Nau mai haere mai!

Welcome back to Geraldine High School for 2025.

It has been great getting back into the swing of things at school. Last Monday the 27th of January all the teachers participated in a wananga at Arawhenua marae. This was a great opportunity to develop a relationship with the local rununga as well as develop our learning in the Te Reo and Te Ao Maori space.

On Friday the 31st of January we opened the new Gymnasium to the public. This was a great occasion with a number of local dignitaries, Miles Anderson (Waitaki MP), Nigel Bowen (Mayor Timaru District) and John Wilson (Thompson's Construction) honouring us by speaking to the large crowd of students, staff and local community members. Our Head students for 2025, Hunter Wilson and Mackenzie Waldron, were given the honour of cutting the ribbon. This is going to be an outstanding community facility we can all get service out of for the next 50+ years.

Today, February 3rd, we held our Powhiri for new students, staff and family. Matua Otis gave an excellent whaikorero for the tangata whenua, while Mr Kyle Proffit (Building Academy teacher) stepped in to speak for the manuhiri (new students and staff).

We are introducing a Building Academy to Geraldine High School this year. A number of students will be working with Mr Proffit to build a 3 bedroom home on the school grounds which, once complete, will be delivered to the client site in Pleasant Point. The Building Academy aims to provide our students with hands-on, industry-standard building and construction training within the school grounds. Our program focuses on building small-scale homes (2-4 bedrooms) under the mentorship of a qualified builder/teacher, equipping students with the technical skills, confidence, and industry knowledge needed to excel in New Zealand's growing construction sector. This initiative aligns with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) framework to ensure that students achieve recognized qualifications through BCITO.

Another new initiative, yet a return to the past, is vertical whanau time. Going back to vertical form time is a way for our senior students, working alongside the whanau teacher, to work closely with our junior students in a Tuakana -Teina relationship. I am excited to move around these spaces and see how our senior students step up into this leadership space.

Our senior leadership team looks a little different this year with Ryan Wilson having moved to Rolleston College. Suzanne Pidduck will be acting as Deputy Principal and Carl Hudson will be an acting Assistant Principal while we go through an appointments process in Term One. Suzanne and Carl both offer exceptional leadership qualities which will serve the school well during this time.

The start of a new school year is an opportunity for fresh starts. I hope all our students put their best foot forward and get into positive work habits. I have been at this school for a year now and through my interactions know the quality of our students and know how much they are all capable of. Nothing less than personal excellence is expected of each and every one of them. We, as a staff, will all be working hard to ensure that they are supported at GHS to achieve this.

Nga mihi nui

Marcus Cooper

Principal/Tumuaki

Geraldine High School