Build Updates

Build Update – July 4th 2019

Monday, July 22, 2019, 11:30 AM

With Term 2 almost over it is timely to provide an update on our two big projects, one complete and the other nearing that position. Te Whare Kūkūwai was opened officially on June 17 but of course it has been in use for all of this term. Apart from a few teething problems the building is working well though there are a few aspects the staff and the board are investigating. Heating and ventilation has been an issue from time to time but this is mostly due to our ‘learning’ how the mechanics of the system work, and how we modify the ‘climate’ when it needs to change. Bag storage has been an issue. We are not alone in this, it appears that it is an issue to be solved in virtually every rebuild. This week a team of acoustic engineers will return to the building to check and test sound flows. There are one or two areas where additional acoustic treatment will help fix these sound issues so this is being investigated at the board’s request. The block which is currently being refurbished is well underway, and in fact, is likely to be completed much earlier than anticipated. If all goes to plan it should be available for use either for the start of Term 4 or early into Term 4. At the moment all linings inside and out have been removed and are being updated. The board and Senior Management have met with the architects and project manager to ensure that bag storage is better catered for in this project. The board’s landscaping team have now met with the project manager and have a clearer idea of what works will be done through the project and what will be the responsibility of the school. The team is hoping to be able to meet ‘seasonal planting’ deadlines so that an extra year of growth can be obtained. Delays in handover may slow the planting process. The projects are moving along as expected without too many big surprises, however, the board is challenging the Ministry of Education at every point to ensure that the St Martins School community receives everything it is entitled to.

Build Update – February 8th #1

Friday, February 8, 2019, 12:41 PM

Over the break an amazing amount of progress has been made with our new build. The roofing has been completed, scaffolding has come down, internal linings are almost complete and services like water, power, data and communications are 95% linked up and the building is in a fully lockable state. If you had been down here in the week before school opened you would have seen an amazing amount of industry happening. We purposely started back a bit later to give builders a clear run so that significant earth and ground works could be taken care of. Based on the information from our latest meeting with the Project Management team, they still tell us the building will be ready and open to start in Term 2. At the same time as we move into this block, we have to move out of the 2 storey block from Room 10 to 17 and which also houses the school office, admin and staffroom. Our thinking at this stage is the school offices will work from what will become the school library space for Terms 2 to 4. So we will need your patience especially at the end of the term as we pack up and the start of term 2 when we work out which way is up and which way is down! The 2 storey block will be ring fenced but access will be maintained up the main driveway and down the external steps going from the junior area down to Rooms 18 amd 19. However the bike stand, scooter stand and storage area will be completely fenced off and this means we will need to find an alternative area to store bikes and scooters. So obviously you can see this is a work in progress – as we solve each problem we will let you know the solutions. All in all it is very exciting – progress is moving along so well.

Landscape Concept Masterplan

Thursday, November 22, 2018, 3:06 PM

Please click on the link below for the proposed landscape plans that were shared at the Community Landscape meeting on Wednesday 21st November. Proposed Landscape Plans

Build Update – November 22nd #12

Thursday, November 22, 2018, 2:39 PM

First of all it has been a wee while since the last Build Update and there has been a few reasons for this.  One is that the last two PCG meetings – meetings with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Project Manager, have been cancelled and secondly just at this stage of the build things have been happening inside that are not apparent so there has not been much to share. But having had a meeting with the MOE this week there are a number of updates we can confirm. Supports for internal linings are now in the building and all of the internal fixed walls have now been dropped into place. The underfloor heating system has been installed and we have just received notice that the MOE will now cover the costs of a cooling system to be installed which is in addition to the contract. This is good news because it will allow the school to have a mechanical backup so students and staff will not overheat on the occasional hot days that we can experience. It is hoped that by the end of next week the fascia boards will be in place and weather dependent they should be painted and spouting installed. Providing the weather behaves itself this will mean the roof could be installed from the 5th December onwards. Next week the builders are expecting aluminium doors and windows to arrive and these will be installed over the next two weeks. Obviously the weather may have some impact on timelines but we expect the building will be closed in by the end of the school year. Probably the most important piece of information received is the finish date! Hann Construction and the MOE have set 12th April 2019 which is the last day of Term 1, 2019 as the likely handover date for the completed building. This means during the Term 1 holiday break new classrooms will be set up and classes who start the year in Rooms 10 to 17 and most likely the office staff, principal and deputy principal will move into the new building. The thinking is at this stage that the new space created for the library will be used as administration space while the 2 storey block including the office areas are refurbished. While we are a little foggy how this will happen at this stage, through Term 1, 2019 we will be able to provide you with more crisp information. So we do expect fencing around the 2 storey block and works on this area will commence during the Term 1 holiday break.

