Tēnā koutou katoa, Kia orāna,

Term 3 has got off to a great start as we welcomed new staff, students, and their families to our school whānau.  We’re delighted to have Laura Cooke joining Room 17 and Emma-Lee Sheppard in Room 6.  A warm welcome also to Jorgia Sparks and Tracey Walsh, who joins our Mainstream Teaching Assistants team, and Victoria Park, now part of the Motuora Teaching Assistants team. We also welcome Kirsty Hodd and Cindi Meyer to our RTLB team – we’re excited to have such passionate educators and support staff joining us.

This week we’ve also been celebrating Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani – Cook Islands Māori Language Week. It’s been wonderful to see our students engaging with the culture, language, and stories of the Kūki ‘Āirani. Meitaki ma‘ata to everyone who has taken part.

As Board of Trustees nominations close today, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the outgoing Board members who are not seeking re-election: Jon Walton (2016 - 2025), Conan O’Reilly (2016 - 2025), Neicia Persson(2022 - 2025), and Andrew Waller (2022 - 2025). Your collective service to the school has been outstanding.  The current Board will hold their final official meeting next Tuesday evening – please join me in saying a heartfelt thank you.

Ngā mihi nui,
Julie Hepburn
Principal