Kia ora koutou katoa, Welcome to the March edition of our newsletter!

We've had an action-packed month, with plenty of exciting events and achievements to share with you.

In particular, I want to give a huge shoutout to our Polyfest team, Waka Ama crew and our incredible athletes for their outstanding accomplishments. Your hard work and dedication are truly inspiring.

I also want to take a moment to apologise for any inconvenience or disruption caused by the recent strike action. We understand that this has been a challenging time for everyone, and we hope that a resolution can be reached soon. As principals must remain a neutral party, I recognise the budgetary constraints faced by the government, while also acknowledging the need to make teaching a more attractive profession in terms of pay and working conditions.

On a very different note, I often wonder how many people actually read the principal's message until the end. If you have got this far, great job! Now, let's talk about something exciting - artificial intelligence (AI) and how it's shaping our education and industry. This isn't just a topic for the future; it's happening right now. Here's your homework: grab your phone or laptop (I bet you're using one right now) and search for 'ChatGPT'. Sign in and ask the AI to write something for you. For example, I could ask it to "Write a formal newsletter message from the principal of Kaiapoi High School that promotes the benefits of our school values of respect, integrity, community, and excellence."

This awesome tool, and others like it, are readily accessible to anyone who wants to take advantage of them. However, how do schools react when students have the option to use AI to answer their inquiries or compose their essays? This is a fantastic question, and educators are currently exploring ways to address it. Stay tuned for my next newsletter article, where we'll delve deeper into this fascinating topic! If you can't wait, you could ask an AI, "How do students continue to grow in their learning when AI tools can do so much for them with very little input?"

Mā te wā, until then.

Jason Reid