Henry Hill School Year 6 pupils Rhykin Stok, left, Salamo Salamo and Denarius Fraser rebuilding their school's sensory garden on Tuesday. Photo / Warren Buckland
Henry Hill School Year 6 pupils Rhykin Stok, left, Salamo Salamo and Denarius Fraser rebuilding their school's sensory garden on Tuesday. Photo / Warren Buckland
Henry Hill School had 95 per cent of its pupils back on site on Tuesday less than a week on from flooding they thought would see them closed until next year.
Jason Williams, the principal of the Onekawa primary school said they have had a fantastic start to the week with about 80 per cent attendance on Monday as well.
"Kids are calm, kids are focused, and everyone is just happy to be back at school," he said.
The only continued absences are for children with short-term illnesses staying away from school under the advice of doctors.
Williams said half the school remains physically closed due to flood damage, but they are making it work in the space they have with three classrooms set up in the school hall.
"Getting everyone back on site was always the goal, just making sure the kids have an enjoyable end to the year and everybody, kids, staff and community keep their sanity," he said.
"All plans are that when school starts again on February 1st in 2021, the whole site will be open and renovations would have happened."
Williams said most of the repair work took place last week while the school was shut.
"There were a number of us still on site at the weekend, I was here until it was dark on Saturday and Sunday I left at 6 o'clock and I was the last one here," he said.
"We just did whatever it took to make sure we got kids back on site and it was a success."
Year 6 students Salamo Salamo, left, Rhykin Stok and Denarius Fraser get to work with the fenced-off area of Henry Hill School in the background. Photo / Warren Buckland
Williams is hugely thankful for all the help from the school community and the wider public.
"We had literally hundreds of people on site on Thursday and Friday," he said.
"It's one of those things where you can't even thank people because there were so many here.
"It allowed us to be open this year when we thought it was unthinkable."
Some of the school's families had their own homes severely damaged in the flooding, and on Monday Williams and a couple of staff visited Kennedy Park Resort to meet those who had to be evacuated last week.
He said one whānau had house insurance but no contents insurance so they lost everything to the flood.
"The dad just came up and hugged myself and the staff members there, he just broke down and cried, and said it made a world of difference mentally to know we were there," Williams said.
The principal said the Henry Hill community would definitely help the family out, and would develop a plan to do so later in the week.
"Our school's fine, we're fine... and this family is not so we need to get in there as a community and help them, and I'm sure our community will stand up again," Williams said.
Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Kūpenga o Te Mātauranga is located on-site at Henry Hill, but remains closed in the sectioned-off area of the primary school.
Te Kōhanga Reo o E Tipu E Rea Taraia is the only other early childhood centre in Napier yet to re-open after last week's flooding.
