Kia ora e te whānau
It is with excitement that I welcome you to the start of Term 2. As many are aware, Steve Hart is taking a sabbatical over the next 10 weeks which means I have the privilege to step in as Acting Principal.
I am deeply connected to Hato Tamati, having spent 16 years here. I appreciate the relationships with the community that have been created over my time and look forward to being able to strengthen these connections.
For our Kura the start of the year is about the connection to the brotherhood we have. As we start Term 2, our student leaders have chosen 'Compassion' as the value to focus on this term. At this week’s assembly I shared a whakatauki that encompasses this:
Ma te tumanako
Ma te titiro
Ma te whakarongo
Ma te Aroha
Ka taea e au
By delivering and trusting
By having faith and hope
By looking and searching
By listening and hearing
By working and striving together
By patience and perseverance
By doing this with love and compassion I can succeed
For many, compassion can be shown through love and empathy but it is the simple act of being present which has the biggest impact. I challenged the boys to be present, often as we go into winter and maybe things get a little tough, either results in class, or on the sports field when things do not go our way, the weather turns gloomy - these are the times where perseverance is needed.
This term we have had some staffing changes. We welcome Megan Hutton and Courtenay Tennent to various roles within the school.
Over the coming weeks we have some fantastic opportunities to showcase and connect. This includes our Year 11 Parent Teacher interviews next Wednesday. This week, parents and caregivers of NCEA students should have received their son's predicted grades from mentor teachers. There are great conversations to be had around how they are tracking in their subjects, and setting goals for the remainder of the term.
'Footloose' - this year's school production, along with Villa Maria College, will take to the stage in Week 3, along with our major sports codes starting. I want to wish our students and coaches/volunteers all the best and thank them for the time they put into supporting our young men.
In Week 3 we also have our Open Morning, Tuesday 14th May, from 9am-12pm. A reminder that due to the Ministry of Education’s decision that St Thomas’ will become a Year 9-13 school in 2026, we will not be enrolling any Year 7 student in 2025.
We encourage you to share this Open Morning information with friends and whānau so they have an opportunity to view our school in action. Enrolments close 26th July.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Hamish Barclay