Welcome
Welcome to all our new families that have joined our Te Uru Tarata - Lemonwood Grove School whānau, this term.
I look forward to getting to know you all as you start your journey here at school. 

Art Competition
At the end of last term I challenged those who were interested to participate in brightening up my office with some art creations. 

Thank you to the learners who found the time.  Congratulations to Meila G, Ethan G, Cashall & Kaedence who really brightened up my office.  I hope you enjoy your 'art prize packs'. 

Stage 3 Build
During the holidays Troy, members of the Board of Trustees and I, had a meeting with the Ministry of Education to discuss the interior designs of our Stage 3 build as well as the design of East Maddison's Road entry point.
We are awaiting feedback, and expect this within the next couple of weeks. 

Camp
I was fortunate enough to visit the camp at Wainui, where our Year 5/6 - Hinutuhi learners have been the last week. 
It was my first time to this camp and the set up was fantastic. 
I was really proud of all those who attended.  As for some it was the first time away from home. 
It can be really scary for both children and parents so I appreciate all of you being brave and trusting us to take good care of your children. 

Library
It has been a long journey but early this week our library began the journey of functioning like a library and our learners can now issue books. 
For those new to the school, due to roll growth our library was a classroom for many years and then with the increased number of learners, we did not have the stock (books) to be able to issue books without the shelves being empty. 
Our library is a valuable resource and a big thank you must go to Tracy Masina for all her hard work in getting the library to this stage. The learners really appreciate this. 

Multilingual Reading Programme

Our multilingual reading programme has started this term with parents volunteering their time to read in the library in a variety of different languages. 
Since the start of term we have had learners hearing stories read it Tagalog, Mandarin and Afrikaans. 
This initiative has seen children of all language backgrounds attend and learn about different cultures and languages. 

Thoughts
As a principal we are a small group and this week I attended the funeral for the principal of Waimairi School, Mike Anderson who passed away at the age of 52 after a short illness.
Mike was a respected colleague and friend who always made time to talk about education.  He was knowledgable and respected throughout education circles.
My thoughts are with the Waimairi school community and Mike's family. 

Feedback
I am only an email away and I encourage you all to make contact - principal@lemonwoodgrove.school.nz.  You can alternatively ring the office if you would prefer to make time to meet with me in person. 
I live and work in the community so please feel free to contact me if you have feedback or concerns that are happening during school time or after school. 

If I can't help, I often have direct contact numbers for those in our community who can. 

Thank you to everyone for creating such a wonderful environment here at Te Uru Tarata -  Lemonwood Grove School.

Ngā mihi 

Blair Dravitski
Tumuaki | Principal
Te Uru Tarata | Lemonwood Grove School