Earthquake update #8

Well, as stated in a generic text sent out to the community we cannot open on Monday 14 March 2011 sorry but we hope to open VERY soon after.

We are doing all that we can to make our school safe for our students and staff. We have had a number of contractors at school this week: builders, electricians, carpet layers, glaziers and 'ashphalt layers'. We have even invited more structural engineers back in to double check the safety of a classroom.

Special thanks to our caretaker Mr Robin McKenzie who is doing an awesome job of continuing to remove silt, clearing up rubbish, fixing things and re-organising storage spaces etc.

Thanks also to our cleaners, Mary and Margaret,  who have thoroughly cleaned the interior of the school which has not been a pleasant job.

And thanks also to our dedicated teachers who have been ringing all of their students and families to check on their well-being, planning for the return of the students, discussing our earthquake procedures, tidying their rooms and generally supporting each other. I am pleased to inform you that as of last night all of our teachers, who are still able to live in their own homes, got power on; YAH! but some are still living without water or sewerage - as I'm sure many of you are.

Finally, a big thanks to Mr Ian Fletcher(Principal) and Pillans Point School in Tauranga who once again are supporting our school after an earthquake. I will look forward to sharing some of the neat ways they have been supporting us in the future.

Anyway, here are some progress photos. Unfortunately (despite priding myself on being a 21st century learner) I still cannot upload my videos from my phone to my pc even after two frustrating hours of trying, d'uh.