Update 16 March - Steve for GG!

Steve our property manager is making a good case for being the next Governor General. He has been working like a trojan since the quake to get us open on Monday. He really is going above and beyond the call, and we are exceptionally lucky to have him working at our school. Today he has:

• Supervised a PD gang who have been cleaning up the last of the liquefaction around the school and cleaning up the streets around school.
• Co-ordinated workmen who have cut the trip hazards out of the asphalt. These will be filled tomorrow.
• Been liaising with drain layers and City Care to try to get our water supply to the school sorted.
• Worked with the builder to shoot levels in classrooms.

The water supply continues to be a problem for us. We have a 30 000 litre drinking water tank coming so that won't be a problem. The issue we have is securing a water supply so that we can flush toilets. In this regard we are like much of our local area. City Care are working to fix one leak, to apply water pressure, to then locate another leak, and so on.....

We have another Project Meeting tomorrow morning so we will be discussing our options then.

Following our Project Meeting we are having a Staff Only Day. We will be planning for starting back and making sure that we are able to support our children as they return to school. The Traumatic Incident Team from the Ministry of Education will be presenting to our staff and helping to answer any questions that they may have. Staff who attended a professional development session with Auckland University last week on learning through the Arts for children who have suffered trauma, will be sharing what they learnt with the rest of the staff. 

On Monday morning we have organised for a mobile coffee cart to come to school. They will be providing free coffee to parents. We hope that you will come along and have a coffee and a chat from 8.30am. They say that adults typically hit their low point 4-6 weeks after a traumatic event. It will be extremely important that we keep an eye on our friends and that they keep an eye on us as time passes. I hope that you will take this opportunity to come along, connect with others, offer friendship and support; and get it in return.

He waka kotuia kāore e tukutukua ngā mimirā - The canoe that is interlaced will never be broken.

Look after yourselves, keep safe.

John