Dear parents/caregivers,

It's hard to believe that we only have a few days of winter left and that term 4 is just around the corner!

Thank you for your continued support of our school, it is hard to believe that just over a year ago we were operating under strict Covid protocols with parents largely restricted from coming into the school. To see the hall packed at assembly on Monday, the daily after school sporting activities and the level of support we have had with recent fundraising is truly amazing!

This year we have raised a phenomenal $34,000 from the proceeds of the Grocery Grab raffle and Calendar Art sales which will go towards upgrades to both the senior and junior playgrounds. A huge thank you to the Friends of Witherlea committee for organising these events, to Greg and Tineke from New World for sponsoring the main raffle prizes and to everyone who has supported these fundraisers.

It's been great to have taster sessions for table tennis and cricket recently which have been enjoyed by students. Our choir practices are becoming increasingly polished as we approach the music festival and it is exciting to see the presentation of research and investigations coming together in preparation for the Science Fair next Friday. Also coming up next week, the Year 6 students will run a sausage sizzle on Thursday.

We have some exciting property developments scheduled to start next term which include:

· The refurbishment of rooms 3 and 4

· Installation of internal glass sliding doors in the Pukeko Room

· Heat Pumps in the hall

· Remediation of the water damage in the hall

· Enhancements for accessibility including remediation of all damaged concrete.

· Upgrades to our CCTV network

· Replacement of the junior playground

· Repairs and enhancements to the senior playground

· Creating a new turf area on the bottom court for mini football and dodgeball.

Thank you to Samantha Forrest and Khalid Suleiman of the board property subcommittee for the hours of work that have gone into planning the above works. Keep an eye out in next term's newsletters for the opportunity to make a tender for either all, or parts of the existing junior playground.

This week we farewell Courtney Turner who has resigned due to unforeseen circumstances after a short tenure at Witherlea. We thank Courtney for her contribution and wish her well for the future. Mel Beattie has taken over teaching responsibilities in Room 20 for the rest of the year. An additional teacher will join Angela Clark in the Pukeko Room next term.

All the best for the rest of the week!

Symon Beattie

Principal

Be Kind, Be Safe, Be Fair Shoutouts

Congratulations to these students who have displayed one or all of our school behaviour expectations and are a model to others;

FERNS TEAM

Charlotte M - Always displaying our school values to a high standard. You are one of our future Witherlea leaders.

Amelia B - Always showing kindness to her friends and being fair to others. Amelia, you are such a delight to teach! Keep being a superstar!

KOWHAI TEAM

Huxley W - Being a great role model. You are always helping your classmates and teachers. You treat everyone with kindness and respect. Ka pai!

Meredith M - the way you live and breathe our school motto. You are kind to everyone, you show fairness and you show up to class each day ready to learn. Keep it up!

KAURI TEAM

Mia K - Continuing to make a positive impact as a Witherlead. You live our school motto in class, in the playground and in our community. Ka pai to mahi, Mia.

Hamish H - Always showing respect and understanding of other peoples feelings. You value the ideas and opinions of your classmates and you constantly show our school values, no matter what you are doing. Keep up the fantastic work!

The awards are for recognition in displaying and modelling our school motto and values; Be Kind, Be Safe, Be Fair.

This term the Kauri team will be doing some fundraising for our Year 6 End of Year Celebration in Term 4. The cost per sausage will be $2.50 and these must be preordered. (There will be no orders on the day.)

Order forms have been sent home with students and these must be returned by Monday the 4th of September.

No internet banking or eftpos available. All cash orders.

The Witherlea School Choir are performing on Wednesday 13th of September, alongside four other Marlborough Schools, in what is going to be a fantastic evening of singing and dancing!

Seats are selling really fast and the theatre is already 3/4 full- so be sure to get your tickets soon so that you don't miss out!

Enrolments are now open for our Sept/Oct holiday camps.

Dates are Sen (11 – 14 yrs) Mon 25th – Fri 29th Sept and Jun (8 – 10 yrs) Mon 2nd – Fri 6th Oct.

Cost is $225 per person.

Visit our website (www.curiouscove.org) for more details and to complete an online enrolment to secure your place.