Friday was a difficult and trying day for all and there will continue to be ongoing aftershocks from it that impact on many.

Returning to school on Monday opened with a liturgy,  grounding the school in the rock that is our firm foundation.

As a Board our great appreciation and thanks goes to our School staff for all they did in keeping our children safe on Friday afternoon in a very trying, time handling the lockdown calmly and professionally. The school followed the NZ Police lockdown instructions throughout and were regularly updated by the Ministry of Education during this time. I’m even aware that when some of the younger children were picked up from school they were ready to continue the day as if they’d finished at 3pm and sat down at home to watch their TV programs that had long since finished.

To our school community thank you for your support and patience on Friday. It was greatly appreciated and aided the school in managing the lockdown. Already posted to this site is much helpful information about dealing this event. Please also contact us if we can be of any assistance.

As with any situation like this it is a reminder to ensure that contact details are correct and up to date, and that all avenues of communication are available, including having access to the school app and follow St Francis school on Facebook.

As usual for any event like this the school will review the procedures and polices related to this and see what worked well and what needs improvement.

Finally at this time may we as a community uplift all the victims of this cruel and senseless action in prayer.