Monday 18th May, 2020

Kia ora whānau

We are so excited about having our students and staff back at school. Thank you for all of your support throughout the lockdown. We have loved seeing what our tamariki have been doing and as hard as it was at times, we hope you managed to enjoy some quality time with your whānau. George and I definitely got used to a new normal and I really enjoyed taking a bit more time out playing cards, reading, knitting, walking and yoga. We feel very ready (as much as we can be!) to welcome our little baby girl.

I would like to say a big thank you to our staff for being so adaptable during this time. Penny, Megan and Sally worked hard to create engaging opportunities for your children and to be available when you needed them. Ruth continued working from home so the school admin could still tick along. Tamar enjoyed some online learning with one of our students and helped get the school back to shipshape for our students. Thalia (and Dylan) worked hard to ensure the school is clean and the garden is up to date and Ingrid, David and Wendy have ensured our lawns are looking good. Our BOT have also had regular zoom meetings to ensure they are in the loop and are always looking out for the wellbeing of our staff and students. Thank you Ingrid, Jaz, Julie, Leighton and Nicholas. We look forward to seeing Fi, Tracy and Yo back. We are lucky to have such a dedicated and supportive Omihi team.

I will be going on maternity leave in the next couple of weeks. I’m feeling really good, so am just taking it day by day. Penny will be taking over as Acting Principal and she will send you an email when that happens. She is all ready to go and we have had plenty of time for handover, which has been very helpful. As of next week Megan and Penny will be teaching 4 days a week.

Ngā mihi
Maree Lucas
Tumuaki/Principal
principal@omihi.school.nz

School Notices

Principal’s Awards
Today we gave out the Principal Award from the end of term 1. Congratulations……Arthur Brown! We won’t be holding assemblies this term, but we will continue to give out certificates throughout the term.

New build/Septic tank
During lockdown we have still been working hard to progress with our new septic tank and new building. The BOT have made a number of decisions on the new building and we are excited about the multi-purpose space our school is getting. At the moment the architects are confirming the final drawings and then it will go out to tender in the next couple of months. This goes to a national database and we will also send the link to our community in case any locals want to apply. When we are able to, we will share the drawings with our community.

The septic tank plan is getting finalised at the moment and we are hoping to have this work completed before the new build starts.

Reporting
Due to the amount of distance learning this term, we have had to rethink the way we are reporting. Already in term 1 we have reported on Social Sciences, PE and Maths. At the end of this term the teachers will be reporting on Maths, Writing and Reading by updating the graph on Hero. They will also write a general comment, which will include Science. There will be no comment on Reading and Writing, these will come in term 3.

Camp/Events
As a BOT we have decided to postpone our term 3 camp to Arthurs Pass. At the beginning of term 3 we will be surveying parents and reassessing whether we go to Arthurs Pass in term 4, or postpone until 2021. We are aware of the uncertain times coming up and also financial stress on families, so we want to make the right decision for our students and community. We will also be discussing the ski trip, production and kapahaka festival at the start of term 3, so will continue to follow the Ministry guidelines and keep you informed. We will be continuing our kapahaka sessions, starting next week, we just aren’t sure about the festival at this stage.

The small schools and kowai cross country will not be going ahead this term.

Lunches Online
Sadly during the lockdown Pita Pit have had to close their doors permanently. We would like to thank them for all of their delicious lunches over the past year. Lunches online now have the option of Subway and sushi. These will not be happening this term, but we will keep you informed if we are able to set them up for term 3.

Change of clothes
A reminder for children to please bring a change of clothes on Tuesday and Wednesday this week as we will be doing science experiments in the afternoon. They still need to wear their uniform to school in the morning.

Mufti Day
This Friday 22nd May it is our SPCA mufti day. Children to dress as animals and please bring a gold coin donation.

Year 7/8 Technology
This will be starting on Monday 25th May.