Principal's Panui

It was fantastic to meet for prayer, capably led by Catholic Character leader, Jasmine Paneda, with supporting vocals from Maddy Sweetman. 

We celebrated student success in NCEA exams in 2021, acknowledging our Merit and Excellence endorsement students at levels 1 and 2. 

I spoke about resilience and courage today and being careful about our choice of words. We praise toddlers for their efforts learning to walk even when they keep falling over. Why does this encouragement have to stop as we grow older? Why do we criticise mistakes rather than applauding efforts? When do we start counting our failures rather than our successes? 

Einstein, arguably one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th Century, believed that failure is success in progress. He believed that you will never fail until you stop trying. It is an important reminder to us all in our work, in our families, and relationships to persevere and keep trying. 

To try and fail and try again is the way we all learn. 

We must always be mindful of our words and ask ourselves: are my words going to hurt or heal? We all have a choice to make to be kind and supportive, and to build others up. 

In Covid-19 news, there are no new infections this week. There has been no transmission at JPII, and I commend our staff and students for their resilience in wearing masks and looking out for each other. We will be working as a staff to update our health and safety plan once the vaccine mandate lapses next week. We will have this available if you wish to see it. 

With a busy two weeks left of term, I encourage you all to persevere, support each other, and look forward to the upcoming Easter break. 

Ngā mihi nui 

Renée Hutchinson 

rincipal