Hero photograph
 
Photo by Stuart Cameron

Principal's Desk

Stuart Cameron —

Tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou

Welcome to the last newsletter for the 2019 school year! It is hard for me to believe that my first year at Halswell School has almost come to an end. The time has absolutely flown by. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your support this year. I have felt extremely welcomed and this entire year has reinforced to me that Halswell School is a fantastic place to work and learn.  

I would particularly like to acknowledge our talented and hard-working staff. As a new Principal, I have been extremely impressed with the high-quality learning environments that exist across the school and the broad range of opportunities that are offered to our students.

Our Board of Trustees Francesca Brown, Giarne Harrison, Natasha Bucky, Ged Robinson, Shaun Perrin, Rob Dixon and staff rep Anita Head have made a great start to their new governance roles. We have some exciting innovations planned for next year and beyond, and we look forward to sharing these with you in the New Year.  

I would also like to thank all of the parents who have contributed to our school this year, whether that is in learning centres, on camps, class trips, helping with road patrol, or in support of our wonderful PTA. These contributions were acknowledged by the Board at the Parents Helpers Afternoon in the Stadium last week. We simply couldn't operate without this level of support. 

Last, but by no means least, I want to say what a pleasure it has been to learn alongside our near 700 students this year. We have a fantastic group of kids at Halswell School and I very much look forward to getting to know them better in 2020.

School Structure and T Group Placements 

Attached you will find the school structure for 2020. You will notice that we have a number of new staff starting next year. Kim Lister will take over as the Ōrongomai Team Leader. Kim joins us from South New Brighton School where she currently leads their Years 3&4 Team. She will be replacing Gael Macfarlane who is stepping down from her role after many years of service. Gael will continue teaching in Ōrongomai and will be a great support for Kim as she starts her new role. 

We also have three T Group teachers starting next year; Nicole Batty joins us from Brooklyn School in Wellington. She will teach in Ōrongomai. Henry Smith (Ōtāwhito) and Stephen Tait (Otūmatua) are beginning teachers who come highly recommend to us by the University of Canterbury.  Finally, we are delighted to welcome back Fiona Harney after having some time away on maternity leave. She will be teaching in Ōrongomai.

You will be notified about what T Group your child will be placed in on Monday afternoon and the children will have a chance to meet their new teachers and T Group also on Monday. 

A reminder that the school year will finish at 12.30pm on Thursday 19 December. Please ensure that you have made arrangements for your child to go home at this time. The office will be closed for the holiday period and will not re-open until the week starting Monday 27 January. Please note that it will also be closed on Wednesday for a staff professional development day.  

Finally, I hope you have a fabulous Christmas and a Happy New Year. I look forward to seeing you when the school year begins at 8.30am on Monday 3 February.

Happy Holidays!

Stuart Cameron

Principal