Kia ora e te whānau,

Wow there has been a lot happening this term… It has been full of student successes and showcasing student talent!

Firstly, I wanted to thank you all for your contribution to the Board’s strategic planning by completing the survey that was shared with you all via email. If you missed it, it isn’t too late. Please click here to complete the three question survey. The Board will take themes out of whānau, student and staff voice and put a strategic plan together to direct the work of the College for the next two years. It is a great opportunity to have your say. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou!

A highlight of this term was inviting our community in to celebrate our two new buildings Auripo and Wainuku. Thank you to those who attended. I hope it was nice to have a chance to hear about the cultural narrative of our site and the two buildings and have a good look around! We welcomed back our previous Principal, Mike Fowler, who was yet to see the buildings finished and in full swing. Hopefully, this went some way to making all the meetings and planning time that went into the build since 2016 worth it! We had student workshops on, After 3 woodwork and print making classes and students showing off their barista skills. Kia ora i tō mahi to those staff and students that gave up their time to be part of it.

Our senior students are fresh off exam week, which is an important part of NCEA preparation. I hope they are better for experiencing exam conditions and having an idea where they are at in their subjects. As parents and caregivers, it is a good time to check in with your child around how they went and what feedback they have gained as we want to maximise the learning that comes out of these experiences so they are best prepared for the end of the year. In our day (I am making an assumption here…) we didn’t have choice around exams – we all sat the same ones in a musty school hall. There is some choice for students now and it isn’t uncommon for students to get their NCEA through internal assessment (in class) only. I am in danger of being a bit ‘old school’ here, but I really recommend students sitting an exam at some point through their schooling. There is something about studying for something, getting through the actual exam and experiencing some satisfaction for completing it. Even if it is just about preparing young people to sit their learners licence!!!

Term 3 has been a huge term for sporting success at our kura. Our Basketball boys and girls both won their division on the same night and we are the first school to achieve this! The Girls won their tournament in Timaru with a win over Waimate High School in the final and our boys came second with a close contest in the final that saw them go down to Papanui by three points. What an incredible achievement.

We are the South Island Secondary Schools champions in both Korfball and Ki-o-rahi, which is just amazing. What is even more incredible is a number of these athletes actually played all of these sports and all of this has happened this term. I am so pleased for the students who put so much time and effort into training and the pride with which they represent Te Puna Wai o Waipapa. It can’t happen without our coaches and the Sports Department of Emma and Abhijeet. Thank you all so much for what you do - our students are so lucky to have teachers that are coaches who care about the overall development of athletes as good people.

I have been lucky enough to attend all sorts of performing arts events too. I am always amazed at the talent within our school. The final season of Scene Plus was another great event and completed 14 years of Scene Plus directed by Cameron Mattox from our Theatre Company. What a great experience those evenings are. Music continues to go from strength to strength at our kura and our Music department give up a lot of time to support the performances of our ākonga. ‘Hagley on Show’ was outstanding once again, as were the achievements of our Jazz Band who won a Jazz Competition in Blenheim this term.

If you hadn’t figured out from all of this, I am one very proud Principal, and not just because of the achievements. I am most proud of the way our students conduct themselves when participating in competitions. I am pretty sure not all Principals get stopped in the corridor by a student who said,

‘Hi Rowan, I keep meaning to see you to say thank you very much for coming to support us in our final, we really appreciate it.’

I am constantly blown away by our students. The respect, the picking up the other team's players from the floor, the "thank you"s and the care for each other and the willingness to call out something when it doesn’t fit with the way we do things here. It goes to show that nice guys and girls do win!

I am taking a break in the holidays and am looking forward to coming back refreshed and ready for all that Term 4 brings. As always, I appreciate any feedback from you, our community! Email is best – rw@hagley.school.nz

Nāku noa, nā

Rowan