Ka mahi te tawa uho i te riri; well done, those whose courage is like the heart of the tawa tree.

Ngā mihi o te rā, greetings to you all.

And so the first term of 2024 comes to an end. It has been a busy and exciting start to the school year, with new friends and connections, a new building, and exciting new pathways and learning opportunities.

Along with new beginnings for our kura this term, we also have two kaiako heading off to begin their own exciting adventures.

- Jemima: we farewell Jemima after six fabulous years with us. Jemima was with us as a Masters of Teaching and Learning student, and she then became a beginning teacher with us. We have watched her grow into a fabulous kaiako and leader, and we’ve loved our time with her. Jemima has brought with her huge passion, dedication and hard work, and has built strong and lasting connections with ākonga, whānau and staff. Jemima, you are truly tangata whenua at our kura, and also know that there are lasting parts of the mihi you have done here around our school and in the people you have worked with and taught.

Jemima heads off to do some travelling before taking up a teaching position in an international school in Hong Kong in June. We wish you all the very best. Please keep in touch and let us know how you go.

- Lisa: We are not farewelling Lisa entirely, but more saying mā te wā, see you later, which makes it a little easier. Lisa and her whānau are heading off to Sweden for a year, and Lisa will return in Term 2 next year. Lisa’s husband, Magnus, is Swedish, and they have always planned to have their two tamariki, Mattias and Tova, spend part of their childhood in both Aotearoa NZ and Sweden.

It has been a bit of a mission for them to get everything in place for this amazing adventure, and so I’m sure all of the fabulous experiences will be savoured all the more because of this!

Lisa is an integral part of the school, having been with the school since we opened in 2012. She has been part of the crew who set up all the systems, routines and processes, and so much of what we do has her fingerprints all over it!

We wish Lisa and her whānau all the very best on their exciting journey, and we can’t wait to hear how they get on.

I’d also like to take this time to thank our amazing kaimahi, our staff, for everything they do. They are a fabulous group of people, with such passion and dedication for what they do. Our tamariki are so lucky to have such a great support team around them, taking such good care of them.

To our community, thank you all for your support and energy this term. It has felt like a buzzy and energetic term, and we cannot give our tamariki so many great opportunities and experiences without your help and support. We really appreciate it.

And to our tamariki, thanks for being so amazing. For taking risks, for fabulous learning, for finding joy in the little things in life, and for showing friendship to each other.

As the whakatauki (proverb) above says, ka mahi te tawa uho i te riri; well done, those whose courage is like the heart of the tawa tree. With such courage, dedication and motivation, we all help each other to achieve more.

Kia pai te hararei - have a good break, enjoy time with whānau and friends. We’ll see you back in two weeks’ time for term two.

Ngā mihi nui, 

Urs Cunningham