He kokonga whare e kitea; he kokonga ngākau e kore e kitea

The corners of the house may be seen and examined; not so the corners of the heart.

There is something to say about being flexible and adaptive. In education we often talk about being agile and this is what is certainly required when changes occur in any organisation and across the country. I know that the Health Order that came out on 25 October has provided the direction for some organisations like schools so we can ensure the health of the people in the organisation are protected. Once we have received direct guidance from the Ministry of Education we will be sending an email to families to clarify the specific information that parents/whānau need to know.

2022 Term dates

At the beginning of next year all children start school on Wednesday 2 February. We will be inviting all families (with their child/ren) to come for 15 minutes with their child on Monday 31 January or Tuesday 1 February to meet with the childs’ teacher. Children will not be expected to be in school uniform at these interviews. In the last week of the term we will send information out about making an appointment with the Homeroom teacher.

Staffing

We would like to thank and recognise a couple of staff members who are leaving our school at the end of the year. We wish Sophie Taylor all the very best as she heads to Oamaru to Pembroke School. Sophie has been at our kura for two years. We know she will do well as she heads south. Sophie has worked in the junior school and we have appreciated her caring and considered disposition. 

Jess Whitfield has made the decision to take a step back from full time teaching to spend some more time with her own children, this is an important factor for Jess. We recognise her commitment to the school as she has undertaken numerous roles, initially as a Teacher Aide and then as a classroom teacher. Jess has worked across the school and we have valued her flexibility and willingness to work in a range of positions. 

We also farewell Anke Beckers-Yu, who has been working here for eight years in both part time and full time capacity, most recently in Year 5 / 6. Anke is moving to Wharenui School in Christchurch and she is looking forward to working in her new environment. Anke has taken on extra responsibilities in music and we would like to thank her for the time and commitment given to the school. We wish Sophie, Jess and Anke all the very best in their new endeavours and would like to thank them for their significant contributions to our school.

We are really excited to be welcoming Charlotte Irwin and William Kennedy to the teaching team in 2022. Both Charlotte and William join us from Initial Teacher Training and you will see them around the school over the next few weeks as they familiarise themselves with our school.

School Planning for 2022

As in all schools at this time of the year, there is a considerable amount of planning that begins for the year ahead. If you know of any new entrant children in the community that are still yet to enrol for 2021 or the start of 2022 we would value hearing from them. If you know your child will not be attending our school in 2022, other than our Year 6 students, we would appreciate hearing from you as this will assist our planning.

2022 dates

Term 1, 2022

• Monday 31 January – Thursday 14 April

• Monday 31 January & Tuesday 1 February - Hui Whanaungatanga Interviews

• Wed 2nd February: All children start

• Waitangi Day: Monday 7th February

• Teacher Only Day: Monday 21 March

• Teacher Only Day: Thursday 14 April

• Good Friday: Friday 15 April

Term 2, 2022

• Monday 2 May – Friday 8 July

• Teacher Only Day: Friday 3 June

• Queen's Birthday: Monday 6 June

• Matariki Holiday: Friday 24 June

Term 3, 2022

• Monday 25 July - Friday 30 September

Term 4, 2022

• Monday 17 October - Thursday 15 December (TBC)

• Labour Day: 24 October

• Show Day: Friday 11 November

Board elections for 2022

Some of you will be aware that we have Board elections in 2022. We are really interested in hearing from interested persons who would like to join our professional team of Board members all of whom bring their own strengths and capabilities to the team. If you are interested in being part of the team we will organise some dates next year that you can join the current board to ask questions and share information about the position. We look forward to working with you. Please note the timeline for the elections below:

• Call for nominations by 11 July 2022 (school holidays)
• Nominations close - 3 August 2022
• Voting papers out - 8 August 2022
• Election day - 5 September 2022
• Board Takes Office 12 September 2022

Thank you

Our PTA met on 21 October. It was great to see our committee work so hard to continue with some of the fundraising events they had planned for the year. The chocolate fundraiser was managed slightly differently this year since we were in Alert Level 2 and families opted into this activity. The PTA worked alongside Emily Keenan to ensure families had boxes of chocolates to sell. Thank you to the PTA and Emily for all the work and time they have committed to this fundraiser. 

Congratulations

Isabel was awarded her Grade 2 piano exam with Distinction. Congratulations to Isabel for this amazing achievement.