Kia ora koutou. Talofa. Kia Orana. Malo e lelei. Bula. Fakaalofa atu. Namaste. Kumusta. Haere mai ki Te Kura Huruhuru Ao o Horomaka. Warm greetings to the Hornby High School community.

Life’s a funny old thing, isn’t it. I suspect that there is much about our lives right now that we might not have predicted a year or so ago, and this has meant that we have had to be resilient, adaptable, and capable of unlearning old ideas and habits and relearning new ones. Our experiences led me to think once again about the purpose of education and schools. We would all agree that academics are important. But so too are the skills to adapt, to work with others, to be kind to others. To show manaaki, whanaunga, and kaitiaki, surely must be at least equally as important as any narrower academic learning. To be able to work with others, to be creative, to think critically about what others say, all are just as important. If we allow young people to leave our school gates without those attributes then maybe we have not been as successful as we need to be.

In our post rāhui survey in which we have asked you as whānau what you want for your children from our kura we are hearing that voice loud and clear alongside the understanding that academic and sporting success matter.

WE HEAR YOU! I put that in capitals because this is perhaps the single most important thing we can do, pay homage to your wants and needs as whānau. It is YOUR aspirations for your children that matter, much more than our own (although I think on reflection that they tend to be very much the same).

Putting these things together, they also yet again show the relevance of the whakatauki of our kura:

Mā te huruhuru, ka rere te manu

Feathers enable the bird to fly.

It speaks to our intent to equip every student with the skills, knowledge, and attributes, they need if they are to be successful in life.

As we head into the ninth week of what will be a twelve week term, a week that we begin having gone for 16 straight days with no new cases of Covid-19 in the country, we should pause and reflect on the power of collective action. We did this as the Prime Minister’s ‘team of 5 million’. When we act together with a relentless focus on a common purpose we are unstoppable.

Let me say that again: ‘When we act together with a relentless focus on a common purpose we are unstoppable’. The same can be said for the ‘education’ of your young people, our rangatahi. This is a journey we are on together. The most stable chair is one with three legs, a tripod. So it is with our young people, when the ‘tripod’ of learner, whānau, and school, work together.

We have as that ‘team of 5 million’ created a safe environment for our young people. Schools are safe. It is essential that we do not let our guard down. The foundation of our safety lies in good hand washing and cough/sneeze etiquette. That safety relies on each of us staying at home when we are unwell. That’s our individual task as members of that ‘team of 5 million’. Let’s do it right. Let’s not allow this virus to steal a good education from your children. They are our future, and they deserve our best.

Please make sure you follow us on Facebook for the latest and most up to date news https://www.facebook.com/hornbyhighschool/ , and on our website www.hornby.school.nz . You can also follow my thinking our education journey at Hornby High School, and more generally, on my blog at https://whakataukihewakaekenoa.blogspot.co.nz/

Kia tau te mauri

Robin Sutton

Tumuaki