Kia ora koutou

The first two months of the year have been hectic as we have dealt with the challenges of Omicron. We started the year well, and I was pleased that we were able to welcome the new Year 9 boys to Shirley Boys’ High School with a mihi whakatau for each House. This made the numbers manageable, and we were able to operate under the 100 person requirement for a gathering. Unfortunately, that was the last opportunity to have large groups of students together to celebrate our culture and values.

However, the boys have done extraordinarily well under difficult circumstances. A number of boys have been absent from school, teachers have been away, and a number of boys have been working online. This made life quite difficult and so we made the decision to begin rostering home. This was not an easy decision, but it was a necessary one, and I appreciate the support of our parents, whānau and community as we navigate this tricky time.

The next challenge is to decide on the best time to finish the rostering home and bring everyone back onsite. We are hoping to make a decision on this next week, however evidence suggests that we have not yet reached the peak in Christchurch, and therefore we will need to consider our return to everyone back at school carefully.

Our co-curricular areas have also been badly affected. We haven’t been able to begin preparations for the major production, Polyfest has had to go online and sport has been compromised. The vaccine mandate for students playing sport has been lifted, but schools still need to ensure that they are providing a safe environment for any co-curricular activity, particularly when bringing students from another school into Shirley Boys’ High School. I would like to wish our teams who are heading off to Summer Tournament Week all the best.

Finally, I want to wish everyone all the best as we work our way through the Omicron pandemic. I appreciate it is not easy and affects all of us in different ways. Self-isolating does create anxiety and stress in the household. I spent ten days at home as a household contact with my family, so I know what that experience is like. I urge people to look after themselves and those closest to them. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to contact the school. There is also information on the Ministry of Health website that you can access.

Ngā mihi nui

Tim Grocott