Here, Principal Nicola Jacobsen shares her thoughts.

Kia Ora and welcome to Term 2.

This week we have hosted a number of visiting schools. Sixteen students from De La Salle College in Auckland stayed from Monday through to Wednesday. This trip was a reward for the students achieving their NCEA level 2 endorsed with Excellence, and to give them an experience that they would not get in the city. They attended classes, went rafting, jet boating and stayed with local families. Cromwell College and Central Southland College came to participate in the Quad Tournament - a great experience for students to participate in a range of sports. Many thanks to our community for hosting these students - this opportunity would not have been possible without you.

ANZAC Day saw a number of students at the College attend and participate in local ANZAC services. Laura Watkins spoke at the Wānaka dawn service; India Yule, Thomas Benson, Jackson Duguid and Jessie Winter spoke at the 9.30am service and Paige Gawn sang the National Anthem at both services. The speeches the students gave shone a light on the relevance of ANZAC Day for our youth - many of them remember grandparents or great grandparents who were affected by war, and how this impacted on family life.

Many thanks to these students, and to the many others who participated as a part of St. John, Scouts, and the Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Monday is a Staff Only Day, and the focus for our teachers is the development of their NCEA Level One programmes (for teachers of senior subjects) and the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh (for teachers of junior subjects). School will be closed, but for students who need supervision, the library will be available. Please email the College if your child needs to be supervised for the day.

Toitū te whenua, toitū te tangata

The land is strong, the people are fulfilled.

Ngā mihi,

Nicola Jacobsen