The ESOL department welcomed new students from Vietnam, Japan, Cambodia, China, Tonga, Samoa and the Philippines this year. We celebrated our diverse department in a number of ways. Students shared their language, food and culture during class activities and at the end of term pot luck lunch.

Ms Briggs joined the teaching staff to work alongside Miss Ane Tatu, Mrs Marijo Flores and Mrs Maryanne Ducray. A special mention and thanks must be given to Mrs Lynda O’Donnell, the Head of ESOL, who has chosen to devote her time to her gorgeous new daughter, Myla. The ESOL Department has grown and flourished under Mrs O’Donnell’s leadership, enthusiasm, and care for her students.

In ESOL classes this year, students studied English language through a combination of traditional and new digital methods and experimented with project based learning on topics of personal interest. Kahoot and other gamified learning remains very popular with students and lessons were often filled with animated discussions and laughter. On the more serious side, senior students focussed on gaining English Language credits for NCEA, with many students achieving at a high level.

The Filipino Youth Group organised and hosted our largest Salu Salo evening yet and we were delighted to include students and families from Hornby Primary School. We aim to go even bigger and better next year. We ended the year with a family fun day where parents competed alongside the students in a range of team challenges.

As the year closes, we farewell our Year 13 students and wish them all the best for their future studies or employment. We also bid a sad farewell to Miss Ane Tatu as she embarks on further tertiary study. Ane provided not only ESOL support but also pastoral care for our Pasifika students. We would also like to extend our thanks and best wishes to Mrs Maryanne Ducray, our IELTS expert. Mrs Ducray shared her extensive knowledge of English grammar with our junior students and tutored seniors during their preparation for IELTS examinations.