Kia ora, Tālofa lava

I trust that you enjoyed your long weekend with your whānau. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who attended our Learning Celebration, Whanaungatanga - Strengthening Connections on Friday 4th November. It was an amazing evening of entertainment that I have heard so much positive feedback about. Thank you so much to all of our students, teachers and tutors for their efforts.

Congratulations to all of our students who competed at the Zones athletics - what a superb attitude, effort and results. Best wishes to those who have qualified for the Canterbury competition.

It was great to be able to have the Music Festival at the town Hall again after a two year break. Once again congratulations to our students who performed.

Our Kiwi Tag team did exceptionally well at the Canterbury Kiwi Tag competition, they just lost the final to a team they had beaten in pool play.

Every parent wants their children to be successful in learning and in life and regular attendance at school is important for this to happen. Here are some key messages.

• If students have one week off every term, over ten years they will miss one year of school.

• Being at school everyday matters because of the sequential nature of learning, especially in literacy and numeracy.

• By law, students must attend school and

• One of the highest predictors of education success is attendance levels at school.

Please contact your child’s teacher or senior leadership if you are having trouble getting your child to school. Regular attendance can support students to make friends, keep friends and connect with peers.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Ngā mihi

Andrew Barker