Principal's Message

Last week at school comprised several significant farewell events. It was a pleasure to acknowledge our Class Act and Mana Pounamu recipients in front of the whole school on Tuesday afternoon and give our senior students an opportunity to farewell Liz Cameron (Guidance Counsellor) who leaves us at the end of the year as she transitions into a much more carefree and less structured time of life! We also farewelled Whaea Maya Tate-Manning who has worked part time teaching te reo and supporting our kapa haka group and tikanga within the college.

As is now customary at our final assembly, our head students gave their valedictory speeches. Following this, it was my pleasure to announce our Student Leadership Team for 2024 – Alice Kelsall and Isaac Tili (Head Students), Jake Innes and Tia Mawhinney (Deputy Head Students), and Charlotte Harris and Beatrice Schonwald (Special Character Prefects). I look forward to working closely with these six students and I wish them all the best as they take on the significant responsibility that their positions bring.

Senior prizegiving was again a wonderful way to celebrate those students who have achieved academic honours this year. I know it will have been very special for many of you, as parents, to watch your children cross the stage – many of them for the last time. A huge congratulations must go to Samuel Kelly who was awarded Dux, and Oscar Robertson who was awarded Proxime Accessit for 2023. We are thrilled for our students who have gained many financial scholarships through universities and polytech this year – well done!

Our Year 13s left us on Thursday after celebrating their final Mass together. Seven years in one school means there have been strong friendships made, much mentoring by favourite, respected teachers, and they now step away from the security and predictability of school life. We wish them all well – they are a fabulous group of young people.

This coming Monday is a Teacher Only Day for most Dunedin secondary schools. The Ministry of Education has asked that we spend time refining programmes in readiness for the new NCEA Level 1 standards that we will use next year. It will be a good chance for our younger students to catch their breath during junior exams, and before year 8 and year 10 camps get underway.

Please remember to fill in the feedback form on our strategic goals document that was emailed to you recently. We would appreciate your thoughts, and I thank those who have done this already. The response form will be open until the end of the weekend.

Let us continue to pray for peace in the world. While we reflect upon the unfathomable violence that is occurring, may we also take time to acknowledge the grace and gifts that we receive in our lives every day. We live in a very special and privileged part of the world.

Mā te wā