Welcome to the Autumn Issue of 'Board Talk' from the Marshland School Board of Trustees 2022.

Start of year

We have now almost finished the term, and despite a few disruptions, the school has weathered the storm well and remained open throughout the Omicron outbreak. All of the planning that took place early in the year has helped keep things organised for all sorts of scenarios involving disruption. The students, families, and staff have shown plenty of resilience and flexibility to get us through. Thank you for all you've done to keep learning happening either at school or at home.

We know that as the year progresses, we can keep learning happening if we face more challenges like the ones this term has given us and that our planning for disruption is sound.

Work on the new space behind the hall

We have had builders working on creating the new internal space behind the hall over the last term. They have made good progress on the multi-use space, and we look forward to seeing it being used. This area has been developed using SIP (School Improvement Project) money. Other projects that we have completed with the SIP money have been the scooter track, the new PE shed and several landscaping projects around the school. The picture below shows where we are up to with the modifications.

We have also changed the inside of one learning hub by removing the wing walls to create extra usable space for teaching. This has opened up new areas for children to work in and enhanced the visibility for teachers. We hope to make similar modifications to the other learning hubs so that teachers can use these spaces for learning as the year progresses. The picture on the right shows before modification, and the left shows how this space can now be used.

Stage 3 update

Although there is not much to report for Stage 3 of Marshland School, there has been plenty happening behind the scenes. There have been monthly meetings with the Ministry, and we are hopeful for some movement on this soon. There have been some Covid related hold-ups, however, we hope to get to the tender stage soon and report some progress.

Te Rito Cafe

Another part of our school that has had to deal with plenty of challenges this term is the Cafe. Te Rito Cafe has been very popular with parents, staff, and children since it started. Milkshake Mondays have been a real hit, and we look forward to them returning in term 4. There is always anticipation to see what the flavour for the next week will be. Jeannie has been able to move with the times by implementing initiatives like the milkshakes to keep the shop moving. She has also shown her skills in other areas of the school as we prepared for staffing disruptions through Omicron. We look forward to seeing the Cafe thrive as more people are allowed on site.

We wish you all a restful break.

Andrew Osborn

Marshland School Board of Trustees 2022.