Ann Brokenshire — 8 July 2022

Kia ora koutou,With the end of term comes the chance to relax and reflect.

It has been a very busy term, made much harder with staff and student illness, both covid and other winter bugs. Throughout this term we resisted both rostering home and a later start for students.  This has meant that we have had to ask kaiako (teachers) to take others’ classes when we couldn’t get enough relievers to cover. This became an almost daily occurrence.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff. They have truly gone that extra mile this term to protect teaching and learning time for our ākonga (learners). This has not happened in many other schools.

Part of this success may also be that students and staff have continued to wear masks while inside.  This also, has put a strain on everyone. It is not easy to teach while wearing a mask! Thank you!

These efforts have resulted in the second highest attendance rate (Years 9-13) and third highest attendance rate (Years 7 & 8) in Canterbury. The Ministry of Education are so impressed that they are visiting next term to talk with us about how we have achieved this.

I wish you all the best for the two week break. Next term will be busy again and is an essential term for those participating in NCEA this year.

Aroha nui

Ann Brokenshire
Principal