Build Update – August 17th #11

Friday, August 17, 2018, 1:06 PM

Week 5 the walls go up! Today the large crane arrived for putting up the tilt slab walls and will be positioned this afternoon. This means that for all of next week there will be no parking down the side of the hall which will affect street parking as there will most likely be more staff parking on the street. So we ask you to give consideration to either dropping off your children at the Centaurus Road park walkway or by parking slightly further away and walking a short distance to school. To add to the excitement and thrill of the new build, the City Council will continue with their roadworks so we need to be vigilant and patient during this coming week as we move to and from school. Because the crane will be parked in our usual evacuation area we have put in a different evacuation plan and this has been practiced successfully during the week. We can expect by the end of next week our new building will start to take shape. Very exciting!  

Build Update – August 8th #10

Wednesday, August 8, 2018, 2:35 PM

Building progress is being made steadily. However to ensure that the wall panels are all ready at the same time, and to avoid having to work across two weeks, their installation has been delayed to Week 5 of this term. So that means that this work will now happen starting on Monday 20th August and for all of that week, and probably the weekend. This is a major piece of work and during the week street parking will be under pressure due to the Christchurch City Council planned Capital Footpath Works. So please be prepared for some disruption during this week.

Build Update – July 25th #9

Wednesday, July 25, 2018, 2:29 PM

We expect that today there will be a small concrete pour, although this will not affect access to and from school. The really exciting news is that in Week 4 of this term (13th to 17th August) we expect that the tilt slab walls will be installed. What that means is that for that one week there will be no parking around or down the side of the hall as this will be used for access to deliver the tilt slabs and for that week a little bit of extra play space will be fenced off. Access to the hall will only be via the street so we will be limiting our use of the hall for essential events only. There will be no assembly during Week 4. If children are at the Homework Club before school or after school  programmes the supervisors at the Homework Club will liaise with you on how this will be managed for the week. Once the tilt slab walls are up we believe in the following weeks the concrete floor will be poured and it will start to look like a new building. Very exciting times! More specific information will be shared nearer to the date.

Build Update – July 4th #8

Wednesday, July 4, 2018, 3:35 PM

URGENT NOTICE Please be aware that on Friday 6th July at 3.30pm there will be a large hiab which will be lifting the contractors office and turning it around. It will be parked outside the school gates from 3.30pm to approximately 4.30pm. Please ensure you collect your children well before 3.30pm. The moving of the contractors office should be done and the hiab out of the way before people arrive for the hāngī and Matariki celebrations.

Build Update – June 28th #7

Tuesday, June 26, 2018, 3:24 PM

The preparation for the foundation work is progressing at a steady rate. While the recent rain has been a problem it does not seem to have halted things to a huge degree. Please take some time when you come to conferences to have a look at what is happening. At the moment the coarse base has been laid and is now being compacted and we expect this will be finished by Thursday afternoon. So you may notice some intermittent noise if you are here for conferences this Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. The next stage will then be to trench for the metal frames for the foundations to be laid and possibly even as early as next week could be the first foundation pour. After the holiday break, probably in Week 1 or 2, the concrete tilt slab walls will arrive and will be erected – very exciting! Obviously as this piece of work approaches we will keep you well informed as it may mean additional restrictions to access while the tilt slab walls are delivered and installed. Once the tilt slab walls are up then they will lay the concrete floor slab – an interesting way of construction, we had not realised it was done this way, but hopefully by mid next term the building will have some real shape to it. You may have already had a look at the building plans that are up in the school hall and school office. We will display some additional copies during the conferences and we are looking at putting these in the foyer of the stairwell by Rooms 14 and 15 and on the verandah in front of Rooms 4 and 5. So why not have a look before or after your conference. Remember these regular build updates and the plans are also available to view on the school website www.stmartins.school.nz

