INQUISITIVE MINDS, CONNECTED KIDS, KIND HEARTS

Kia ora whānau,

A huge thank you to everyone for making Book Week such a fantastic success last week! The book sales were excellent, the dress-ups were absolutely amazing, and the standard of work in the competitions was outstanding. We truly appreciate your enthusiasm and support in making events like this so much fun.

A quick note for those lucky recipients of a Warehouse Stationery voucher on Dress-Up Day—please be aware that the expiry date printed on the back is incorrect. These vouchers are valid for two years and are activated and ready to use.

If you do have any issues using them, please don’t hesitate to reach out and we will help where we can.

Our Year 3-6 Swimming Sports were a great success a couple of weeks ago, with some outstanding performances in the pool. Congratulations to all our swimmers, especially those who have qualified for the South Canterbury Swimming Sports next Friday—we wish you the best of luck! A huge thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers who gave their time to help with marshalling and timekeeping. We truly couldn’t have done it without you!

Today marked the final session of our basketball coaching with South Canterbury Basketball. It’s been fantastic to see the tamariki develop their skills over the course of the sessions while having plenty of fun. A big thank you to the coaches for this awesome opportunity!

Next Thursday, the whole school will have the chance to give netball a go! Nicky and Sarah from Geraldine Netball will be running taster sessions for all classes over the next two Thursday afternoons. Geraldine Netball offers sessions on Wednesdays or Fridays, depending on year level, for both boys and girls. Registration information for these sessions can be found below.

In other exciting news—our pool is OFFICIALLY IN USE! The tamariki are absolutely buzzing, and it’s been wonderful to see this fantastic asset back in action. The water temperature is just right, so fingers crossed we can make the most of it for a few more weeks before the season comes to an end.

School photos have been booked in for Friday April 4th, which is considerably earlier than usual this year.

We will also run a second session in Term 4 for Pōhutukawa, as their numbers continue to grow throughout the year, and also for anyone wanting updated sibling photos before Christmas.

As we move into autumn, we’re starting to see a few seasonal bugs making their way through the school—lots of coughs, colds, headaches, and general unwellness. Please keep your child home if they are unwell. Children don’t learn effectively if they’re not feeling 100%, and keeping them home helps prevent the spread of illness to others.

We understand that receiving an SOS to collect your child can be inconvenient, but we truly appreciate your promptness in picking them up if needed. Your support and understanding in this helps us keep everyone as healthy as possible.

Mā te wā, 

Gemma