Kia ora te Whānau,

What a great time was had at the cluster athletics last Tuesday.  With the whole school involved over the two venues, it was a positive experience for all involved.  Thank you to all parents who offered support on the day - it was hugely appreciated.

Some of the highlights from last week’s athletics and cooling off in the pool!

It was great to see so many families at the hockey on Wednesday.  This is such an important part of Term 4’s calendar.

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The school fencing, car parking and safety upgrades

These are all getting underway by the end of this week which is very exciting.

The planned order of works at this stage is:

• Removal of the silver birch trees by the hall (You are welcome to the firewood).
• Dismantling of the playground equipment and stacking the materials ready for remaking.
• Temporary fencing placed around the work area but with access to and from the school still available at the usual place (by the hall).
• Removal of the hedge along Thomas Road (Access to the school from the side gate will be closed off).
• Excavation for the new car parking by the hall and Thomas Road
• Kerbing and asphalt works
• New fencing and gates around the perimeter of the school and pool

The works will carry on over the school holidays and it is envisaged that there will be some of the fencing still to do when we return to school in 2023 however the majority will be complete.

There will be no impact on the running of the Country Fair on Friday or any of the fixtures in the hall.

Attached is the plan for the upgrades and once completed the new native planting will have to get underway(this is our goal here at Dalefield to have 10% of the land in native plant ground cover). The new planting, playground reassembly/creating will be a major focus for 2023 at Dalefield School.

School Camp and Trips

The senior students (Year 6 up) will be away at camp from the 7th to 9th of December.  They will be camping at Mt Holdsworth and involved in tramping, swimming, mountain biking and waka ama at Henley Lake.  I will be accompanying them on the camp.  Thank you as usual to Jeanette for the excellent organisation.

Mangatarere, Waihakeke and Whetū are arranging some excellent trips and activities also.  From movies, swimming and outdoor fun, there will be a memorable end to 2022 at Dalefield.

End of year Celebration

This will be held as usual in the Dalefield hall on the 13th December.  The celebration will last for around an hour from 6:00pm.  Once again this is a hugely important part of the year and all children and families attend.  It is also a formal send off for our Year 8 students and for others leaving the school.

The families of the Year 8 students are then invited to a dinner to celebrate the end of their time here at Dalefield.

The Country Fair

The excitement is certainly building for this school community event on Friday.  We look forward to seeing you here at school to celebrate the Dalefield School Whānau and to meet up together.  Again huge thanks go to the Home and School Committee for pulling this family event together.

Have a great week everyone.

Ngā mihi nui

Eric Daubé

Tumuaki

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