Kia ora e te whānau,

This Rāroan concludes the term as the last Rāroan before the term break. The final week of any school term is about reflecting on learning, celebrating success and acknowledging individual and collective efforts. Students have been working hard and doing extremely well as a trend articulated in the general report comments that the teachers have written for their classes.

It was wonderful to see the different ways Matariki was acknowledged across the country. A keen group of Rāroa staff came in at 6am on a crisp, chilly morning to acknowledge and celebrate Matariki. We had a wonderful morning of enjoyment, reflection and learning. I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend.

We appreciated the opportunity to have our Teacher Only Day on Monday, which provided rich learning for our teachers and staff, this will be of benefit to our students.

Thank you for your support throughout the term, particularly for your flexibility and understanding of changes to programmes, including camp. We have once again ensured as much continuity of programmes and opportunities as possible.

If you believe it is deserved and you have the time, please flick a message of appreciation to your child's teacher next week. They have done an amazing job this term, remaining positive in their interaction with students, supporting their students’ personal and learning needs and keeping learning and life at school enjoyable. They have taken students on camps, kept classroom programmes challenging and engaging and provided motivation and guidance whilst managing staffing challenges and disruptions, illness and some pretty brutal weather. They have written informative student reports and are looking forward to connecting with you at next week's student conferences. I am absolutely sure any positive correspondence will be well received.

Ngā mihi nui

Stephen Eames