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

Welcome to the first newsletter for Term 4. Before we know it, it will be the last newsletter of the year - scary!! Make the most of everyday and live life to the fullest,  being grateful for what we have!

Although we are into the third week of the term, I hope you had a wonderful holiday and you and your children rested, connected with family and friends, and recharged for the final term of 2018!

Another busy term is ahead - keep referring to the school website www.westmelton.school.nz for updates on school events using the calendar.

Pet Day and Celebration of Learning

Wow what a great community fun day we had today!!! Our Celebration of Learning started our great fun day this morning followed by our exciting and action packed Pet Day! It is always rewarding to see the children with their animals, and creations and to be able to share their care and upkeep, and their learning.  They are so proud in sharing their hard work to all.

Huge thanks to, our sponsors  Ray White, West Melton 4 Square, Alliance Building and Asbestos Ltd, Veterinarian Support Teresa Moore,  our judges from our wider community with your knowledge and expertise giving up your time to support our learners, members of the school community for your support and to Anna, Darren and Moira and their team for coordinating a very successful day. 

Recruitment

As part of the recent successful and positive recruitment process, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Jane Howden and Leanne Morgan as full time teachers to West Melton School commencing 30 January 2019. The appointment panel Sara Paris (Board chair), Tracey Riley (Deputy Principal/Staff representative), and Sue Jackson (Principal) were delighted with the high calibre of applicants.

We are currently advertising for a permanent full time teaching position to complete the appointment process so we have a full contingent of passionate, committed and hard working teachers driving a passion for learning!

Farewell

Chloe Cull’s last day as a teacher in Tī Kōuka is 9 November 2018 as she moves on to her new school Aririra Springs in Lincoln. We thank Chloe for her valuable input, knowledge and time she has worked with us and we wish her all the best at her new school.

We welcome Rebecca McPhail who will be teaching full time filling Chloe’s position, until the end of the year.

Current Roll and future predictions

Currently our roll is sitting at 472 student's. We predicted we would reach 490 by December 2018. We are now able to confirm we will reach close to 480.

At this stage, we are looking at a maximum roll for 2019 up to 480, similar to this year. By all accounts, it is becoming obvious that the school may have reached its peak, and we are now in a position to continue to focus on consolidating and building on systems and procedures with a deeper focus, rather than managing the rapid growth we have been experiencing over the last number of years.

This enables stability all round and working with what we know!

Reporting to Parents

Teachers are currently assessing student's learning in preparation for completing their reports they will share with you on Friday 7 December.