Noa’ia te ne gagaj tutu atakoa,

This week, the celebrations of Rotuman language and Sign language have reminded us of the diversity that makes Mana College such a great place. One of our student leaders, Helava Vilsoni, has, once again, inspired us with her knowledge and passion for her language. 

As we move into week 3 we look forward to Bullying-free week which will culminate in Pink Shirt Day on Thursday. This is a great opportunity to reflect on what it is to be a good person and the importance of living our values every day.

Week 3 will also represent our continued shift back to some sort of normal. The reinstatement of our full timetable will be a big step towards this and will allow us to get our teaching programme back on track. For some, it will be a challenge to transition back to a full day but we hope the last two weeks of an adjusted timetable will have eased many of the anxieties that exist. For others, it will be a relief that we are finally back to a full timetable. Either way, it will be great to have students back in class consistently throughout each day.

Mana Wahine Day was a feature of the week. This is a student-led initiative that aims to empower wahine and connect the young women of Mana College. It is an impressively organised event that is entirely run by the students. Outside organisations are invited to set up informational stalls and students engage in empowering discussions with successful wahine. Big congratulations to Eva Bishop, Rosa Stratford, and their team for creating such a great event.

Winter sport is now well underway and I’ve been impressed with the hard work that has gone into training throughout the week. Many of our high-performing students have been preparing for months and it is exciting to finally be out on the field or court. As you get along to support our teams, please remember to support in a positive way. Students love the support from whanau and friends but nobody needs to hear negative comments from the sideline. Keep it positive and get along to support.

Ngā mihi nui,

Greg Sharland

Acting Principal