Live to LEARN, LEARN to Live

18 Aug 2026

Kia ora WAS Whānau 

Our heating is fixed so we are back to normal with all classes onsite (at school) from Wednesday 19 August.

We are, however, still under Health advice and ask that students are kept at home if they are sick and only return to school once they are symptom free. 

Many thanks for all of your help and support!

 

Heather Gorrie
Acting Principal

17 Aug 2026

Notice to Parents and Caregivers – Illness Management & Heating Failure

For Tuesday 18th August

Tēnā koutou Family and Whanau,

As we continue to manage the flu and gastric illness currently affecting our community, we need to advise you of an additional issue that has arisen this afternoon.

We have experienced a major boiler breakdown in the main junior block, specialist blocks and Hall, which means we will not have heating available tomorrow. With cold weather forecast, and in the interests of student wellbeing, we have made the decision to adjust our onsite emergency learning plan for Tuesday 18th August.

Home Learning – Years 1 to 8

Students in Years 1–8 are asked to remain at home and complete home learning activities. Teachers will provide appropriate work and guidance via email.
Any students who are immunocompromised, or who live with immunocompromised family members, should also remain at home tomorrow.

 

Onsite Learning – Years 9 to 13

Students in Years 9–13 will be onsite tomorrow and will be based in the Library and C Block, where auxiliary heating is available.

We appreciate your support as we work through both the heating issue and the ongoing illness outbreak. Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff.

We are hoping to be back to full onsite operation by Wednesday.

 

Ngā mihi nui,

Heather Gorrie
Acting Principal
Waiau Area School

16 Aug 2026

IMPORTANT NOTICE to Parents and Caregivers – Ongoing Illness in the Community

Tēnā koutou Family, Caregivers and Whānau

Following on from Thursday’s announcement to our community regarding the intensive and ongoing illness circulating locally, we want to update you on the current situation at Waiau Area School.

We continue to experience a significant outbreak of both an influenza virus and a gastric illness, which is affecting a large number of students and staff. A number of staff have become seriously unwell over the past 10 days, with secondary infections and prolonged recovery times. Students are also taking longer than usual to return to full health.

To help reduce the spread of these illnesses and allow time for recovery, we will be making the following temporary adjustments:
Monday 17 August – Home Learning for Year 7/8 and Year 9
Students in Year 7/8 and Year 9 are asked to remain at home on Monday and complete school-related learning activities from home. Teachers will provide appropriate work and guidance via email.

Whole School Assembly Postponed
Our fullschool Acknowledgement and Celebration Assembly set for Monday will be postponed until Wednesday.

Health Advice
We have been advised by the Health Department and the Ministry of Education to continue managing this localised outbreak with caution. Parents and caregivers are asked to:

• Keep students at home if they are sick and only return them to school once they are symptom-free.
• Be aware that students showing signs of illness at school tomorrow and through the week will need to be collected.

Hygiene Measures
We have increased hygiene protocols across the school, including:

• A full deep clean completed on Friday. (Thank you to our fantastic cleaning staff)
• Regular hand sanitising required for all students and staff throughout the school day as they enter classrooms, the hall, and use bathrooms.
• Enhanced cleaning of high-touch surfaces.

We appreciate your support as we work to keep our school community safe and minimise further spread. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as needed.

Mr Bennett has advised that Girls Rugby will go ahead as long as students are well. (Please contact Mr Bennett for more information on this – rb@was.school.nz)

If you have questions or concerns, please get in touch – admin@was.school.nz

Ngā mihi nui,
Heather Gorrie
Acting Principal
Waiau Area School

23 Jul 2026

Kia ora Parents/Caregivers

Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences are happening next week - Tuesday 28 July and Thursday 30 July, 3:15pm to 5:30pm. Our Parent-Teacher-Students Interview Booking System is now LIVE so you can book the times you would like. 

This booking system is brilliant as you can select ALL the teachers you want to see (for all of your children) at once so you can coordinate your times!
We'll be putting a short video up on our Facebook page that shows how to book your interviews using the Skool Loop App if you're not sure.

IMPORTANT: There will be NO paper booking forms sent home for these Conferences. All conference times need to be booked through the Skool Loop App.

If you encounter any issues booking via the Skool Loop App please the office know. The Skool Loop app is available in both the Google Play Store and the Apple Store.

 

17 Jul 2026

​Kia ora WAS Parents/Caregivers

Please read the PDF detailing the important information regarding important timetable changes taking effect from Term 3. 
These changes reflect staffing adjustments and our commitment to strengthening literacy and numeracy across Waiau Area School, in line with expected national curriculum changes. 

Kind regards

Heather Gorrie
Acting Principal

 

 

Term-3-Letter-for-ParentsCaregivers-and-Families.pdf