Tēnā koutou katoa, Malo e lelei, A warm welcome to Term Two.

I would like to introduce two new teaching staff who have joined us this term. Melanie Cunliffe has joined the Year 7 & 8 faculty and Donna Cox is joining the College teaching English part-time until the end of the year. I hope that you will welcome them into our kura.

Our College values of MARK underpin all that we aim to achieve as a school. Throughout this newsletter you will find examples of our students and staff displaying these values.

Pink Shirt Day was an opportunity for staff and students to display their commitment to Manaakitanga - being kind to others. I would like to remind our students that this is not just about one day or a week. This is an important value that we want our students to be showing every day. With this in mind, I encourage you, especially with younger students, to be in the digital world with your children. Do you know who and how they are interacting online? Are you their friend on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook? Too often as a school we are dealing with cases of our students being unkind in their digital world. This is not right and not what we want to be about as a school or a community.

At our first whole school assembly for the year I spoke about my focus for us as a school being on quality teaching and learning happening in every classroom. I explained that this was not just about what our teachers are doing. Ako - learning, is one of our key values. Learning is reciprocal - it involves two parties working together. I asked our students what part they are playing in quality learning. Are they prepared for their learning? Are they on time to class? Do they have a bag for school, with a pencil case and what they need for school? Do they take their device to school? Is it charged ready for class? Please talk to your child about these questions and if you need assistance with access to a device or other learning tools, please contact their form teacher or dean. We will help wherever we can. Ako - learning is our core business as a school and so our students must be ready to play their part in this.

Throughout this newsletter you will find examples of our students displaying Rangatiratanga - leadership, be it through their sport, their culture or their love of just getting involved and making the most of every opportunity! The leadership displayed by our senior students at the ANZAC Day Services always makes me incredibly proud to say I work at Katikati College. It is an honour and a privilege that our students are asked to have a lead role in these occasions. I would also like to recognise the work of the Ultimate Frisbee boys, with their National title and New Zealand representative honours. To Daniel and Sean Nicholson, Ayrton Hodson and Luke Spurr - congratulations on your achievements and the leadership that you are showing to our younger students. To Peter Besley, as the coach and manager, the commitment that you have shown to growing this sport within our school is amazing. It is recognised in the huge number of students who spend every lunchtime throwing a frisbee around on the back field.

As we enter winter, we have the whole school cross country, the Senior Ball and winter sports starting. These occasions provide the opportunity to show our value of Kotahitanga - coming together in unity. Be it celebrating getting across the finish line with our friends, enjoying time with our students and staff at the ball or supporting or playing sport this winter. Take these moments to lift up those around you, celebrate their successes and recognise their involvement.

Thank you for your ongoing support of what we are achieving here at Katikati College. I look forward to seeing you at the cross country, at future school events or on the sideline over the coming months.