We’re now halfway through Term One and I hope that all Westburn families and their children have had a good start to the year.

Our students have started the year in their usual routines and are enjoying various learning opportunities with their new teachers and classmates.

To our new Westburn families, I hope that your children have settled into our school, made some friends, and learned some new skills and knowledge.

There are a few things to let you know. First of all, this year is a School Board election year. In the past, the triennial election often happens in the middle of the year, but due to COVID-related restrictions, the Ministry of Education has decided to postpone the election until September. We will be preparing for the election in the due course to make sure the process is run as smoothly as possible. In the meantime, may I ask you to consider whether it is time for you to put your hand up to join the board at the election? The board plays a very important role in keeping our school functioning and putting resources towards things that matter most for your children. We are always looking for parents with different backgrounds and cultures to join the team. In order to make fair and equitable decisions for all Westburn children at board level, diversity is very important.

Between now and the election, if you want to find out more about the board, please let me know by emailing me at boardchair@westburn.school.nz. I can meet you and answer your questions.

Next, I think COVID is possibly the biggest topic that everyone is talking about and discussing at the moment. It is natural and normal for you to try to protect your children as much as possible. At Westburn, we share the same concerns with you. We would like to provide a learning environment that is able to keep children safe. The school’s leadership team has done a lot of planning around our COVID response. Various processes and tools have been and can be implemented effectively depending on how the outbreak develops. As a board, we believe that the school’s leadership team has taken the best approach to ensure our children's learning is as uninterrupted as possible and to manage individual cases as they occur. When we make decisions about COVID responses, we will certainly take your feedback into account. If you have any concerns, please let the principal know.

Lastly, Ms Narmadhaa Palanisamy, one of our trustees, stepped down from the board at the end of the last year due to other personal commitments. On behalf of the board, I wish her the very best for the future and thank her for the contributions she made to the board. We are so lucky to have talented individuals like Narmadhaa on the board to make the right decisions for our children's education.

All the best to you all. Let's work together to make 2022 a successful year for all our children.

Regards,
Shane Zheng