Ka ngau ki te turikakao te paringa o te tai, e tika te rere o te kuaka - The spinifex wanders along the beach like the incoming tide, the kuaka flies direct

I have shared the whakataukī above for two reasons. The first reason is that the Kuaka and SOAR logos were my first positive impression of Nayland College prior to gaining the Deputy Principal position here. The second reason is the sense of purpose that has struck me about the staff and students during my first term at Nayland College.

One of the first events of the term where I saw this sense of purpose was the House Day. The scene was set with the amazing mask sculptures that serve as a figure head for each of the four houses. There was an atmosphere of excitement prior to the events, with many students dressed up in their house colours. One highlight was a student dressed up as Lightning McQueen off the movie, “Cars” complete with sound effects. The events were fantastic and I got to experience students competing and having fun with their peers.

Another wonderful opportunity I have experienced during my brief time at Nayland College was the Year Thirteen Camp at Bridge Valley. For the activity I ran, the students had a series of tasks to complete that involved working together, coming up with strategies to gain points, and learning about the place. One of the tasks was to ‘manu’ or jump off a platform into a pond. Nearly every student attempted this challenge and it was a privilege to see students encouraging and supporting each other.

I have also had the pleasure of training Friday mornings at 6:30 a.m. with a group of Basketballers and Year 13s. I have been impressed and inspired by their level of commitment, their work ethic and the resulting level of improvement over a matter of weeks.

This sense of purpose is also strong amongst the Nayland College staff. It has been a pleasure to work with staff to work towards our goals as a school. We are fortunate that our Charter and Strategic Plan provides a clear direction of where we are heading and allows us to navigate our goals. As a staff, we are working towards providing authentic learning experiences which facilitate connection and sense of identity with our local places. We are also working towards making learning visible so that our students can gain a greater understanding of where they are at, where they are heading and the steps to get there.

This clear direction allows us to provide the opportunities to prepare our students to be lifelong learners, and provide them with the skills and dispositions to achieve success.

“Ma te huruhuru, Ka rere te manu”:  Adorn the bird with feathers so it can fly