Tuesday 8th February, 2022
Kia ora e te whānau
It’s so lovely to be back at school and to see all of our tamariki’s faces. The teacher’s and I loved hearing about their holiday stories. It was also exciting to welcome new students and staff to our Omihi whānau.
Welcome Miss W to Tūpari, Bryleigh as our Office Manager and Ava, Theo, Logan, Cadence, Hamish, Jack, Lennox and Kaisa to our classes.
As we move into this term there is a lot of uncertainty, so we are trying our best to make school as normal as possible. Our daily programme will stay the same and we have some fun events coming up. We know from last year that there is a disconnect with parents and the school without all the events we usually have, so we will try our best to connect as much as possible. Please keep in touch with us too. The teachers and I will often be out at the gate at drop off and pick up, plus we will offer zoom 3 Way Learning Conferences, and will send photos home through Hero and social media. We would also like to offer a zoom catch up with the community tomorrow night if the need is there. Just a chance to ask questions and have a chat. Please fill out this form by Wednesday morning if you would like to be a part of it. Or if you would like to speak to me privately, feel free to give me a call or arrange a meeting.
Ngā mihi
Maree Lucas
Tumuaki/Principal
principal@omihi.school.nz
School Notices
Character Strengths
Isobel, Year 6 - My character strengths are bravery, prudence and love. Bravery helps me to get rid of fear and build up confidence, like standing up in front of loads of people and trying new things, and different ways to learn. Prudence helps me to think before I act, and love helps me to make friends.
School Calendar
Keep an eye on the school calendar on our website to see events coming up. This week Paemoana are going for a walk on the Lucas farm and we welcome bikes to school to practise for our triathlon. Next week Awaawa are going to the Lucas farm and we have our Omihi triathlon. Please ensure children have sensible shoes for the walks and triathlon practise.
When we go on school trips we use the school bus where possible, and ask for parent transport if needed, if we are not in red. We are going to our farm this term so we are not out in public and can limit who the children are in contact with. We have the blanket consent form that covers these trips that you signed on enrolment. The only trips we gain further consent for are ski trips and camps.
Uniform
A reminder that we ask children to wear navy shorts/skirts or trousers with their Omihi uniform. Also navy or white socks. We are in the middle of changing our uniform provider, due to changes in stock and order amounts, so we will let you know when that arrives. There will be a few new items that will be on offer.
Board of Trustees
We welcome Craig Tomlinson onto our BOT. Craig has been co-opted to help with our succession planning, as Leighton will be stepping down at the end of this term. We are so grateful for all the time and effort Leighton has put into the school and BOT over the past years while his children were at our school. There will be BOT elections later in the year. If you are interested in putting your name down, please feel free to have a chat with me or any of the BOT members if you want to find out what is involved. We meet at 5pm on a Monday twice a term, plus extra meetings when needed.
Contacting Omihi Staff
The best way to contact teachers and myself is through email. We can’t always reply straight away, but will get back to you as soon as possible. If you have a message regarding the bus, please text me. We try our best to not email parents after school hours of 8am - 5pm and I encourage our staff to have a work/life balance, so we ask that you try and keep communications during that time as well please.
If you need to get in touch with me regarding self isolation or someone having Covid, please contact me asap. If it is after hours, please call me on my mobile. Contact me if you need my mobile number.
Home learning packs
Home learning packs were sent home on Friday. These are to put away in case you need it in the future if your child has to self isolate, or if teachers need to self isolate.
Basketball and Mini ball
If your child would like to play basketball or mini ball, please make sure they have put their name down with me so I can organise teams. Julie (Lily and Thomas’ Mum) is organising Mini ball for the Year 3/4 team, which is on a Monday night. I will put together the Year 5/6 and Year 7/8 teams for Friday night. We are looking for a coach for these teams, please let me know if you are available.
Omihi Library
Each class goes to the library every Monday. Please remind your children to bring their holiday books back this week if possible. The library is also available to the community. While we are in the red traffic light, please let me know if you would like to get some books out and I can arrange a time outside of school hours for you.
