Kia ora koutou,

Not long now for the Spring Fair. Everyone is very excited, and we can’t wait to see you all there. Thank you to our families for your support with items to sell and all the helpers we have for Saturday.

We recently held our Board of Trustees election and had our first Board of Trustees meeting for the new three-year cycle. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge our outgoing board members, Phil Webster (6 years) and Kylie Morgan (3 years). To Phil and Kylie, thank you so much for your dedication and service to our school. You both invested many hours, and we value your thoughtful input into our Kura.

Our new board has three new members; welcome to Dylan Shell, Paula Haman, and Adam Bradstreet, as well as Simon Perry and Renika Siciliano, who were existing members and were re-elected. Renika is our new Presiding Member, and Dylan is taking on the role of Treasurer. We are grateful to have such a well-balanced board, and we look forward to working with you over the next three years. 

In other news, after 22 years of teaching at Puketaha School, Katherine Dixon, our Assistant Principal and teacher in Roopuu Kaakano 2, has decided to resign from teaching at the end of this year. She has not taken this decision lightly, but she is excited about moving out of education and trying something new. Katherine is such a fantastic teacher and a knowledgeable, wise leader. We will miss her a lot, but it’s also lovely to see her excited about the possibilities ahead.  

Many of you may know Deb Gibbison, currently on maternity leave. She has decided that instead of returning to teaching full-time next year, she wants to spend this precious time with her son while he’s still little. If we are lucky, she might be able to teach the odd day here and there next year so that we can stay connected.

On a happy note, we have a public holiday on Monday, so we hope you have a fantastic long weekend with your whaanau! 

Ngaa mihi 

Nyree Olliver