Build Update – June 7th #6

Thursday, June 7, 2018, 1:52 PM

Excavation around the site is progressing well despite the rainy weather we have had. You will see much of the court area has been cleared and the raised area has been reduced to allow space for the new building. As promised we now have sets of large plans that you can peruse at your leisure. Currently there is one set in the school office and one set in the hall. We are also looking for a suitable space to display another set in the Junior area of the school. The plans will give you an idea of the floor plan and also what the building will look like from various areas of the site. The plans are also available on the school website and you can also read all the build updates if you wish to look at past communications. You will see a ‘Build Update’ link in the banner.

Build Update – May 31st #5

Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 11:43 AM

For safety reasons students and other pedestrians are no longer able to access the hall through the staff car park. A safe alleyway from the footpath to the hall has now been created and this must be used for anyone dropping children off or picking them up from the Homework Club Breakfast Club or After School care. Other students/pedestrians may also use this alleyway to enter the school if required.

Build Update – May 30th #4

Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 11:42 AM

EXTRA LUNCHTIME ACTIVITIES With the build now underway and swimming over for a while we will have our children trying to make the very best of what is on offer during lunch break time – and there is plenty on offer. I have asked our Senior and Junior Team Leaders to provide you with a brief summary of what has been planned and is ‘in action’. JUNIOR TEAM  A very positive start has been made to the new play area arrangements for the Year 0-4 students. We have introduced a range of exciting activities for the students to participate in at morning tea and lunchtime. The new initiatives are proving to be very popular with all the students. There is a real buzz happening in the Area 1 Playground. Room 22/23 (the old library) has been set up as a multipurpose indoor space. In this space we have created a little library which is run by Senior Librarians and the Peer Mediators, includes a construction area with building blocks, a roadway mat and vehicles, a drawing area and a play kitchen with lots of plastic kitchen equipment. The PALS (Physical Activity Leaders) are teaching and playing organised outdoor games with the students, such as outdoor hockey and large ball games. Old favourites such as the dress ups are back out on the verandah at lunchtimes. There is a Computer Coding Club one day a week for a group of students from the Discoverers and an Art Club for the Year 0-2 students. The Year 3-4 students have the option to play down in the bottom playground on Thursday lunchtimes and on Friday morning tea time, when many of our senior students are off site. The main library continues to be available for the Year 3-4 students each lunchtime excluding Wednesdays. A group of senior students have also begun soccer skills training during morning tea time, either in the hall or outside weather permitting, We are also looking forward to utilising the St Martins Tennis Club where a group of approximately 40 students from the Discoverers will be able to play games with the Kelly Sports Educators. SENIOR TEAM We are excited to introduce a number of lunchtime activities. These activities will be refreshed on a regular basis to keep up with demand and interest levels. The School Spirit Committee are excited to put together a playlist of music in the playground at lunchtimes on a Monday and Tuesday. The Year 5-6 students will help with the music selection and equipment on Wednesday and Thursday. One of the Year 7-8 teachers will take a group of basketball enthusiasts down to Hansen Park once a week to play basketball. We have also enlisted the help of Kelly Sports, who will take a group of Year 5-6 students in the hall on a Monday, and a group of Year 5-6 and Year 7-8 students on a Tuesday down at the local tennis courts. Some of the sports on offer are likely to be ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, volleyball, handball and turbo touch. Science Club will continue for the Year 7-8’s on a Monday lunchtime with the scientific and mathematical brain of Karl Dodds. We are introducing Chess Club on a Tuesday lunchtime for Year 5-8 and a Year 5-6 Craft Club on a Monday and a Year 7-8 Art Club on Tuesdays. Further to this, the Year 7-8’s have the opportunity to participate in a special Whānau/Tikanga Māori group on a Wednesday lunchtime. In addition to all those things listed above, we will continue to run meetings at morning tea or lunch with Student Council heads, Student Curriculum team, Yearbook Committee, Before School clubs such as Year 7-8 Maths Club at 8am Wednesday, Coding at 8am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and multiple after school and lunchtime training for our winter sports teams. St Martins is a hive of activity at the moment, so it’s important that students listen to the daily morning notices in class for updates.