Tēnā koutou e te Whānau

Welcome to the last newsletter for 2021! When we sit back and reflect on the year that has been, no doubt we will share some disappointments due to the disruptions caused by Covid but on the whole, I think we should be very proud of what we have still been able to achieve as a school community. Tuesday's Prize-giving ceremony was a great example of this.  Although we weren't in a position to have parents attend, we were able to live stream the ceremony to whānau. The ceremony did have a different feel to it but it was still a great opportunity to celebrate the successes of our senior students and in particular formally farewell our Year 8 leavers. I want to acknowledge the creativity of Lisa Dovey and the Ōtūmatua Team who did a great job bringing the event together. 

Given that this is the last newsletter, there are a large number of other people I would like to thank. Firstly, thank you to all of our 713 students who have made the most of any and all opportunities offered to them this year!

Thank you to our hard-working staff for their sustained efforts this year. Our teachers, teacher aides, admin and grounds teams have continued to do a fantastic job throughout 2021. I consider it a real privilege to work alongside such dedicated and committed professionals.

Sadly for us, we have several of our staff who will be leaving at the end of this year to pursue a range of new opportunities. Some of these staff members have been at Halswell School for many years. They will be properly farewelled as part of a special assembly tomorrow but I would like to take this opportunity to thank departing teachers Tash Fraser, Jane Wilks and Brooke Young along with support staff members Joy Chamberlain and Vicky Brown for their wonderful contributions to our school. I would also like to wish Danielle Ward and Amy Craddock all the very best as they head off on maternity leave.

As many of you be aware Rob Naysmith, will be leaving us to take up the very exciting role of Principal at Weedons School. Rob has been a fantastic Associate Principal for the past 6 years in particular working with our Years 5-8 students and teachers. Our loss is Weedons' gain and I’m confident Rob will make a big impact at his new school.

I would also like to thank our Board of Trustees consisting of Rob Dixon, (Board chair) Ged Robinson, Michelle Bishop, Natasha Buckby, Giarne Harrison, Shaun Perrin and staff rep Anita Head. These people do a huge amount of work behind the scenes governing the school. This year they have had to navigate some tricky challenges but have done so very capably always with our children’s best interests at the heart of any decisions. 

I also want to acknowledge the contributions of our parent community. I know that many of you have helped out in learning centres, attended working bees, assisted on camps and sports events, supervised road patrol and served on the PTA. Without your support, we simply could not provide the sorts of opportunities we do for our tamariki. The strong partnership that exists between home and school is one of the things that makes our school so special.

Finally, I hope you have a fantastic holiday break. I look forward to connecting with you again when the 2022 school year begins at 8.30am on Wednesday 2 February. 

Meri Kerihimete! 

Stuart Cameron

Principal