Kia ora koutou and warm greetings to families and friends of Burnside High School.

Thank you!

As we near the end of the term I want to take this opportunity to pass on my thanks and acknowledgements for the warm welcome to that I received from The Burnside High School community. 

I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity and the responsibility of working with you all and I am pleased to finally be here after what seems like a long period between accepting the role and commencing work here.

The transition to Burnside High School has been smooth and I am very grateful for the support of the Senior Leadership Team and staff. 

Focus for the Term

Burnside High School is already a high performing school. It has been led well, it is achieving well, and it is a school in good heart with an excellent reputation. A platform of success therefore does not need to be built, but built upon.

I am really looking forward to working with our staff, students and our parent community to build on this platform of success together. Together we will create a culture where our students are at the centre of everything that we do. A culture where we won’t rest until every student in our care is engaged and achieving. Every student, every day in every class deserves our best effort and we will strive to make sure that we live up to this expectation.

My focus for this term has been connecting with students, staff and families. I have enjoyed getting out and about in the grounds and in the classrooms to meet our students, as well as meeting parents and caregivers at PTA meetings, parent-teacher interviews and subject selection evenings. 

3 Question Surveys

As the new principal here, it is important that I understand the culture of school, the strengths and the opportunities for growth, progression and development for Burnside High School. 

This term I have been seeking feedback from the students and staff to better understand people’s perceptions about the school.

I have asked every staff member and every student three questions. Firstly, what are their perceptions of the strengths of our school – the things that make us successful.

The second question canvasses opinions about what opportunities for growth and development exist – the areas that we can further build upon to grow our successes and achievement as a school. And the third Question is an invitation for staff and students to share with me anything else that they feel I should or need to know about as the new Principal of their school.

This has been a really enlightening process and has been incredibly helpful to assist me to grasp and understand what our staff and student community values and what the next steps in our journey as a learning centre of excellence might look like. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. 

Term Break

As Term 3 draws to a close, I wish all students and staff a well-deserved break and a chance to rest, recharge, and get ready for Term 4. 

These final weeks offer students an opportunity to finish the year strongly, focussing on learning while remembering the importance of attendance, punctuality, attitude and work ethic.

All the best for a safe and restful term break. 

Ngā mihi mahana,

Scott Haines

PRINCIPAL