Welcome back and happy Chinese New Year. Kung hei fat choi!

It is time to dust off those lunch boxes and start packing stationery into the school bags as another school year is now upon us. A special welcome to those families who are new to Glendowie School.

First Day

The first day of school is Wednesday 1st February. All parents with students who were enrolled at Glendowie School at the end of 2022 will have received an email informing you of your 2023 classroom placement. If you are unsure you can contact the office, but please check your inbox for that email first. On the first day of school students will head straight to class for a 9am start.

Phones

Students will no longer be required to bring their phones to the office for storage during the day. Please note that phones are not the responsibility of the school. All phones should remain in school bags from the time students enter school grounds until the time that they depart in the afternoon. Phones will be confiscated if they are found out of school bags while on school grounds and parents will be asked to collect them from the office.

Property Projects

There has been a hive of activity around the school over the holiday period, with a number of property improvements on the go. Some of the changes will be more noticeable than others. We have had a huge amount of routine painting done which may not be too obvious. What you will notice is that we have had five areas of the school laid with astroturf. The biggest areas are under the trees at the front of the school, where the natural grass struggled to grow, partly because those areas are well shaded in summer and get a lot of foot traffic throughout the year.

There will be more action in the coming months too. In the next few weeks we will be tidying up some other areas around the front of the school, including painting the ball wall and replacing the steps into the tuck shop. Of course there is our much anticipated technology block, for which we are currently at the mercy of Auckland Council, who unfortunately don't have a great reputation for being merciful in the building consent process.

Nude Food

This year we are on a mission to eliminate playground rubbish. So, we are starting a campaign to make sure lunch boxes only contain 'nude food', that is, they are free from wrappers and glad wrap. If students do have wrapped food items in their lunch boxes they will need to take packets and food waste home with them in their lunch boxes. The goal is to have no bins in the playground and less rubbish as a consequence.

International Students

We are excited to welcome a number of additional students to our school this term from overseas. Many of you will know that we host international students from around the world for short and long term periods. As an IB World School our international students offer an important dimension to our community.

Hopefully, this information is not too overwhelming as you all exit summer mode. Wishing you a great year ahead as part of the Glendowie School community!!!

Have a great long weekend!

Paul Crowhurst | Principal