Kia ora Whānau – Greetings everyone.

What an amazing community day our School Fiesta was. A huge vote of thanks must go to Jo Bethell and the fantastic S’Mart Community team who worked with passion, determination and commitment for the sake of our children and their learning. What so many will not have seen was the incredible amount of work that had been happening for months behind the scenes to make sure the day was a success. The fear of a terrible rainy day was real, but so focussed was this team even Mother Nature decided to help out. In many ways the final sum is not as important as how this event has brought our community together, allowed talent to be showcased and gave everyone an opportunity to have fun. This fiesta has built on the tradition of community involvement and has been a success on every possible level. Saying thank you to everyone who made this happen, and to those who supported it hardly seems enough but THANK YOU! on behalf of the children of St Martins School.

Our rebuild project is at a pause at the moment while the Board and its’ committee resolve some issues with the Ministry of Education. These sorts of delays, while annoying, seem to be the norm for each school involved in a rebuild project. Our Board want to make sure that our build is the very best it can be, and that it reflects the philosophy of our school. One question that is often expressed by parents is, once this build starts, will all students remain on site? It is pretty certain that this will be the case. It is intended that the new buildings will be built before any old rooms are removed. There is still much to be worked through and as soon as there is more news we will let you know.

Did you know? If you are dropping a child off at school and your child disembarks from the car while you are on a yellow line, you could receive a ticket. The best advise is to be patient, wait until the ‘drop off bay’ clears and move forward and then let children leave the vehicle. The wardens will return at random intervals so it is best to make sure traffic behaviours are legal at all times.

Kind regards

Rob Callaghan

Principal