Principal's Message

I am very pleased to have returned to work after my sabbatical and I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity for professional reflection, learning and rest. I would like to publicly acknowledge and thank all those who so competently stepped up and stepped into the various roles and jobs I left behind. As the term goes on, I will share some of my learning and reflection with the staff and Board as we look towards reviewing our strategic direction in readiness for 2024 and beyond. On Tuesday, when many of you are in school for the senior parent teacher interviews, there will be an opportunity for you to comment on our current direction, gain an overview of the changes happening in the education sector, and suggest what considerations you would like the Board to discuss in preparation for our new strategic plan. Please look out for our prefects who will help you contribute your opinions to this consultation process on Tuesday.

We celebrated Matariki in style last night. A big thank you to all who came along to support our students and staff. I would like to thank Ms Jill Armstrong who took a small idea from her commerce class and turned it into a wonderful cross-curricular community celebration. Inclusivity, commitment, respect and service were very evident during the evening along with students’ new learning and performance skills gained along the way. Tino pai to mahi!

We spent time as a staff on Tuesday discussing the impacts and potential of AI and the various apps available to our young ones in their learning now. As parents I am sure you will also be aware of the challenge we all have in keeping abreast of developments in the digital world. Mrs Rachel Mortimer has spent considerable time working with staff, students and Netsafe to develop a digital citizenship agreement which places our college values front and centre. The biggest message for our students is that our behaviour should not change online. Who we are in ‘real life’ and the values we hold close, should also be who we are in the online world while holding onto the same values. As we know, many keyboard warrior adults do not role model this well! At the end of August, we have John Parsons, cybersafety expert and educator, spending time with all year levels and staff during the school day, and then presenting to parents in the evening at our auditorium and I would suggest this should be treated as unmissable. John will also be in our Catholic primary schools throughout the week. Mark the dates on your calendar:

Parents of teenagers: Tuesday 29th August 7pm

Parents of primary aged children: Wednesday 30th August 7pm

I spoke to students at assembly about a couple of uniform bugbears. Firstly, we have noticed an increase in the number of students wearing gym shoes all day with their uniform and generally, when asked, we find that their school shoes are in their bags. Please remind your children that gym shoes are only to be worn with the PE uniform or when playing at lunchtimes, and are not to be changed into to head into town after school. The other issue is ties not worn correctly. Top buttons should be done up and ties should be done up over that top button, not hanging much further down the shirt. This is an issue across the school and some encouragement from home to learn to do this correctly would be greatly appreciated. I have offered my services to run some tie-tying workshops in the Office - hopefully nobody will need to attend!

I will close with a beautiful inoi (prayer) read at our staff briefing yesterday morning which reminds us of our God as Creator during this time of Matariki.

“E te Atua, God of the cycles and patterns of the universe and all living things whose ways we only begin to comprehend, open our hearts to the wonder of the natural world, to your incarnation throughout creation, and to your presence with and in us now.

Through Jesus Christ, and in the perfect unity with the Holy Spirit and God the Father, we pray. Amene.”