The beginning of the year is always a hectic time in a school as new members of the Avonside whanau settle into the next stage of their education, and those retuning catch up after a long break over summer.

It was great to be able to welcome our new year 9 students at our mihi whakatau at the beginning of the term, as well as welcoming our new staff. The mihi whakatau is important in welcoming the new members of our Avonside community into our school, including students, their whanau and staff. Our year 9 cohort this year is the largest we have had for some time and this reinforces that our community value the work our staff do to ensure Avonside is providing excellent educational opportunities for young women in Christchurch.

I am also pleased to be able to welcome Mrs Melanie McRandle to our school. 
Mrs McRandle is joining us as a Deputy Principal and will be working to continue to develop our curriculum to ensure we are offering future focused learning that offers our students voice and choice in what and how they learn.

The Level 3 lockdown in Auckland a couple of weeks ago is also a reminder that COVID is still a threat to New Zealand. We all need to do our part by staying home when we are sick, washing hands and keeping physical distance when appropriate. It is also important to remember to use the COVID Tracer App when you are out and about as this data will allow the Ministry of Health tracing team to identify possible contacts if there is another outbreak in Christchurch.

Ngā mihi nui

Jonathan Brooks
Tiamana o te poari Te Kura Kohine o Ōtākaro
Avonside Girls High School Board Chair