Happy new school year! The holidays seem like a distant memory… I hope that you had an enjoyable break whatever that looked like.

The year has started with a hiss and a roar as you would expect in a big and complex secondary school. It was awesome to welcome our new staff and students and their whānau into our kura with multiple mihi whakatau. These events really set the tone for our school year and it was nice to meet some of you over kai as part of that process. We also followed that up with a new Year 12 and 13 student and whānau BBQ which was another great opportunity to talk a bit about our College and meet some great people. Thanks to the families who attended these events. Being connected to our school is an advantage as a family and I hope this gave an opportunity to do this. I know I have really enjoyed saying hi to students around school that I met on that evening.

Our new buildings, Auripo and Wainuku, are up and running and the general feedback is that they are great! There are always teething issues and we haven’t escaped that! What I particularly enjoy seeing is students learning in a variety of spaces, socialising in them and most importantly heating up their lunch! It is the small things. Our school breakfast club runs in the Wainuku student kitchen from 8:00 – 8:25am each morning for students who missed breakfast for any reason.

We are working on an official opening of these buildings and will be in touch with the arrangements.

This year I teach a Year 12 Hauora class in the Wainuku wellbeing space so it is really nice for me to experience the spaces first hand and see it in action. It has taken some getting used to with its open plan style. I have to say though the acoustics are excellent, the furniture strategically placed in ‘zones’ and students have the option to work collaboratively across spaces. Last Tuesday my class collected money to support Wairoa College, in Hawke's Bay, which has been greatly affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, and it was a great experience for all. The students gained an appreciation for doing your bit for a cause and by having to contribute they recognised that we all play a part in supporting other communities in need. We collected $600 across those classes in about 40 minutes. I have added a picture of some students counting their donations on the floor of the new space. If you would still like to donate you can do so through the enrolment centre (they have eft-pos) or through the school bank account number with the reference Wairoa. Attached is a pdf file with our banking details. I plan on connecting students from my hauora class with students from Wairoa College to pass on the total and to see how they are doing. I am really looking forward to this happening.

As a College this year we are working under the umbrella term of equity. What does equity look like in our school? What can we do better? Staff worked together to brainstorm ideas and the general feeling was that we can do more around attendance support for students and families. It is not as simple as just arranging a way for students to get to school. It also requires mentoring when the student arrives so they don’t just walk straight out another gate. We are awaiting further news from the government announcement of providing truancy officers before we rush into this and have approached the Minister of Education to visit our kura so we can discuss attendance support. As whānau we ask that you encourage and support your child to get to school everyday, except when they are unwell, as we know attendance plays a big part in students achieving NCEA. If you are struggling to get your child to school let us know through your child’s tutor in the first instance. I have included a graphic in here with some of our supports as a school. In short, we can help! Please see the attached flyer.

As a school we are also focusing on subject specific literacy which involves sessions for teachers to ensure all teachers are teachers of literacy within their subjects. I really look forward to seeing where this goes and the impact of this on our students.

My own goals are based around being a leader of learning and keeping the saying “Is it clear we are in the business of teaching and learning?” at the front of decision making. I feel very fortunate to have such a great leadership team and wider teaching and support staff to support me in my work. It is truly a team effort and a great place to work. I love hearing the feedback from new students that they really enjoy Te Puna Wai o Waipapa as a great place to be. My aspiration is for us not only to be a great place to be but, alongside that, all students leave with options and opportunities that come about from their achievements and qualifications. That is setting students up for their future.

I received a resignation from my senior leadership colleague and friend Marie Stribling earlier this week. Marie has a 36-year connection to our school after starting as a night school teacher while she was raising children. She then moved into day school teaching, was an integral part of the design of the new library and then held the roles of HOD English and Director of Learning Communities. In 2016, Marie and I both started in our Deputy Principal roles on the same day and have continued to work closely together since. Marie’s wealth of experience and expertise will be greatly missed. She is looking forward to travelling when she wants, not restricted to holidays! Her last day will be June 6th and we wish her all the best! What a career!

As always, and an invite to new members of our school community, please reach out if you have any feedback. I really enjoy hearing from our community and the best way to reach me is through email – rw@hagley.school.nz

Nāku noa, nā

Rowan