Ponsonby Intermediate – Important information re weather event

Kia Ora Parents and Caregivers

We are emailing you about the developing situation with regard to the weather that is forecast for the North Island in the coming days. With little respite, the upper North Island now faces warnings of extreme weather from Sunday afternoon and the Ministry of Education have urged schools and kura to be prepared. MetService is expecting Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle to bring strong winds, heavy rain (potentially between 200 and 400mm in places) and large swells.

The fast-changing nature of these events makes it hard to know in advance what might eventuate and the implications for Ponsonby Intermediate School and our community. It is likely to be Sunday before this becomes clearer.

Any Ministry directive, or decision to close, will be based on advice from emergency management services and will be carefully considered in terms of safety of children and the wider public.

If we do close for instruction, we will communicate this as soon as possible so please ensure you keep an eye on your email for any updates.

We do have a distance learning package ready to go in the case of us closing.  Full details of this will be shared with you if required.

Stay safe and keep up to date with any Evacuation information provided through Civil Defence.

Ngā mihi nui

Matt Bennie
Acting Principal