Principal's Message

We look forward to having everyone back on-site next week after our ‘reset week’. The number of absences for the year levels at school this week have remained at between 25 and 30%. Staff have made the most of more flexibility in their day to connect with students at home and those who have had more time away then others. We continue to follow health guidelines and our wonderful rangatahi have been excellent with their mask wearing inside – thank you and congratulations on doing the right thing. We realise that some students may still feel vulnerable and anxious about being in a school setting during this time, but indications from other countries is that schools are relatively safe because it is a more controlled environment than many other they are in. Of course, there is also a balance between providing work online for those who need it because they are officially isolating, and for it to become a reason to feel that it is justifiable to stay at home and work from there instead of being on-site. If you are finding that your young person at home is resisting returning to school regularly, please email your child’s dean and we will support you to get them back into a regular pattern that will be beneficial for their wellbeing.

We are excited to be taking part in Relay Your Way (the covid impacted version of Relay for Life) next Thursday, 31 March. This is a compulsory event for all students; it will be a House Competition and students will wear their house colours as they run or walk the block around school. It is good that we have found this way to do something as a whole school after many of our other events have been curtailed. Please ask your child about the sponsorship form they will be bringing home.

Tomorrow is a World Day of Prayer for the Ukraine, and Pope Francis has asked all Catholics around the world to pray for an end to conflict and peace for the millions of people throughout Russia and the Ukraine who are suffering because of this war. There are many resources online and our classes at school will be focussing on this during their pastoral time tomorrow.

Thank you for the understanding you have shown regarding the name change ahead of us. There is now much to think about, and I have never before noticed how many times Kavanagh College is on signs and objects around the college! We will begin the renaming of our place in time for 2023 and we have some obvious starting points with our prospectus and enrolment documentation that begins to be prepared in a few weeks. Please do not worry about extra cost to you and we will do our best to ensure this does not happen. There will be some sports uniforms impacted by the name change but we have already started this conversation with our suppliers to make the transition as smooth as possible.

As we navigate the ups and downs of covid, isolation, government rules and regular changes, and supply chain frustrations, let’s remember the upcoming Holy Week and the crisis in the Ukraine as reminders of what is important. Jesus Christ’s death would have felt like the end of the world to his best friends and his Mother, Mary, but the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the Christian faith that has remained intact, although sometimes bruised and battered, for over two thousand years. There are millions of people now displaced, mourning those they have lost, and supporting the injured in the Ukraine crisis, while we live in relative peace in New Zealand. Often it is hard to keep our eyes up and focussed on what is important. Let us continue to pray that we can keep our lives in perspective and remember to not lose sight of what is important – our faith, family, friends, and peace in our world.

Nāku noa, nā