From our Tumuaki / Principal

Tēnā koutou,

Last week we started up our leadership book club for 2023, which has been running for several years now. Book club is always a highlight for me. It runs on a Friday after school, which can generally be a time of low energy and a desire to speed off home. However, I find book club tremendously energising and it always sends me off with a spring in my step.

I am thoroughly enjoying the book we are reading at the moment - ‘Belonging’ by Owen Eastwood, and I’m finding it really relevant in my work life and also for my connections outside of school. Eastwood is a world renowned performance coach, and has worked with a range of sporting and national teams, such as the South African Proteas cricket team and the British Olympic team, amongst many others. ‘Belonging’ focuses on his approach to teamwork and belonging, and raises some powerful questions about the ‘Us story’ for each group or team, and also for each individual. Eastwood’s approach is based around the concept of whakapapa and understanding the connection we have to a group we belong to:

“The sun rose in the east and shone on our first ancestor. Here is our origin story. Just as happens with each passing day, the sun slowly moves down this unbreakable chain of people. Each of us will have our time in the sun. But the sun is always moving. Moving towards the west, where it will finally settle.” (Belonging; P16)

This has been really powerful for me in thinking about my connections both with my whānau, and also the team I work with. The idea that I am part of an unbroken line of people who are all connected by a common bond, and that my time in the sun is when I make my contribution to this group, has really resonated and got me thinking. What is my contribution to this group? What will I do to leave the group in a better place than when I joined it, for the people whose turn in the sun is still to come? How can I use the connection I have with this line of people to strengthen my own contribution?

All very relevant and thought provoking questions, and I am enjoying mulling them over as I continue with our book club. For any of you who are looking for a good read or are currently thinking about teamwork and connection, I highly recommend reading ‘Belonging’.

In other news, thank you all for your patience and cooperation over the last few days as the weather has packed in. Wind and rain has meant far more vehicles at drop off and pick up time. Our car park and drop off zone is a fantastic resource that most other local schools don’t have the luxury of, but even our facilities were stretched with the high numbers of cars. You all showed patience and people generally followed the car park guidelines, meaning cars flowed slowly and safely around the space, keeping the environment safe for our tamariki. 

We are all watching with sadness and disbelief at the devastation wreaked by the recent cyclone. If you are looking for a way to help support people affected by it, here is a way to donate. Please also read the article in this digest about Amesbury's fundraising day next Friday to raise money to support areas impacted by the cyclone. 

Our thoughts are also with those impacted by the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Thousands have lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands have been injured and/or displaced. Again, if you are looking for a way to support this crisis, donating to Red Cross Aotearoa New Zealand is one way to do this.

Take care of yourselves and each other.

Ngā mihi nui, 

Urs Cunningham