As always in a school community we've had a number of new staff joining us or taking on new roles and we are fondly farewelling others.

You will read articles about individual staff changes and farewells elsewhere in the magazine so this article will attempt to summarise.

We welcomed Andrea McSweeney as our new Head of Art at the start of the year. Jenny Simpson started this year and has been supporting junior students with a Life Skills course. Michelle Holt (term 1) and then latterly Cat Hunter joined the Food Technology team. Christine Bennet joined our ESOL and English Department. Kathryn Temple was appointed our International Homestay co-ordinator. Peter Hills and Kristan Mouat were appointed Deputy Principal and Assistant Principal respectively during the year. Andrew Spittle started in Term 4 as our new Head of English. 

 We farewelled Christine Beck as our Latin teacher and Gateway co-ordinator and she is looking forward to retirement, travelling and spending time with her grandchildren. And we welcomed Maeve Lonie to teach Latin. We farewelled Amber Fraser-Smith our International Director at the end of Term 3 and Christine Bennet and Dianne Rooney will have new responsibilities in the International Department in 2016. We farewelled Liz Cameron our incredibly positive RTLB teacher and have welcomed Arran Wilkinson. Alan Reynolds starts next year as a Maths teacher and Graham Prime will be more exclusively teaching Physics and Science.  We will miss Wolf Nader who is finally retiring at 73 after 7 years working with our Learning Support students and in the technology areas.  We farewelled Calder Prescott, Jazz maestro who has been conducting our Jazz Band since 1983 and has handed the baton to John Dodd.  

Danielle Frost and husband Jason had a delightful, healthy baby boy, Hudson during the year, and Kelly Wilkinson relieved in the PE/Health area whilst Danielle was on Maternity leave. Dick Pirie and Marion Brinsley had a sabbatical in the United Kingdom during Term 3 and Alastair Sewell and Natalie Chalmers relieved in the Science area. 

 Sadly Colin Croudis, who was Logan Park's Principal from 1980 until 1992 died unexpectedly in October aged 73. 

 We are farewelling our dynamic, energetic and enthusiastic Head of PE/Health and Sport, Scott Bayne who is moving to Australia with his family to take up new challenges in a much bigger school. And our inspirational, compassionate and creative Physics teacher Bruce McKinney is retiring to find time to do the thousand other things he's keen to do while he's still fit and healthy. Bruce promises to stay in touch and may be enticed to run an Inventors Club or Scholarship Physics tutorials. 

 There are significant building and renovations occurring over the summer break. The Gymnasium area is finally being finished - completing the new entrance area and office and will be complete with toilets. Our Music department is moving - having a purpose built "Creative Suite" area in the current Library/Reading Room/VC room/Office spaces. The opportunity presented by bigger premises which will be upgraded and soundproofed is exciting the staff. The Library will shift into the Learning Centre (the Library was originally located in the Learning Centre) - complete with a new indoor and outdoor flow. Digital Technology has moved from Room 5 to Room 35 and the Technology Department are happy to all be housed together. 

Mr McKinney's room is getting a complete makeover for Dr Prime to move into and the English Resource Room is being reconfigured to be a breakout space for Rooms 1,3,12,14. The Administration Block is being re-roofed and the original bathrooms modernised. Mr Spronken has moved from Room 15 to Room 5; Room 8 becomes a meeting and library space and the Maths Resource room is going to be the Maths Department's student computer space. Korean will be taught in Room 82, Chinese in Room 81, Careers and Gateway in Room 80 and Video Conferencing classes will be in the current Music practice rooms. It is highly likely that when all this is done that Room 50 will be made available for senior students to study in. 

 We're looking forward to 2016 and welcoming all the newest students and staff into the Logan Park whanau. Thanks to everyone in our community for your support in 2015.