Greetings

There is one week to go in the term, and I know that staff and students are feeling tired, as are many other people at this time of year. Let’s hope there is sun and warmth during the next few weeks to help recharge our batteries.

I am looking forward to my first Kavanagh College senior formal tomorrow evening after missing out on this last year as a new member of the community, however I assure you that I won’t be spending quite as many hours getting ready for it as others are! Another thing to look forward to next week, is our ‘Shave for a Cure’ day on Friday. Students are being invited to wear wacky hair on that day with their school uniform and to bring a donation that will go towards funding for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer NZ. Our seven senior boys and at least one staff member who are shaving their hair, have already raised over $3000 for this organisation. They would love to raise a lot more than this so if you want to support this brave gesture, please read the article in this week’s newsletter.

Thank you to the PFA who are organising a working bee at school this Sunday. Please come along, even for half an hour to enjoy the camaraderie of others in our college community and help make our grounds look neat and tidy.

There is a lot of review and evaluation happening at Kavanagh at present. We are engaged in the new ERO cycle which is an excellent opportunity to look at progress, and review what is working well. We are also involved in a self-audit with Tūturu, a whole school approach to student wellbeing that prepares students for a world where drugs and alcohol is present. And a recent parent survey – thank you for your contribution – has informed our decision making about online safety and education programmes. Please remember to put the 29th July in your diaries as a chance to come along to the Linewize Community Connect event in the auditorium where experts will talk about challenges for our teenagers and the resulting challenges for parents, created in an online world.

We have two important members of our staff taking on new and different challenges from term three. Mr Lawrence Bishop has decided to leave teaching and return to the surveying profession. Lawrence’s maths teaching will be greatly missed and we wish him well in his new career.

We congratulate Mr Ian Adamson on a significant promotion to the role of Assistant Principal at East Otago High School. Ian will join EOHS from week four of term three, but we have convinced him to return for tournament week when he will coach our 1st XI football team. Although Ian will leave a big hole to fill within our college, it is exciting for me as principal to have two staff leave for leadership roles this year – Katrina Kerr-Bell to a principal’s position and Ian to a senior leadership position. This is certainly a reflection of the calibre of our staff.

Let us remember those families who have again been separated from one another because of the current lockdowns in Australia. We also pray for our Pacific neighbours in Fiji who are experiencing a terrible time at present. Although it is easy to complain about being tired and experiencing cold, mid-winter weather, this is a reminder to give thanks to God and be grateful for our freedom, and take the time to appreciate the ‘normal’ lives we are living in New Zealand.

Have a wonderful weekend filled with God’s blessings.