Ann Brokenshire — August 2022

Kia ora koutou, Talofa Lava, Warm Greetings to you all!

In Term 3 we work together to gain a better understanding of the school value of 'ako' or 'learning'. It actually means to both learn and to teach. In our school we are all still learning, and as staff we learn from and with each other and our students just as our students learn from and with staff and each other.

Senior students have just finished their NCEA practice exams for their externals which begin early in Term 4. They will, over the next few weeks, receive feedback from their teachers on how they did, along with feedforward as to the next 'steps' in their learning.

Feedback and feedforward on next steps are critical to student learning and is something we take very seriously. This does in fact happen every day in every lesson and I encourage students to ask questions if unsure in class. All of this is about our value of 'ako'.

As warmer weather arrives, I would like to take this opportunity to remind students to wear their uniform with pride. As I was travelling to Nelson to watch our Year 9 and 10 students at the basketball tournament, I met up with our Senior Football team at the airport on their way to a tournament in Invercargill all dressed in our full formal uniform. They made me feel very proud, they looked superb, and I am sure went on to represent us with mana. I remain proud of our students and our staff here at Hillmorton High School.

Aroha nui

Ann Brokenshire
Principal