Wairau Valley School

Dear all,

Well the last 2 weeks have been both sad and happy. Firstly, some very happy news. The School Board appointed Adam Alexander to be our new school principal starting in 2026.

He is outstanding, and brings so many capabilities to the school. His love of music, sports, computer technology and STEM subjects will all contribute positively to our school and the broad curriculum we are proud of. Adam is highly relational and is a quality communicator. He will be a regular visitor this term. We will formally welcome him as a whole school community on the 11th December. More about that next term. Hopefully, he will bring some students from his current school, Whitney Street, to hand him over to us.

Also, on a happy note, is the visit by the Southern Dash this Friday. They are a group of older people, who visit an area annually, and contribute their time to a school for one day. This year they are in Marlborough and they chose us! So, we have 18 willing workers with paint brushes coming to titivate the school this week. They are also putting on a sausage sizzle for the kids and staff at lunchtime. A huge thanks in advance to their team.

Now to our sad event this week - Karen O'Donnell's (Mrs O's) funeral. For those who are new to the school Karen has been thre principal for the last 10 years. She fell sick with cancer at the end of April and sadly passed away last week.

Many of our families and children were at the funeral. The Wairau Valley community did her proud.

The children who attended were able to see photos of Mrs O growing up; they listened to stories about her and then shared some food with all the mourners.

Before the funeral, we had talked with the kids about how to behave at a funeral, especially around food and using manners. It was so great to see how well they behaved. They were a credit to the school. Korah and Kobe, our student speakers, were just outstanding.

Next week, on Tuesday, our new school board will be announced. It is also our last week of the school term, so our last assembly will be on the Friday and of course the school disco and shared plates on Thursday 5.30-6.30pm. More about those things later in the newsletter.

Ngā mihi ki a koe

Dr Anne Malcolm

Acting Principal

0274926060

As this is the last newsletter of Term 3, a reminder that during the holidays it is a great opportunity to get kids outdoors. They can go for walks and ride their bikes. Cooking is great hands on Maths and Science learning. Measuring ingredients, working out why something rises - all of that is fabulous learning. Reading every day is a great way to instill a habit of life long reading for pleasure. Some children are travelling, so keeping a diary, which teachers love to read, is a great way to record memories, but also practice writing. Creating a piece of art, if you have a wet day, is always great for the brain. Get your kids to try something new.

The school Matariki disco was cancelled last term due to the floods. Next Thursday is 50% rain so all fingers and toes are crossed for fine weather.

Families are all welcome.

If everyone could bring a plate that would be great. Some sweet things or savoury that we can add to the food tables. We will have the BBQ fired up, and Mrs Malcolm has donated sausages and bread. The Chalice Room will be set up as the disco room for those who want to dance, and we will have an area where kids can play outside.

So do come along. We will start the music at 5.30 pm and finish at 6.30 pm. It won't be very dark but we will try to make the disco room dark. We have cans of drink for the kids or they can drink water if you would prefer.

The kids can dress up if they want - we always love a bit of glitter, hair dye and costumes.

The final vote count is Tuesday 16th September. The last day to put a vote into the mail is today. Our new Board of 4 parent/community representatives will be announced on Tuesday evening, on our Facebook page, and then by email on Wednesday. Katie Herbert has already been appointed as the Staff Representative and Anne Malcolm, as Acting Principal, is on the board in an ex officio role.

Our Board meeting scheduled for 4 September was postponed to 11th September due to Karen's passing on that day. Board meetings are held in the school office at 4.30pm. Any parent items to be raised should be notified prior to the board meeting.

Last week our senior children all competed in the Marlborough Maths Quiz. They were outstanding. They might not have won, but they showed grit and determination.

Tomorrow we have our Year 7 and 8 students, with a few Year 6 ring-ins, learning and competing in Marlborough Schools Orienteering. They will use all their skills to get to the end point. Our Year 4 students are going with Rachel to the 20th birthday celebration for Enviro Schools, and they will be planting trees. A big thanks to the MacKenzies who helped with transport for both senior events.