Kia ora,e te whānau

Term 3 is full on! We have had the most amazing last few weeks with so much happening within and related to school, all showing the very best of our students in the process:

• Tracey Bailey (Yr 12) won the Kahu o te rangi award for the senior English speech at the regional Ngā Manu Kōrero competition and will travel to Dunedin, with supporters from WGC in the last week of term for the national finals

• All of the regular winter sports competitions have finished for the year, with Football, Hockey & Lacrosse all winning their Premier 1 grades

• Derived grade exams went very smoothly for Yr 11 - 13

• Ngā Korimako headed to Auckland for the Big Sing Finale and were awarded a silver award

• The Student Council’s lunch initiative started last Friday and feedback suggests the food is delicious

• And this week we have the top Badminton, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Netball and Underwater Hockey teams away at their national or regional competitions

In all cases it was good to see students giving their all, dealing with disappointment and bouncing back when things got tough. There is so much more to school than what happens in class and it’s often the learning that happens in these other activities that set students up so well for life after school.

The year is racing towards a close for seniors. There are only 6 more weeks of lessons - 3 weeks now until the holidays and then three weeks once they return. Final assemblies for Yrs 11 - 13 will be on Monday 30 October, with Prizegiving for the whole school at the Michael Fowler Centre on 31 October at 7pm. Students will be given more information about these events nearer the time.

We are already well into the planning for 2024. Today I have announced to the staff that two of our senior staff won’t be returning next year.

Penny Greenwood, who has been at WGC for 22 years and is the DP in charge of Health & Safety, EOTC trips, Prizegiving and Attendance (as well as Spectrum, Yr 9 and the Community committee) will finish at the end of the year. Penny lives in Waikanae and her 5.15am starts are starting to wear thin, so she’ll be having a more leisurely life next year, with no doubt plenty of walks with Harvey and fishing in the mix.

And Deb King, DP Curriculum, Pasifika oversight, Fala Pasifika and Hockey convenor, will leave us after 4 years, to become the new Principal of Newlands College. Deb richly deserves this promotion and to go back to a school she has already worked in for a long time is an exciting next step for her.

We’re too big an organisation to keep all of our staff from year to year and while these two will leave massive shoes to be filled, we are very excited for them both.

I hope spring starts well for everyone.

Ngā manaakitanga

Julia