Update 9 July - Good News

Kia ora koutou

It has been a great week this week.

It was really good to have our whole school together on Monday for our "Coats for Kids" thank you assembly. On Tuesday we were able to give out the thermals that were very generously donated by Vulcan Steel. On Friday we had another meeting with our Project Team and received more good news from the Ministry of Education.

The Ministry has agreed that we will be given three more relocatable classrooms. Two will be for our Year 5 & 6 classes who are currently housed in the hall, and the third will be for storage of library books and resources. We will need to think about how this space can be best utilised but I think that the provision of three more classrooms is a very positive piece of news for our school.

I am aware that there are a number of rumours circulating about which schools will stay, which will shift, which will merge and which will close.

Nothing has been decided.

I can tell you that:

1. At this point no school, regardless of where they are located is in a better or worse position than anybody else. I am sure that the Ministry's focus will be wide, not focussed on a small number of schools.
2. Any decisions will not be made for a while yet.
3. Ministry officials consistently speak of the high esteem in which Freeville School is held within the Ministry of Education. They do not want to lose the characteristics that make Freeville special; our caring approach, excellent academic results, quality teaching and the community support that distinguishes Freeville from other schools.
4. The Ministry of Education would not be giving us more classrooms if it was all doom and gloom for Freeville School.
5. You should tell anyone who says that they know what is going to happen to go and buy a Lotto ticket because they are obviously gifted with an extraordinary ability to look into the future in a way that most mortals can only envy.

I noted in the Press today that Shirley Boys' and Avonside Girls' will both be back on their sites for at least two years. This is good news for the families of our Year 8's as they can now look forward to the start of 2012 and their Year 9 with some certainty. My best wishes also to the principals and staff of those schools. I am sure they will be relieved to have a pathway in front of them after a time of great uncertainty.

We will be starting to contact the parents of our Year 6 students this week so that we can have a chat about Year 7 & 8 at Freeville during the first weeks of next term. We look forward to catching up and talking to those parents about the fantastic programmes that are provided for our senior students. We are very proud of the quality teaching and excellent opportunities that all our Year 7 & 8 students receive.

Nga mihi, keep safe and warm.

John