Kia ora whānau

It has been a very busy and successful term, with a range of cultural, academic and sporting events and successes. Students have settled into the routine of academic work, and it is heartening to see so many involved in the co-curricular life of the school. Thank- you to the many parents who met teachers at the recent Year 9 and 10 Parent Teacher Conferences. Your interest and input does make a difference. The discussions you had with teachers, together with the fortnightly grades, will provide a clear picture of progress to date and the development of learning habits.

As Principal my aims are always to develop, maintain and promote Burnside High School as a leader of learning, and to enhance the Burnside Experience for our students and staff. That is, a positive experience that is a combination of:

● the significant benefits, opportunities, and advantages of our larger size

● our diverse co-educational community

● our emphasis on wellbeing and achievement

● our values-based, purpose-driven environment

● our ethos of high expectations and standards

Property matters:

It is great to see the Aurora Centre without scaffolding. We are close to completion, with only some interior painting, improvements to the extraction system, and repair of minor cracks in soffits still to be done.

We are enjoying the benefits of the refurbished Hunter Gymnasium, while work on the Cross Gymnasium is progressing well, with completion expected early in Term 2.

Ministry of Education approval has been given to refurbish the B-Block toilet block and to include unisex facilities. Work is due to start on this project during the April holiday break.

We are close to confirming the designer/architect who will assist with the Master Planning Process for the upgrade of the Burnside High School Campus. This project will address earthquake damage, weather tightness issues, and provide an opportunity to refurbish and modernise our learning spaces. It is likely to take at least three months to develop the concept plan. Once confirmed and priorities set, we will begin the building work using the $19 million allocated to us as part of the Canterbury Schools’ Rebuild Programme. We hope the first such project will begin in 2020.

Enrolment Scheme Amendments Consultation

Burnside High School has undertaken consultation on amending our enrolment scheme. We propose to extend our enrolment zone geographically, by changing our present home zone boundaries in two phases - with the first implemented in 2020 and then a further extension in place from 2022.

We are one of seven co-educational state secondary schools in the greater Christchurch area proposing new schemes, or proposing amendments to existing schemes. Schools have co-ordinated consultation, so that their immediate and extended communities are well-informed; and so that anyone who is interested or concerned can view what is proposed across Christchurch and submit feedback.

All of the seven schools hosted public meetings to gather feedback, including a meeting in the staffroom at Burnside High School on Thursday 28 March. The online survey and/or submissions closed on Friday 12 April 2019. We will keep you informed of decisions once they are made.

Lockdown Review

I acknowledge the professionalism and care that the staff displayed during the prolonged Lockdown on the afternoon of Friday 15 March. Thank-you whānau for the overwhelmingly positive comments received via social media and email. We have received your suggestions for improvements to our Lockdown systems, including access to social media. After every significant event, we review our processes, and I assure you that your comments will be taken into account as we complete our review.

As well as our own internal review, the New Zealand Police, the Canterbury Primary Principals Association (CPPA), Canterbury Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools (CAIMS), Canterbury West Coast Secondary Principals Association (CWCSPA), and representatives of the Early Childhood sector, and the Ministry of Education are currently undertaking a review of the Lockdown. It is important to learn from this event, so as to make future Lockdowns as effective as possible; and to ensure the wellbeing of parents, children and teachers.

The review will include but not be limited to:

1. Communication pre, initiating, and during the Lockdown between NZ Police, Ministry of Education, schools, and parents.

2. The physical logistics of Lockdown, such as building design, toilets, food and water, positioning of students.

3. The effectiveness of the existing guidance provided to schools regarding Lockdown.

4. Any future processes and specific policies that may make Lockdown more effective.

Summer Sports Tournament Week (25-29 March)

Eight sporting codes recently competed in National or South Island Secondary School Tournaments. They were:

National Events:

● At the Maadi Cup at Lake Karapiro the rowing team (19 students) performed creditably

● Three teams competed in the NZ Secondary Schools Volleyball in Palmerston North

● Two teams competed in the NZ Tennis Championships at Wilding Park

South Island Events:

● At the South Island Secondary Schools (SISS) Athletics Championships in Nelson, involving 25 BHS athletes, there were notable individual successes, titles, records and podium places. This followed on from the very successful Canterbury Secondary Schools Athletics Championships, where our team of 61 students won the Cup for the top co-educational school

● Our young Senior Girls Touch team came third in the SISS competition- a fantastic performance

● Two teams competed in the SISS Softball championship

● Two teams competed in the SISS Waterpolo tournament

● SISS Mountain Biking team

Thank you to team coaches, managers and parents for all the work you do preparing and supporting the students, so that they can participate in their chosen sports.

Staff Changes

One of the most important things I do as Principal is employ great teachers and support staff to enhance our strong teaching and learning environment. We are delighted with the calibre of the staff that we can attract and appoint here at Burnside, as it makes a real difference to student achievement. This term we welcomed 18 teaching staff and 8 support staff who join us as a result of maternity leave, retirements, and new positions.

At the end of Term 1 two staff left us:

Bertrand Warren retiring after 32 years’ service to Burnside High School. He is a well-respected and valued staff member who has made an outstanding contribution to the Mathematics Faculty. We wish him well.

Nicola Hawke (Sciences) who is moving to Motueka to live. She has taught at BHS for 5 years and is a popular and committed staff member. We wish her well.

In Term 2 we welcome their replacements: Jan Alabaster (Mathematics) who has taught at BHS before; and Anthony Crowther (Sciences). In Term 2 Lusinda Gomes-Sebastian will join the English Faculty to cover for Erin Ryder who will be on maternity leave from 20 May.

Fundraising Concerts to support Victims’ Families and First Responders

Students are organising a fundraising Variety Concert on Thursday 11 April, in the Aurora Centre. All money raised will be donated to families of the Burnside High School community who were directly affected by the terror attack.

A Pasifika Concert on 2 May will raise money for the First Responders and Emergency services who worked in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

Your support for these two student-led activities would be appreciated.

I conclude with an extract from Jacinda Adern’s speech at the National Remembrance Service on 29 March:

Our challenge now is to make the very best of us, a daily reality.

Because we are not immune to the viruses of hate, of fear, of other. We never have been.

But we can be the nation that discovers the cure.

And so to each of us as we go from here, we have work to do, but do not leave the job of combating hate to the Government alone.

We each hold the power, in our words and in our actions, in our daily acts of kindness. Let that be the legacy of the 15th of March.

To be the nation we believe ourselves to be.

Phil Holstein
Principal