Principal's Message

Kia ora koutou

It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of Week 9 and that the first term is nearly over! It certainly has been fast and furious with lots of events happening for students to get involved in.

Colour Run

It was fantastic to see so many students get involved in the Colour Run two weeks ago and it was great to be able to welcome members of the community! Congratulations to Mrs. Bonnett and the students involved in organising a free fun event for our students and to see such community-minded spirit at work.

Board of Trustees

At our most recent Board of Trustees meeting, Vanessa Robertson stepped down from the position of Presiding Chair and Vanessa-Amy Greenwood was elected in her place while Claire Burgess was elected as the new Deputy Presiding Chair. A huge thanks and acknowledgement to Vanessa Robertson for the work that she has done over the past 4 years as the Presiding Chair and leading the Board of Trustees during some of the most challenging years in education. Vanessa will retain her position on the Board of Trustees. This year, the Board will be carrying out a thorough community consultation on our mission, vision and values in order to be able to determine the future strategic direction of the College. So watch this space!

International Students

It has been fantastic to be able to welcome international students back to school this year. Currently we have students from Thailand and Japan while multiple short-term groups are booked to visit us throughout June to August. We have had significant interest for international students to study at Ellesmere College-Te Kāreti o Waihora next year, with multiple students already booked in for the year. We are hugely in need of homestays for both short-term and long-term students for this year and next year. If you have a spare bedroom and are interested in hosting an international student (which you get paid for!) please contact our Homestay Coordinator (homestaycoordinator@ellesmere.school.nz)

Staffing

The conundrum of staffing is continual and the teacher shortage crisis is very real. This week there were over 300 advertisements for high school positions across New Zealand. This is unprecedented and it is extremely difficult to find teachers to fill permanent positions, never mind fixed-term positions. We welcomed Mrs. Raj from Fiji several weeks ago and she is teaching within our Year 9 Team and the Mathematics Department. Due to a change in personal circumstances, Ms. Roberts resigned earlier this term. We have been fortunate to find an experienced Science teacher in the United Kingdom, Ms. Katandawa, and we look forward to welcoming her next term. When you visit the College you will notice a new welcoming smiley face at the front reception as our new receptionist Crystal Roles has started. Our part-time Community Support Worker, Gemma Harrison, has also started and has been busy establishing relationships with whānau and outside agencies. It is also great to see that lots of students are accessing the school nurse when she is here on a Monday throughout the day.

Trivia Night

I am looking forward to the Trivia Night tonight and hope to see lots of parents/whānau there! If you haven't managed to book a table, don't worry, just turn up at the school gym. Doors open from 6.30pm. It is going to be a fun night so come along and support the school. Special thanks to Mrs. Bonnett and Ms. Ferguson for all of the work involved in organising this fundraising event.

School Redevelopment

Work on the school redevelopment continues on top of everything else going on. It was our hope that we would be handing over the building site for the redevelopment at the end of next week. Unfortunately this has now been pushed back by several months due to issues involving groundwater and dewatering the site during construction. Our builders, Southbase, are in the process of trying to resolve this issue and are working hard with external organisations in relation to this. The good news is that it means we will still have access to our gym during some of the winter months which is positive for our students. As more information regarding the building redevelopment timeline comes to hand, the Board of Trustees will communicate this to the community.

Exhibition Evening

I am really looking forward to the Exhibition Evening on Wednesday next week. I have spoken on multiple occasions at our morning assemblies about how stress can be a good thing if you use it and harness it...pressure, stress and time turns coal into diamond! Our junior students will come under increasing pressure and stress over the coming days as they finalise and finish work from their Connected Learning Modules and projects in Ako. Part of this pressure and stress is the high accountability of publicly displaying their work. It is an expectation that all junior students, along with a parent/caregiver, attend Exhibition Evening.

There has been lots going on this term, and even more to come, with Exhibition Evening and an Easter Egg Hunt on Tuesday for Years 7 & 8. Everyone will certainly deserve a rest during the extra long Term 1 holidays!

Ngā mihi

Ronan Bass

Tumuaki/Principal