Tēnā koutou katoa

Can I express how lovely it is to have the whole school together for Term Two. The students look amazing in their Winter uniform and are representing their school and themselves proudly.

Thank you to Sinclair McLaren and our amazing school orchestra for their wonderful performance at assembly on Tuesday. To have music and performances back in our school again is indeed a treat. The orchestra epitomises Kotahitanga - which is one of our Māori concepts for the term. Kotahitanga emphasises the concept of unity and working together to achieve common goals. Each orchestra member plays a specific, specialised instrument and practises individually - and then comes together as one whole in the orchestra. The orchestra is an important metaphor for our school - where individual strengths, identities and experiences come together as one for the common purpose of getting a great education and building community.

In order for students to feel a sense of togetherness, it is important for them to feel involved and part of our school and to participate in school activities. To make a positive impact in our world, we must mahi tahi (work together) and have a united vision. This unity springs from our diversity and teaches us that although we have differences in nationality, race, language, gender and religion we are all part of the same community and can learn from each other and uplift each other to make a better world for the future.

I am encouraging students to show their commitment to Kotahitanga by being great ambassadors for their school, wearing their uniform with pride, supporting others and looking for ways to meet and know all of the students in their class, their house, their year level and their school. The idea is that we cannot make a symphony on our own, but with others we can achieve and create the impossible.

I will leave you with the words of Nobel Prize winner and Human Rights activist, Desmond Tutu: “Have you seen a symphony orchestra? There is a person at the back carrying a triangle. Now and again the conductor will point to him or her and that person will play “ting.” That might seem so insignificant, but in the conception of the composer something irreplaceable would be lost to the total beauty of the symphony if that “ting” did not happen.”

Ngā mihi nui