Kia ora koutou, Merhaba, Asalamu alaykum

Our thoughts are with our Turkish and Syrian families this week after the devastating earthquake in their home countries. Information on how we can help can be found in this newsletter or our Facebook page and our Community Service Prefects will be coordinating a school response.

On Tuesday we formally welcomed our school leaders at assembly. Our Prefects are an important team in the school, with many diverse roles and they are led by our Head Girl, Paige Milburn. Ella Hou is our Deputy Head Girl. Six of our prefects attended the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasian Student Leadership Conference in the holidays, and already significant learnings from this have been brought back into the school.

Equally important are our Peer Support Leaders led by Anna Yuen and Tessa Hinch. Peer Support leaders are vital support for our new Year 9 students settling into school. This year all Year 13 students are involved in the ‘Sisters’ Programme, with all Year 13 mentoring a Year 9 student in a tuakana-teina relationship. The ‘Sisters’ met for the first time in I-Time this week.

I stressed at assembly that we are all leaders. Here students could have roles like a junior House Leader, a sports coach or a librarian. But we can also lead just by being ourselves – picking up our rubbish after lunch, getting up to go to class on time, wearing our blazer with pride and showing exemplary behaviour in town, or simply getting involved and asking and answering questions in class. Every positive thing we do each day inspires others and empowers them to be better.

Finally I would like to express how grateful I am for the settled and happy start we have had to the year and the continued support of all of our families.

He aha te mea nui o te ao
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people

Ngā mihi nui