Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa, warm greetings to you all.

Ki to kotahi te kākaho, ka whati; ki te kāpuia, e kore e whati. If there is but one reed, it will break; if it is bunched together it will not.

On Monday we had one of my favourite events of the school year, our Year 6 graduation dinner. It was a lovely evening filled with celebration, collaboration and connection. The whakatauki above was one I shared as part of my speech to ākonga, about the importance of connection. Huge thanks to everyone who was involved - whānau, staff and students, and a special thanks to our staff for working together on the day to set it all up, keep it all going, and then clear it all away. As usual, Gail had it all under control and running smoothly - special thanks for your fab organisation, Gail.

And so, as our school year draws to a close, I’d like to say special thanks to our staff for their mahi, dedication and passion for ngā ākonga. You work incredibly hard to put our tamariki at the centre of what you do. Your enthusiasm to keep students engaged and progressing, and your resilience when things are tough, are very much appreciated.

• Koru Hub: Angela, Hannah, Sonali, Gina, Sophia, and Davina - thank you for your care, patience and humour with our students, and for your dedication to meeting their learning needs.
• Harakeke Hub: Jemima, Eilis, Natalie, Rupert, and Kirat - many thanks for your enthusiasm and passion for your hub, and for guiding and supporting them to progress in their learning endeavours.
• Pōhutukawa Hub - Gar Kee, Onaitta, Brent, Ciara, and Lisa: Thank you for engaging and challenging our students, and supporting them to consider and discover where they stand and what they stand for.
• Our admin and support team - Rachel, Navy, Gail, John, Brian, Nic and Kirsty: You are amazing with the mahi you do to support our students and our team. You help to keep the learning going in the hubs for some of our students, and to keep things safe, clean and running smoothly. Thanks also to Rebecca, (Brian’s daughter), who has stepped in to help with cleaning while Kirsty has been away.
• Our leadership team: Demelza and Jenny - many thanks to you both for everything you do in supporting our teams to work towards our vision of a humanising education. Some of your mahi is unseen and yet hugely important and necessary, thanks so much.

As we say goodbye to some of our fabulous team, we wish you all well on your next adventure: Davina, Sonali, Gina, Brent, Natalie, Demelza, Eilis, and Onaitta. Thank you for all you have contributed to our school and our community. Farewell also to families of our amazing Year 6 students who are heading off to various different schools for Year 7. As you very ably demonstrated on Monday evening at the graduation dinner, you are very ready for this exciting next step on your journey. Make sure you come back to catch up with us and tell us how you are going. We also have a number of other students heading off on their own adventures, either overseas or to different kura. We wish you all the very best; remember you are always tangata whenua at our kura - come back and say hello any time!

We have completed our final appointment in Koru Hub, and we welcome Kate Dammer to the team. Kate will be joining us from Wadestown School and will be going into her fifth year of teaching. Kate is an avid reader and loves dance and exercise. She is really looking forward to joining our team. Here is a final reminder of what our teams will look like for 2024:

Koru Hub new entrant group (Māwhero): Angela Herman-Childs, Wee Ai Teh, Navy Ny (learning support)

Koru Hub main group: Amaria Picard (team leader), Hannah Sadler, Aleesha Majaw Monisse, Lily Patrick-Duncan, Sophia Hughes, Kate Dammer, Lauren Brown, Nic Love (learning support)

Pōhutukawa year 4 whānau groups: Rupert Webb, Sarah King

Pōhutukawa year 5+6 whānau groups: Emma Murdoch (team leader), Gar Kee Wu, Brydon Gillam, Charlotte Montu

Pōhutukawa additional teachers in term 1: Lisa Bengtsson, Jemima Colquhoun

Release teachers: Amelia Prendeville (Koru Hub), Rachel Hosnell (Pōhutukawa Hub)

English Language Support teacher: Kirat Singh

Meri Kirihimete and have a lovely summer break. Enjoy time with whānau and friends, and savour the chance to slow down and recharge. We look forward to seeing you again next year.

Ngā mihi nui

Urs