Nga mihi nui ki a koutou. Greetings parents, students and members of the Berkley Normal Middle School Community. 

The first half of term one has been a fantastic start to the year! Our new year 7 students have settled into Berkley life seamlessly and all our learners are 'Taking Up The Challenge' with their academics and other opportunities on offer, such as optional promotions (morning and lunchtime activities).  We are also seeing record numbers of sign up's for sports and other activities, which is great to see.

The school is looking wonderful thanks to a number of upgrades to our buildings and grounds which took place over the summer holidays and early this term.  These changes are part of ongoing continuous improvement plan to ensure our school is the best it can be for our students and community.  We have refreshed all the student bathrooms, transformed a digi-tech space into an extra classroom and set up an amazing new digi-tech room.  We've also created optional communal spaces within a few of our classrooms with glass sliding doors being added and smart grass has replaced some of our smaller grass spaces in high foot traffic areas.

It has been a privilege to again host a contingent of Japanese students from Makuhari International Junior High School.  These students have just spent 12 days with us, learning about New Zealand school environments and engaging in a true kiwi experience by living with host families and taking part in cultural and scenic activities around the Waikato.  Thank you to host students and families for welcoming these guests into your homes.

Our EOTC (Education Outside The Classroom) programme, New Horizons 2025, is fast approaching and I know all our students are looking forward to partaking in their chosen activities.  Providing over 20 activities/camps is a mammoth task and I would like to thank all our staff for the extra work that goes into planning and delivering this awesome initiative. 

As colder mornings now seem to be upon us, please remind your children to wear correct Berkley uniform items to keep warm.  We have hoodies, fleece jerseys, puffer jackets, trackpants and beanies as our winter options - they can all be purchased from our uniform supplier (The Brandmakers).  Our office currently has a decent stock of 2nd hand Berkley hoodies and fleece's available for purchase (Hoodies $10, fleeces $5), which students or parents can purchase with cash or eftpos.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Ngā mihi nui,

Nathan Leith

Principal