Kia ora koutou e ngā mātua, e ngā whānau, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Konichiwa!

I hope all trampolines and outdoor furniture is well secured with this wild spell of weather we are having. At our Teacher Only Day on Monday, when the storm hit, we were more concerned about what was happening outside than inside ...until our facilitator tactfully brought us back into focus!

We hope you enjoyed the extra long weekend which will tide us over for the remaining 4 weeks of this year!

The teachers had a great day on Monday discussing 2020 organisation, working with new teams and reviewing assessment feedback and planning into the future including how we report to parents. We welcomed Colleen Suddaby and Vanessa Adams who were able to join us for the day.

Congratulations to all who entered events over Show Week and to those who were successful with their entries!

Don’t forget the Community Thank You evening on the 4 December starting at 7pm in our Whārenui. This is another opportunity to build relationships and connections with our community, specifically thanking you for your varied levels of support throughout the year enabling teachers to provide safe, engaging and exciting learning opportunities for our children. It will be a relaxed and informal opportunity for our community, staff and Board members to interact, meet new people and for us to acknowledge this valued and appreciated support.

On Thursday we welcomed current and prospective parents to our school-sharing our successes and promoting our New Entrant year group. Whilst we were meeting with parents, their children were being cared for and played with by our Year 5 and 6 learners-inducting them into the school environment and building relationships before they start their school journey. Many thanks to our Year 5 and 6 children. You are a credit to our school! 

Staffing

Reluctantly the board accepted the resignation of Carolyn Sutherland, who has just won a permanent position at Aririra Springs School in Lincoln. Carolyn has been teaching at West Melton school for the last six years and has made valuable contributions during this time, particularly around cultural inclusiveness. We appreciate and value the work Carolyn has contributed to, and wish her well in her future at Aririra Springs. Currently we are advertising to fill this teaching vacancy before the end of 2019.

2020 Organisation

To help with organisation for 2020, we would appreciate if you could confirm in writing, with the office if your child will not be attending West Melton School next year (with the exception of year 8!). This helps us with organising placements and the overall organisation of the school. Please email either tracey.ogle@westmelton.school.nz or hannah.fifield@westmelton.school.nz