In my welcome to Year 7 students on Wednesday last week I acknowledged the range of emotions that are part of arriving at a new school. The start to College is a significant day in the journey through our kura and I shared how living our Whakatauki, Whāia te taumata - Pursue the highest peaks and our Kawa values of Manaaki - respect and kindness, Māia - courage and Rawe - being your best would be a support for them on day one and on every day in our kura.

With the support and direction from Year 7 teachers and our Year 13 students our new Year 7s have made a strong start. Ngā mihi and thank you to our Year 13 students for being such caring leaders running activities for Year 7’s and teaching them our school Kōpūwai haka. Thirty of our Year 13 students completed our Leadership Camp at Glendhu Bay earlier this week. They made the most of the learning and impressed with their enthusiasm and commitment to the activities. We are excited by the direction they will take our kura in 2025.

Thank you to parents who were able to attend our full school mihi whakatau welcome on Thursday last week to formally remove the tapu from all new students, whānau and staff and enable them to enter fully into the spaces and life of our kura. Our kapa haka group led with our haka pōhiri followed by karakia from Hadley Farquharson and kōrero from myself and our head students Becky Thomson and Baxter Dimond followed by an ice block kai. There is genuine respect for this process and an understanding that as current students and staff we have the responsibility to show manaaki and ensure that we are helpful, encouraging and supportive.

There are significant teaching staff shortages across Aotearoa and so it is fortunate that we are fully staffed and able to provide almost all of the options selected by senior students. Any gaps are addressed through well supported Distance Learning options that complement our programmes in the senior school.

New staff Claire Welch, Jo Nichol, Sophie Beaumont, Katya Blair and Tim Ford - Joel Neilson absent

I look forward to catching up with whānau over the next few weeks at our Swimming Sports and Meet the Teacher on Tuesday next week and our Athletics Day on Wednesday 19 February. We also have NCEA and Year 10 Literacy and Numeracy evening sessions planned for families later this term.

We have had a very calm, purposeful and positive start to the year. There is a lovely atmoshpere or wairua around school with students happy to be back, looking forward to the year ahead and quickly settling into their learning. Once again nau mai and welcome to our kura for 2025.

Mason Stretch

Tumuaki - Principal

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