Kia ora koutou, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Ni sa bula, Kumusta and warm greetings to our Te Aratai College community.

Term 2 saw many moments to celebrate for our kura and Year 10 students. Starting with our move back to the Aldwins Road site and opening of our new kura; most ākonga settled into the new learning spaces quickly and demonstrated our uara (values) of Manaakitanga, Whanaungatanga, Rangatiratanga and Turangawaewae. Our Term 2 focus is on attendance and uniform. It is great to see that most Year 10 students wear our uniform beautifully, representing Te Aratai College with pride and demonstrating our uara of Rangatiratanga and Turangawaewae.

We were lucky to hold our first Junior Year 10 assembly at Te Aratai College this week. During this assembly, we acknowledged learners’ successes in and out of class for showing our uara and academic achievements. The following ākonga were recognised for demonstrating our uara: Dakota Davidson, Porourangi Manawatu, Lilith Ross, Lily Litherland, Bradley Price, Lexi Watson, Charlie Watkin, and Te Aute Stewart; and for academic success: JC Tolentino and Leah McCallum Simon. Congratulations to all these students.

Term 2 also brought sporting successes, particularly for our U14 rugby team who play on Saturday mornings. Come and support them and watch some awesome rugby. We wish the best of luck to our basketball, netball, hockey, and badminton team for the rest of the season. Great to see you getting out there and having fun and showing good sportsmanship. And last but not least, we have been celebrating the diversity of our school community during Pink Shirt Week and Samoan Language Week. Thank you to all our students and whānau for getting involved. We look forward to celebrating Matariki in Week 8.

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 koo@linwoodcollege.school.nz or cell phone 022 027 3587.

To all our Year 10 ākonga and whānau, stay safe and well.

Ngā mihi nui

Sig Koop, Year 10 Dean

Nicole Eastwick, Junior Assistant Dean