From our Tumuaki / Principal

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

What a wet and windy week we have had! Despite the wild weather, we had had a settled and focused week at school, with butter being churned, toast being made, and fire art being created. We send our best wishes to Rupert, who suffered a hockey injury at the weekend and came out of it with a concussion and a fractured cheekbone. Rest up, Rupert, kia piki tō ora - feel better soon.

One of the things that I have been ruminating on over the past wee while is how complex school environments are. Situations we face on a daily basis are very rarely black and white, and schools have to navigate things very carefully to ensure the unique and varied needs of everyone involved are being taken into account. Given that schools are made up, primarily, of tamariki (children) who are still learning how to work and play with each other and solve problems constructively, issues can occur along the way as mistakes are inevitably made. 

This can mean that, at times, things can happen at school that are not optimal, and we need to work our way through them as best as we can. If something has happened that you have questions or concerns about, we absolutely want you to contact us and let us know your concerns, so that we can work together to address them. I ask that when you do this, please do so mindfully, assuming good intent from the people involved. Our staff are incredibly dedicated and hardworking, and they want the very best for all tamariki. We may not always get it right, and there will be situations where not everyone will be happy about an outcome or a decision. If this is the case, please let us know, bearing in mind that neither you nor school may not yet have all the information about the specific situation. Approaching an issue by asking a question respectfully or raising a concern and asking for more information about what happened can be a helpful way to start a conversation. This will help us all to work well together in meeting the needs of every student. 

We have been promised better weather ahead for the weekend and for early next week, so here’s hoping this is the case. After a few days stuck inside for most of the day, we could all do with some time outside in the fresh air!

Kia pai ō rā whakatā, have a great weekend and enjoy time with whānau and friends.

Ngā mihi,

Urs Cunningham