We hope you and your whānau are safe and well and are managing to ride out Cyclone Gabrielle.

As you will have seen yesterday on the news the government has declared a National State of Emergency. While we have not experienced the full force of the cyclone the area is obviously affected by rain and wind.

We wanted to reassure you that the school is in good shape and we intend to remain open. If things were to change rapidly we will notify the community as quickly as possible starting with our Facebook page and website. In the meantime, we are definitely open and expect to remain so.

We are aware that flood waters have crossed at Valley Road at Pohangina East Road and this means no buses running to Pohangina Village or Pohangina East Road. Our Bus Monitor has notified students, and families impacted by this may need to find a way to Ashhurst where buses will collect them or keep students at home until the situation has abated. The Ashhurst to Woodville road is also currently closed.

If you are a resident of Palmerston North please also check the Palmerston North City Council Facebook page for community updates.

We look forward to seeing as many of our students as possible today.Kia KahaGraeme WilliamsTumuaki/Principal

Article added: Wednesday 15 February 2023