Principal's Message

I would like to commend our students for the respectful attitude they have shown towards wearing masks as recommended by the MOE and MOH. We know this is far from ideal, and we would all dearly like to be back to normal and be free to socialise and chat mask free, but in the meantime while we get through this latest wave, it is important that we try to look after one in this way.

You may have noticed in the media that schools are hoping that there will be some relief in the form of NCEA support for seniors and extra relief funding for schools that will top up empty budgets. It has certainly been the hardest of the last three years for schools, and we are not through it yet. Secondary Principals’ Associations around the country have requested meetings with the Ministers of Education to voice concerns about the impact that this year has had on students, staff, wellbeing and learning progress, as well as the financial pressure on schools. I realise that many of your own workplaces are under similar pressures. At this stage, there has been nothing offered to support senior students in their NCEA endeavours, and we encourage our students to continue working hard and setting achievable but challenging goals for themselves so they can continue to look forward and create the learning pathways they want. I do hope that the recent online learning interviews were valuable to gauge where your child is at and the strategies that will support them to keep moving forward – there is still plenty of time with the right attitudes in place.

Thank you to those parents and students who attended the working bee for school on Sunday. They were blessed with some beautiful sunshine and they planted out a new garden near the auditorium as well as a general mid winter tidy up of the gardens. We are very fortunte to have a small but dedicated group of parents who offer practical support to our college. I do encourage you to get involved in the PFA. Many hands make light work, and I am sure that the group would appreciate new and different skills to support fundraising ideas, as well as this group providing an opportunity to connect with other parents in our college.

Next Sunday, August 7th, is our annual Open Day. Thank you in advance to all the students who are keen to help us on the day and show off their school. Please encourage people you may know who want to come and just have a look. Even if their children are a couple of years away from choosing schools, they are still most welcome to have a look around and get a sense of who we are. We really enjoy the opportunity to make connections and have a chat with new people to our college.

There have been a number of bereavements within our wider school community in the last few weeks. Please keep these families in your prayers as they cope with the loss of very special people from their lives.

Let’s hope the weekend provides some long awaited for sun – enjoy.