As we start Term 4, it seems that yet again we are coming to terms with the new normal that Covid-19 brings. Given the amount of time that students have been away from school in Auckland and now Waikato, I am incredibly grateful that we have managed to be at school with our students.

Unfortunately given the restrictions put in place around gatherings and the uncertainty of the changing alert levels we have had to make some decisions regarding events for this term. You will have seen in a previous communication that we have cancelled Fiefia Night, Year 13 Graduation Dinner, Year 10 Camp and Lip Synch. Following advice from the Ministry of Education, our prize givings will just be for the prize winners with no guests, including parents and whānau, in attendance. I appreciate that these are significant events for our young people and our community; please be assured that these decisions have not been made lightly.

On a more positive note, I would like to recognise those students who have already attained their NCEA Level 1, 2 or 3 or are very close to doing so. It is fantastic to see our students in class working hard and achieving their goals.

A huge thank you to those parents who came along to the PTA meeting last week. I would like to thank Leonie Gourlay for stepping into the role of Chair, Jan McCormick as Treasurer and Hamish Carr as Secretary. We look forward to working with the PTA and our parent community more closely in the future.

I have had the pleasure of visiting our local primary schools over the last few weeks to meet with those students who are coming to Katikati College in 2022. We always take some of our student leaders on these visits and it has been wonderful to hear their thoughts on the College. As a small rural school there is much that we do and achieve that we should be incredibly proud of. The way these students spoke and presented themselves also showed the high calibre of young person that is developed here at Katikati College.

As we work our way through Term 4, I look forward to the future opportunities when we will be able to come together as a community. As always, I thank you for your ongoing support of Katikati College.

Ngā mihi nui

Lou Buckley

Acting Principal