Principal's Message...

Our Purpose: To prepare students to be active participants who will contribute to their community.

Tēnā koutou katoa, Malo e lelei, Talofa lava, Bula vinaka.

The "Ye Ha" production yesterday was absolutely brilliant, with an excellent cast, costumes, and crew. I am so grateful to Anneke Catto, Amanda Notman, and Natalie Preston, who spent countless hours supporting our students to ensure they were ready for the show. I was so proud to watch our tamariki light up the stage. A special shout-out to Waitaki Boys' High School for the use of your auditorium and to the wonderful boys who ran the sound and lighting booth.

We have been very lucky this winter to have had very few illnesses among staff. While we have had to juggle release and have management teaching in classrooms, we have not had to shut classrooms so far. We rely heavily on you as parents to ensure that you only send your children to school when they are well. Thank you for your support.

With a change of season in the air, students playing fewer team sports, the discussion about high school for our Y8 students, and the mid-way point of the term around the corner, we can see our students start to become a little unsettled, tired, and less able to regulate their emotions. As adults, it is really important that we support our children as they work through this. This support comes in the way of boundaries, sleep, nutrition, and knowing what our children are up to in their downtime, especially if they are using social media platforms.

Here at school, we keep expectations clear, students in routine, and follow up when students haven’t been able to uphold our values. It is really important that you keep in touch with your child’s teacher if you have any worries or concerns.

You would have heard in the media that both PPTA and NZEI unions have industrial action planned for next week. As members of both these unions are here at the intermediate, this affects our timetable; however, we will not be closing. It will be business as usual here at OIS. While we support the teachers and staff members, I also believe it is important to keep our students as routine as possible.

Rebecca Meek

Principal