School Remains Closed

A structural engineer commissioned by the Ministry of Education has confirmed that the school buildings are structurally safe but we have to remain closed until Civil Defence allows us to reopen.

I have been in touch with the Ministry of Education to impress upon them that we are on the outskirts of town and that we are ready to reopen so now it is in their hands.

I am very aware that these are difficult times and when the school reopens we will do our very best to accommodate the varying needs of families. We will be contacting each family individually as soon as we have more details about when we are opening.

My thoughts go out to all who are feeling great sadness at this time.

Allan

Closed Until Safety Check

The Ministry of Education have informed schools that we are closed until safety inspections have been carried out.

The moment we have been given permission to open YMS staff will ring each of our families to inform them of when we are opening. We hope it will be Monday but we cannot confirm this at the moment.

Earthquake Closure Continues

My thoughts go out to all of those in our community who are dealing with the tragedies caused by the earthquake.

School is closed until at least Monday 28 February.

Earthquake Closure

Well done to all of the children today who acted so sensibly and calmly during the quake. Everyone was quickly accounted for and was safe. It was ok to be scared and brave at the same time.

School is closed tomorrow (Wednesday 23 February) as per instructions from the Ministry of Education.

We look forward to opening again as soon as possible.

My thoughts go out to all who are facing tragic news.

Superb Triathletes

What a great day we had on Thursday. More bikes than I have ever seen before at Yaldhurst Model School  were lined up for the junior and senior triathlons. Come race time and we had a wonderfully support audience of parents and caregivers.

The Senior Triathlon was divided into non-competitive and competitive events with children able to participate in teams or as individuals. All children entered into the spirit of the event and as a result there were some wonderfully athletic performances.

The Junior Triathlon gave all children the chance to experience race conditions while our emphasis was on participation. The beaming smiles of the children at the end of the race when they were all awarded a Participation Certificate was priceless.

Swimming, biking and running the children gave their all and with the support of parents and caregivers we had a great day. Roll on swimming sports next year.

Great Afternoon at Rutherford's Dan

It was my pleasure to accompany our Year 7 and 8 students to Rutherford's Den at the Christchurch Arts Centre. All of us entered into the spirit of the visit by donning academic dress. We then sat in a lecture theatre before dispersing to different rooms to undertake a series of activities.

The den and adjacent rooms are part of what once was the University of Canterbury and it is redolent with scientific memorabilia.

This visit did not concentrate on science but on Lord Ernest Rutherford's qualities as a leader. His qualities were many and our students felt a buzz when they realised they have many of his qualities and are capable of developing the others.

The great thing about a smaller school is that all of our senior students can assume meaningful leadership roles. We will be challenging, encouraging and supporting our students to be leaders and I know they are up to the challenge.

Back to School

Once school starts it heads away full steam. The paperwork comes along and the emails stream in. The phone rings. But more important than any of that is that the children come bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Steeper than it looks!

It was only a few days ago that I was being convinced to run down the side of a scree slope by Wayne Matthews. What an experience! Scared one minute and exhilarated the next. It was a learning experience - I had to draw on what I already knew and then be prepared to add to my experiences. Much like life really.

The hard work happened and then the fun begun. Steep going up and steep going down. And now I can't wait to do it again.


School is great. Children are happy and thriving. We have started the year with a new YMS HERO system  that sees our children acknowledged for being good citizens in the playground. Being good doesn't always need a reward but it is good to celebrate our students being good citizens.

We also are in the midst of the continual improvement of the playground. It seems that even though we try and have our contractors work in the holidays it does not always work out like that.

Our lunch area has just been asphalted to make it more serviceable. We have such a wonderful environment for a school and such a wonderful school environment.

Fantastic Start to Term 1 2011

Room 5 Beep Test Day One!

It was great to welcome back our wonderful students and families today. We started the day with a powhiri to welcome our ten new students. This was followed by a short assembly where we talked about the importance of being sun smart by wearing a sunhat and having sunscreen on.

Our theme for this year is Citizenship and we have begun by talking about how we can be YMS Heroes. This concept is going to be reinforced in the playground by the distribution of YMS Hero cards to children who are being good citizens. These cards will go in a draw at weekly assemblies and we will also keep track of which classes have amassed the most cards.

All the staff would love to see all of our families at our Meet The Teacher BBQ on Tuesday 8 February starting at 5.30pm.