Tēnā koutou katoa, and welcome to the Term 4 newsletter.

Term 4 is always a high-energy time of the school year when we celebrate the past year and start preparing for an exciting year to come. This means that there are a lot of people busy at work on a lot of projects and events.

Firstly, congratulations to all our senior students who have been working hard all year on their NCEA assessments. Their external exams started in early November, and almost every student I have talked with has spoken positively about their experiences. Our year 13 students have had three years of experiencing various interruptions to their senior years due to Covid-19, so they need extra acknowledgment of their resilience as they developed new ways to learn during very atypical times.

At the time of writing this article, we have completed celebrating student excellence in our Sporting Awards, the Young Parents' College (Karanga Mai) Prizegiving, and Māori & Pasifika Awards ceremonies. If you haven’t been able to experience any of these celebrations of our outstanding young people, I strongly recommend that you add these events to your 2023 calendar. It is the first time that I have attended these events at Kaiapoi High School, and it leaves you feeling confident that our future is in the hands of some amazing young adults. Our school’s acknowledgment of excellence and achievement continues with the Senior and Junior Prizegiving ceremonies in the last week of term. We hope to see you there.

As well as a lot of energy going into preparing for the year ahead this term, we also devoted time to look back to the very special year of 1972. The Kaiapoi High School 50th Anniversary Committee did excellent work bringing past and present staff and students together for an enjoyable Labour Weekend event. It was a privilege to have met so many students, staff, and parents who have made Kaiapoi High School what it is today. There were seemingly unlimited stories of classes, friends, camps, and mutual appreciation between staff and students. As the whakataukī says - ‘He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata he tāngata. What is the greatest thing in the world? It is the people.’ The value of ‘the people’ rather than ‘the place’ was clearly evident during the weekend.

As I have already exceeded my article’s space, I will have to restrain myself from commenting in depth on the list of additional exciting things taking place this term. In short, we’re busy preparing for new 2023 student leaders, year 9 students, staff, timetables, and events. We look forward to a relatively normal year, free from major disruptions. Simultaneously, we are prepared to greet the unexpected!

Lastly, it is with great sadness that we farewell all who are moving on from Kaiapoi High School, including student leavers, departing staff, and our 2022 student leaders. We know we can’t keep you with us forever, and we sincerely wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou. Seasons greetings to you all and have a great holiday.

Jason Reid, Principal