Tēnā koutou, Talofa lava, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Bula vinaka, Namaste, Malo ni, Halo ola keta, Mauri, Fakaalofa atu. Greetings to our Te Aratai College community.

We start this first full newsletter of the year by acknowledging and honouring mana whenua, Ngāi Tūāhuriri, kaitiaki of the whenua on which we stand as Te Aratai College.

As I am sure that most of us will know, 2023 has begun for the school with an increased roll which is both very pleasing and creating some challenges. The numbers that our present buildings were designed for was 850 learners with Stage 2 to be for 1200 and Stage 3 up to 1800. It was originally thought that Stage 2 would be required not at least for another 3-4 years. However, we have begun the year with 1030 learners which means urgent and positive conversations with the Ministry of Education about 2024 and 2025 are happening right now.

It has meant the recruitment of many new teachers and support staff. A very pleasing point is that job vacancies for Te Aratai College are well-subscribed. It is also clear that our roll increase is coming from all across the diversity of our school zone. Our community is supportive of their school's redevelopment and direction.

Creating the timetable for the increased learners and staff has been a challenge and I thank our learners and staff for their patience, particularly when some of the early classes were too big, which they patently were. I am very grateful to DP Paul Osborne and the timetabling team for their collective mahi in making it all work.

A key reason for our being able to (just) manage the increased roll this year is that we have altered the move of our Te Aratai College Technology Centre. The Centre (formerly the Phillipstown Tech Centre) was supposed to move at the start of the year from Nursery Rd, Phillipstown, into our Aldwins Rd buildings. The Centre has still moved but fortunately this has been onto our former temporary site at Avonside.

Next year the plan is to have relocatables for the further roll increase and a new 16 teaching space block completed during 2025.

From Linwood High School 1954 to Te Aratai College 2023: the whenua remains the same but the pathway to sea - Ara, Tai - varies for us all, both for each individual and over the decades. Secondary schools are busy places as the following articles illustrate and we are delighted to be in partnership with our community to present the very best of opportunities to our learners.

Schools can be complicated places.

There are many staff available to assist if whānau have a particular question. Contacting me can also be arranged through the office or my direct email is en@linwoodcollege.school.nz

My door is open.

Ngā mihi nui

Richard Edmundson
Tumuaki-Principal