Gratitiude and optimism
By Andrew Hunter | Posted: Thursday March 10, 2022
Kia ora e te whanau
We have had an excellent first 6 weeks of school, thanks to the all round great attitude of our staff and students. We have coped with covid related changes extremely well, taking everything in our stride. By now, everyone will have a covid story and understand how it has affected their daily lives. I'm guessing we're still a couple of weeks away from any peak in schools and as always, we plan with multiple contingencies in order to retain as much of our normal programme as possible. Our rolling average of absences is around 10%, mainly self isolating household contacts. Thank you to all families for managing this so well and communicating their situation to us. It really helps. I'm sure we are all looking forward with some optimism to next term and a return to greater normality.
Parent/teacher interviews are scheduled next week. Thanks for making time to talk with your child's teacher. The interviews are to share initial observations and discuss some goals for the first half of the year. If you can;'t find a time that suits, please make contact your child's teacher to reschedule.
A shout out to the Year 7 classes who have all completed their Outdoor Education sessions. Some great feedback from staff, parents and students on the success of these days. A great compromise amid uncertain times. Thanks for the excellent support we received for this, it is greatly appreciated!
Our PBL (Project Based Learning) programmes are in full swing. We have introduced an excellent Balmac designed booklet to support your child's learning and to make visible some of the skills and learning steps your child will encounter. We are enjoying using them and hope you take the opportunity see how the programme works. Thanks to all staff who have worked hard to produce these great resources.
Take care, stay well!
Noho ora mai
Andrew Hunter