Otahuhu Primary's H.E.A.R.T.

Kia ora,

Don't forget that tomorrow is a Strike Day for teachers and support staff.

There is no school tomorrow (Thursday), but we will see you all on Friday.

Our staff will be marching on Queen Street tomorrow. We appreciate your support as we strive for better working conditions and support for your students.

Ngā mihi

OPS

Kia ora koutou,

Please read the following message regarding gate safety at our school.

Gt South Road Pedestrian Gate:

• This is a self-closing gate, and must be kept closed at all times.
• The latch (which you need to pull up) is high so that students do not let themselves out of school without adult supervision.
• It is very important that you do not attempt to wedge the gate open or block it with any items. This can cause damage to the springs in the gate and impact its ability to self-close.
• We have several students at school who are risk of leaving school site, which is why we must have these types of gates, and why they must be closed.
• We will be putting a staff member at the gate in mornings to ensure that all children are able to get into school grounds safely.

Station Road Pedestrian Gates:

• These gates have a multi swing function - they can be opened to a 90 degree angle and stay open, but if pushed a little, will self close.
• The latches need to be pulled for the gates to open (on the double gate side, you must pull the latch on one side, then push the gate on the other).
• We keep these gates open during drop off and pick up times so that students can enter school easily. The gates are closed (but not locked) between 9-9:30am, so that students can be safety kept on school grounds.
• Just like the back gate, we ask that you do not try to wedge the gates open or block them in any way. They need to be closed to ensure no students leave school grounds unsupervised.

Station Road Vehicle Gates:

• These gates are electronically controlled. The gates are automatically opened in the mornings for drop offs, but close during the day.
• They remain closed during pickup time to reduce traffic congestion. This is the major reason we ask whānau to park across the road and come and collect their children on foot. Having less cars in the carpark area also makes it a safer place for pedestrians.
• The gates open just before 3 until 3:45 to allow whānau running late to pick their children up outside the office - again, this is a safety measure so that children are not waiting at the carpark across the road unsupervised.
• It is very important that you do not wait in your car in front of the gates while they are closed. This causes traffic to back up and stops the flow of traffic on Station Road (which we have received many complaints from the public about). If the gate is closed, please go and park across the road.
• Never leave your vehicle unattended in front of the gates. This is also an important safety measure, as we need to keep the gates clear for emergency vehicles.
• We do note that some children have been getting picked up 30-60 minutes after school has finished, which is far too late. If you are not able to collect your children on time, we do encourage you to look into the afterschool care programme at the Ōtāhuhu Red Centre.

There is also a vehicle gate at the back car park, which we use for service vehicles, contractors and events. Please do not park in front of these gates, as it blocks those vehicles from accessing the school.

If you have any queries about the gates, or would like to discuss gate safety with the school, you can respond to this post.

Ngā mihi

OPS

Kia ora,

Unfortunately due to weather concerns the MOSA team has decided to cancel this year's interschool cross country tournament, and there is no longer a save date.

We know that many of our students have been training hard for this and we are equally as disappointed for them to be missing out.

Ngā mihi

OPS