Here, Principal Nicola Jacobsen shares her thoughts.

Kia ora,

Over the past two weeks, the student committees have been busy bringing the school campus to life, with a lot happening for students over lunch breaks. Well done to the committees for showing this leadership and initiative.

Congratulations to the students who competed in the Ngā Manu Kōrero Otago/Southland Speech competition at the end of last week. Congratulations to Anataia White who placed third in the prepared section, first in the impromptu category and was awarded first prize overall for the Korimako category. She will now go on to speak at the national competition next term. The District Lions Speech Competition was also a success. Jackson Duguid placed first and Libby Frazer second. Congratulations to all students who competed in this event. Winter sport is well underway with many teams competing in local tournaments. I have been impressed with the level of sportspersonship shown at the games I have watched, particularly the 1st XV rugby game last weekend.

Our College website has had a few updates that I would like to draw your attention to. We have been working on putting together information sheets for parents and whānau on topics that are a bit challenging - vaping, social media and managing yourself online. There is a lot in the media about vaping at present, and at the College we would have one, sometimes two, incidents a week where vaping has been reported to us. In this instance, one of our Deputy Principals interviews the students involved to get a statement, we conduct a bag search, and involve parents. Consequences involve after school service to the College, a meeting with the student, their parent(s) and the Principal, and support with any health-related concerns. I hope you find the information sheets useful, and we will continue to add resources to this section of the website.

https://mtaspiring.school.nz/resources-for-parents/

We have had a couple of students in the junior school bring items to school which are not appropriate. There seems to be a trend at present for crafting slingshots, and it seems to be popular with the junior students. These items are dangerous, and are not allowed at school.

As we head into the final week of the term, let’s hope for some sunny weather.

Toitū te whenua, toitū te tangata.

The land is strong, the people are fulfilled.

Ngā mihi,

Nicola Jacobsen