Here, Principal Nicola Jacobsen shares her thoughts.

Kia ora,

Opportunities for students to develop their leadership skills is something that we are focused on growing at the College. There is not one ‘type’ or ‘right’ way to be a leader. From my perspective, leadership is about looking after others, being positive in the face of problems, and seeking opportunities to encourage, develop and support others. There are two authors who I look to to help guide my leadership: Simon Sinek’s ‘Leaders Eat Last’ and Owen Eastwood’s ‘Belonging’ are both about creating positive environments and connections with others. 

Over the next couple of weeks, students will have the opportunity to apply for a number of different leadership roles at the College. Students need to regularly check their emails to ensure that they do not miss out on the application form. Leadership positions include: Committee Leaders, House Leaders, Committee Members (junior and senior students), and Head Students. If students have any questions, they should talk to their Dean and/or their Whānau Teacher.

This week, nominations closed for the Student Representative on the School Board. We are fortunate to have four students who have been nominated to run for this position, and I am looking forward to seeing their campaigns over the next two weeks. The candidates are: Zoe Laws, Tane Haines, Jinwoo Hong and Hugo Sinclair.

We have a number of students who sign out each day to go to appointments. It is very helpful for our Attendance Officer Sally Jodeh if parents/caregivers have emailed or called the office prior to the student signing out for their appointment. If there has been no notification from a parent/caregiver about the appointment, or reason for leaving school early, we need to call home to make sure that it is okay with you. By letting the College know that your child needs to sign out, it helps make the process a lot easier for us to manage. 

Toitū te whenua, toitū te tangata.

The land is strong, the people are fulfilled.

Ngā mihi,

Nicola Jacobsen