Nau mai haere mai!

We are now entering late autumn and the weather has certainly taken a turn toward colder and wetter weather. Very quickly we have almost arrived at the halfway point of the Term. Already we have had multiple disruptions to learning for our students through the industrial action. Strike days and rolling strikes are certainly actions that our teachers are not wanting to expose our students and families to. We are hoping for a quick resolution to the negotiations between the government and the PPTA.

For the last two weeks we have been running a "Home Work Club" (study group) in the library on Wednesdays, 3.05pm - 4.30pm. This is an opportunity for students to complete assignments, revise work and get help from the teachers that are in the space. Creating a culture where students are willing to put in the extra effort to reach their personal excellence is something that EOHS wants to cultivate. Last night we had 20 students wanting to get on top of their studies. Encourage your student/s to come along next Wednesday (milo and biscuits provided). If transport home is an issue contact myself at mcooper@eohs.school.nz and we can operate a school minivan to drop off students in the Waikouaiti and Palmerston areas.

This time of the year sees a number of Otago secondary schools aggressively promoting their school. We are lucky to have so many great schools in the Otago region offering excellent outcomes for students. You will not see me speaking poorly of any school. You will however see me passionately advocating for our school and what we can offer the students in our community.

EOHS provides:

• An innovative approach to education where student agency and choice is important.
• Collaborative approach to education where the voice of students and whanau are taken seriously and acted upon.
• A dedicated and hard working staff that know each student by name (and usually their families).
• Ongoing professional development for staff to ensure they are professional and agile in their approach to education in the 21st century.
• Vocational pathways that leverage off the skills and experience of local people.
• A strong and transparent pastoral system that works quickly to resolve any issues between students, staff and whanau.
• An open door policy for all whanau to come in and discuss any issues with the Principal and other Senior Leaders and Deans.
• A school culture where our senior students work with our younger students and mentor them through the school.
• Large selection of extracurricular activities for students to participate in after school.
• Scholarships for students that are working hard and excelling in the junior school.
• Fleet of new minivans to transport students to a wide variety of sporting, cultural, academic and vocational opportunities.
• Leadership opportunities for a larger percentage of our students.
• Safe bus transport that ensures students are not wasting time on buses for over two hours a day.

We work extremely hard to make sure that our students have the same opportunity as large schools. We have agreements in place where our students can participate in large team based sports with other schools to overcome our small size.

I am a big believer in supporting your local school. If we work together in raising our young ones to be good citizens this will reap benefits in the area that we live. If you would like to come in and discuss this further my door is always open.

Nga mihi nui

Marcus Cooper

Principal/Tumuaki

East Otago High School