“The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on.’

Barak Obama

Kia ora parents and whanau,

With alarming speed another term has raced by, and while at times managing staff and student illness has created some issues, we have arrived at the end of term with a positive and satisfied feeling after a productive few weeks.

I am really proud of our performance as a school and as a community, as we have stayed supportive, compassionate and focused on teaching and learning. We have had to adapt and evolve as we faced different and fluid circumstances, however that also creates opportunities for reflection and improvement.

Compared to the past two years we have been able to enjoy a myriad of events such as the Formal, Showquest, sports competitions, dance competitions, Rockquest, whanau hui, Market day for the Anglican Family Care and our Eucharist Service with the whole school. The success of the Showquest team and the Madrigalli Rouge choir reaching the Cadenza have been real highlights of the term, as was the chance to come together as a whole school, and be able to sing, for our Eucharist service – the first time since 2019!!

These events are to be treasured and enjoyed, all the more so because we know what it is like to miss out on them.

Looking ahead to Term 3 we can anticipate more of the same - with Open Night being the highlight of the first week. This is one of my favourite nights of the year as we welcome prospective families to ‘our place’. Our students are always so positive, welcoming and proud of their school, and I am so proud of the way they engage with our visitors and showcase their learning.

To allow us to prepare for Open Night and to recognize the commitment and load on staff and students, school will finish at 12.30 – the end of Period 3 on Thursday 28th July. School will be open and students may work in the library, however there will not be any timetabled classes. We will also have a late start on Friday 29th July, with classes starting at 9.40am in time for Period 2.

The Gala evening on the 6th August will be another opportunity to come together as a community, and I thank those of you who have already bought tickets. Thank you for your assistance to fund our building project, the redevelopment of Whitby/Chapel, which continues really smoothly and to date has had minimal disruption to learning.

With the change to our Chapel facilities and hosting chapels and assemblies in different spaces, we have made the decision to run a shorter timetable on Mondays ( to match Fridays) and finish at 3.00pm for foreseeable future. School will still start at the same time, and students can stay in the library until they are picked up at the end of the day We have made the change so we can rotate chapels, assemblies and whanau groups in an equitable way.

This change will be initiated at the beginning of Term 3 and will stay in place until we are able to utilize the updated new Chapel and bring the whole school back together, probably sometime in the middle of next year.

As we look further ahead we also want to remind families as was outlined in last week’s newsletter, that we will be introducing the new uniform for Year 7 – 11 students next year (2023). The 2023 year 12 and year 13 students will be the only ones still in the ‘old ‘uniform.

Thank you for your support and assistance this term as we have worked to provide the best opportunities for our students. We are excited about next term and the opportunities it will bring, and I hope you are all able to have a restful and refreshing break and quality family time over the next two weeks in readiness for another busy term.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19: 20-21

Nga mihi nui

Jackie Barron