Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome to the 2023 school year. It is wonderful to have you and your whanau as part of our learning community.

It has been a pleasure greeting you all in the morning — I love standing at the entrance gates and watching our smiling tamariki head off to class, eager to learn something new.

It was great to see so many families at our Student Learning Conferences on Tuesday 31 January and Wednesday 1 February.  

As a staff, we found those meetings an invaluable part of our preparation for the year head.  

Thank you for your time and commitment. 

This term we have welcomed 57 new enrolments to our school, bringing our roll to 399 learners. 

At our mihi whakatau on Friday 10 February, we heard many heartwarming stories about why you chose Ilam School. 

We welcome you and look forward to getting to know you better during your time with us.

As this was our first full week at school we have been focusing on settling the tamariki into classroom routines and forming relationships with their new classmates and teacher. 

I have enjoyed seeing what is happening in the classrooms — at the risk of sounding old, I wish I had attended a school with such diverse learning opportunities!

Across the school, our learning for Term 1 will be based on two petals of our Ilam Vision: I Belong and I Strive. 

We have some great tasks designed for tamariki to grow their skills and understanding of these competencies, and we hope to share some of their learning with you over the term.

A reminder that orders from the latest Book Club catalogue close this Friday, 17 February.

You can order online or return the completed slip to your classroom teacher.

In the interest of keeping everyone safe as they move around the school grounds, we ask that all parents and children dismount their bicycle or scooter before coming through the gates. 

Thanks for helping make our school a safe place for all.

Please note:

• Children cannot be in the classroom until the 8.30am bell rings — this gives our teachers time to prepare for their day.
• If children arrive before 8.30am they are to wait on the verandah in the senior court area. 
• When the 3.00pm bell rings the children will wait with their teacher inside the classroom until they have been collected by a caregiver. 
• At 3.15pm the children who have not been collected will then wait in the school office. 
• If your child will be attending Ilam OSCAR (before and/or after school care) please let your child’s teacher know.

Thanks for your understanding!

Culture Galore is a multicultural festival that celebrates our city's diversity with food, arts and crafts, and music and dance performances from more than 30 cultures that call Christchurch home.

It's on this Saturday (18 February), midday to 4pm, entry is free and it's only a short walk from school — Ray Blank Park on Maidstone Road.

See you there!

Having trouble putting faces to names? Check out the staff list on the school website.

Principal - Belinda Kennedy

Deputy Principal - Kirsten Aaron

Junior (Year 0-2) Team

Room 10 - Year 2 - Mrs Felicity Scott + Mrs Jo Dudley (Wednesday)

Room 11 - Year 2 - Ms Margaret Stewart

Room 12 - Year 2 - Mrs Sonya Nuku + Mrs Jo Dudley (Thursday)

Room 13 - New Entrant/Year 1 - Ms Krithika Yogeeswaran

     Beginning Teacher Release Teacher - Mrs Karin Knowles (Tuesday)

     Mentor Teacher - Ms Julia Hinman 

Room 14 - New Entrant/Year 1 - Ms Julia Hinman

Room 15 - New Entrant - Mrs Sarah Roberts (Team Leader)

     Team Leader Release Teacher - Mrs Karina Robinson (Thursday)

Middle (Year 3/4) Team

Room 5 - Year 3/4 - Mrs Naomi Rumbold

     BT Release Teacher - Mrs Jo Dudley (Tuesday)

     Mentor Teacher - Ms Rebecca Playle

Room 6 - Year 3/4 - Mr Mick Withers

Room 7 - Year 3/4 - Mrs Andrea Dykstra (Team Leader)

     Team Leader Release Teacher - Mrs Karin Knowles (Thursday)

Room 8 - Year 3/4 - Mr Nigel Marsh

Room 18 - Year 3/4 - Ms Rebecca Playle

Senior (Year 5/6) Team

Room 2 - Year 5/6 - Mrs Tanya Kenworthy

Room 3 - Year 5/6 - Miss Charlotte McMurtie (Team Leader)

     Team Leader Release Teacher - Mrs Sarah Briscoe (Thursday)

Room 4 - Year 5/6 - Mrs Linda Ewen

Room 19 - Year 5/6 - Miss Teresa Johnston

Room 20 - Year 5/6 - Miss Jenny-Marie Evans

Language Support Team

Kirsten Aaron - Language Support Leader

Ruma Kowhai / Vivienne Gin - English Language Support Assistant (Mrs GIn)

Ruma Kakariki / Leone Brunell - English Language Support Assistant (Mrs Brunell)

Ruma Karaka / Rosemary Hong - English Language Support Assistant (Mrs Hong)

Learning Support Team

Vivienne Gin - Learning Assistant (Mrs Gin)

Anne Hicks- Learning Assistant (Anne)

Marilyn Hore - Learning Assistant (Marilyn)

Jo Le Gros - Learning Assistant (Miss Jo)

Viridiana Martinez - Learning Assistant (Viri)

Administration Staff

Jocelyn Hollis - Executive Assistant/ Finance and Payroll Manager

Sue-Ellen Smith - Receptionist/Office Administrator

Kate Buckley - Receptionist/Office Administrator (Thurs-Fri)

Margaret Kitney - Librarian/ICT Technician/Office Support

Property Staff

Dean Coburn - Caretaker

Dylin Davidson/ Cui Ming Li - Cleaner

Hardianto Liswoyo - Cleaner

This Ilam News email will land in your inbox three times over the term (always on a Thursday). 

The information you need regarding day-to-day school events and activities can be found in your child’s class newsletter.

But, as always, please contact me if you have any questions about our school.