives and husbands and are part of communities too. DO NOT expect responses from teachers at night to txt or email.