Tēnā koe, Talofa Lava, Mālō e lelei, Sanbonani, parents, caregivers, whānau and students,
We hope you have had a positive week.
I have received several messages from a few parents regarding the current PPTA industrial action which has continued this term. Unfortunately this is unsettling and disruptive to all key stakeholders including parents/caregivers, students and staff. The key point of the industrial action is that it is a national collective commitment, and one which is completely outside of individual secondary schools control. As a school, we are doing everything we can to ensure that our students continue to receive teaching and learning progression. At this stage, all calendared events are still occurring, with the opening of our school musical Mamma Mia! tomorrow evening, and throughout each evening next week.
All students require relational, emotional and pastoral support in their educational journeys, especially with the pandemic that ushered in many new challenges around student wellbeing. This is exactly why a responsive pastoral care programme, with appropriate systems at our school, has become a priority for our teachers and leaders. Every school is facing these social and emotional dilemmas and issues. To ensure students are supported in the most effective ways possible, we are constantly seeking and implementing new strategies, approaches and restorative practices. We are very fortunate to have such a strong whanau system, a comprehensive health education programme, counselling team, school nurse and the support of the Ministry of Education and other agencies to help us and our students.
As we look to close our school term over the next fortnight, I know our Year 8 students are preparing for their annual market day this Tuesday. We look forward to experiencing their group approach to developing a product to market and sell to all our students in our Whanau atriums. We always enjoy the excitement and buzz of this learning event, and feel so proud of our students. Thank you to our Year 8 teachers for their leadership and encouragement of their students.
Important Dates Term 2:
June 17-24: School Production of Mamma Mia!
June 30: Last day of Term 2
July 1 - 16: School Holidays
Enjoy your weekend te whānau, and all the best to our staff and students involved in our Mamma Mia! production. Take care,
Cushla Shepherd
Principal/Tumuaki
Albany Junior High School