Kia ora koutou and warm greetings from our Kākāriki Rōpū.

What an exciting term it's been. Settling into our new learning environments has been a heartening undertaking, and it is great to finally be able to walk around our new buildings and see so many of our ākonga engaged and flourishing in these great spaces. I'm especially proud of how students have made these spaces their own and care for them, and there's hardly a speck of litter to be seen when I walk through the Te Whare Tapere courtyard on my way home. This is a pointed example of one of our four uara apparent: Tūrangawaewae.   

It was also a great feeling to be able to have school and house assemblies again in Te Puna, our new auditorium, with plenty of seats for everyone (no more cold gym floors). In our Kākāriki assembly, which we had alongside Waiporoporo House, we celebrated last year's senior NCEA successes. It was a chance for us to acknowledge all our ākonga who received Merit or Excellence Endorsements in NCEA in 2021. Ākonga from Kākāriki house who received certificates were: Sarah Nisha, Jesuah Leif Cusi, Ashlyn Reddy and Richard Martin who received Merit Endorsements; and Sophie Watson, Mark Ibasitas and Caitlin Templeton who received Excellence Endorsements. Ka pai to these students for all the hard mihi they put in to achieve great results, and well done to all who managed to get their NCEA, in what was an unusually challenging year. 

The focus of the Te Aratai College pastoral team this term will be on attendance and uniform. Overall, our students do an incredible job of expressing our kura expectations. It is the deans' endeavour that we can encourage all ākonga to be at school on time and ready to learn. Principal, Richard Edmundson sent an article out to our community earlier this term, outlining how every student will have the access and ability to wear our uniform with pride. The deans' secondary focus on student attendance is in response to national data that explicitly links regular attendance to NCEA achievement. We will be working alongside kaiārahi to monitor and inform whānau of any discrepancies or concerns in individual ākonga attendance. We will do our utmost to encourage and support each student being here. Aukaha kia kaha.

Coming up this week we have Wā Whakanui and Senior Academic Conferencing. For our senior students, this is a valuable opportunity for deans and kaiārahi to check in with ākonga and whānau about their academic tracking and what we can do for them early in terms of support and making sure they are on track. Deputy Principal, Natasha Powell sent this article out earlier this term explaining how to make bookings and what to expect from this hui. They are incredibly beneficial for supporting and tracking success at school. I will be available to attend any meeting with kaiārahi if you wish for further guidance and support in your child's progress. Feel free to email me your interview time so I can attend. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your child’s kaiārahi in the first instance or me either via email at col@linwoodcollege.school.nz or phone 022 0273510.

To all our Kākāriki ākonga and whānau, stay safe and well.

Ngā mihi nui

Nick Colville, Kākāriki Senior Dean

col@linwoodcollege.school.nz