Kia ora Koutou
Footsteps Dance
I just had the absolute pleasure of watching part of the last ‘Footsteps’ dance session for the Y7/8’s in the hall. My pleasure came from how obvious it was that this large group of senior students were loving the dance lessons and performance run by Kate. Maungatapere school has used ‘Footsteps’ as a company to biannually provide expert movement and dance across a week intensive. We have had really positive feedback right across all age levels about students' enjoyment, skill development and enthusiasm to move and groove. Some of the dance performances may be used in our celebration of learning next term.
Celebration for Learning
We had planned to run a ‘Celebration of Learning’ afternoon/evening to focus on this year's topics, as well as provide an opportunity for students to perform for an audience. Due to the ongoing building work, we have decided to move this event to the end of Term 4. We hope this will allow more people to flow around and access the school areas. This may or may not allow us to use the new deck area in our celebration of learning organisation.
Building Project Update
Stage One - current
Tracking slightly ahead of schedule / decking looking good / concrete ramp for the step down between R12 and the deck by R3, the garden edging and moving of the memorial rock and roof completed by week 10 of this term. This will allow better access for everyone around the school
Holiday works
Planned asbestos cladding removal first week of holidays - all cladding off R1 to 3, wrapped in waterproof building paper / radiator heaters removed R1 to R3 and big heater unit in Pool Shed to be decommissioned / heat pumps installed R1 to R3 / the power will be on and off with lots of trades in for most of the holidays / limited access during this time again.
The limited access for teachers/principal during the holidays will again put us under pressure with how we work and prepare for the coming term.
Term 4 Stage Two
R1 to R3 will be upgraded one at a time - new cladding, windows, sliding door to allow daily access to the covered deck / one class at a time relocation to the hall using the music room for daily desk storage/gear
Parent / teacher / school communication
If at any stage your child comes home from school upset or worried about something that has happened at school, please contact their classroom teacher first, to discuss the situation that has potentially happened at school. This can be by email/phone call or a face to face discussion. This allows the teacher to add/find out or clarify any other known information or details. Following on from the parent/teacher discussion, if your concerns remain, then you can contact the office to speak with myself as Principal. Regular conversations with your classroom teacher can often clarify or add insights into a situation or ongoing patterns at school. At other times it can be more complex and is important for senior management or myself as Principal to be aware and work through.
