Kōrero ō te Tumuaki

Principal's Update 6 June 2025

Cross Country

First of all I want to thank everyone for their contributions in making our school cross country event out at Rabbit Island the huge success that it was. We had a gem of a day weather-wise, the tamariki brought fantastic attitudes to the challenge of the course, and our parent supporters really added to the atmosphere.

A special mihi to our marshals, particularly those helping at the end of the laps shepherding children in the correct direction.

Kid Power

This week we held our Kid Power parent information session. Paul from the Empowerment Trust ran the session sharing the skills (powers) that children have been learning in class.

The Kid Power approach is about equipping children with a set of skills they can use when facing challenging situations.

Thanks to those parents who came along. If you missed the session and want to find out more, you can first talk to your child (all classes had a session with Paul and are doing follow up lessons) or you can talk with your class teacher.

Staffing Update

It is with both sadness and excitement that I announce that Mrs Barry will be leaving EGS at the end of this term. Whilst we will miss Julie for her extensive skillset and the strong caring relationships she bas built with so many children and their whānau, we are really thrilled for her to have won a position with the Nelson RTLB (resource teachers of learning and behaviour) Service.

RTLB positions are highly sought after and we look forward to seeing Julie grow into this new role.

Next term Mrs Daniel in Room 5 is taking leave. We are thrilled to have Kyra Wilkie coming back to us to step into Room 5 for the term.

You may have spotted the familiar face of Mr Hands aropund the school lately. Nigel says that he has "done retirement" now, and is spending some time volunteering to help out the school. Thanks Nigel, much appreciated!

Exciting News!

We have been successful in two recent grant applications which allow us to pursue two exciting (but very different) projects.

The first is from Sport Tasman's Tu Manawa Active Aotearoa fund. Our successful grant application allows our Te Ara students from Rooms 7,8 and 10 to have a day at Kaiteretere beach with Waka Abel Tasman, learning about the traditions and pūrākau (stories) of local iwi. well done Sam, Melissa and Annie in your work to get this over the line successfully.

The second grant is from Air New Zealand's Every Corner Project. This grant is for $10k to help us develop the bank area between Te Rito and the bottom field. We intend to landscape this area with planting of trees and plants native to the Nelson area. There will be pathways and featured to engage children as they move through the space.

Area to be developed

Our next step with this project is to design the space. We will be seeking student input, as well as seeking the expertise of anyone who has landscape design experience. If you have any skills in this area and would like to offer your support, please get in touch with the office.

Upcoming Events

Keep the evening of Wednesday June 18 free for our Matariki Celebration. Details have been sent out via SeeSaw. We look forward to having as many of our whānau as possible celebrate with us.

Ngā mihi,

John