A week of good effort all round; appreciating our Deans and a comment about looking forward to Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.

First attempt to give my comments for the Dispatch (newsletter) in video. If this works, I'll try to do this weekly

Kia ora koutou

Congratulations to all of our senior students sitting exams this week. Their results may not yet be known, but their attitude to attending and behaving in exams was exemplary. Our reader-writer team was - as ever - amazing in their support and deserve our sincere gratitude, as do the organisers Matt Maude and Elaine Guy. Teachers will be working on marking and feedback over the next few weeks to give the best preparation possible for exams in November - seniors start study leave on 2 November which is just over 5 school weeks away!

It’s also been a good week with our junior students who have appreciated the extra space.

I’ve been really impressed with our Deans, who track the students in their year level for engagement in school and achievement and really care about ‘their’ students, working way beyond their allocated time.

Next week is Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, an important encouragement to engage with the original language of Aotearoa New Zealand. I’ve read some posts recently suggesting that English literacy issues facing NZ are related to the increase in learning reo Māori - this is nonsense as learning an extra language (or several) enhances anyone’s learning of English. Māori language and culture is what makes us unique in the world - if te reo Māori were to die here, it would have no other home unlike all other languages spoken here. Understanding some te reo Māori opens a door to understanding some concepts of a well established and beautiful culture that can only enhance that of the English-speaking world. So please have a go - see what you can learn from your child.

Today, Friday, we're acknowledging the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. We all hold views about the monarchy, which in itself indicates their significance, and the Queen has been a significant part of our history and culture.

The promised announcement about uniform is still a week away unfortunately.

Mauri ora,

Andy England