Wise words from Sir Winston Churchill “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” With that in mind, I am pleased to share the progress we have made against the strategic goals outlined in my letter at the start of the year.

You may recall the five areas that are the backbone of SMC’s culture, and will continue to be just that, with a focus on continuous improvement:

• Customer and stakeholder experience

• Holistic education providing a wide number of education choices

• Community wellbeing including students, staff and the wider community when in need

• Strong traditional values

• Commitment to personal excellence

In these five focus areas, early achievements include:

• Continued financial stability
  - Direct debit implementation and upgrade of accounting ledger
  - Implementation of new structures within the SMC Foundation to maximise fundraising efficiencies

• Environmental sustainability
  - Draft Sustainability Charter in circulation with key stakeholder groups, initiatives being developed with student, staff, parent and community input
  - Beacon Street Wetlands landcare project underway in partnership with Christchurch City Council, with the first SMC community planting day scheduled for Sunday 8 June
  - Renewed efforts, education and infrastructure to improve campus waste management

• Excellence in teaching and learning
  - ‘In time’ reporting in place across the school
  - Middle School curriculum review underway
  - Working group undertaking analysis of transition practices across the four schools at SMC

• Further enhancing our campus, with a particular focus on Boarding and the Junior School
  - Kilburn Common Room completed
  - Establishment of an Eco-Action Satellite Nursery onsite to raise 400 native plants
  - Junior School heat pumps and blinds installed, with classroom renovations ongoing
  - Successful PFA visit to Paterson Lodge with audit of maintenance and improvements now being prepared

• Strengthening our service culture, social conscience and bicultural competence
  - Whole school audit of philanthropic and service opportunities
  - Over 40 girls regularly attending Kapa Haka, with a small group attending the Auckland Polyfest
  - Introductions have been initiated with Te Ngāi o Tūāhuriri Rūnanga branch and Tuahiwi marae
  - Successful Term 1 service events (e.g. Lent Market Appeal and Twilight Concert raising $6600 to support the Muslim community, Gumboot Friday raising $700 for ‘I am Hope’ appeal, community conservation projects undertaken by students in Costa Rica and China)

If you have a particular interest in being involved in any of these areas, please let me know. Details of these and other initiatives will continue to be available during the year across our major communication channels of the fortnightly newsletter and biannual Evergreen Magazine (Autumn issue out now).

It is a pleasure to harness the positive energy that our community has returned with across St Margaret’s this term, and I look forward to continuing to work together in pursuit of ongoing improvement.